Environmental groups, tribal representatives and maritime stakeholders told the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (FSEC) on the evening of the Klickitat County hearings that the application for the Cascade Renewable Transmission Project is incomplete and that statutory procedures have not been met.

Nathan Baker, senior staff attorney with Friends of the Columbia Gorge, told the council "this hearing is premature" because, he said, FSEC has only received a draft application and the statute requires the informational hearing to be triggered by receipt of a final application. Baker also said Klickitat County had not appointed a required council member who "shall sit with the council" for the land‑use hearing, a statutory requirement he argued must be satisfied before proceeding.

Columbia Riverkeeper counsel Eric Wriston and other intervenors expanded on application‑completeness concerns, saying the draft materials lack required technical components under Washington Administrative Code (examples cited include detailed fish and wildlife habitat surveys, soils and topography mapping) and that the current notice and short written‑comment windows hinder meaningful public participation.

Tribal and intertribal representatives urged recognition of treaty fishing rights and cultural resources. Elaine Harvey (self‑identified tribal fishing family) described the river as central to subsistence and ceremonial fisheries and said the project could affect salmon, sturgeon, smelt and lamprey. Elijah Cetus of the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission emphasized that portions of the Klickitat stretch fall within Zone 6 treaty fishing access sites and said those sites were missing from the applicant's materials. "This stretch of river, these fishing sites . . . are important for understanding the compatibility of this project," Cetus said.

Steve McCoy, staff attorney for Friends of the Columbia Gorge, told the council most of the proposed route lies in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and argued the project would need permits from the Gorge Commission and the U.S. Forest Service and that Gorge rules may prohibit new transmission facilities outside urban areas.

Amber Carter, representing the Columbia River Steamship Operators Association, warned about multiple crossings of the federal navigation channel and urged FSEC to require additional mitigation and risk assessments, noting the Columbia River trade corridor moves tens of millions of metric tons of cargo and supports thousands of local jobs.

Council members acknowledged the broad range of process and substance concerns and said staff would continue to collect comments and consider the structure of comment periods; no vote was taken. The applicant requested a 21‑day written comment window; some council members signaled they would take up the timing and structure of comment periods in subsequent council business.