On his last full day in office, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee offered $15 million in cap-and-trade funds to advance a Danish investment firm’s plan to build a renewable energy project in Central Washington.

In a letter Tuesday to federal officials, Inslee said the Yakama Nation could use the money to buy land to offset damage to tribal sacred sites caused by the proposed $3.3 billion Goldendale pump-storage project.

The project’s owner, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, could add $10 million, Inslee suggested. The project, though built on a former industrial site along the Columbia River near Goldendale, will unavoidably harm sites sacred to tribe, according to an environmental report.

Copenhagen describes itself as a global fund manger with 2,100 employees on six continents. Inslee acknowledged it was unusual for the state to pay for damages caused by a private project, but said climate change justified the offer.

“Climate change is having serious consequences for our state and the world. Finding alternative energy sources outside of fossil fuels has become critical,” Inslee wrote.

Inslee told the Yakama Nation about his offer last week. The tribe questioned the offer’s viability since Inslee was about to leave office and noted it was a lot of money for a state with large budget deficit.

The $25 million was less than the $40 million the tribe has suggested as compensation. “The combined $25 million mitigation offer fails to fully achieve necessary remedies for direct and indirect impacts to the Yakima Nation,” Tribal Council Chairman Gerald Lewis wrote Inslee.

Rye Development, on behalf of Copenhagen, proposes what would be Washington’s first pump-storage project. Electricity would be generated by flowing water from an upper reservoir through an underground powerhouse.

Rye promotes the project as an important source of renewable energy that can be generated on demand. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff recommended almost a year ago licensing the project.

The project, however, has run into opposition from the tribe, backed by federal and state historic preservation officials, who say Rye has failed to adequately addressed tribal concerns.

Rye’s chief development officer, Erik Steimle, told FERC officials Jan. 8 that further discussions would be unproductive and that the commission should license the project without further delay.

“We appreciate Washington Gov. Inslee’s support of the Goldendale Energy Project and the state’s commitment to this critical renewable energy solution,” Steimle said in a statement Thursday.

In his letter, Inslee told FERC Secretary Debbie-Anne Reese and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Executive Director Reid Nelson that his office was working to put the $15 million in an account to ensure it was available.

Washington State Historic Preservation Officer Allyson Brooks said Wednesday she doesn’t know how the offer will be received by Bob Ferguson, who was inaugurated as governor on Wednesday.

“The new (Ferguson) administration will have to give their opinion,” she said. Efforts to obtain comment from Ferguson’s office were unsuccessful.

Cap-and-trade funds are raised by taxing fossil fuels. The tax raises the retail price of gasoline, diesel and electricity. Funds are deposited into several accounts.

Lawmakers have not appropriated money for Copenhagen’s project. The company did not respond to a request to comment.