Tri-Citians are running out of options to ensure responsible green energy development at Horse Heaven Hills.

They can financially support a lawsuit against the wind farm that will soon sprout on the southern horizon, and they can encourage Governor-elect Bob Ferguson to intervene.

Tri-Cities CARES has led the fight against the wind farm that would mar scenic views, disrupt the habitat of endangered species and encroach on culturally important native spaces. This week, the group decided to take legal action.

The non-profit organization has always been a grassroots operation. It lacks funds to pay for lawyers and other costs associated with litigation. We urge residents who are dismayed by a project that will overshadow their community to donate or pledge financial support if they can.

No one wanted it to come to this, but Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) have left the community no choice. EFSEC had initially recommended a more balanced approach, but after, Inslee rejected it.

The Yakama Nation and Benton County may also join the lawsuit. We hope they do. Their participation would leave no doubt that opposition to the project as currently interpreted is unified and broad.

In the meantime, Tri-Citians should send emails, make phone calls and otherwise lobby Ferguson to get involved. The governor-elect acknowledged on the campaign trail that the Horse Heaven Hills project did not receive the public review it deserved. Once sworn in, he can correct that and make an early profit for his fledgling administration.

During his acceptance interview with the Tri-City Herald, Ferguson, who is currently the state’s attorney, said his office concluded there was insufficient stakeholder and communication in Horse Heaven Hill’s review.

“As a state, we’re moving to a clean energy economy. It’s going to happen. It has to be done in a way that the siting and approval is thoughtful and fair to all sides, where voices are heard and respected,” Ferguson said.

He continued, “If elected governor, I will make sure that whatever power the governor has over it is exercised in a way that moves us forward on the clean energy economy but makes sure that we do it in a way that respects tribal sovereignty, … the rights of people in that community who may be affected by it and of course the long-term goals of the state to address the climate.”

Ferguson can remedy that by facilitating an out-of-court review of the project. It would be a powerful early win if he brought industry, community and government agencies to the table and brokers a better plan.

Dave Upthegrove, the newly elected state commissioner of public landscan be a helpful ally in achieving that goal.

The public land representative at EFSEC voted against bowing to Inslee.

During his recommendation interview, Upthegrove said he didn’t know if he would have done the same because he wasn’t “briefed on all the details of it.”

Fair enough, but now that he’s won the election, he should spend some time finding out what’s going on with Horse Heaven Hills. Managing public lands is not just about timberland on the other side of the mountains.

Tri-Citians are not advocating that the project be terminated. Rather, we want a responsible development of green energy in the region.

There are certainly better places to build wind farms, but even at Horse Heaven Hills it is possible to do it right, just not on the scale that Scout Clean Energy and Inslee want.

Donations to the non-profit Tri-Cities CARES can be made at tricitiescares.org/donations or by mailing a check to Tri-Cities CARES, 1360 N. Louisiana St. #A-175, Kennewick, WA 99336.