Kodiak has until Oct. 2 to weigh in on Terror Lake relicensing

Kodiak residents have until Oct. 2 to tell federal regulators which environmental questions to study as Kodiak Electric Association seeks a new license for the Terror Lake Hydroelectric Project. It's an early step that doesn't guarantee the cooperative a new license, but it's the window for residents to flag issues and request studies before the review takes shape.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold two public sessions at the Kodiak Public Library: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, and 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 2. Written comments are due by Oct. 2 and can be filed online for those who can't attend.

Terror Lake is central to Kodiak's renewable power, the cooperative has long said, crediting it with cutting diesel use and helping hold down electricity rates — so relicensing bears directly on members' power costs and reliability. It can also be a rare chance to tighten a dam's environmental terms. River-conservation groups elsewhere argue that past hydropower licenses did too little on fish passage, habitat and river health, and that renewal is the moment to push for stronger conditions.

The project's powerhouse sits on the Kizhuyak River about 20 air miles southwest of Kodiak, and it occupies about 2,000 acres inside the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. FERC last reviewed it in 2019. There will be no in-person site visit this time — the location is too remote — but the cooperative has posted a virtual tour with maps, photos and aerial video of the lake, dam, spillway and Terror River.

What regulators study, and what they leave out, will be shaped by what Kodiak puts on the record before Oct. 2.