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Kittitas County wins $790,000 state grant to study clean-energy siting; public scoping opens April 16
Summary
County staff and consultants described a state-funded clean-energy siting and permitting project that will produce a programmatic EIS to study utility-scale solar, wind, battery storage and small modular reactors; public scoping runs April 16'May 18 with tabling and open-house events announced.
Kittitas County officials and consultants announced that the county received a $790,000 state grant to study siting and permitting for clean-energy projects and will prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS).
Chad Vela, director of CDS, told the joint meeting that the grant ' obtained through the Washington Department of Commerce ' will fund a countywide review of existing energy uses and the permitting framework, and will evaluate utility-scale solar, wind, battery energy storage systems and small modular reactors. "This grant is for clean energy siting and permitting," Vela said, describing the project as a countywide programmatic EIS to identify suitable areas and mitigation measures.
The consultant leading the technical work said the project aims to clarify where different energy uses may be appropriate, strengthen local permitting processes, and recommend code changes if necessary. The presentation said the county will use the EIS to evaluate alternatives, identify mitigation measures and produce a draft EIS expected in October 2026, with a goal of finalizing the preferred alternative in late 2027.
The public scoping period will run April 16'May 18. "The dates are scheduled for April 16 to May 18, and we're seeking public comment on those alternatives," the consultant said. Staff also said the project team will do tabling at the Ellensburg Farmers Market and hold an open-house style event in Cle Elum; a project website and submission instructions are live on the county's site.
Commissioners pressed staff about how the study will account for transmission capacity and whether regional utilities and federal stakeholders will participate. Officials said they will reach out to utilities and stakeholders such as BPA and Puget Sound Energy and will follow up if those entities do not engage during scoping.
Speakers flagged permitting distinctions for nuclear technologies and regulatory pathways. The consultant noted that small modular reactors (SMRs) and fusion technologies can follow different permitting routes depending on whether the facility uses fission and may involve federal review.
Next steps: staff will accept written comments through the scoping period, summarize public input, finalize the EIS alternatives, and continue stakeholder outreach; the county will return to the planning commission and commission board with periodic updates as the EIS proceeds.
