Kittitas County to pursue countywide clean-energy siting study after winning CESP grant

Kittitas County Community Development Services (CDS) announced March 9 that it has been awarded a Clean Energy Site Permitting (CESP) grant to support a countywide programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) and site-siting work for clean-energy development.

"The grant allows CDS to complete a programmatic EIS over the entire county and take a look at areas that may be viable for clean energy types of development," CDS Director Chad Bala said during a study session of the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners. Bala said consultants have been hired and staff have participated in programmatic EIS workshops with the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC).

County staff recommended evaluating several energy types in the study, including wind energy, utility-scale solar, battery storage, small modular nuclear systems and geothermal. "Staff recommends moving forward with wind energy, solar, battery storage, small modular reactors and geothermal energy," Bala said.

Chairman Cory Wright raised a question about biofuel, asking why it was not included. Bala responded that biofuel development relies heavily on biomass, that a facility already exists in Spokane, and that the quantity of feedstock and mitigation needs make it a less viable option for Kittitas County at this time.

Wright asked staff to consult the local public utility district (PUD) before the county proceeds; Bala said the PUD is on the stakeholder list and that staff would check in with it. Bala also said staff would add two additional uses to the scope and coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce. The county described the scoping timeline as being completed by April 1, with grant work to be completed by June 2026.

Bala told commissioners that the packet provided to the board includes a memo from consultants listing different energy uses and examples of components and that the grant work will address environmental factors and mitigation processes and procedures.

In other business, Bala briefed the board on a Planning Commission meeting scheduled for March 17. He said the public comment period closed March 2 and that staff received 12 comments from groups and residents, including Futurewise, Puget Sound Energy, Friends of Easton, KFRD, WDFD and Easton residents.

The study session adjourned at 2:39 p.m. The board did not take a formal vote on any ordinance or resolution at the session; staff were directed to proceed with grant administration and stakeholder outreach under the authority of CDS.