Stop the proposed Goldendale Pumped Storage development and protect the sacred land, medicines, and traditions of Pushpum from destruction
The proposed Goldendale Pumped Storage development isn’t “clean energy” if it destroys Tribal lands and cultural practices of Pushpum, a Yakama Nation sacred site. Our clean energy transition cannot continue the legacy of unjust energy development.
Pushpum has Nurtured Life in this Region since Time Immemorial.
Known to the Yakama Nation as “mother of all roots,” Pushpum is a sacred site for Yakama Nation ceremonies, legends, and gathering of traditional roots and medicines. As a natural seed bank, this site contains rich biodiversity in plant and animal life that once removed can never be fully restored.
The project area is within ceded lands of Yakama Nation, and the area has historically been used by the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation, and the Nez Perce Tribe for hunting, traditional gathering, fishing, camping, and traditional ceremonies.
The Threat
Rye Development proposes to permanently destroy Pushpum by building the Goldendale Pumped Storage development, the largest such development proposal in the Pacific Northwest. Developers cite the need for “clean energy” to justify the destruction of these irreplaceable Tribal resources. A recent High Country News article explained: “The Yakama Nation has been outspoken in its support for renewable energy development, including solar and small-scale hydro projects. But not at Pushpum; it’s sacred to the Kah-milt-pah people, one of the bands within the Yakama Nation, who still regularly use the site.”
This is environmental injustice, not clean energy. We have the opportunity to build a new and truly clean energy transition—one that breaks from past harmful extractive practices, one that does not exploit Indigenous communities for the benefit of the majority, and one that does not come at the cost of sacred and irreplaceable resources. It’s not clean energy if it destroys Tribal cultural resources.
State and Federal Environmental reviews acknowledged the adverse impacts.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) both concluded that the development of Goldendale Pumped Storage would have “unique significant and unavoidable adverse impacts on Tribal communities and members.” Yet they still recommended that the development move forward.
The Environmental Review conducted by FERC was especially problematic as it was released without comprehensive Tribal consultation with Yakama Nation.
Rye Development’s proposal destroys environmental and cultural values.
For- Yakama Nation, the development threatens food sources and the ways of life that have sustained families since time immemorial. Destroying this sacred site obliterates a natural seed bank and threatens wetlands, groundwater, and wildlife that will devastate the biodiversity of the area. Learn more from two Kah-miltpa (Rock Creek) band members: Yakama Nation Tribal Councilman Jeremy Takala and CRITFC Watershed Department Manager Elaine Harvey.
This Development Doesn’t Add Up
The ill-conceived location racks up development costs; slows down our green energy transition; and is not necessary to meet the region’s decarbonization goals. The environmental and cultural value of Pushpum is incalculable. Destroying these lands would be an irrecoverable blow to the biodiversity that benefits everyone.
What’s Next?
As of May 2025, FERC has yet to issue the final permit for the development. Consultation is continuing between the federal government, Yakama Nation, CTUIR, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Developer to finalize mitigation measures. In 2024, the ACHP blasted FERC and the consultation process surrounding the development. Writing
“It seems reasonable to suggest that FERC’s licensing of projects like Goldendale essentially operates to continue and extend the type of imposition on Tribal lifeways acknowledged by the DOI2 for the construction of the dams, when such undertakings impact important properties of religious and cultural significance to Tribes associated with the lifeways of the Tribes.”
Despite the lack of comprehensive consultation and the trivialization of cultural resource destruction through inadequate proposed mitigation, FERC staff continue to recommend that the FERC Commissioners approve the final license for the development.
Columbia Riverkeeper, along with Washington Conservation Action, and Yakama Nation continue a legal appeal of the water quality permit issued by the state of Washington.
