Snowqualami residents press council on nearby battery storage; council schedules special meeting and seeks Puget Sound Energy briefing

Dozens of residents told the Snowqualami City Council on April 27 that a proposed battery energy storage facility near town is unsafe and poorly sited, and urged elected leaders to act immediately.

Homeowner John Schrader, who said he lives about 500 feet from the proposed Cascadia Ridge site, told the council the project would create unacceptable noise and public-health risks and asked the city to demand an environmental-impact study during permitting. "We live about 500 feet from this facility," Schrader said. "This city needs to adopt an ordinance that has specific regulations in the normal ranges of 40 to 45 dB and apply a 5% penalty to any tonal noise." He also called the site selection "absolutely inadequate" and said economic motives were driving the siting.

Other residents echoed safety and evacuation concerns. "The basic testing would not consider factors like high winds," said Hannah Paul, citing comments she said Jupiter staff made at a community event and warning that strong valley winds could spread fire quickly. "Who is going to help the children if an event happens?" Jordan Olmstead, who identified herself as a parent, said the project threatened the neighborhood: "We are told this is progress, but no amount of innovation justifies compromising the security of our families."

Council members acknowledged the public pressure and moved quickly to set a special meeting. Council Member Johnson moved to hold a special session to discuss potential BESS (battery energy storage system) land use in the unincorporated urban growth area; council members debated whether the session should be an executive session but ultimately amended the motion to an open session so the public could view the discussion. The council set the special meeting for Wednesday, April 29, to include discussion and possible action on a letter to King County expressing the community's concerns.

Council Member Murphy also moved that the city request a briefing from Puget Sound Energy; the motion, which asked PSE to appear at the council's May 11 regular meeting to brief the council on battery energy storage systems and related topics, passed unanimously. "I move that the city be directed to contact Puget Sound Energy and request that a representative appear before the city council at the next regular meeting on May 11, 2026, for a briefing to include topics such as battery energy storage systems," Murphy said.

Mayor James Mey defended the city's rapid release of a Sunday notice about a filing by the developer, saying staff pushed a release to provide timely transparency after being notified by the project's manager. Several residents questioned why the council and county apparently learned of the filing differentially and asked for clearer notice and timelines on the city's website.

Next steps: the council will hold the special meeting on April 29 to discuss possible next steps, including a potential letter to King County; Puget Sound Energy is scheduled to be invited to brief the council at its May 11 meeting.

Votes and actions taken: the council voted to schedule the April 29 special meeting (motion carried) and unanimously approved a motion directing staff to contact Puget Sound Energy for a May 11 briefing.