CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to the City Light Department; authorizing the Mayor or her designee to execute a Comprehensive Settlement Agreement, five Off-License Agreements, and other related agreements for purposes of relicensing The City of Seattle's Skagit River Hydroelectric Project before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
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WHEREAS, The City of Seattle (City) is required under the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. ? 791-828(c)) to obtain a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to operate the Skagit Hydroelectric Project (Skagit Project); and
WHEREAS, the City's 1995 FERC license to operate the Skagit Project expired on April 30, 2025; and
WHEREAS, the City Light Department (City Light) has been engaged in FERC's integrated licensing process for over seven years to obtain a new long-term license from FERC for the continued operation of the Skagit Project, including an active negotiation process involving Treaty Tribes, Canadian First Nations, federal and state regulatory bodies, environmental groups, neighboring communities, and other parties; and
WHEREAS, City Light is deeply committed to implementation of the Skagit Project that follows a holistic ecosystem approach balancing Tribal interests, carbon-free power generation, environmental cultural resources protection, and community interests; and
WHEREAS, the Skagit Project is located in the traditional homelands and territories of several Washington Treaty Tribes, including the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, as well as Canadian First Nation Bands and Coalitions; and
WHEREAS, Puget Sound Chinook, steelhead, and bull trout are listed as threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. ? 1531-1544) (ESA); and
WHEREAS, a new license for the Skagit Project issued by FERC will...
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