FSEC hears extensive briefing on Cascade Renewable Transmission corridor, asks staff for options and jurisdictional matrix

Chair Kurt Beckett opened an extended briefing on the Cascade Renewable Transmission (CRT) corridor project, emphasizing that the meeting was a staff update and record‑building step, not a final vote on land‑use consistency. Maria Belkina, the siting specialist assigned to the project, said staff completed a focused public comment period (July 27–Aug. 26) and had organized 772 submissions for council review. She told the council staff had completed data request number 2 and were coordinating with agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Oregon Department of Energy.

Assistant Attorney General John Thompson framed the legal scope for the council: "The land use consistency determination is not a determination about the merits of the case or whether it should be approved. It's really just a way point" and it focuses on whether the proposed route is permitted, prohibited or conditionally allowed under local zoning and state law. He explained federal permits (USACE/NEPA) and DNR aquatic‑lands leases are separate decision points and that Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area implementing ordinances are governed by the Gorge Commission and largely fall outside FSEC's land‑use consistency authority.

Council members pressed staff on practical next steps. Multiple members asked for a clear, segment‑by‑segment matrix showing which parts of the CRT are subject to county zoning, shoreline management provisions, Gorge Commission rules, or federal review. Council Blake Nelson and others urged staff to produce options to: have staff draft land‑use consistency documents, ask the applicant for additional information, or schedule another land‑use hearing with fuller local representation. Chair Beckett and staff agreed those options and the jurisdictional matrix would be primary deliverables for the October meeting.

The council also discussed public notice and record completeness. Staff acknowledged one publication error for a Skamania County notice and said all applicant materials and data‑request responses have been posted to the project website; some staff‑generated documents remain pending posting. Several council members stressed continued government‑to‑government tribal consultation and said any additional hearing should include tribal input.

What happens next: staff will prepare a jurisdictional matrix and draft options for the October meeting to help the council decide whether to request more information, schedule another hearing (in‑person or virtual), or move forward with drafting a land‑use consistency document. The council did not take a formal vote on the CRT at this meeting.