Benton County – For four generations, the Robert family ranch has been in the business of raising cattle and sheep.
The family livestock are grazing on hillsides during the summer and settles on the plains of the valley in the winter.
Decades ago, the area’s water was abundant in hay and wheat cultivation, which could cause it to bubble or even get shot in the air from the well. But for decades, in this central Washington landscape, water lines have fallen hundreds of feet.
Growing enough hay was a challenge.
Now, the new crop will be the central setting in Nikko itself, Roberts’ ranch.
The Roberts and nearby private landowners have agreed to lease 6,000 acres of land to InnerGex, a renewable energy company that plans to install a sea of sparkling solar panels with a capacity of 400 megawatts, enough to power 70,000 homes. It is one of Washington’s largest solar farms.
As the state rushes to clean up the grid and phase out fossil fuel generation, the Roberts represent one way for farmers and ranchers to find new paths ahead on drought and economic force-stirred land.
The project not only provides financial benefits to ranchers, but also brings much-needed renewable energy to the resistant electrical grid.
According to estimates from the non-profit Clean Energy Transition Institute, the state will need 22 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2035 to replace electricity produced by coal and methane gas. The Wautoma project simply represents a drop in the bucket. It’s less than 2% of that total. But as more companies try to develop solar across Washington, the Roberts have shown one way for the project to find footing.
Brothers David and Robin Robert are private about their finances and refuse to say how valuable a lease to Innergex is. But they say it would make a “two or more” amount than their best farming year. (InnerGex also refused to say how much they are spending on leases or potential revenue for the project.)
The project also shows continued opposition from local counties as to where to place these renewable energy projects, and even relatively uncontroversial projects can be taken to reach the finish line.
The Robert brothers say they don’t understand who the solar farm on their land hurts. Their ranch is isolated next to Hanford’s nuclear reservation, with farmers planting thirst crops, such as cherry, grapes and apples, 30 miles from Kennewick, 20 miles north of the irrigation district, from the green circle belt at Sunnyside.
“This solar, it will be a blessing for us, and I think that’s how it feels to many farmers,” David Robert said.
Water troubles
Robin Robert was the golden age of sheep when his grandfather, Emile Robert, first came to Washington in the 1910s.
Emile Robert joined hundreds of other white settlers who raised their hands when the government began to give their homes plots of land. Keeping soldiers warm, wool spun into suits was in intense demand.
Emiling from France, Emile raised sheep on the ridge in February and flocked all the way to Leavenworth in the summer. At the ranch, water was flowing from five springs, Robin Robert said.
When the neighboring family left, Emile Robert bought the land and eventually expanded the ranch throughout the valley. The wells were grown and sold wheat, and were excavated into hay to feed livestock. The family also raised cows.
Visiting another farm six miles north, Robin Robert remembers his father unvalved the valve in the late 1950s and water shot 20 feet into the air. Today, the water in this area is no longer abundant.
Over the past 50 years, the water level at Roberts has dropped from 100 feet to 400 feet, with pressures falling more than half. Last year, parts of the well had to be replaced after the pipes continued to inhale the air, David Robert said.
According to Ecological Bureau Reportgroundwater levels are falling in central Washington. The Yakima River Basin, where the ranch is located, has experienced 14 major droughts since 1941, half of which have occurred since 2000.
“We used to produce dairy quality hay, but we managed to get the best prices,” Robin Robert said. “We can’t do that anymore because we can’t get the water.”
As a result, ranchers had to cut back on how much they cultivated. Protein-rich crops order high prices, but require seven months of irrigation, Robin Robert said.
These headwinds have made farming even more demanding, along with rising fuel and equipment costs and a flat price for wheat. All five siblings were in their 60s or 70s, and the lack of effort and profits in running a cattle ranch was not appealing to children, nie or nephew, said David Robert.
So when InnerGex knocked about five years ago, the deal seemed easy.
“This solar is a stable income and allows us to keep the ranch in the family,” said David Robert.
David and Robin Robert said they didn’t intend to sell the land, and they wanted to use the money to upgrade equipment and raise cattle.
After solar farm leases rise in 25 years, the family hopes the aquifer will be recharged.
Benton County protest
Benton County is opposed to the Innergex plans at Robert Ranch.
In 2021, county commissioners enacted a ban on solar and wind projects on farmland that accounts for about 60% or about 650,000 acres of the county.
Benton County Commissioner Jerome Delvin voted in favor of the ordinance and expressed concern that central Washington would become a “ditch in West Washington.” He viewed the ordinance as a “moratorium” that could be changed in the future.
During the hearing, Gregwent, director of community development, said the county has an obligation to protect farmland.
Members of the Robert family testified against the ordinance, claiming that the agricultural value of their land has been declining due to reduced access to water, and instead asked the county to consider the project on a case-by-case basis. David Robert invited committee members to tell us how far the ranch is. Energy companies, including InterneGex, claimed they would generate millions of tax revenue for the county.
What overshadowed this debate was the even bigger winds and the pitch of solar farms near Tri City. A few months ago, the energy developer had proposed a horse heaven wind farm that includes 222 wind turbines over 24 miles and three solar arrays covering up to 5,447 acres.
The project attracted opposition, including pushbacks from a group of local retirees who claimed new turbines were sitting close to the community, scarring their scenic views and lowering their property values. The concern that turbines will disrupt endangering hawk nests has become a major sticking point.
Horse heaven was tortured and tortured during the gobs of the time. Jay Inslee and the state Energy Sitting Council, Roberts Ranch, Solar sailed. The state Energy Sitting Council voted last year to recommend a “first” approach, overturning the county ordinance for solar projects approved in January. Benton County failed to appeal to the decision.
Two more Solar Projects in Benton County are also seeking approval from the state council.
In an interview, Went said the cumulative loss of agricultural land from these installations “has raised a lot of brows” in connection with the Growth Management Act and county regulations. Went said he is not grateful to the state who prioritizes the work done by local planners.
“For many locals at the local level, dealing with the institution and the decisions they have made is a very frustrating process,” he said.
Washington’s renewable future
The state’s 2019 Clean Energy Conversion Act requires the utility to phase out coal by the end of this year, and by 2045 it uses only renewable sources for power generation.
And it is expected that demand for power will only increase as it increases. Recent forecasts show that the northwest will need 4,000 megawatts, adding about 20% of the region’s current production (about 20% of the region’s current production) just to meet demand for the next five years.
The Wautoma Solar Project shows how long it takes to build a renewable project. The project, which was introduced in 2021, is not yet on the finish line. The company is awaiting approval to connect to a nearby federal power line. According to InnerGex, if that works out, construction could begin in 2028 or 2029.
Benton County is not unique in its codified opposition to the sun and wind. Yakima, Skagit and Kurikitat counties all have ordinances that restrict wind and solar, and all local and state-level restrictions exist. All Americaaccording to Matthew Eisenson, a senior fellow at the Sabin Climate Change Law Center at Columbia Law School.
Some opposition parties were raised due to a dramatic increase in the sun as manufacturing costs fell, he said. According to Eisenson, there is debate about how much needed it is to achieve net zero emissions in the US, but even conservative estimates still require an increase in current rates.
Some of the solutions between developers and localities must be through what is known as “community benefits agreements,” if energy developers provide tangible benefits, such as wildfires and road repairs, to alleviate concerns from the local community.
Staring from the family’s home, David and Robin Robert imagine the future of the ranch. Roberts says he’s interested in bringing the sheep back to the ranch and grazing under the panel. The last flock of sheep was sold almost 40 years ago.
If solar money comes in, the siblings say it’s easier to attract children and grandchildren and run the farm’s days “in the management role.” The next generation could be “weekend farmers.” This is someone who works full-time elsewhere but spends time farming for extra income.
If InnerGex’s plans collapse, that’s a different story.
“We have to see leasing the land. We don’t know what we’re going to do,” David Robert said. “That’s something we have to sit and start talking.”
