Chesapeake Bay Foundation Continues to Fight Harmful Dam Project in York County
Court Hears Arguments to Halt the Dam Project at Cuffs Run
Philadelphia, Pa. – Attorneys for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and partner environmental organizations argued in court today in support of an appeal filed last fall against the hydroelectric project that would be located in Cuffs Run.
Last November a coalition of conservation, recreation, and environmental organizations filed a petition for review in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision to grant a preliminary permit for a pumped storage facility at Cuffs Run in York County, PA.
The $2.3 billion project proposed by York Energy Storage LLC would involve construction of a 1.8-mile dam and power turbine pumped storage facility at Cuffs Run ravine and creek, a tributary to the Susquehanna River. The proposed facility would use 1960s era technology and consume about 30% more electricity to pump water than it would actually generate.
Water pumped from the Susquehanna would fill a reservoir and flood roughly 580 acres and homes, destroying farms and forests and displacing 40 families. Flooding and clear cutting of habitats will result in erosion along Cuffs Run and more pollution to the river. The proposal is in direct contradiction to Pennsylvania’s commitments under the 2025 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
The landscape of the lower Susquehanna River gorge has been recognized by both state and federal governments as worthy of protection and investment. The state of Pennsylvania prioritized this area for protection as a Conservation Landscape in 2010, and the federal government designated the region a National Heritage Area in 2019.
The Lancaster Conservancy, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, Farm & Natural Lands Trust of York County, and Susquehanna National Heritage Area joined together in this appeal. If it is successful, the York Energy Storage project’s permit approval would be vacated.
CBF Vice President for Litigation and General Counsel Paul Smail issued the following statement:
“This facility is the wrong project, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
“Cuff’s Run is a wonder. This extraordinary landscape holds naturally reproducing brook trout. The surrounding countryside is home to farmers and families who value the land and what it provides.
“Together, we must stop the flooding of this one-of-a-kind Pennsylvania treasure. With our partners, we will continue fighting for a healthy Susquehanna River and the stewardship of Cuff’s Run and its communities.”
