Harvest Hills wind project will seek approval from the state rather than wait for Whitman County ordinance

Impatient with hostility from neighbors and a lack of progress from Whitman County, Harvest Hills plans to apply for permits for its big wind turbine project from the state instead.

“Because we see no path forward to a workable wind ordinance, Harvest Hills is beginning the pre-application process with the Washington Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council,” Harvest Hills’ developer, Steelhead Americas, wrote in letter to the Whitman County Commission Tuesday.

Energy facilities in Washington have the option to go through the site evaluation council to bypass local permit requirements. Evaluation council spokesman Karl Holappa confirmed a meeting is scheduled with the developer to talk about the pre-application process, which involves consultation before a formal application is initiated.

Harvest Hills declined to comment beyond the content of the letter.

The developer plans to build 45 turbines near Kamiak Butte, an area opponents say should be protected. In January, the county commission was about to consider a cost reimbursement agreement for Harvest Hills’ application fees when, after a deluge of public comment, it imposed a six-month moratorium on wind projects to give the planning commission time to update the wind ordinance. Harvest Hills said it disagrees with the need to update the ordinance and that the current version is sufficient.

Some, including commissioners, have worried that if the county was too strict with its ordinance or took too long, the company would pull out and go to the state, and then the county would lose local oversight entirely.

Tom Thompson, a spokesman for the opposition group Save The Palouse, called the pivot to the state a negotiation tactic to put pressure on the county to finish the ordinance and lift the moratorium.

Save The Palouse has proposed a draft ordinance that would require 1-mile setbacks from property lines and stricter decommissioning regulations.

“County officials are responsible for protecting their citizens,” Thompson said.

Groups like Save The Palouse say the evaluation council is an unelected committee and an example of state overreach of local authority. Still, Thompson said it might be better to go through it than if county officials fold under pressure from Harvest Hills.

Thompson noted several ongoing lawsuits filed against the evaluation council by tribes, another opposition group and Benton County over the approval of the massive Horse Heaven Hills wind project near the Tri-Cities. That means there are options to oppose the project going forward, Thompson said.

Tom Handy, chair of the county commission, said the planning commission is finishing up the solar ordinance and was just beginning to take comment on the wind ordinance last week.

In Tuesday’s letter, Harvest Hills said it remains committed to working with the county “to develop an ordinance that balances private property rights with protections for non-participating landowners.”

The company, however, noted a lack of progress on the ordinance and raised concerns about hostility from residents against its employees and landowners with lease agreements. The letter mentioned an altercation at the April 2 county planning commission meeting where opponents of the project “physically threatened and intimidated” employees and landowners, but did not provide details.

“While these incidents are the most egregious, they are part of a pattern of threats aimed at landowners who collectively control thousands of acres in the County,” the letter said. “This behavior does not reflect the majority of the County’s citizens, but it has dominated the conversation, suppressing support for the project.”

Handy said the altercation happened in the hallway during the meeting and he could only hear yelling. Security will be at the next meeting, and disruptions won’t be tolerated, he said.

“It is an emotional topic for a lot of people,” Handy said.

Mike Dymkoski, a member of Save The Palouse, said he witnessed part of the incident and that there were no threats of violence. Dymkoski said he stepped into the hall when he heard loud voices. A landowner who had commented in support of the wind farms was yelling at a woman who is another member of Save The Palouse. Dymkoski said he stepped in and told the landowner he had no right to talk to her that way and “had no right to torture his neighbors with wind turbines.”

Harvest Hills said it will only attend meetings virtually from now on.