Snoqualmie residents form nonprofit to fight battery site
Published 3:11 pm Wednesday, April 8, 2026
A group of residents has formed a nonprofit to fight the development of a battery energy storage site adjacent to Snoqualmie Ridge.
Snoqualmie Valley locals, particularly those living in Snoqualmie Ridge, have been voicing their concerns about this proposed development at several meetings lately, including a community meeting with the developer March 17 that ended in disarray.
Now, those residents have formed Snoqualmie Valley for Responsible Energy (SVRE). The group is a 501(c)(4), a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, similar to a 501(c)(3), but different in that a 501(c)(4) is allowed to engage in political activity. This more formal structure will allow SVRE to “sustain a long-term campaign against the project’s current siting,” according to a news release.
SVRE is made up of more than 20 people, six of whom are board members. The associated Facebook group has more than 300 members, and a circulating petition opposing the project has received more than 2,000 signatures, according to member Holly Cowan.
“Clean energy should not come at the cost of public safety. We have formed this organization to fight the inappropriate siting of this project at every turn,” said Danielle Wallace, president of organization, in a news release. “We will be here through every permit filing, every public hearing and every point of the process — until this project is stopped entirely.”
The project would be a battery energy storage system, or BESS, on a 45-acre lot south of Fisher Creek Park, developed by Jupiter Power, an energy infrastructure company based in Austin, Texas. Named Cascadia Ridge, the site would connect to the existing nearby Mt. Si substation and have a power capacity of 130 megawatts. The batteries would store renewable and non-renewable energy for later use.
The lot is directly adjacent to Snoqualmie Ridge, but resides in unincorporated King County, so it will need to go through the King County Council for approval. If the project’s permit application is approved, Jupiter plans to begin construction in 2027.
SVRE’s main concerns are public safety, including fire and environmental risk, and impacts on the nearby creek, which leads to the Snoqualmie River.
The news release said the group “supports responsible energy development,” but claims that Cascadia Ridge is “fundamentally incompatible with the density of the surrounding residential community and the constrained, complex valley terrain.”
SVRE is organizing a march from Cascade View Elementary School to Fisher Creek Park starting at 1 p.m. April 26. There will then be a rally in the park with speakers.
The city of Snoqualmie issued a related statement from Mayor Jim Mayhew on April 6, the city’s fifth statement on the matter in the last month. Mayhew stands firm in helping relay residents’ concerns through proper channels, but asks residents to approach the situation with civility.
“As mayor, public safety is my top priority, and both I and the city council are following this closely,” the statement said. “The city will engage at the appropriate points to ensure our plans and interests are understood, and resident input is central to that process. Please be cautious about information that is designed to inflame rather than inform. Not everything being circulated is accurate or helpful.”
