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Commission weighs battery-storage tiers, 500-foot safety setbacks and zoning options
Summary
Staff presented Tier 1–3 BESS definitions (Tier 3 draft includes a 500-foot setback) and Commissioners debated whether large BESS installations should be limited to industrial-style zoning or handled via CUPs with specific safety conditions and references to WAC building standards.
The Commission reviewed draft battery energy storage system (BESS) standards including three tiers: Tier 1 (residential), Tier 2 (CUP), and Tier 3 (highest intensity). Rachel Granrath said the draft included a 500-foot setback for Tier 3 systems and confined them to agricultural and Pullman-Moscow Corridor districts in the working text.
Commissioners questioned whether large BESS units should be required in Industrial or Commercial zones or allowed countywide under CUP review. Vice Chairman Dave Gibney suggested crafting a limited industrial renewable-energy-storage zone but acknowledged CUP conditions provide protections; staff and commissioners agreed to reference state WAC standards for design and fire mitigation. Granrath and staff will return with revised language addressing zones, setbacks and WAC references.
