Wind Power News: Washington
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort 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.
Lawmakers give Inslee more power over energy projects
OLYMPIA – Senate Democrats voted Thursday to fast-track industrial projects related to renewable energy, giving companies the option of bypassing local decision-makers and seeking approval directly from the Inslee administration. Republicans opposed the measure, complaining that the state will make land-use decisions traditionally left to counties. Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said counties won’t be able to stop industries from crowding out farmland. “We shouldn’t allow them to make choices for our agriculture,” he said. “At the end of the day … . . . Complete story »
Gov. Inslee supports wind farms ahead of Horse Heaven decision during Tri-Cities visit
Wind turbines make sense from a quality of life perspective, said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee during a news conference Tuesday in Richland. He visited the Tri-Cities in part to learn more about clean energy research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington State University Tri-Cities. But he wrapped up his nearly daylong visit discussing the split in community opinion on the proposed Horse Heaven Wind Farm. Inslee is expected to have the final say on whether the wind farm is . . . Complete story »
Clearing the air on clean energy bill
Have you noticed all the giant windmills dotting the landscapes throughout rural areas of Washington? Does it feel like these, and other clean energy facilities, are starting to encroach on your land and disrupt your viewsheds? You are not alone. That’s why I introduced House Bill 1871 this legislative session. This bill received a public hearing and a lot of attention and interest from the public and media. It did not make it out of committee, but much of the . . . Complete story »
Bill ‘curbing wind farms’ stays alive in state legislature
An amendment, in this case, is nearly as good as the original. State House passes bill giving more local control over energy projects WA State House Rep Mark Klicker (R-Walla Walla) had proposed HB (house bill) 1871 during this latest legislative session. It would have required the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council to prepare a report (due by this fall) on how there is a lack of equity or fairness in locating massive energy projects, namely wind farms, in Eastern . . . Complete story »
Washington wind power farms may conflict with habitat preservation projects
The Horse Heaven Hills south of the Tri-Cities are a patchwork quilt of shrubs, bushes and grasses a few inches to 6 feet in height. “The best way to see shrub-steppe is to lay down to look into it. …. It’s as complex as the rain forests on the Olympic Peninsula,” said Mike Ritter, a wildlife biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Shrub-steppe still covers a good chunk of Eastern Washington, but much less than before. It . . . Complete story »
New solar farm planned as Tri-Cities officials back WA bill to halt energy projects
A Washington state bill that would temporarily stop state approval of wind and solar energy projects got the backing of Benton, Yakima and Klickitat county officials at a public hearing of a legislative committee this week. The hearing comes as an application for a huge wind farm along the top of the Horse Heaven Hills south of Kennewick is being considered by the state agency and several companies are interested in developing solar projects in Benton County, according to officials . . . Complete story »
Bill would pause new WA wind and solar farms, including huge Tri-Cities project
Washington state needs to look at the imbalance in where wind farms are based in the state and where the electricity is used, says a Walla Walla lawmaker. Republican Rep. Mark Klicker has introduced a bill in the Washington state Legislature that could delay state decisions on new or expanded alternative energy projects, including the proposed Horse Heaven Wind Farm by the Tri-Cities, while solutions to the perceived inequity are investigated. “Too many rural counties are being forced to house . . . Complete story »
Dismissal of charges sought in death of Skookumchuck Wind Farm worker
Three of the five codefendants charged with manslaughter for their alleged involvement in the death of a Chehalis man who died in January 2020 when a trench collapsed during construction of the Skookumchuck Wind Farm have filed motions asking Lewis County Superior Court to dismiss all charges against them. The codefendants – site manager Kurt Schwarting, 46, of Bakersfield, California; site foreman Matt Buckels, 43, of Edmond, Oklahoma; and worker Paul S. Csizsmar, 25, of Brantingham, New York – argue that the . . . Complete story »
More renewable energy, less energy efficiency in new Northwest power plan
More renewable energy development and less room for energy conservation are two of the biggest changes in the draft of the new regional power plan. The Northwest Power Plan guides the electricity demand decisions of the Bonneville Power Administration over the next 20 years. Energy experts say the draft of the 2021 Northwest Power Plan is dramatically different from previous versions. “A lot of things are changing right now because of people’s concern about carbon emissions and greenhouse gas emissions that . . . Complete story »
After appeal, three companies involved in the wind farm death of Chehalis man will pay out full $549,874
After settling an appeal in July with a state appeals board, the three companies found to have violated worksite safety laws that led to the death of a worker at the Skookumchuck Wind Farm will pay out the full $549,874 originally levied against them last year. A Washington state Department of Labor and Industries spokesperson confirmed the information to The Chronicle this week after manslaughter charges were levied against five site workers earlier this week in Lewis County Superior Court. . . . Complete story »
