State council releases revised Horse Heaven clean energy project proposal

(The Center Square) - A proposed wind and solar energy project in southeastern Washington may finally be nearing the end of a long journey towards final approval from Gov. Jay Inslee’s Office after numerous delays regarding its size and environmental protections.

The Horse Heaven Clean Energy Project would be the largest wind energy farm in the state, with 244 turbine locations and two solar arrays at the Horse Heaven hills in Benton County. Boulder, Colorado-based Scout Clean Energy, which would run the site, first filed their application in 2021.

The initial proposal sent by the council to Inslee in April would have reduced the project scope to provide protective buffer zones for historic ferruginous hawk nests located in the region.

Inslee sent the proposal back to the council, requesting that they use alternative mitigation methods to protect the hawk sites while allowing more turbines to be built.

In its revised proposal, the council’s certification agreement alters the buffer zones so that they are a 0.6-2 mile radius surrounding “documented ferruginous hawk nests,” as opposed to the “Ferruginous Hawk Core Habitat,” which would be any area within a 2-mile radius surrounding a ferruginous hawk nest.

The latest draft represents a significant compromise on the part of council members who felt the prior buffer zones represented the best compromise between generating sufficient clean energy and protecting wildlife habitat.

The general comments submitted to the council in June offered a variety of opinions regarding what actions it should take, with one person writing “please to stick to your recommendation which removes half the turbines. Governor Inslee Is unilaterally making a decision contrary to yours, and putting political pressure on you to reconsider.”

Another person wrote that “this breeding pair is right in its path and have been there several years, we need their hunting skills out here and with no ability to safely fight fires if the turbines don’t kill them, the fires will destroy their habitat and make insurance impossible to get at a reasonable rate out here if it is available at all! Many companies are already deciding they will not insure out here!”

An email written in support of Inslee’s request stated that “the initial EFSEC recommendation to reduce the size of the project is inappropriate in light of our urgent need to expand alternative energy capacity. I believe it is important to maximize clean energy opportunities. We need to go 'all in' on the transition from fossil fuel energy to wind and solar. To that end, we should be pursuing the largest footprint possible in projects such as the Horse Heaven wind farm and other appropriate sites throughout the state.”

Public comments will be accepted through Aug. 25. Written comments may be submitted through https://comments.efsec.wa.gov/ or by email at comments@efsec.wa.gov.

The council will consider the draft proposal at a special Aug. 29 meeting.