Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solar Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission adopts wind-code language for solar definitions, moves draft forward
Summary
The Whitman County Planning Commission agreed to adopt several wind-code definitions into the draft solar ordinance and approved a new, broader "applicant" definition to cover ownership and operation through a project's life; motions passed unanimously and legal review was requested for remaining term consolidation.
The Whitman County Planning Commission used its July 1 workshop to align the county's draft solar-energy ordinance with language previously adopted for wind facilities, approving multiple definition changes and agreeing to refine applicant/operator/owner terminology with legal input.
Assistant county planner Grace DiBiase presented side-by-side language and recommended replacing one-sentence "commercial" drafts with distinct "community scale" and "utility scale" definitions. The commission voted to adopt the wind-code commercial-operations language for the solar code and to accept the blue-lined community/utility definitions. "I would say I prefer the wind code definition," Grace said during the comparison, and members repeatedly voiced support for carrying the wind-code language over into the solar draft.
Commissioners also debated whether to retain separate terms for "facility owner" and "operator"; several members favored consolidating those roles into a more comprehensive "applicant" definition tied to responsibility through construction and decommissioning. The commission moved and seconded the applicant-definition motion and approved it by a voice vote. Members asked staff to run the consolidated draft past county legal counsel to ensure the chosen terminology and responsibilities are defensible if ownership changes occur during a project's life.
