Final approval of Washington state’s largest wind farm is being challenged by the lawsuits that are expected to go to the state supreme court.
Scout Clean Energy’s controversial 1.15GW Horse Heaven clean energy project, including 350MW of wind, was approved recently for construction by the outgoing governor, Jay Inslee.
Local residents and Native groups had opposed the $1.5 billion project since it was first proposed in 2021. The site, which could host 192 turbines, is home to the endangered ferruginous hawk.
The Yakama Nation, Benton County and a group of local activists, Tri-Cities Cares, have now filed appeals in state court.
“Renewable energy development is an important solution to our energy crisis,” said Yakama Nation tribal council chairman Gerald Lewis in a statement. “But it cannot be developed at the expense of our land, our water, our wildlife and our sacred places.” The plaintiffs are pointing to what they say are “procedural errors” by the state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council.
Scout’s senior project developer, Dave Korbus, told the Seattle Times that he was optimistic the project could survive the legal challenge.
“In the meantime, we are committed to advancing the project to begin delivering clean, reliable energy on a timeline that aligns with Washington’s climate goals,” he told the newspaper.
Scout did not respond to a request from “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç for comment.
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