Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
Spring 2025 | Relicensing News
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Relicensing Update from City Light
General Manager Dawn Lindell
The Skagit Hydroelectric Project’s federal license expired on April 30. Going forward, Seattle City Light will operate under annual licenses from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) while we work with our partners to develop a long-term agreement that balances tribal interests, power generation, environmental protection, and community interests.
While federal partners are managing unprecedented changes, it’s important to know that City Light’s commitments aren’t changing. We have long-standing obligations to our partners and to the Skagit watershed, and that’s why we’re developing solutions with local Tribes, agencies, and other stakeholders.
In the meantime, the hydropower project’s core operating priorities remain steady. These priorities reflect our community’s values, and our values as a utility:
- Flood – Managing water levels to reduce risks to downstream communities
- Fish – Supporting salmon and aquatic ecosystems
- Recreation – Keeping access open for fishing, boating, and camping
- Power – Delivering reliable, renewable electricity to our residents and businesses
Relicensing is a long and complex process, and it takes a dedicated team to keep things moving. A huge thank you to everyone working on this effort—your expertise, collaboration, and persistence are what make this possible. Because of you, the Skagit Project continues to provide clean energy while protecting the watershed and supporting local communities.
| | Photo credit: Keith Lazelle Photography | |
The Skagit: A Wild and Scenic River
Did you know the Skagit Valley is home to one of the most remarkable river systems in the country?
Skagit River and its tributaries—the Sauk, Suiattle, and Cascade Rivers—are officially designated as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System, a program designed to protect rivers with outstanding natural, recreational, and cultural values.
The Skagit system winds its way from alpine wilderness through forest, rural communities, and fertile farmland before reaching Puget Sound. The rivers support a rich ecosystem, as well as world-class recreation and a thriving agricultural economy.
Akin to City Light’s whole ecosystem approach to managing the Skagit Project, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers program requires that rivers are managed with a focus on conservation while still allowing for compatible recreation and responsible resource use. The Skagit’s Wild and Scenic designation ensures that the river’s defining characteristics—its fish and wildlife, public recreation, and scenic beauty—are protected from development and degradation. This means that while people can continue to fish, paddle, hike, and explore the Skagit system, all activities are guided by the principle of safeguarding the very qualities that make the river remarkable.
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City Light Awards Grants for Wildlife Research in the North Cascades
Seattle City Light’s Wildlife Research Program provides grants to support projects that help us understand, manage, and protect wildlife in the North Cascades ecosystem.
Since 1999, this program has supported over 75 research projects on a diverse range of subjects, from beaver dams and bumblebees to shorebirds and snowshoe hares.
This year, grants were awarded to two projects aiming to protect endangered species and preserve our region’s biodiversity. One studies Lynx habitat use in the face of increasing fire in the North Cascades; the other looks at beavers’ influence on carbon sources and salmon growth rates in streams and tidal channels.
Read more about both projects in this Powerlines post.
Photo credit: David Moskowitz
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The Healing Power of Nature: Mountain School at Seattle Children’s Hospital
The North Cascade Institute’s Mountain School recently brought its immersive, nature-based learning experience to Seattle Children’s Hospital. Recognizing that many in-patient youth are unable to participate in outdoor programs due to medical conditions, the school team adapted their curriculum to create an engaging, hands-on nature experience within the hospital setting. Activities included inspecting natural materials with field microscopes, making pollinator seed “bombs”, exploring animal tracks and skulls, and more.
This outreach effort was deeply personal for team members and families alike, with some staff having been former patients at Seattle Children’s themselves. For children like Ren, a young patient with a history of complex seizures, programs like Mountain School brought moments of joy, curiosity, and exploration during long hospital stays.
Mountain School’s partnership with Seattle Children’s demonstrates the healing potential of nature, even when experienced indoors. As the North Cascades Institute looks to the future, it hopes to expand this work, "...helping more kids enjoy more hands-on ah-ha nature moments that they’ll remember for years to come.”
Read more the full story in this NCI blog post.
Photo credit: North Cascades Institute
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Newhalem’s Hollywood Connection
Since its construction in 1920, Newhalem has been a company town for employees. But in 1983, it had its brush with stardom when it became the setting of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) facility in the Matthew Broderick techno-thriller, “WarGames.” While the actual NORAD facility is beneath the Cheyenne Mountains near Colorado Springs, Colorado, the exterior locations in the film, most notably the tunnel entrance, were constructed on a gravel pit near Newhalem Creek Campground.
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