A 17 Year old girl in York County, is hoping to shed some light on the effects of the Cuffs Run Project. This project was brought upon FERC on February 10, 2023. The Cuffs Run Project is a proposed construction idea of a 225 foot high, 1.8 mile dam and power turbine pumped storage facility. This would flood 580 acres of land along the Susquehanna River. The land is rich with natural, cultural, and recreational resources. The facility would hold water in a reservoir when the cost of power is low, but then release it when the cost is higher.
In September the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected the permit. January 2024 York Energy Storage resubmitted the permit to FERC. In February 2024 FERC accepted the preliminary percent application. With the exception of this project it will destroy farms, a section of the Mason Dixon Trail, and forested lands needed to help ensure the health of the Susquehanna Riverlands landscape and waterway.
York Daily Record interviewed Dave Imhoff, who’s seven acre farmette would be flooded by the reservoir. Imhoff told York Daily Record, “The big thing is it really doesn’t make any sense.” He said the generating facility uses more energy than it generates. McMahon said FERC the company plans to meet with the government about their ideas. “We intend to brief public officials on the bad and the good,” he said. “We think there’s going to be a lot more good than bad.” The proposal states, it will create 300 jobs during construction and 25 permanent jobs for the 50 year plus facility life.
