Yakama Nation, Cypress Creek Renewables resolve Carriger Solar dispute

After Cypress Creek opted to avoid Klickitat County’s Planning Department, Washington State’s Energy Siting Facility Council (EFSEC) has been processing its application since February 2023. The state entity recommended approval last June, but Gov. Bob Ferguson directed EFSEC to reconsider Yakama Nation’s request for tougher cultural resource protections.

That resulted in a revised certification agreement signed by Ferguson last December, which required the developers to provide $100,000 in one-time grant funding to the Yakama Nation Cultural Resources Program once the project is operational, and ensure tribal access to cultural properties during construction. Yakama Nation remained opposed to the project, however, and filed a petition for judicial review on Dec. 31, contesting EFSEC’s process.

“Cypress Creek has made significant commitments to meaningfully minimize and mitigate the project’s negative impacts to Yakama Nation by not only modifying the project itself, but also addressing cumulative impacts of the project,” reads the joint statement. “These commitments include actions to support preservation of Treaty-reserved resources on adjacent public lands.”

The settlement should allow construction to begin. Both sides also urged EFSEC and all other Washington agencies involved in permitting new energy development to facilitate solutions-orientated conversations earlier in the application process to minimize impact on Yakama Nation resources.