Kiamichi River Journey - NEPA and the NHPA

NEPA, the National Endangered Species Act and the NHPA, the National Historic Preservation Act are two very important pieces of legislation meant to protect the Environment and our Historical sites from the past and into the present.

NEPA, has three documents that are important to the agency in terms of protections to the environments, wate quality, air quality, biodiversity of species and human quality of the environmnet. The three catagories that must be implemented into SEOPC’s project are; EIS, Environmental Impact Statement, EA, Environmental Assessment, and CE, Catagorical Exclusion, which could prove no cucmualtive or individual impacts are significant to the quality of the human environment. The Endangered Species Act is included in the NEPA document and will be expected to be fulfilled in the completion of SEOPC’s new prospectus as determined by FERC who previously rejected SEOPC’s first PAD, Preliminary Application Document. SEOPC’s obligations to FERC and to the people of both the watersheds will be monitored closely by FERC and by the people. It is our own environmental plight that is at risk, but we also must take into consideration the animals of the region to protect them as well. Any critical habitat, adverse affects to species, any missing gaps in the information SEOPC provided in the first PAD must be clarified to the best and higest degree to determine whether formal consultation with FERC is required.. Can we believe the laws of the U.S. will provide the protection of species, human life and sustainable water in our rivers and preservation of our historical sites?

The NHPA is something we may never have never heard of or thought could be important to Pushmataha county. Oklahoma has a long history of intriguing archaeological sites, and more recently, relocated Native American Tribal sites of historical interest as well. The Spiro Mounds, for example, date back to the Caddo and Mississippian people and are an important part of Oklahoma’s history. The more recent Tribal Nations, forced here from other regions of the country, also bring an historic view of life here in Oklahoma which speaks to how this state has been molded into what we see today. Once again, FERC declared that SEOPC had not done due diligence in determining the affects to the historical sites that may be found within the Kiamichi and Little River watersheds at the site of the proposed pump storage facility in Push county. As this becomes more involved for

SEOPC, federally mandated, will we be able to stop this project through this process through FERC?

There has been a lot of chatter about the fact that Mr. Tse is from China and that perhaps China is building and/or financing this pump storage facility. I would like to remind us all that it is TEXAS that has hired Mr. Tse and it is TEXAS that will be profiting from the generation of power to TEXAS! Texas has been trying for years to grab our water, use it, sell it or drink it. I propose that Texas join the US Power Grid and become a member in good standing of the Untied States of America, and then, become a better neighbor to Oklahoma. SEOPC has been tasked to extended their Pre-Permit Application(PAD) into 2026-27 due to the FERC requests for more studies, filling in the gaps and giving the proper Notification Of Intent (NOI) to stakeholders in each county affected by this project #14890. The May 30th deadline is no longer a target for comments, but to be sure, filing a comment now might bring the plight of the Push ounty people to the attention and announce the people’s concerns while we wait for SEOPC to revise their PAD.

For more information regarding this new SEOPC schedule, you can visit www. greenvaultenergy. net.

You can stay updated on FERC.gov, Save the Kiamichi River’s FB page or by going to the Antlers or Idabel library to review SEOPC’s old prospectus in person. Study the new schedule carefully to become familiar with SEOPC and their required timeline schedule with FERC.

The new timetable requires each of us living in the region affected by this pump storage facility to become more vigilant, very patient and not lose sight of what may transpire over the next few years. While we wait for the answers missing from the original SEOPC PAD, keep your eyes to the prize, our rivers sustainable and the life that lives here, let’s keep them safe too. Our entire ecosystem is at risk.

***There is a Public Notice being ran in THIS EDITION of The Antlers American from SEOPC. See the notice on page 10.***