From our State Representative Gary VanDeaver:

Pushmataha County Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project. My office was recently informed about a

hydroelectric project that could affect parts of Southeast Oklahoma and Northeast Texas, particularly parts of

Lamar and Red River counties. Aquarian Capital and the Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation have filed a

“Notice of Intent” to receive licensing approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

There are a few key things I want you to keep in mind if you hear or read social media posts about this project:

• First, the application process is projected to take over two years, with final licensing (if approved) not

granted before March 2027 according to documents filed with FERC.

• Second, FERC will host two community meetings at the Love Civic Center (Paris) on Wednesday

August 7, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

I encourage all concerned citizens to attend these meetings to find out more information and make your voice

heard about this project. From the documents reviewed by my staff, the water reservoirs for the pumpstation

hydroelectric generation project will be in Oklahoma, but the power generated through this process will use new

proposed transmission lines planned for Red River and Lamar counties to get to its final destination. It appears

that if this project is approved by FERC and is scheduled to be built, eminent domain may be used to secure the

necessary land for the construction of the transmission lines.