Inslee rejects recommendation to shrink footprint of massive wind farm

The future of one of the largest wind farms ever proposed in Washington got a boost Thursday as Gov. Jay Inslee told a state panel it went too far downsizing the project.

Last month, the state’s energy facility siting panel sent Inslee its recommendation for approval of the Horse Heaven wind and solar project. It contained a raft of conditions that slashed the number of turbines in the Benton County project in half to curb threats to tribal cultural resources and endangered hawks.

Inslee on Thursday directed the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council to revisit its decision and focus mitigation on “specific and narrowly tailored approaches” that will enable the wind farm “to achieve its full or near-full energy generation capacity.”

“Based on my review of the record and the potential impacts, mitigation measures that substantially reduce the generation capacity of the proposed project should not be required,” he said.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/05/23/inslee-rejects-recommendation-to-shrink-footprint-of-massive-wind-farm/