A massive wind farm proposal in Washington state has gotten new life from Gov. Jay Inslee

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday rejected a recommendation to cut in half a proposal for the state’s largest wind farm, giving new life to the $1.7 billion project.

Plans for the Horse Heaven wind farm originally called for up to 222 wind turbines distributed on hillsides in the Tri-Cities area of ​​eastern Washington spanning 20 miles (38.6 km) and three solar panels covering up to 8.5 square miles (22 km2).

But last month, Washington’s seven-member Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, a clearinghouse that handles permits required for large projects, recommended cutting the proposal in half because of the finding of endangered ferruginous hawk nests in the area, reported ” The Seattle Times.”

On Thursday, Insle rejected the council’s recommendation and ordered the group to reconsider in hopes of expanding the project closer to its full potential. Inslee, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election after three terms, has sought to make climate initiatives key to his legacy.

Since the 2021 wind farm project was proposed, it has pitted local opponents against the state’s ever-increasing demand for renewable energy. In a letter to the site review board, Inslee noted that Washington’s energy demand could nearly double by 2050.

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

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

Inslee asked the council to try to give the Yakama Nation better access to the land — which is culturally and historically significant — while restoring most of the planned wind farm. Tribal communities on the West Coast have expressed frustration with the lack of consultation on such proposals, which affect culturally significant waters and lands.

The council has been considering the Horse Heaven wind farm for over three years. The governor noted that he now has just three months to consider the governor’s notes and change his original recommendations.