2026
Comparably’s Best Company Outlook
Southwest • Utah
Pioneer and Stairs Hydroelectric Projects – License Exemptions
SWCA developed a strategic licensing approach to convert the licenses of two small hydropower projects to conduit exempt facilities.
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Salt Lake City
257 East 200 South
Suite 825
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Suite 825
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Details
Description
Recognizing that licensing regulations had changed to allow certain facilities to be exempt from the licensing requirements of the Federal Power Act, SWCA developed a novel licensing approach to convert the existing licenses for two of PacifiCorp’s hydroelectric facilities to conduit exemptions. Both of these projects were facing upcoming relicensing deadlines, and converting these licenses to exemptions will provide an immense savings in cost, money, and effort, while still allowing for continued operation of these important facilities.
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Meet the Experts
Senior Project Manager and Hydropower Team Lead
Emily Waters
Emily Waters is a collaborative leader focused on strategic planning, technical excellence, and thoughtful project management. She spends her days engaging with hydropower clients and developing strategies for licensing, relicensing, amendments, and exemptions, and currently serves as the team lead for SWCA’s FERC Hydropower Team. She has been working in the water and hydropower industry for 11 years.
Associate Project Manager
Trevor Herritt
Trevor Herritt is a regulatory specialist in NEPA and FERC licensing and compliance. He received his BS from Western Washington University in Environmental Science with an emphasis in freshwater and terrestrial ecology. Trevor works on projects that help power producers navigate regulatory landscapes and wrestle with terrestrial, recreation, and cultural resource issues. All of his projects involve collaboration with local, state, and federal agencies across the west coast and Rocky Mountains. Trevor has worked on hydropower projects in all stages of their lifecycle, including new and existing developments, relicensing, exemptions, and license amendments, and has experience conducting NEPA on non-hydropower large-scale generation. He is also a member of NHA’s Future Leaders of Waterpower (FLOW).
Principal Cultural Resources Team Lead
Rachel D. Kline
Dr. Rachel Kline is a historian and cultural resources leader specializing in historic preservation, regulatory compliance, and the management of historic built environments. She works with hydropower clients to navigate Section 106 compliance, historic property identification and evaluation, effects assessments, and mitigation for FERC-licensed projects. Her hydropower work includes historic structures assessments, documentation and treatment planning, and consultation involving historic hydroelectric facilities and associated infrastructure. Rachel brings more than 19 years of experience in historical research, cultural resources management, and preservation, with an emphasis on developing practical approaches that balance project needs with the stewardship of historic resources.
