Committee approves bill raising wind-farm size threshold to 100 MW, asks senator to carry bill

The House Climate, Energy and Environment Committee voted to send House Bill 3874 to the House floor with a due-pass recommendation. The bill raises the threshold for an average electric generating capacity that triggers Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) jurisdiction for wind energy facilities from 50 megawatts to 100 megawatts.

Committee staff summarized the bill and said the measure would defer siting jurisdiction to EFSC when a project exceeded 100 MW, representing a policy decision about which projects require state-level facility siting review.

Representative Marsh offered comments during consideration proposing an amendment on the Senate side to address decommissioning and reclamation — specifically, requiring bonding to ensure sites are returned to their prior condition when facilities reach end-of-life. Marsh said the amendment would ensure land is returned to its original state and that bonding money is available to pay for decommissioning.

With no further discussion, the committee called the roll and Chair Lively announced the motion carried. Representative Helm was asked to carry the bill.

Why it matters: raising the site-certificate threshold alters which projects will undergo EFSC review, shifting the regulatory boundary and potentially affecting local permitting and oversight for medium-sized wind projects.

Next steps: the bill will move to the House floor; the sponsor signaled intent to seek a Senate amendment addressing decommissioning and bonding.