NOHVA Participates In Process

By Dan Nitzel, NOHVA Business Manager

          If you enjoy riding ATVs and dirtbikes at the Headworks OHV Park near Genoa, then you should know about an activity that will determine the future of our riding area.  The area where we ride at Headworks is part of a large project that involves the production of electric power, irrigation water to local farmers and recreation.  The project is owned and operated by the Loup Power District.  

          This project is licensed for operation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), an agency of the U. S. Government.  The license to operate the project is due to expire in 2014.  Loup Power figures that it will require seven years to process the applications to the FERC.  To meet the terms of the application process, Loup Power will meet with at least 50 public agencies and interest groups, hold numerous public meetings and gather a vast amount of information in order to meet the requirements of relicensing. 

          As one of the Loup Power’s partners involving recreation, I have been invited as a representative of NOHVA to participate in this multi-year process.  I have been attending various meetings involving the application process and have been promoting our desire to see that the new license be approved for the Loup Power District with the condition that our activity (riding ATVs and dirtbikes at Headworks near Genoa) be allowed to continue long into the future.     

Relicensing a hydropower project is a highly structured, transparent, federally-regulated process that takes a minimum of five years. Licensed projects must comply with many regulations including: the Federal Power Act (FPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The relicensing process requires a thorough evaluation of all aspects of the Hydropower Project and its operation including economic, cultural, and environmental impacts. The FERC is charged with evaluating input from all stakeholders and seeking a balance between the power and non-power aspects of each licensed project. Concerns and potential impacts related to the continued operation of the Loup River Hydroelectric Project will be investigated and addressed during the relicensing process.

As mentioned earlier, this is a long and involved process.  Acting on behalf of our organization, I promise to keep you informed of any news or inform you of any actions that we may have to take to support the re-licensing of the project and represent the interests of NOHVA  members.  

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This page was updated on Saturday, March 07, 2009