The Whitman County Commissioners have enacted an ordinance to reinforce their moratorium on new commercial wind farms.

Earlier this year, the commissioners approved a six-month moratorium on new wind turbines to provide the county’s planning commission with time to revise the regulations governing wind farms. This decision follows a proposal from Steelhead Americas, a Portland-based company, to build and operate a wind farm north of Pullman near Kamiak Butte. A coalition of local citizens, known as Save the Palouse, has formed in response to this proposal.

Steelhead Americas has the option to bypass the local approval process in Whitman County and seek direct approval from the State of Washington. The state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) has the authority to approve projects from Olympia. Steelhead Americas has indicated that they are considering submitting their proposal to EFSEC after a county planning commission meeting last month, which included a reported verbal exchange between a supporter and an opponent of the wind farm.

A recent concern has emerged regarding the effectiveness of the county’s moratorium compared to EFSEC. Whitman County Prosecutor and civil attorney Denis Tracy presented the moratorium strengthening ordinance to the commissioners. He referenced a similar situation in Klickitat County, where a moratorium on new solar farms did not prevent EFSEC from approving a solar project, emphasizing the potential for limited public input due to expedited approvals. Tracy believes that an interim zoning control ordinance on wind farms will enhance the county’s moratorium on new wind turbines.

The county commissioners approved the interim zoning control ordinance on Monday, which codifies the moratorium into the zoning code and explicitly prohibits new wind farms while the temporary ban is in place. Steelhead Americas has not yet formally applied to EFSEC for their Harvest Hills wind farm project near Kamiak Butte.

Whitman County’s current moratorium on new wind turbines is set to expire in early July. The county commissioners have the option to extend the moratorium if additional time is required by the planning commission.