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County building official: Special‑use permits alone give limited local control over large renewable projects
Summary
White Pine County building official told the Natural Resources Advisory Committee that, without updated county ordinances, Special Use Permits (SUPs) offer limited authority to deny or shape large renewable‑energy and transmission projects and the county lacks staff capacity to fully evaluate complex proposals.
Building Official Chris Flannery told the Natural Resources Advisory Committee on April 21 that the county's experience with large projects such as LS Power's intertie and the Wind Farm has exposed limits in relying solely on Special Use Permits. He said that “without necessary ordinances, SUPs didn't give the county much control over these projects.”
Flannery described a process used to compile Findings of Fact for developers and agencies and said the Regional Planning Commission has handled portions of that work since 2020. He and committee members discussed remedies the county could pursue, including targeted ordinances, development agreements, and stronger reclamation or bond requirements; Flannery also warned the county's building department “didn't have the money or the manpower to address the issues” raised by large proposals. Committee members and consultant Jeremy Drew said templates and interagency coordination could inform ordinance updates, but any change would require review by the District Attorney and action by the Board of County Commissioners.
