Whitman County adopts amended commercial wind-energy code after split vote

The Whitman County Board of Commissioners voted March 2 to adopt amendments to Whitman County Code 19.61 governing commercial wind energy facilities. Commissioner Chad Whetzel moved to approve the planning commission's recommended changes and Commissioner Tom Handy seconded; the motion "carried, by the following vote: 2 Ayes, 1 Nay." The vote followed an extended public-comment period in which both developers and local residents urged opposite outcomes.

Supporters of the amendments and members of the planning commission said the changes close decommissioning loopholes and protect scenic and agricultural areas. Planning-commission member and former chair Dave Gibney said the draft originally intended to fix decommissioning gaps but "the revised code went too far overall," urging retention of decommissioning language but opposing the package as written. Developers and Palouse Wind representatives warned the ordinance language—particularly provisions on transmission burial and foundation removal—could be read to apply to existing projects or to make repowering and maintenance impracticable. Courtney Krause of Palouse Wind noted the company's local financial contributions and cautioned about retroactive effects: "Palouse Wind has paid about $10M in property taxes over 10 years, about $5M to landowners over 5 years, and spends about $100K/year with local businesses."

The board's approval implements the planning commission's amendments into county code; the record shows opponents urged sending the draft back for further revision while supporters asked the board to honor the local planning process. Commissioners did not enumerate specific implementation steps in the minutes; the board recessed to a March 9 workshop where staff follow-ups on related topics were listed.