COLFAX, WA – The Whitman County Commissioners will consider extending their moratorium on new wind farms during their meeting on Monday.
The board early this year approved a six month moratorium on new wind turbines to allow the Whitman County Planning Commission time to update the code regulating the structures.
The move comes as a Portland company is pursuing a controversial plan to build a wind farm near Kamiak Butte North of Pullman. The proposal from Steelhead Americas has drawn strong opposition from a broad range of local citizens who have formed a coalition called Save the Palouse. The planning commission hasn’t completed updating the wind farm regulations.
Steelhead Americas has informed the county commissioners that they have begun discussions to take their project to the State of Washington for approval. That option would circumvent the local Whitman County approval process and take the project to the state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. Steelhead Americas hasn’t yet formally applied to EFSEC for their Harvest Hills wind farm.
The current Whitman County moratorium on new wind farms expires early next month. The county commissioners will be taking public comment on possibly extending their moratorium Monday morning at 10:15 inside the courthouse in Colfax. The board is then set to formally vote on whether or not to extend the moratorium.
Kamiak Butte is designated as a National Natural Landmark.
