(The Center Square) – Whitman County adopted stricter rules over commercial wind farms on Monday, potentially upending a project years in the making, pushing the developer to the state siting process.
The Board of County Commissioners approved the proposed rules amid community concerns over the Harvest Hills Wind Project. Steelhead Americas approached the county about the project in 2022, but the board enacted a wind farm moratorium last year so they could review the local regulatory process.
The project would sit near Kamiak Butte, a national landmark that overlooks much of the surrounding area. An opposition group, Save the Palouse, has pushed for stricter rules on commercial wind farms to prevent the Harvest Hills Project from installing turbines up to 699 feet tall along the local skyline.
“Your legacy is going to hinge on how you vote, and this will impact Whitman County and our scenic blues area for decades to come,” local resident Colin Thompson testified. “People that live here that have been basically coming to meeting after meeting … should have precedence over the outside voices.”
The rules approved Monday prohibit commercial windfarms within two miles of most communities and within seven miles of Kamiak and Steptoe Buttes. The rules also require the turbines to be setback at least six times the height of the turbines from property lines and buildings of a non-consenting owner.
Steelhead Americas sent a letter to the Whitman County Planning Commission in December, arguing that the proposed rules would effectively prohibit commercial wind energy. The company says it’s not aware of any project successfully sited under setback rules, such as those adopted by Whitman County.
Representatives from Palouse Wind, another wind farm the county permitted in 2012, testified on Monday that the rules could undermine their existing contracts if they need to adjust their facilities in the future.
They agreed that the rules essentially prohibit new wind farms and asked the county to ensure that it applies only to future projects, not retroactively to Palouse Wind. Pullman resident Simon Smith argued that many of the concerns around the Harvest Hills Wind Project are rooted in disinformation.
“Disinformation is a poison. The more you get, the worse you feel,” he said. “Anger that is stirred up by disinformation will spill into and divide community. Disinformation doesn’t just make the listener ill.”
Local resident Carol Black urged the county board to adopt the proposed rules and make adjustments later as they see fit. She said only about 15 landowners have agreed to the project, while about 100 in the siting area haven’t signed on, arguing that the project shouldn’t take priority over local agriculture.
One community member who didn’t fully identify themselves said her family is one of the property owners working with Steelhead Americas. She said the new rules infringe on personal property rights and put future tax revenues at risk, noting that the state could ultimately approve the project anyway.
According to Steelhead Americas, the Harvest Hill Wind Project could generate “tens of millions of dollars in tax payments throughout the projected 30-year life of the project.” The company’s website says that money could fund schools, hospitals and more while increasing spending at local businesses.
“Steelhead remains fully committed to developing the Harvest Hills project in Whitman County,” lead developer Shane Roche wrote in a statement after Monday’s vote. “The Washington Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) remains a viable path for Harvest Hills to obtain project approval.”
