PROTECT CUFFS RUN

WHAT IS THE PROPOSED PUMPED STORAGE PROJECT?

In 2023, York Energy Storage, LLC proposed construction of a 225-foot-high 1.8-mile dam and power turbine pumped storage facility, which would flood 580 acres of land along the Susquehanna River rich with natural, cultural, and recreational resources.

The facility, which would be located along the river in York County, would use electricity from the grid to fill a reservoir with water from the Susquehanna River when the cost of power is low, then release the water to generate energy during peak power usage periods when the price of energy is highest.

The Current Permit Timeline

This is the fourth time in four decades that some company or another has applied for a Preliminary Permit to study this VERY SAME PROJECT.

February 10, 2023: York Energy Storage applied for a preliminary permit for the project from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

September 6, 2023: FERC rejected the permit, citing two deficiencies.

November 14, 2023: York Energy Storage reapplied for a preliminary permit.

January 5, 2024: FERC issued a Deficiency Letter.

January 15, 2024: York Energy Storage resubmitted to FERC.

February 1, 2024: FERC accepted the preliminary permit application and provided public notice of it. This began a 60-day window to file comments and interventions objecting to the project. Comments and interventions could be filed through March 31, 2024.

November 21, 2024: FERC granted York Energy Storage a preliminary permit to study the construction of a pumped storage facility at Cuffs Run along the Susquehanna River in York County.

December 18, 2025: Partners filed their opening brief with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in an appeal of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s decision to grant a preliminary permit for the Cuffs Run pumped storage project.

What’s Next

The preliminary permit granted to York Energy Storage gives it at least four years (and as many as eight years) to raise an estimated $12.5 million and complete multiple studies about the Cuffs Run pumped storage project in order to decide whether to seek a license to build the project. The next steps in the appeal process include two more rounds of briefs, oral argument before a panel of three judges, and preparation of a decision by the Court. A decision is not expected until late in 2026 or early 2027.

WHY WE ARE OPPOSED

The Lancaster Conservancy along with multiple government, nonprofit, and community partners (including Susquehanna National Heritage Area, Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, Farm & Natural Lands Trust of York County, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Cuffs Run Alliance) is opposed to this proposed pumped storage facility. Among other reasons, the project would destroy preserved farms, a section of the regional scenic Mason-Dixon Trail in York County, the viewshed from the popular multimodal Enola Low Grade Trail in Lancaster County, and forested lands much needed to help ensure the ecological health of the Susquehanna Riverlands landscape and waterway.

The proposed pumped storage facility would affect this area where Cuffs Run enters the Susquehanna River. (Photo by Susquehanna National Heritage Area)

A stretch of the Mason-Dixon Trail runs through the area that would be impacted by the pumped storage project. (Photo by Sean Roberts)

The view of the Susquehanna River from the portion of the Maxon-Dixon Trail included in the proposed Cuffs Run pumped storage facility project area (Photo by Keith Williams)

The landscape of the lower Susquehanna River gorge has been recognized by both state and federal governments as worthy of protection and investment. The state of Pennsylvania prioritized this area for protection as a Conservation Landscape in 2010, and the federal government designated the region a National Heritage Area in 2019.

The orange star represents the proposed pumped storage project site within the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape.

In the last 10 years, over $100 million has been invested by county, state, and federal governments as well as nonprofit partners and local municipalities along the river. These investments have supported a thriving and growing outdoor recreation and tourism economy, which would be threatened should yet another power generation facility be added on this stretch of the river.

While sustainable renewable energy options are needed to protect our environment, this project is not green. Facilities like this one pump water into a reservoir, then release it to generate electricity when demand and the price of energy are high. According to York Energy Storage’s permit application, the efficiency of the project is expected to be 80%. This means that it takes about 20% more energy to pump the water into the reservoir than is generated when that water is released.

The proposed facility at Cuffs Run would involve the destruction of carbon-storing biodiverse forests, and it would use energy from a grid mostly powered by natural gas and coal to power the pumps that would fill the reservoir. About 60% of the energy generated by the PJM grid (which includes Pennsylvania and Maryland along with all or part of 11 other states and Washington D.C.) comes from natural gas and coal.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The Conservancy is grateful to the many individuals, businesses, and elected officials who have joined us in our opposition, and we will continue to organize with our partners and share resources with the community on how we can all fight this destructive project in the weeks and months ahead.

Share Your Opposition

Help spread the word and grow community opposition to this project. Whether by discussing the negative impacts with friends and family, writing an op ed for your local paper, or sharing your opposition on social media, widespread public outcry about the project will let York Energy Storage and its potential investors know that their project is not a fit for Cuffs Run or our community.

We will continue to add resources and additional opportunities to oppose this project and learn more to this webpage. Please check back for updates.