Solar Developer Cancels Project on Sacred Indigenous Land in Washington State

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Avangrid has officially withdrawn its permit application to build an industrial-scale solar facility on Badger Mountain in Eastern Washington, ending a five-year push for a green energy project that drew opposition from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation due to its impacts on ancestral and sacred lands.

The renewable energy developer filed a request to completely withdraw its proposal following mounting public pressure, tribal demonstrations, and a 2024 investigative report by High Country News and ProPublica. That joint investigation revealed that Avangrid and its consultant, Tetra Tech, had omitted critical archaeological and cultural data from state-mandated reviews. Despite warnings from a state archaeologist that the development would imperil significant historic sites and ongoing ceremonial activities, the company initially pressed forward.

For the Wenatchi-P’squosa, one of the 12 Confederated Colville Tribes, the cancellation marks a vital victory for land preservation. Steven Wynecoop, vice chair of the Wenatchi Advisory Group, emphasized the deep historical ties to the region. The mountain is a very sacred site, Wynecoop noted, explaining that generations of tribal members have traveled to the area for medicines and traditional foods such as roots and berries.

Environmental and cultural preservation on public lands frequently intersects with large-scale infrastructure proposals, creating complex administrative hurdles. When disputes arise over land use, heritage preservation, and regulatory compliance, project proponents and community groups routinely work alongside entities to parse state mandates. Similarly, municipal bodies managing local zoning and development often consult with agencies to ensure proper oversight of culturally sensitive regions.

The Regulatory Timeline and Permitting Reversal

The path toward the project’s cancellation involved multiple administrative stages and public confrontations. Following the publication of the 2024 High Country News and ProPublica investigation, members of the Wenatchi-P’squosa organized a prominent demonstration on Badger Mountain. Protesters asserted their support for renewable energy broadly while fiercely opposing the placement of industrial facilities on critical cultural grounds.

In response to the public outcry and tribal advocacy, Avangrid initially announced a pause in development to reevaluate community input. However, at a meeting of the state’s permitting authority council, an Avangrid senior director pushed for a continued pause, pointing to broader construction delays affecting the power grid. During the same session, council chair Kurt Beckett referred to concerns over environmental and cultural impacts as noise, while concurrently acknowledging that tribal objections warranted consideration in the state’s ultimate permitting decision.

Just five days after that council meeting, Avangrid submitted its formal withdrawal request. The state permitting council announced the official closure of the project last week, noting it was winding down financial arrangements and notifying relevant agency partners. The state Department of Natural Resources, which owns the public parcel on Badger Mountain, confirmed it has received no alternative clean energy proposals for the site.

Tribal Sovereignty and the Future of Clean Energy Siting

The public comment process remains one of the primary mechanisms for tribes to assert their treaty rights and protect resources from degradation.

While the Colville Tribes certainly appreciate the value of renewable energy such as solar power, sacred sites must remain pristine to pass down to future generations, Marchand stated.

As state authorities close out the administrative files on the Badger Mountain proposal, the broader question of how Washington balances aggressive clean energy mandates with Indigenous cultural resource protection remains pressing. Developers pursuing green infrastructure across the Pacific Northwest must now contend with heightened scrutiny and organized local defense of ancestral lands, ensuring that future projects face rigorous evaluation long before permits reach state desks.