Avangrid, a major renewable energy developer in the Northwest, has canceled its long-standing plan to build an industrial-scale solar farm on Badger Mountain, a site sacred to Indigenous peoples in Eastern Washington.

The project had been in development for at least five years. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation hold protected rights to practice cultural traditions such as food gathering and ceremonies on Badger Mountain and surrounding ancestral public lands.

A 2024 investigation by High Country News and ProPublica revealed that Avangrid and its consultant, Tetra Tech, omitted key archaeological and cultural information from a state-mandated review of the site intended for the solar farm. An Avangrid spokesperson stated at the time that the company had complied with all relevant laws and regulations and had taken additional steps to address stakeholder feedback where possible.

Following the investigation's publication, members of the Wenatchi-P’squosa, part of the 12 Confederated Colville Tribes, organized a demonstration on Badger Mountain. They expressed support for renewable energy but opposed construction on culturally significant sites.

Kurt Beckett, council chair, described concerns about the project's environmental and cultural impacts as “noise” but acknowledged that tribal objections should be considered in the state's permitting process.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources, which owns the public land on Badger Mountain, reported no current requests for clean energy development on the site and did not provide details on future plans.

Steven Wynecoop, vice chair of the Wenatchi Advisory Group—an independent body advising the Colville Tribal Business Council and organizer of the 2024 demonstration—said the cancellation was a positive outcome. He emphasized the mountain's sacredness, noting that generations have visited it for medicines and foods like roots and berries.

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