COLFAX, Wash. – A public hearing at the Whitman County Planning Commission chambers on Wednesday night sparked heated discussions about proposed changes to the county’s wind energy regulations.
The commission voted 8 to 1 to recommend the adoption of a revised wind energy code to the Board of County Commissioners.
For the past eight months, the commission has worked to amend and revise the county code related to commercial wind energy facilities. The code has not been updated since 2009, around the time the Palouse Wind Farm near Oaksdale was established.
The proposed 21-page document includes amendments to the county’s prior code, with new language addressing the permit process, turbine decommissioning and facility setbacks. The main points of contention are the setbacks and an added section titled “Facility Exclusion Areas.”
Under the proposed code, turbines would need to be placed at a distance equal to six times the height of the tower from nearby buildings owned by landowners who have not consented to or participated in wind farm projects. Some attendees at the meeting argued this requirement is mandatory.
“Mandatory setbacks ensure fairness and give the county a more defensible ordinance,” an attendee stated. “These additions don’t hinder development. They simply strengthen the code, reduce long term risk and give Whitman County a stable, predictable policy for decades to come.”
Additionally, turbines would be prohibited within seven miles of national, state and locally significant areas. The proposed ordinance lists Palouse Falls State Park, Steptoe State Park and Kamiak Butte County Park, a national natural landmark. Harvest Hills Wind Project developers claim this language would effectively ban wind development in Whitman County.
“The exclusion areas in the proposed ordinance from Kamiak Butte will target our entire project,” a representative from Harvest Hills said. “Not a single landowner who has signed up to participate in our projects will benefit from wind. Because it would block 100% of the area that we’re evaluating for our project.”
Before the meeting, Steelhead Americas, the parent company of Harvest Hills, sent a letter to the planning commission stating that the proposed code would leave the county without a way to locally permit renewable energy and push developers to seek approval through the Washington Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC).
When asked if they would seek approval from EFSEC, Shane Roche, lead developer for the Harvest Hills project, said they would submit a permit application for their project as soon as they are ready.
As for the proposed code, it will now be reviewed by the county commissioners for approval. Commissioner Art Swannick expressed doubts, saying the code will not hold up under EFSEC standards.
