Does WA state energy council have the courage to stand up to Gov. Inslee? | Editorial

Editor’s Note: This editorial was updated after EFSEC’s Aug. 29 meeting.”

Washington’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) met on Thursday to discuss the fate of the Horse Heaven Hills wind turbine project.

Before council members vote, they should ask themselves whether they serve the people of Washington or Gov. Jay Inslee.

When Scout Clean Energy, a Colorado-based company, proposed building hundreds of turbines hundreds of feet in the air on a ridgeline south of the Tri-Cities, local residents mobilized in opposition.

They noted that the project would disrupt endangered ferruginous hawk habitat. It would impinge on lands held sacred by Native Americans. And it would mar scenic vistas.

EFSEC heard those concerns. It also heard from green energy advocates who parachuted in from Seattle to support a project whose impacts they would not feel.

After listening to everyone, EFSEC struck a fair compromise. The project could go forward, but not at the scale originally proposed.

That wasn’t good enough for the governor. Inslee believes that the need for green energy must trump any concerns. This is no time to worry about native lands and endangered species, he argues, at least not if they stand in the way of windmills. He wants the council to forget about the compromise and allow the project to go ahead as proposed.

EFSEC staff prepared new recommendations to meet the governor’s goals, and they would allow up to 70 more turbines on the site by significantly scaling back protections in the original EFSEC plan.

So whom do council members serve?

If they understand that their constituency is all Washingtonians, not just the one who lives in the governor’s mansion, they will stick with their compromise. The vote was postponed to next week because one council member couldn’t attend Thursday’s meeting. The date and time have yet to be set.

Inslee is a lame duck governor, set to leave office in just a few months. He can afford to override the council’s professional recommendation in pursuit of a political legacy because he won’t have to live with the consequences. The next governor will have to deal with the fallout.

So too, will EFSEC. Compliance with Inslee’s request would devastate the council’s credibility.

Some fallout could hit as soon as the November election. Voters will decide whether to prohibit taxes on carbon and repeal the cap-and-trade program.

If Inslee’s strong arm green tactics prevail, it could well sour some swing voters on his climate agenda and convince them to support Initiative 2117. No one likes a bully, not even a climate bully.

If EFSEC sides with Inslee, it almost certainly will lead to lawsuits. Environmental, tribal and community advocates won’t just roll over. The council should decide whether to roll the dice on litigation and delay or clear the way for a reasonable number of windmills to go up as soon as possible.

In 2022, state lawmakers passed a bill that gave EFSEC more independence and authority. The Legislature wanted the council to support green energy development “while also encouraging meaningful public comment and participation in energy facility decisions.”

Members of the council should reflect on the word ‘meaningful.’ They listened to Tri-Cities residents, local tribes and environmentalists at public hearings and in testimony. That led to a compromise that respected local concerns while allowing a significant green energy project to go forward.

If council members now capitulate to the governor, the years of debate and dialogue will have been rendered meaningless.

Green energy supporters from the Puget Sound area often slander anyone who raises concerns about Horse Heaven Hills as a NIMBY (not in my back yard). Such accusations are baseless and demonstrate only a closed mind unwilling to consider genuine challenges.

This region welcomes the economic development that comes with green energy projects. There are plenty of suitable sites around the Tri-Cities. An upcoming solar project at Hanford is but one example of how this can work.

If wind farms want to come here, local experts can help them find suitable sites that don’t have all the problems of the Horse Heaven Hills.

EFSEC was not meant to be a rubber stamp for the governor. The council, especially after the 2022 legislation, is supposed to streamline approval of green energy projects, but only after thorough analysis and consideration of public concerns.

Indeed, the EFSEC website highlights that the council is an “Independent State Agency.” It should act like one, not capitulate to a governor in search of a green legacy no matter the cost.

This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 5:00 AM.