Solar Project on Badger Mountain is Withdrawn

PRESS RELEASE | CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE COLVILLE RESERVATION 

Date: July 27th, 2026

 (Nespelem, WA) — The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is pleased that  a solar project on Badger Mountain, which the Colville Tribes has protested for years, has  been withdrawn. Aurora Solar LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avangrid Power LLC,  wrote to the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (“EFSEC”) on  July 20th, 2026, and requested to withdraw their application for a proposed solar power  site located on Badger Mountain. EFSEC agreed to process the withdrawal. 

 Badger Mountain in Douglas County, WA, on the flanks of which this solar project was  proposed for construction, is a sacred site. It is a Traditional Cultural Property eligible for  listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The project would have been situated  on the traditional territories of the Moses Columbia and Wenatchi tribes, two of twelve  constituent tribes that comprise the Colville Tribes. The Colville Tribes has opposed the  solar project on Badger Mountain since first learning of it in November, 2021.  

 The Chairwoman of the Colville Tribes, Cindy Marchand, said, “The Colville Tribes is  very happy to hear that the proposed solar project on Badger Mountain has been  withdrawn. While the Colville Tribes certainly appreciates the value of renewable energy  such as solar power, sacred sites must remain pristine to pass down to future generations.  We appreciate Avangrid Power LLC’s decision to withdraw this project and we trust that  they can find a more appropriate site.”