Wind Power News: Washington
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Expect your power bill to go up if carbon initiative passes, say PUDs
Kennewick, WA Both the Benton and Franklin PUD commissions are opposing an initiative on the November ballot that would charge a fee on carbon pollution. It would raise electric rates for their customers even though the Benton PUD already has a 92 percent carbon-free fuel mix for the electricity it distributes and the Franklin PUD has a 93 percent carbon-free fuel mix, the PUDs said. Much of their electricity comes from hydropower. The Benton Public Utility District Commission, which approved . . . Complete story »
Renewable energy goal creates familiar tension between business, environment concerns
The Spokane City Council is scheduled to once again take up the issue of environmental sustainability Monday night, and familiar battle lines already are drawn. The panel will debate a plan calling for the city to use 100 percent renewable energy within 12 years. While the city has said it’s already met that goal for government functions, the law would apply to private citizens and businesses as well. Supporters say Spokane must do its part to counteract the effects of . . . Complete story »
Solar plan collides with farm tradition in Pacific Northwest
ELLENSBURG, Wash. – When a company from Seattle came calling, wanting to lease some land on Jeff and Jackie Brunson’s 1,000-acre hay and oat farm for a solar energy project, they jumped at the idea, and the prospect of receiving regular rent checks. They did not anticipate the blowback – snarky texts, phone calls from neighbors, and county meetings where support for solar was scant. Critics said the project would remove too much land from agricultural production in central Washington. If approved . . . Complete story »
Energy boost: Yakima County could soon use sun, wind to its advantage
YAKIMA, Wash. – Yakima County is known for a wide variety of products. There’s apples, cherries, mint, hops and asparagus, as well as some campers and CubCrafters aircraft. One thing that doesn’t get produced in large quantities here is electricity. Yakima County’s neighbors, Klickitat and Kittitas counties, are home to wind farms that dot the ridges, while The Dalles Dam spans the Columbia River, generating electrical power as the water flows through its powerhouse. But Yakima County does not have any . . . Complete story »
Energy sprawl threatens Kittitas County tourism
Kittitas County has an award-winning tourism sector. Yet the county will struggle to reap the benefits of recent investments when the state’s energy siting council approves its fourth energy project in the Kittitas valley just north of downtown Ellensburg. A French multinational corporation just asked the council to approve 31 giant turbines. At almost 500 feet, nearly as tall as Seattle’s Space Needle, these will be the tallest seen on U.S. soil. Spanning 4,400 acres along Highway 97, this energy . . . Complete story »
Klickitat County wind-water power project on Columbia River moving forward
GOLDENDALE, Wash. – A proposed $2.5 billion renewable energy project on the Columbia River in Klickitat County may yet be developed. The concept of building large reservoirs and a hydroelectric generating facility to take advantage of the region’s variable wind power has been around nearly a decade, but has struggled to find financial backing. The project was put on hold in late 2015 after federal regulators denied Klickitat County PUD’s request to renew its preliminary permit a third time, saying it . . . Complete story »
Service seeks public comment on proposed wind facility
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment as part of the development of an Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed wind energy project in Lewis and Thurston counties. Comments may be submitted through June 4, 2018. The proposed Skookumchuck Wind Energy Project would consist of up to 38 commercial wind turbines and associated infrastructure. Skookumchuck Wind Energy Project, LLC intends to submit a Habitat Conservation Plan in support of an Incidental Take Permit for the federally listed . . . Complete story »
PacifiCorp challenges PUC staff in controversial $1.5B wind power bidding process
PacifiCorp is defending a $1.5 billion wind power solicitation that has come under sharp attack from Oregon Public Utility Commission staff, emphasizing that an independent evaluator that monitored the process endorsed the results as “the best viable options.” “The independent evaluator is an independent expert appointed and managed by the commission – not PacifiCorp – to ensure that the (request for proposals) process was conducted in a fair and unbiased manner and to ensure that the final shortlist projects are reasonable and . . . Complete story »
EFSEC hears update on Desert Claim wind project
The state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council heard a update on a proposal to reduce the size of the Desert Claim wind project near Ellensburg on Tuesday, but didn’t take action. The project was originally approved for site certification in 2010 to develop 95 wind turbines on approximately 5,200 acres, with the capability to produce 190 megawatts of electricity. In February, Desert Claim Wind Power LLC submitted an amendment request to EFSEC to build a smaller project that would use . . . Complete story »
EFSEC to meet Tuesday in Ellensburg
The Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council will meet at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday at the Kittitas County Event Center. Included on the agenda are discussions of the TUUSSO Energy solar wind farm proposals and the Desert Claim wind farm. TUUSSO Energy applied for a site certification agreement from EFSEC to construct and operate five solar arrays and two generation tie lines in Kittitas County. Collectively the installations would span 200 acres of leased land and are known as the Columbia . . . Complete story »
