Gov. Inslee won't back bill weakening his office's power to site Washington state energy projects

Eric Rosane / Tri-City Herald (TNS)
Posted 1/12/25

Both Democrats and Republicans agree Washington state's major energy facility siting council could use improving. But their ideas on how to change it are far apart.

Lawmakers in Olympia will …

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Gov. Inslee won't back bill weakening his office's power to site Washington state energy projects

Posted

Both Democrats and Republicans agree Washington state's major energy facility siting council could use improving. But their ideas on how to change it are far apart.

Lawmakers in Olympia will consider one proposal to remove the governor from the process when they convene next week to start the 2025 legislative session.

Gov. Jay Inslee told the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board recently that he gave it his all when considering the Horse Heaven Hills wind farm project and its effects on wildlife and the nearby Tri-Cities. But he said he was ultimately hamstrung by the law from engaging more with the public and community leaders before his decision.

"That's quite frustrating because I like to have dialogue, I like to listen to people, personally, I like to share my views, and the process does not allow that," he told the board in his final meeting with them before leaving office Jan. 15.

Inslee ultimately ordered the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) to recommend allowing more turbines at the clean energy site as Washington continues to eliminate carbon-polluting energy sources.

The council initially tried to cut the number of wind turbines to create buffer zones protecting endangered ferruginous hawks and sensitive cultural areas. But Inslee disagreed and sent the recommendation back, telling the council to prioritize Washington's looming demand for clean energy and reduced emissions.

EFSEC spent three years studying the project, proposed for up to 222 turbines about 500 feet tall before recommending to the governor that the project be approved with about half the number of proposed turbines. Inslee approved the adjusted proposal and signed the agreement in October.

The project will be one of the two largest of its kind in Washington state history.

"I did everything I could to make sure I understood all of the issues in a real-term way," Inslee contends.

Since his decision, Benton County commissioners voted unanimously to join Tri-Cities CARES, a nonprofit, to appeal the industrialization of the skyline south of the Tri-Cities.

GOP seeks changes to process

But Republicans don't think the state's highest office holder should have the final say in approving the state's largest energy projects.

As the Legislature convenes Monday, Jan. 13, for the 2025 session, lawmakers will consider Sen. Matt Boehnke's bill to remove the governor from the project approval process. It's a move the Tri-Cities legislator argues would increase efficiency at EFSEC. His bill would not affect previous siting outcomes.

"Senate Bill 5015 is drawn from the lessons learned from recent projects where the governor has sought to influence council decisions," Boehnke said in a statement. "The bill would confirm that the council is actually in a better position than the governor to make the final decision because the council has done the hard work of reviewing the projects and hearing from all sides."



Sen. Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, believes the bill has a solid chance of passing.

"It's all about regulatory reform and this has kind of been the Republican's wheelhouse for a long time," he said in a separate meeting with the editorial board.

"Now, some of the more thoughtful Democrats are very interested in it because they realize that some of their plans, in particular clean energy and the cap-and-trade system, require enormous build-out of new energy sources and that our system simply cannot handle it," he continued.

House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, told the editorial board that Inslee has considered most policy through an environment-first lens and that Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson has shown he's willing to depart from Inslee on some issues.

"I don't think Gov.-elect Ferguson is going to be that same way," he said. "I do think it's within the realm of possibility that while Gov. Inslee might not like a bill like what Sen. Boehnke is working on, soon-to-be Gov. Ferguson might have a completely different approach to it."

Ferguson is to be sworn in on Jan. 15.

Inslee will not be endorsing the bill. His office said removing the governor from the process "would not improve public accountability."

"The governor has long advocated for streamlined processes and reduced timelines for getting energy projects approved, while still giving due consideration to other relevant concerns," spokesperson Mike Faulk wrote in a statement to the Herald.

"We made some progress on streamlining energy facility siting through the Legislature during the governor's third term, but more will need to be done by future governors and lawmakers."

The 105-day legislative session begins Jan. 13 and is set to conclude April 27.

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