{"id":2312851,"date":"2024-07-01T04:11:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T09:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vxartnews.com\/?p=2312851"},"modified":"2024-06-30T12:37:20","modified_gmt":"2024-06-30T17:37:20","slug":"in-a-push-for-green-energy-one-federal-agency-made-tribes-an-offer-they-had-to-refuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vxartnews.com\/2024\/07\/01\/in-a-push-for-green-energy-one-federal-agency-made-tribes-an-offer-they-had-to-refuse\/","title":{"rendered":"In a push for green energy, one federal agency made tribes an offer they had to refuse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter<\/a> to receive stories like this one in your inbox<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was produced for ProPublica\u2019s Local Reporting Network in partnership with\u00a0<\/em>High Country News<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Yakama Nation leaders learned in 2017 of a plan to tunnel through some of their ancestral land for a green energy development, they were caught off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the tribal nation had come out in favor of climate-friendly projects, this one appeared poised to damage Pushpum, a privately owned ridgeline overlooking the Columbia River in Washington. The nation holds treaty rights to gather traditional foods there, and tribal officials knew they had to stop the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Problems arose when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency in charge of permitting hydro energy projects, offered the Yakama Nation what tribal leaders considered an impossible choice: disclose confidential ceremonial, archaeological and cultural knowledge, or waive the right to consult on whether and how the site is developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This put the Yakama Nation in a bind. Disclosing exactly what made the land sacred risked revealing to outsiders what they treasured most about it. In the past, disclosure of information about everything from food to archaeological sites enabled non-Natives to loot or otherwise desecrate the land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even now, tribal leaders struggle to safely express what the Pushpum project threatens. \u201cI don\u2019t know how in-depth I can go,\u201d said Elaine Harvey, a tribal member and former environmental coordinator for the tribal fisheries department, when asked about the foods and medicines that grow on the land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt provides for us,\u201d echoed Yakama Nation Councilmember Jeremy Takala. \u201cSometimes we do get really protective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although government agencies have sometimes taken significant steps to protect tribal confidentiality, that didn\u2019t happen with the Pushpum proposal, known as the Goldendale Energy Storage Project. Tribal leaders repeatedly objected, telling the agency that if a tribal nation deems a place sacred, they shouldn\u2019t have to break confidentiality to prove it \u2014 a position supported by state agency leaders and, new reporting shows, at least one other federal agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, after seven years, in February FERC moved the project forward without consulting with the Yakama Nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process known as consultation is often fraught. Federal laws and agency rules require that tribes be able to weigh in on decisions that affect their treaty lands. But in practice, consultation procedures sometimes force tribes to reveal information that makes them more vulnerable, without offering any guaranteed benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The risks of disclosure are not hypothetical: Looting<\/a> and vandalism<\/a> are common when information about Indigenous resources becomes public. One important mid-Columbia petroglyph, called Tsagaglalal,<\/em> or She Who Watches, had to be removed from its original site<\/a> because of vandalism. And recreational and commercial pickers have flooded one of Washington\u2019s best huckleberry picking areas, called Indian Heaven Wilderness, pushing out Native families trying to stock up for the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yakama Nation feared similar outcomes if it fully participated in FERC\u2019s consultation process over the Goldendale development. But there are alternatives. The United Nations recognizes Indigenous peoples\u2019 right to affirmatively consent to development on their sacred lands. A similar model was included in state legislation in Washington three years ago, but Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The requirements of the consultation process are poorly defined, and state and federal agencies interpret them in a broad range of ways. In the case of Pushpum, critics say that has allowed FERC to overlook tribal concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just being totally disregarded,\u201d said Simone Anter, an attorney at the environmental nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper and a descendant of the Pascua Yaqui and Jicarilla Apache nations. \u201cWhat FERC is doing is so blatantly, blatantly wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yakama Nation has been outspoken in its support for renewable energy development, including solar and small-scale hydro projects<\/a>. But not at Pushpum; it\u2019s sacred to the Kah-milt-pah people, one of the bands within the Yakama Nation, who still regularly use the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal would transform this area into a facility intended to store renewable energy in a low-carbon way. Rye Development, a Florida-based company, submitted an application for permits for a \u201cpumped hydro\u201d system, where a pair of reservoirs connected by a tunnel store energy for future use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FERC has offered few accommodations for the Yakama Nation on the Goldendale project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FERC spokesperson Celeste Miller told High Country News and ProPublica in an email that \u201cwe will work to address the effects of proposed projects on Tribal rights and resources to the greatest extent we can, consistent with federal law and regulations. This is a pending matter before the Commission, so we cannot discuss the merits of this proceeding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFERC legally doesn\u2019t have to do very much here,\u201d said Kevin Washburn, a dean of the University of Iowa College of Law, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and a former assistant secretary of Indian affairs at the Department of the Interior. \u201cConsultation is designed to open the door so tribes can get in the door to talk to decision-makers.\u201d According to experts, the process can range from collaborative planning that addresses tribal concerns to a perfunctory discussion with minimal impacts, depending on the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the problem with consultation and its lack of teeth,\u201d said Anter. \u201cIf the federal government is saying, \u2018Hey, we consulted, check that box,\u2019 who\u2019s to say they didn't?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s another problem with consultation, too: Any discussions with a federal entity are subject to public disclosure. That\u2019s good for government transparency, Washburn said, but it can make tribal nations even more vulnerable. \u201cAnd it\u2019s why tribes are right to be cautious in what they share with feds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s an obstacle at Pushpum. Things became even harder there in August 2021, when FERC notified the Yakama Nation that federal consultation would be carried out not by the agency itself, but by the developer. The Yakama Nation pushed back, asserting its treaty rights to negotiate as a sovereign nation only with another nation, not with a private entity. FERC, however, insisted that designating a third party was \u201cstandard practice.\u201d The National Historic Preservation Act, signed into law in 1966, says an agency \u201cmay authorize an applicant or group of applicants to initiate consultation,\u201d but maintains that the federal agency is still \u201cresponsible for their government to government relationships with Indian tribes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yakama Nation also worried about commission rules that require anything the tribal nation says to FERC be shared with the developer. \u201cIt gets very sensitive when we share those kinds of stories,\u201d said Takala, the tribal councilmember. \u201cWe just don\u2019t share to anyone, especially a developer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some say FERC could change that internal rule, since it isn\u2019t required by law. \u201cFor them to cite their own regulations and be like, \u2018Our hands are tied,\u2019 is ridiculous,\u201d Anter said. For months, FERC and the Yakama Nation went back and forth over the conditions under which the tribal government would share sensitive information, with the Yakama Nation repeatedly asking to share information only with FERC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, FERC proposed four ways the Yakama Nation could participate in consultation. In the eyes of tribal leaders, all these options either posed significant risks to the privacy of their information or rendered consultation meaningless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first three were laid out in a letter from Vince Yearick, director of FERC\u2019s division of hydropower licensing, sent on Dec. 9, 2021. For option one, it suggested the tribal nation request nondisclosure agreements from anyone accessing sensitive information. Yearick did not specify whether FERC would be responsible for issuing or enforcing these NDAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delano Saluskin, then-chair of the Yakama Nation, called this option \u201cfar from the requirements of NHPA or in line with the trust responsibility that the Federal Agency has to Yakama Nation,\u201d citing FERC policies and National Historic Preservation Act law in a February 2022 letter to state and federal government officials requesting support. He added that it \u201cdescribes a process that does not protect information that is sacred and sensitive from disclosure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, FERC said, the Yakama Nation could simply redact any sensitive information from documents it filed. This option, however, would leave FERC in the dark about the details of what cultural resources the project would imperil. That would make it harder for FERC to require project adjustments or weigh the specific impacts in its decision about whether to permit construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, the Yakama Nation could withhold sensitive information altogether, which would present similar problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, in a June 2022 follow-up letter, the commission suggested that the Yakama Nation submit a document \u201cwith more details regarding the resources of concern\u201d and a request that some of the information be treated as privileged or withheld from public disclosure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, Saluskin described FERC\u2019s options as a \u201cfailure\u201d to conduct legal consultation in good faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A federal agency similarly raised concerns: In May 2023, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, which advises the president and the Congress on protecting historic properties across the country, wrote to FERC suggesting that it \u201cprovide the Tribes with opportunities to share information that will be kept confidential.\u201d FERC\u2019s rule regarding disclosure, the council said, could insulate the agency from meaningful consultation, \u201cand as a result from any real understanding of the nature and significance of properties of religious and cultural significance for Tribes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concerns over FERC\u2019s engagement with the Yakama Nation are part of a wider discussion of whether and how the U.S. government should protect tribal privacy and cultural resources. Speaking at a tribal energy summit in Tacoma in June 2023, Allyson Brooks, Washington\u2019s state historic preservation officer, said that even though the consent language was vetoed by the governor, state law for protecting confidentiality around tribal cultural properties is still stronger than federal law, which only protects confidentiality if a site is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Washington, if a tribal historic preservation officer says, \u201c\u2018X marks the spot; this is sacred,\u2019 we say, \u2018OK,\u2019\u201d Brooks declared. She said asking tribal nations to prove a site\u2019s sacredness is like asking to see a photo of baby Jesus before accepting the sanctity of Christmas. \u201cYou don\u2019t. You say \u2018nice tree\u2019 and take it at face value. When tribes say \u2018X is sacred,\u2019 you should take that at face value too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That approach is vital to the Yakama Nation, which recently saw a developer involved with a project proposed in nearby Benton County leak information that the nation believed was private.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Horse Heaven Hills wind farm<\/a> would be the biggest energy development of any kind in Washington state history. But the sprawling 72,000-acre project overlaps with nesting habitat for migratory ferruginous hawks, a raptor state-listed as endangered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Court documents related to the permitting proceedings show that the Yakama Nation believed it had identified the locations of the ferruginous hawks\u2019 nests as confidential, in part because the hawks are ceremonially important. In May 2023, the Yakama Nation requested a protective order<\/a> from the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, a state-level analog of FERC. The order, which the council issued<\/a>, instructed all parties to sign a confidentiality agreement before accessing confidential information, similar to the nondisclosure agreements FERC proposed. If any party disclosed that information, they could be liable for damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the order didn\u2019t stop that information from getting out. In February 2024, the Seattle Times published a story<\/a> on the Horse Heaven Hills wind farm, which included a map of ferruginous hawk nests \u2014 a map that was credited to Scout Clean Energy, the developer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yakama Nation quickly filed a motion to enforce the protective order<\/a>, alleging that Scout Clean Energy had transgressed by passing protected cultural information to the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The developer counter-filed<\/a>, claiming that even if nest locations were a part of confidentiality discussion, the map itself was not, and that it was so imprecise that the critical details remained confidential. The council ultimately agreed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the risks, Washburn said that tribes should take any opportunity to share their stories with federal officials, even if the conditions aren\u2019t perfect. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t necessarily encourage tribes to give their deepest, darkest secrets to a federal agency,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I would encourage them to meet with FERC and try to give FERC a first-person account of why they think this is important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all experts agree. Brett Lee Shelton, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and an attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, said FERC is out of step with other federal and state agencies. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe that it\u2019s anything but disingenuous, using that tactic,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty well known by any agency officials who deal with Indian tribes that sometimes certain specifics about sacred places need to remain confidential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for Bronsco Jim, a spiritual leader of the Kah-milt-pah people, sharing too many details is out of the question. Cultural specifics stay within the oral teachings of the longhouse, the site of the Kah-milt-pah spiritual community. Jim said he doesn\u2019t even know how to translate all of the information into English. \u201cWe don\u2019t write it, you won\u2019t see it posted. You won\u2019t see it in books. It\u2019s our oral history. It\u2019s sacred.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Yakama Nation wanted to consult on the development of a project on sacred land. 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