Radio segment focuses on takeover issues

The local radio station in Albemarle (WSPC 1010 AM) aired a segment yesterday that I recently recorded about the relicensing of the Yadkin Project. The broadcast focuses on Stanly County’s desire to take control of our hydro business and explains why that is no longer a valid option. Click here to listen to the broadcast.

While a federal takeover clause does exist, the Federal Power Act is very explicit about how the process works. And the simple fact of the matter is that the deadline to pursue a federal takeover expired more than two years ago.

The Federal Power Act says a recommendation to take over a hydroelectric project must be provided at least two years before a license expires. The 50-year license for the Yadkin Project expired on April 30, 2008, which would have required a federal agency to issue a takeover notice by April 30, 2006. That never happened.

Government regulations also say that any such recommendation must be made before the end of the comment period for a license application. In the case of the Yadkin Project, the comment period ended on June 25, 2006…again, more than two years ago.

The bottom line is that no federal agency has ever expressed any interest in taking over the Yadkin Project (or any other private hydroelectric project in the nation) and the deadline to pursue such a takeover has long since passed. Any further discussion of a takeover is a waste of time and money.