Residents blast idea of wind farm in Whitman County

Apr. 30—COLFAX — Guests at the Whitman County Commissioners meeting were seen bringing in more seats to accommodate an overwhelming amount of spectators.

The agency held a Harvest Hills Wind Project workshop Monday morning, which gave residents an opportunity to comment on a wind farm proposed west of Kamiak Butte and south of Washington State Route 272.

The meeting drew more than 100 people. The majority opposed plans to “industrialize” farmland near the county park.

Commissioners anticipated a large turnout, and chose to hold the workshop at the Public Service Building auditorium instead of its usual location at the Whitman County Courthouse.

The project began to catch the attention of many rural Whitman County residents earlier this year when Steelhead Americas, an Oregon energy company, began installing test towers on property east of Colfax.

The business is part of a much larger Portland, Ore., corporation, Vestas-American Wind Technology, which is the market leader in the North American wind industry, according to its website.

Steelhead Americas plans to install 45 wind turbines to generate an estimated 200 megawatts of clean energy, powering around 90,000 homes. According to its website, the $300 million project would generate $40 million in tax revenue for Whitman County in its 30-year lifespan.

It would create 250 construction and 30 long-term jobs to maintain the wind farm. Development Manager Shane Roche said in an interview the company plans to apply for permits by the end of this year in hopes to become operational by 2026.

Whitman County Planner Alan Thomson said Steelhead Americas would have to lease private land for the wind farm, and has already started inquiring with landowners.

He said the wind farm is allowable under Whitman County code. It would need to have approval from the Washington State Environmental Policy Act and acquire a conditional use permit from Whitman County, prompting public comment periods.

But Whitman County Prosecutor Denis Tracy said there is another route Steelhead Americas can take. At any point the company can choose to seek approval from the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, an alternative process established by the state that overrides local zoning codes and county review processes.

Tracy said it was created in the 1970s to ensure development of abundant clean energy for Washington citizens. He added the council has never recommended denying a clean energy facility proposal.

Tomson said the county would have three options to manage the project. It could retain and apply strong local codes and exercise discretion over the project’s entire lifespan, adopt a moratorium to prohibit a conditional use permit application, or implement a six-month interim zoning ordinance to modify conditional use permit requirements.

If a moratorium or interim zoning ordinance were executed, he said Steelhead Americas could instead seek approval from the council.

Lynn Cooper, a northern Whitman County resident, questioned the county’s authority in the project.

“What I’m hearing is we really have no choice,” Cooper said. “There’s going to be a wind farm. Even if the county says no, (the council) will make it happen. I think it’s all pointless, I don’t understand how you can tell us there’s no recourse.”

Tom Thompson, of Pullman, thought similarly, and urged Steelhead Americas not to take the alternative route.

“Ultimately, our choice is nullified by a state board of bureaucrats,” Thompson said. “That puts us in a tough spot. If you’re a good company, you need to take community input seriously.”

Out of more than a dozen comments, only one person spoke in favor of the project.

Greg Jones, an eastern Colfax resident, said he signed a lease with Steelhead Americas because he wanted an extra source of income, and more revenue for the county seemed like a good idea.

“You drive around and see other places where there’s windmills up and they’re happy getting that much money,” Jones said. “I don’t want someone telling me what I can or can’t do with my own private property.”

Cooper added she, along with other residents, aren’t saying there isn’t a need for more power in Whitman County. It’s the location they are all opposing.

“There’s a lot of options we need to consider,” Cooper said. “How can you make decisions and force people who live around the area to have this industrialization come up in the middle of wheat country?”

Gwen Anderson, a rural Pullman resident, said the project will have a tremendous impact on agricultural land on the Palouse.

“Farmland in Whitman County feeds the world,” Anderson said. “We need to protect it.”

Bill Myers of Colfax agreed, and said Kamiak Butte is no place for a wind farm. He added the nation is losing agricultural land every day.

“They don’t make country like this anymore — this is it,” Myers said. “There’s other ways to do this … this is not what we want, this is not for us.”

Art Sager, of Dusty, suggested if Washington wants more wind farms, it should be putting them on the west side of the state instead of smaller counties in the east.

“If they want to put windmills across the state, put one in the governor’s front yard,” Sager said.

Whitman County residents have created a petition, “Protect Kamiak Butte: Stop the Harvest Hills Wind Project!” which has gathered around 1,600 signatures as of Monday.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.