County planner amends SEPA ruling

Whitman County’s industrial wind ordinance took another turn Tuesday when county planner Alan Thomson amended his earlier determination that the ordinance would not have a significant negative environmental impact under the State Environmental Policy Act.

Prosecutor Denis Tracy said the amendment to the SEPA ruling Thomson handed down in July would likely mean amendments to the court challenges of that ruling filed by Carolyn Kiesz of Thornton and Roger Whitten of Oakesdale.

“The thing that what they appealed is no longer the same SEPA decision,” said Tracy.

Kiesz vowed that she would proceed with her challenge.

“I still disagree with his decision,” Kiesz said Tuesday. “A commercial endeavor of that scale will most certainly have an environmental impact.”

Thomson amended his decision because county commissioners changed portions of the ordinance that his earlier decision was based upon.

County commissioners last week passed the ordinance, requiring turbines be placed at least four times tower height from neighboring buildings and one times their height plus 100 feet from neighboring property lines.

Thomson’s initial SEPA ruling was based on the ordinance passed by the county planning commission, which said turbines must be set back five times tower height from residences and one and a half times tower height from property lines.

“All of the issues are still the same,” said Kiesz. “The noise issue is still there. In fact it will be more of an issue because the setbacks are even closer.”

Thomson was on vacation Tuesday and was not available for comment.