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Wind Power News: Washington
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Opponents race to stop deal for ‘largest clean energy project in Washington history’
Scout Clean Energy has taken a major step toward building a controversial wind farm along the Horse Heaven Hills south of Kennewick. Scout, which is owned by a Canadian investment firm, announced Thursday it signed the site certification agreement for the Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center issued by the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC). Gov. Jay Inslee approved the project and signed the agreement in October. The company plans to build possibly hundreds of wind turbines along a . . . Complete story »
After rejecting restrictions, Gov. Inslee approves huge Horse Heaven wind farm stretching 24 miles; developer wants more
Gov. Jay Inslee has approved Washington state’s largest wind farm to be built along 24 miles of the Horse Heaven Hills just south of the Tri-Cities, the Washington state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council announced Friday afternoon. The approval for the project includes eased turbine restrictions for endangered ferruginous hawks and traditional cultural properties compared to those initially recommended by the council. Inslee’s only regret is that it took years for the final approval of the project, he indicated, and . . . Complete story »
WA EFSEC Order – Whistling Ridge Energy Project is officially dead
Since the creation of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in 1986, few projects have threatened Gorge resources like the controversial Whistling Ridge Energy Project. Status update: 2024 – The state-issued permit for the project expired on March 5, 2022. In 2024, the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) reviewed two separate requests, one that would have revived and extended the expired permit and another that would have transferred the permit and the project to a new parent . . . Complete story »
Washington tribes seek to halt offshore wind development
More than a dozen tribes are asking the federal government to stop plans for offshore wind farms along Washington’s coast, saying the environmental impacts aren’t being studied well enough. Why it matters: Offshore wind turbines could provide a source of renewable electricity, aiding the fight against climate change. But tribes say the projects may also violate tribal treaty rights, harming shoreline habitat and tribal members’ way of life. Driving the news: The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, which represents 20 Washington . . . Complete story »
Washington clean energy project mired in ‘no man’s land’ amid planning setbacks
The Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center generating wind and solar energy south of the Tri-Cities in southeastern Washington was expected to begin construction in 2021. Three years later, the project is still in the planning phase, with Gov. Jay Inslee most recently sending the proposed site certification agreement back to the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council for reconsideration. Meanwhile, the process has drawn concern from local officials for its potential impact to natural resources in addition to what some perceive . . . Complete story »
Massive wind farm proposal in Washington state gets new life from Gov. Jay Inslee
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday rejected a recommendation to cut a proposal for what would be the state’s largest wind farm in half, giving new life to the $1.7 billion project. Plans for the Horse Heaven wind farm originally included up to 222 wind turbines across 24 miles (38.6 kilometers) of hillsides in the Tri-Cities area of eastern Washington, plus three solar arrays covering up to 8.5 square miles (22 square kilometers). But last month, Washington’s seven-person Energy Facility . . . Complete story »
Measuring the sound of silence
In an area where the tallest structures are grain elevators, industrial wind turbines are more than simply a disturbance to the rural skyline. They are transformative. Modern turbines are 600 to 650 feet tall. They change a rural landscape into an urban one. As one neighbor put it, “If I wanted to look at tall buildings and blinking lights I’d move to the city.” Modern wind turbines are taller than the Space Needle, twice the height of downtown Spokane’s Bank . . . Complete story »
Plans to build Washington’s largest wind farm held up again amid local controversy
Nestled between the Yakima Valley and the Columbia River in southeast Washington, the fate of a wind-whipped range of hills has been subject to a yearslong dispute about energy, tourism, the past and the future. That stretch of land in wine country near the Tri-Cities may become home to the state’s largest wind farm, dotting miles of rolling hillside with more than 100 white turbines. In 2021, Colorado-based company Scout Clean Energy asked the state for permission to build the . . . Complete story »
Bill addresses concerns over tall wind turbines and aerial firefighting
A bill aimed at balancing interests between wind turbine farms and aerial firefighting efforts is moving ahead in Olympia. Rep. Stephanie Barnard, R-Pasco, says committee passage of House Bill 2117, co-sponsored by Rep. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, is a huge milestone. “We are projected to have more wildfires than ever in the coming years and the place where you put wind turbines is the place where it’s windy and you get fire,” Barnard told The Center Square. “Those go on the . . . Complete story »
Last meeting on proposed HH Hills wind farm coming Jan. 24th
For over three years, there has been a battle raging over a massive proposed wind farm project that would wind its way for nearly 50 miles along the spine of the Horse Heaven Hills south of Finley and Kennewick. Now, the ‘final’ committee meeting is coming. Citizens have a chance to sign a petition (below) against the project (link). EFSEC set to send draft proposal to Governor The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) is slated to meet January 24th, . . . Complete story »
