At a Klamath County Planning Commission meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the staff findings and recommend approval of a solar energy project application, adding conditions that require the applicant to meet state and local fire marshal requirements — specifically water storage and emergency access — and to strengthen decommissioning security language.

The commission’s vote sends the recommendation to the Klamath County Board of Commissioners for their consideration. The motion approving the staff findings and conditions passed without recorded dissent.

Commissioners said they were generally satisfied with the applicant’s preparation and with provisions in the staff report that address wildlife, grading, drainage and other mitigation. “I think it is very well researched as evidenced by 380,” said Commissioner Jennifer, a member of the Klamath County Planning Commission, endorsing the application’s documentation and mitigation measures.

Several commissioners pressed for clearer, enforceable emergency‑response measures. One commissioner raised the potential for rapid fire spread at a large energy facility and urged explicit conditions on water storage, road access and compliance with fire marshal standards. “Specifically call out water storage and road access, to support mitigation plans,” the commissioner said, noting that response vehicles could take significant time to reach the southern portions of the site and that stored electrical equipment could worsen incidents.

Planning staff told the commission that recommended conditions in the staff report already require implementation of technical and mitigation plans and coordination on an emergency response plan. A staff member said those recommended conditions cover “implementation of all technical and mitigation plans, including fire, wildlife, water, vegetation, screening, grading, and drainage” and annual county review of compliance. Commissioners moved to make the coordination with the state and local fire marshal an ironclad condition of approval rather than a general commitment in the application.

The final motion, put on the record by a planning commissioner, adopted the findings in the staff report and approved the application subject to conditions securing required permits (including ODOT and DEQ where applicable), annual and five‑year updates to decommissioning security, implementation of the listed technical and mitigation plans, an annual county review of compliance, and an explicit requirement that “the applicant will meet state and local fire marshal requirements specifically to include water storage and emergency access requirements.” The motion also incorporated an alternate finding strengthening the applicant’s decommissioning and security commitments with the landowner.

After the motion was seconded, the commission voted; the motion passed unanimously. The chair asked whether any county commissioner on the meeting body required clarification before forwarding the recommendation. A commissioner then moved to uphold the planning commission’s recommendation; that motion was also approved by voice vote.

The commission concluded the discussion by noting that future similar projects are likely, that the county’s solar ordinance and the staff report set ongoing compliance expectations for such facilities, and that any subsequent amendment to this approval must return to Klamath County for review.

The planning commission meeting returned applicants and participants to the next steps; staff said the record and conditions will accompany the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.