We’re big fans of local major improvement projects that provide great jobs! One of the latest is the Goldendale Energy Storage Project on the Washington/Oregon border. This project could be a tremendous benefit to the state…or a disaster, depending on who you ask.
Here are Five Fast Facts about the Goldendale Project:
- 💡🌊 What’s The Plan? The idea is to create two water reservoirs connected by pipes. When water is pumped between them, it would create energy that could be delivered to roughly 500k homes in the region. If approved soon, it’s slated to begin operations as early as 2028. That sounds great!
- 👷 What Would It Do? The project would create roughly 3,000 jobs and prioritize local workers while moving the state toward its sustainable energy goals. That sounds even greater!
- 📝 What’s Driving It? The state legislature passed a law in 2019 requiring a transition from fossil fuel power to sustainable power by 2045. Since energy production from things like solar and wind power are uneven from moment to moment, energy storage like this is critical to delivering the constant power needs for the region. Um, wait, we’re not sure that’s so great…
- 👍 Love it! - Supporters say Goldendale is great for the clean energy it will provide, and will boost the local economy by over $2 billion. We like the sound of that (assuming it actually materializes like they say)!
- 👎 No Thanks! - Opponents say this project will have “significant and unavoidable adverse impacts” on the local environment, including tribal and cultural resources for local tribes, potentially driving out or killing off numerous species of plants and animals. It will also take a significant amount of water out of the Columbia River on a yearly basis, causing further harm to endangered and threatened species. That’s definitely not great! 😥
🔥Bottom line: One can make an argument about history repeating itself - years ago, the Columbia River was dammed, and while that provides over half of the PNW’s power needs, it also destroyed local fishing. The concerns about this project having the same effect are legit, and need to be examined closely. We know that energy is critical to economic health, but we also know that Washington state has made some pretty poor choices on energy over the last few years. We’ll always be glad for good paying jobs, but we need to be really sure this is the right path to take.
What do you think about Goldendale?
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