What comes next for a proposed energy project along Columbia River, and the Yakama Nation's opposition to it

The Yakama Nation is strongly opposing the Goldendale Energy Storage Project, a proposed pumped-water storage system near John Day Dam on the Columbia River in Klickit County, Washington. Dubbed the 'world’s largest battery,' the project would occupy 681 acres of land known as Pushpum, a sacred site tied to traditional foods and cultural heritage for the Yakama people. The tribe held a ceremony on May 8 to reaffirm its opposition, with tribal leader Jeremy Takala stating the project remains unacceptable. The project is in its final design phase, with plans to operate by 2032 under developers Rye Development and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Water would be pumped from an upper reservoir to a lower one—located on the former site of an aluminum smelter that operated from 1969 to 2003—using a 2,400-foot elevation drop to generate electricity for up to 12 hours daily. The site is contaminated with oil, diesel, and other pollutants, classified as a Model Toxics Control Act site by Washington’s Department of Ecology. The Yakama Nation, alongside 17 other tribal leaders, signed a letter in 2020 urging Governor Jay Inslee to veto the project, citing concerns over further loss of lands vital for traditional food sources. The tribe draws parallels to past dam projects that displaced Indigenous communities and devastated salmon populations. Elaine Harvey, a Yakama Nation citizen and conservation scientist, warned the project’s rapid development mirrors the destructive history of large-scale energy infrastructure. The same landowner, Scott Tillman, also plans to build a 'world’s greenest' hyperscale data center on the former smelter site, as previously reported by Street Roots. The project would require pumping nearly 7,640 acre-feet of water (2.49 billion gallons) into the upper reservoir, with an additional 360 acre-feet needed annually to offset evaporation. The Yakama Nation opposes both developments, emphasizing the irreversible damage to sacred lands and cultural resources.