Tribes revive fight against Goldendale pumped storage project in emotional sacred grounds gathering

Tribal Leaders Reassert Opposition to Major Energy Project, Citing Sacred Land

A coalition of Native American tribes has renewed its push against the Goldendale Pumped Storage Project, a massive energy infrastructure plan in south-central Washington. During a recent ceremony near the proposed site, leaders from the Yakama Nation and other allied tribes made it clear that the struggle to protect what they consider ancestral grounds is far from over.

The project, designed to act as a giant battery for the region's power grid, would involve constructing two large reservoirs connected by tunnels. Tribal leaders argue the chosen location sits directly on a sacred landscape containing burial sites, fishing grounds, and areas used for traditional ceremonies since time immemorial. They have repeatedly stated that no amount of permits or legal approvals can justify the desecration of these lands.

A Longstanding Fight for Heritage

This is not a new conflict. The tribes have been challenging the pumped storage proposal for several years, leveling their critiques at both federal regulators and private developers. While the company behind the project maintains that cultural impact studies have been conducted and mitigation measures are in place, tribal representatives argue those studies fell short. They believe the true extent of the historical and spiritual significance has been downplayed for the sake of advancing the project.

The recent ceremony was emblematic of this ongoing clash: drum groups performed songs passed down through generations while speakers condemned what they view as the removal of Indigenous ties to the land for industrial gain.

Project's Broader Context

Proponents of the scheme, including several labor unions and clean energy advocates, frame it as a critical necessity. They argue that without large-scale storage facilities like this, Washington’s transition away from fossil fuels will stall. The technology is considered particularly vital for retaining variable renewable power produced by wind and solar farms.

Yet, the tribal opposition places a spotlight on a fundamental modern dichotomy: where should massive infrastructure live when green energy goals clash with Indigenous rights and cultural preservation?

Legal and Regulatory Hurdles Remain

Though the project has secured key permits from state agencies and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), those approvals are currently facing active legal challenges from tribal nations. With points of contention including erosion impacts on the Columbia River and the irreversible alteration of faith-based landscapes, the ultimate fate of the project may have to be decided higher up the appellate chain—or by policymakers mindful of progress and protest alike.

The tribes have promised to “never cease when duty calls”—a stance marking this energy controversy for even more intense engagement.

What do you think?

• Should renewable energy projects be allowed to override Indigenous claims to sacred land, as the push for green power increases?


• Some see projects like this as unavoidable "collateral damage" for climate progress—is that an ethical stance, or a false choice?


• Who bears more responsibility: The energy companies federally permitting work despite active and profuse local rituals of defiance?


• Can modern clean-tech realize legitimate inclusion with old treaties and customs steeped in “of-the-ground” permanence–deference under treaty law possible?