As energy companies continue to eye large wind farms in Eastern Washington, Spokane County commissioners are setting the terms for what they’ll look like within the county’s borders.
The commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday afternoon to direct county staff to write legislation dictating the location and operation of large scale wind turbine and solar panel facilities, after county staff briefed them on the issue and presented a draft of the regulations that same morning.
The move to pass the county’s first ordinance regulating large scale renewable energy projects comes on the heels of recent efforts by energy companies to put commercial wind farms in Spokane, Whitman and Lincoln counties.
In Spokane County, Toronto-based Cordelia Power has acquired more than 1,100 acres near Cheney, Fairfield, Latah and Tyler, presumably for potential wind turbine locations, as reported by the Cheney Free Press.
Planning director Scott Chesney told the commissioners during the briefing that the draft ordinance is based on Whitman County’s existing regulation of wind energy facilities. But while the exact terms are yet to be ironed out, the draft shows Spokane County is considering more stringent requirements than its neighbor to the south.