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 do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Lewis County commissioners toss windmill hearing; Ordinance will not move forward
For the foreseeable future, Lewis County will not be getting a new wind farm in the Willapa Hills. A public hearing by the Board of Lewis County Commissioners (BOCC) on a proposed code change allowing research on windmills will no longer be held, with the commissioners to let the ordinance die instead of voting on it. If it had been passed, the ordinance would have amended county land use designation, allowing a company called Scout Clean Energy to conduct research . . . Complete story »
Horse Heaven Hills Wind Farm project proposal still up in the air as controversy continues
KENNEWICK, Wash. – The Horse Heaven Hills wind farm project aims to provide renewable energy, create jobs and bring in more money to the surrounding communities. The farm could have up to 244 wind turbines stretching about 24 miles from Finley to Kiona. Only living about a mile away from the hills, Margaret Hue said she worries about her property value and health. She said the farmland has been sprayed with harmful chemicals since the 80s and fears the downwind effects. . . . Complete story »
Hearing on windmill code change for Lewis County postponed to Oct. 4
A public hearing by the Board of Lewis County Commissioners (BOCC) on a proposed code change allowing research on windmills has been postponed from Tuesday, Sept. 20, to Oct. 4. More than 100 people attended a meeting on the code change hosted by Commissioner Lindsey Pollock at the Baw Faw Grange earlier this month. There, she said her seatmates, Commissioners Sean Swope and Lee Grose, were in favor of the change while she was not. Posting the BOCC email addresses . . . Complete story »
Lewis County commissioner rallies against windmill code changes
Residents of Lewis County’s Commissioner District 2 packed the Baw Faw Grange to standing room only on Thursday night to hear from their representative, Commissioner Lindsey Pollock. At least 80 people attended the meeting, but not for the traditional social frills offered by the grange hall. The topic of the evening was windmills, or as stated in the title of the commissioner’s presentation, “Winds of Code Change.” Ahead of a Sept. 20 public hearing on a Lewis County code change . . . Complete story »
Hecate Energy: the second offshore wind proposal for Grays Harbor/Pacific County coast
Details have been discovered regarding a second proposed offshore wind farm for Grays Harbor and Pacific County coastal waters. In addition to the Trident Winds project, an Unsolicited Lease Request was submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for an offshore wind project by Hecate Energy (Hecate). KXRO learned in June that shortly following the release of the request from Trident Winds for their Olympic Wind project, federal officials informed us that a second request had been submitted by . . . Complete story »
Tractor-trailer crashes into Highway 14 overpass; debris damages 5 vehicles
Five vehicles were damaged by concrete debris Thursday afternoon when a tractor-trailer crashed into the Lieser Road overpass on state Highway 14. Washington State Patrol troopers responded at 12:18 p.m. to eastbound Highway 14 for a report that a truck carrying a base for a wind turbine struck the overpass. The impact scattered chunks of concrete along the highway and exposed pieces of rebar, according to spokesman Trooper Will Finn. The damaged vehicles included the truck’s rear pilot car, Finn . . . Complete story »
Editorial: We must have a say in offshore wind-energy plans
Few dispute the need to develop alternative ways to generate electricity that don’t produce greenhouse gases, but our local response to a proposed floating offshore wind farm isn’t a straightforward “yes.” Similar complications arise regarding floating wind turbines off the southern Oregon coast. These prompted the Astoria City Council and the Port of Astoria Commission to recently ask the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Oregon Department of Energy to take their time before granting permission. Clatsop County . . . Complete story »
Tri-Cities and other Eastern WA towns need control over where to put wind turbines
Considering the community outcry last year over the massive Horse Heaven Hills wind farm proposal, we imagine many Tri-Citians are upset by news that the project is a step closer to reality. The Washington state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) decided this week that Scout Clean Energy’s application to build the wind farm cleared its first hurdle and can move forward. Council members had to determine whether the application was consistent with Benton County’s land use plans at the . . . Complete story »
WA state council OKs using ag land south of Tri-Cities for 240+ turbine wind farm
A Washington state council has found that the 24-mile ridge line of Horse Heaven Hills south of the Tri-Cities is an appropriate place for a wind farm. The Washington state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council voted Tuesday to approve an order finding that Scout Clean Energy’s application to build the Horse Heaven Wind Farm was consistent with Benton County land use plans and zoning regulations in place at the time it was first proposed. The ruling is one step toward . . . Complete story »
State energy council approves Horse Heaven Wind Farm
Could the beautiful views of Horse Heaven Hills be replaced with 240 Space Needles? To put this into better context, each windmill would be approximately 500 feet, only 20 feet shorter than the Space Needle’s observation deck. The Washington State Energy Site Evaluation Council has given a land-use approval to a controversial proposed wind turbine farm in the Horse Heaven Hills area. Council votes 7-1 to approve the land use The Council, which is tasked with granting approval throughout the . . . Complete story »
