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Not dead yet: proposed $1.7B wind farm gets CPR from Washington Governor

Not dead yet: proposed $1.7B wind farm gets CPR from Washington Governor
Wind turbines rise up amongst the Washington state countryside (courtesy: LeeAnn Cline via Unsplash license)

On Thursday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee rejected a recommendation that would have cut plans for Horse Heaven wind farm in half, giving new life to the $1.7 billion project.

Plans for Horse Heaven originally included up to 222 wind turbines spread across 24 miles of hillsides in the Tri-Cities area of eastern Washington, in addition to three solar arrays covering up to 8.5 square miles. If built to those specs, it would be the largest wind farm in the state.

But last month, Washington’s seven-person Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, a clearinghouse for permits required by large projects, recommended slashing the proposal in half because nests of the endangered ferruginous hawk were found in the area, The Seattle Times reported.

Inslee on Thursday rejected the council’s recommendation and told the group to reconsider in hopes of expanding the project closer to its full potential. A Democrat who is not seeking reelection after three terms in office, Inslee has sought to make climate initiatives key to his legacy.

In March, Inslee signed a hotly-contested bill to hasten Puget Sound Energy’s transition away from natural gas, leaving in place a provision that critics argued would unfairly benefit the utility’s investors at the expense of ratepayers.

Since the wind farm project was proposed in 2021, it has pitted local opponents against the state’s ever-growing need for renewable energy. In a letter to the site evaluation council, Inslee noted that Washington’s energy demands could nearly double by 2050.

As for those in the area who don’t want to look at the turbines, he said that’s not enough of a reason to reject the project outright.

“It is clear that the turbines will be visible only from a distance and none of the turbines will loom over anyone’s home,” he wrote.

Inslee asked the council to try and offer the Yakama Nation better access to the lands — which hold cultural and historical significance — but to still restore most of the planned wind farm. Tribal communities along the West Coast have expressed frustration with what they say is a lack of consultation on such proposals that affect culturally significant waters and land.

The council has deliberated over the Horse Heaven wind farm for over three years. Now it has just three months to consider the governor’s notes and revise its original recommendation, the governor noted.

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.

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