OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Eddy Dempsey, R-Valliant, and Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, on Wednesday held an interim study on the Kiamichi River in Southeast Oklahoma before the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Dempsey and Humphrey said the study was conducted to address Southeastern Oklahoma citizens who have expressed serious concerns about a hydro-power plant being proposed at the Kiamichi River. "Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation is alleged to have threatened over 500 landowners with eminent domain and plans to remove these landowners to complete their project," Humphrey said. "The study reviewed potential effects of this project on the river, wildlife and landowners and revealed why there is such incredible opposition to this project." Dempsey said the plant is being proposed on one of the state's most beautiful rivers and would not even benefit Oklahoma, but instead would benefit only Texas. He said current drought conditions make the project even more unfeasible. "Southeast Oklahoma is my love and my passion," Dempsey said. "I was born and raised here. My family came over on the Trail of Tears. The mountains, woods and waters there mean the world to me, and I will do everything I can to protect them." The two are proposing an impact study be done to address concerns over additional use of the river. Tye Baker and Ahndria Ablett, both with the Choctaw Nation, shared the economic and environmental impact of the river and it's cultural value. The river is a primary source of municipal and industrial water supply for Clayton, Antlers, Hugo and several other rural water districts via Sardis and Hugo lakes. The river contains unique flora and fauna and other invaluable species and is a popular recreational destination, they said. In addition, it's long been essential to the Choctaw Nation's culture and history. According to the terms of the 2016 Tribal-State Water Settlement, the river watershed has special protection as a Class B Basin. The two showed a map of the Kiamichi's watershed area that stretches from the state's southern border near Hugo in Choctaw County up through Atoka, Latimer, Pittsburgh and Pushmataha counties and into Le Flore County. The proposed power plant is on the banks of the river in Pushmataha County, south of Talihina, on a more than 10,000-acre site. Seth Willyard, a vocal opponent of the plant, spoke about prolonged drought that he said has increased average temperatures in Southeast Oklahoma and put a strain on the Kiamichi River Basin. He showed drought periods going back to 2000 that he claims has lowered water levels at Hugo Lake. He also said the river is home to many endangered or threatened species. More than 1,000 Oklahoma residents have submitted protest letters in opposition to this project, Willyard said, including the state's attorney general, the chief of the Choctaw Nation, the governor of the Chickasaw Nation, state legislators, members of Congress, local municipal and county officials, and others. Willyard shared his knowledge of how a closed-loop pumped storage hydropower project would work, which he said would be a net drain on the power grid. He also showed his and others' opposition to such a proposal. He said construction would necessitate the removal of massive amounts of shale and sandstone, the components of which would wash into the river, the sole source of drinking water for the City of Antlers. He also posed that manganese and iron will likely increase in concentration in drinking water supplies as well as halo acetic acids and trihalomethanes. Concerns about the owner of the project, Southeast Power Corporation, also were shared, with Willyard saying it has connections to the Chinese Communist Party. Citizens of the Kiamichi River Valley are leading an effort to permanently protect the river basin and asked for support during Wednesday's study. The Choctaw Nation also is asking for next steps that include ensuring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission does not allow the Southeast Power Corporation to evade or bypass water settlement requirements. They also want the release of more information about the project, and they would like to see the development of a Kiamichi River Basin Watershed Management Plan as part of an overall sustainable water policy. Zach Quintero with Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. spoke about the company's role in serving the electric needs of more than 900,000 customers in Oklahoma and Arkansas as well as its membership in the Southwest Power Pool. He also described the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity from the power plant to the end user and showed maps of transmission lines throughout the state. In addition, he explained the role between wholesale and retail electricity generators, resellers and customers. Nels Rodefeld with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation also spoke during the study.
