Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
county areas. Using available data on wind resources, transmission avail-
ability, and wildlife habitat areas, officials first identified locations within
the county that seemed most suited for wind farms. Then, officials expended
municipal funds to finance an environmental review of possible wind energy
development in those areas, eventually obtaining a programmatic environ-
outlined on the final EOZ map, this programmatic EIS satisfied many of
the SEPA requirements commonly associated with wind energy projects.The
ordinance, adopted in 2004, effectively converted the wind farm permitting
process in those areas from a complex conditional use proceeding into a
streamlined planning director decision on an administrative permit—a far
simpler and less challengeable procedure.
Klickitat County's adoption of its programmatic EIS meant that proposals
for wind energy development within the county's EOZ could gain many of
their required approvals in as little as 45 days—far more quickly than if a
wind energy developer had to commence the permitting and SEPA review
process from scratch. This creative policy move sent a powerful signal to
potential developers that Klickitat County was “open for business” and
eager to help facilitate wind farm development within its boundaries.
Importantly, Klickitat County's investment of time and money to
formulate and adopt the EOZ also helped to nurture general local support
for wind energy development. This building of grassroots support occurred
while the idea of a wind farm was still entirely “in the abstract”—before the
county had heard any permit requests for wind farms in particular areas.
The programmatic EIS and EOZ ordinance were public manifestations
that a political majority in the county favored wind energy development.
They fostered a sense of community-wide commitment to wind energy that
proved very beneficial later when the county began entertaining specific
project proposals.
A seasoned developer
Not long after Klickitat County adopted its EOZ ordinance, the county
attracted the attention of Gerry Monkhouse and Gary Hardke, the
co-owners of Cannon Power Group (Cannon). Monkhouse and Hardke
had been in the renewable energy development business for more than 20
years, ranking them among the most experienced wind energy developers
in the country at the time. Although Cannon's headquarters were in San
Diego, California, Monkhouse and Hardke had been actively involved in
developing dozens of renewable energy projects across the globe. Having
a wealth of experience, they had a knack for identifying promising devel-
opment sites.
In the early 2000s, Monkhouse and Hardke began exploring the possi-
bility of developing a large wind farm in southern Klickitat County along
the northern rim of the Columbia Gorge. They specifically set their sights
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