Proposed Seminoe pumped storage project draws criticisms at Wednesday public meeting

CASPER, Wyo. — A proposed pumped storage hydroelectric facility at Seminoe Reservoir drew strong criticism Wednesday at a public meeting in Casper that featured dozens of community members, conservationists and elected officials. The event was hosted by a number of organizations, including Friends of the North Platte, Trout Unlimited, the Wyoming Wildlife Federation and the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation.

In an April presentation to the Natrona County Board of County Commissioners, representatives from rPlus Hydro — the company behind the proposed project — said the facility would generate 970 megawatts of power. The planned system would pump water from Seminoe Reservoir to a new 120-acre upper reservoir during periods of surplus energy, releasing it back down through turbines when demand peaks to provide up to 12 hours of full-output energy storage. The project requires the construction of an access bridge, an underground powerhouse, a main access tunnel and a 29-mile transmission line to the Aeolus substation.

However, community members at the meeting voiced a wide range of concerns about possible drawbacks to the project.

Trout Unlimited representative Jim Hissong said the project could have serious impacts on the fish populations of Miracle Mile, a 5.5-mile tailwater stretch of the North Platte River located about 50 miles southwest of Casper, where the project is planned to be built.

Hissong said the impact on fish and insects will be twofold. First, he said the facility is expected to raise water temperatures, which would endanger the fish.

“Trout, when it’s about 68–70 degrees — when you hook them, the stress on the fish will be so great that it’ll kill them,” he said. “That’s why Game and Fish puts on the restrictions where once it hits a certain temperature, you pick up your rods and go home.”

Hissong added that the expected increase of sediment in the water could kill insects like mayflies and stoneflies, as well as suffocate trout eggs.

However, the project could impact more than just the aquatic species in the area, Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation Executive Director Katie Cheesbrough said. According to Cheesbrough, the area’s bighorn sheep population — which she said is the biggest in the state and critical for the species’ health in the region — could also be harmed.

“For those of you who don’t know, you have a very special bighorn sheep herd above and around the Miracle Mile,” she told attendees at the meeting. “It’s a huge success for bighorn sheep conservation. This is a reintroduced herd and it went from 13 sheep maybe in 2003 to close to 400 sheep now. That effort came with a lot of partnerships, funding and work. Currently, it’s the healthiest bighorn sheep herd in the state. … This is the only bighorn sheep herd that we can use to reintroduce sheep to their native range in other parts of Wyoming or other parts of the country.”

But it wouldn’t be the impacts to the water that would pose the largest threat to the sheep. Instead, Cheesbrough said, the sheep would likely be driven away by blasting that is expected to take place over several years as the project gets underway.

When the sheep are driven out, Cheesbrough said they will migrate east to the Pedro Mountains in Carbon County, though they are not allowed to live there and will be subsequently removed. From there, she said, the animals will likely die.

“Removal is killing,” she said.

With impacts to the animals and environment expected, Trout Unlimited Wyoming Government Relations Director Patrick Harrington said impacts to outdoor recreation and tourism would follow. Citing a draft environmental impact study, Harrington said the area is projected to see roughly 117,000 lost recreation visits during the five-year construction period. Once completed, he said, the disturbance to the water, wildlife and landscape would likely continue to affect recreational visits.

“I think we’ll see a decline in the fishery, first initially in construction, when we may see large fish kills from large plumes of sediment going downstream. But over time, through consistent operation, we’ll see what was once a world-class fishery decline into just an average fishery,” Harrington said.

Sen. Larry Hicks, who represents Wyoming’s 11th district, said that the electricity generated by the project likely won’t be used by Wyomingites.

“This is going to go out of state, folks. We don’t need this electricity in Wyoming,” Hicks said, adding that 75% of the energy consumed in Wyoming is generated by oil and coal. “Let’s just make that clear: We’re a net exporter right now.”

“It isn’t going to be the people in Las Vegas or southern California or Phoenix that suffer the impact — it’s you and your family. Sometimes you just have to know what’s not for sale,” Hicks added, drawing applause from attendees.

On Thursday, the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee of the Wyoming Legislature will meet at 8:35 a.m. at the Thyra Thomson State Office Building, 444 W. Collins Drive, to discuss the project.

Harrington urged those in attendance to attend the Thursday morning meeting, and said he was encouraged by the turnout at Wednesday’s event.

“This is a community that cares about their river and their wildlife, and it was awesome to see so many turn out to support it,” he said.

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