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Project first proposed in 2021 faced environmental and community opposition
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee approved a massive wind farm construction project last week after years of political and legal delays, his office reported.
Scout Clean Energy proposed building energy-generating wind turbines and solar arrays in Washington in 2021. The project scope included 244 wind turbines spanning 24 miles of Benton County, Washington, and three solar arrays covering nearly 5,500 acres.
The Horse Heaven Wind Project, as it is called, was proposed to the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC), the Washington State regulator in charge of approving sites for energy projects. The local government, community, environmental advocates, and Yakima Nation, a Native American tribe whose reservation is near the proposed wind turbine site, opposed the proposal.
The US Department of Energy says larger wind turbines, shown in a stock photo, are more cost-effective when grouped. Image: US Department of Energy, WINDExchange
The governor’s approval of the Horse Heaven Wind Project follows a revised recommendation from the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, which eased restrictions on turbine placement. The restrictions were put in place to protect endangered ferruginous hawks and cultural properties.
Project location proposed for the Horse Heaven Wind Project. Image: State of Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council
The approval calls for reducing the no-turbine zone around hawk nests from two miles to 0.6 miles, with additional measures required if turbines are placed within this radius. The developer, Scout Clean Energy, could see all but 30 of its proposed wind turbines under the guidelines should they proceed with the project.
Additional restrictions include prohibiting turbines within one mile of Webber Canyon, which is essential to the Yakama Nation, and a no-turbine area within a quarter-mile of land affected by wildfires.
Governor Inslee noted that the council weighed the project’s environmental impacts, including wildlife and tribal resources, and responded adequately to community concerns.
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