(Pullman, WA) With plans in the works for a large wind farm near Kamiak Butte, the Whitman County Commissioners made a surprise decision Wednesday to place a moratorium on new commercial wind turbines to update their regulations on wind energy projects.
The commissioners unanimously approved the moratorium following a closed-door hour-long meeting Wednesday afternoon. The moratorium on new commercial wind turbine applications takes effect immediately and lasts for at least six months.
The resolution was written by the county’s civil counsel Prosecutor Denis Tracy. It notes that the county’s wind farm rules were set in 2011 and haven’t been updated.
The county commissioners will hold a public hearing in the next two months to take comments about updating the rules. That input will be used to direct the county’s planning commission to draft new regulations. The planning commission will hold its public hearing to take comments on the proposed changes governing wind turbines. The commission will eventually make a recommendation to the county commissioners who will have the final say on updating the commercial wind farm code.
The moratorium comes as a Portland company called Steelhead Americas plans to build and operate a 45-turbine wind farm near the butte North of Pullman. The proposal for wind turbines near the National Natural Landmark has drawn strong local opposition leading to the creation of a large citizens coalition called Save The Palouse. That group has been asking the commissioners to fight the project for months. A request for a moratorium wasn’t pursued by the commissioners last spring. The group presented the board with a petition on Monday with over 3,500 signatures opposing the project.
The commissioners to this point have avoided a fight over the project to keep the permitting process local. That’s because the company can seek approval through the State of Washington’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. Steelhead Americas has stated in the past that they want to seek local approval for their project through the county. The company hasn’t filed its application yet.
