Inslee approves controversial wind farm near Tri-Cities

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has given the green light to a 24-mile long wind farm outside the Tri-Cities, a state council announced on Friday. Along with approving the controversial energy project, Inslee pushed for faster carbon-free energy decisions.

In a letter to the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, Inslee wrote that the council had done its due diligence in recommending the Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center move forward.

The council sent recommendations to the governor, who had the final say in the project’s fate.

However, the project has been debated for years locally. People have raised concerns over potential harm to wildlife, tribes’ traditional cultural properties and ridgeline views. The project would be the largest wind farm in the state.

Initially, the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council nearly slashed the project in half in an attempt to alleviate concerns from the Yakama Nation, wildlife advocates and people who lived nearby.

Earlier this year, Inslee sent the council’s recommendations back. He asked them to not cut so much of the project, noting that the state needs more large-scale carbon-free energy projects, not less.

In September, the council listened and lessened its restrictions on wind turbines and solar arrays. Of the main concerns, the council made buffer zones for ferruginous hawk nests and habitats smaller. Now, a separate technical advisory group will survey the area for active hawk nests or foraging habitats before construction begins, which could lead to more wind turbine restrictions.

Inslee asked that the advisory group meet within 14 days of his Oct. 18 letter and wrap up within 120 days of his letter.

The council also limited turbine development within a mile of the Webber Canyon area, a high priority for Yakama Nation traditional cultural properties, or TCPs. However, the Yakama Nation has previously said any development at all would cause irrevocable damage.

The final recommendations for the project that Inslee approved did not consider the visual impacts of the wind farm.

Petitioners have 30 days from Oct. 18 to file for judicial review.

In his letter, Inslee said more large-scale energy projects will have to be built to fight climate change. Inslee wrote that recommendations for these projects can’t take multiple years. 

“We will not meet our state’s urgent clean energy needs if the path to a final recommendation from the Council spans multiple years and contains conditional micrositing process requirements that further prolong final siting approval for a significant portion of the primary project components,” Inlsee wrote.

He urged the council to be more efficient and timely, saying his office will work on this issue over the next two months.

“I strongly encourage the Council to identify opportunities to increase its efficiency and provide for more timely decision-making. You can expect my office to engage with you on this critical issue before the end of my administration,” Inslee wrote.