GOLDENDALE — Two members from the Washington State Department of Commerce appeared at the public comment section of the Klickitat County Commissioners weekly meeting on March 19.
One was Larry Matson, who described himself as a “renewable energy grants section supervisor,” from the Yakima office of the Department of Commerce. He explained the agency had established a new clean energy siting and permitting grant program, with a biennial budget of $10 million, and that for the next two weeks, he and Aaron Peterson of the agency’s policy department would be touring the six counties in central Washington where large solar and wind energy projects are being sited. The purpose, he said, was to make local governments aware that this new grant funding source could be used for supporting pre-development work, planning and environmental impact statements for sites intended for clean energy production.
That drew an immediate response from Greg Wagner, founder of CEASE (Citizens Educated About Solar Energy), a group that is opposed to a proposed 14,000 acre solar energy installation. He suggested that people in Eastern Washington did not want any more renewable energy projects and that the agency should “take your money and take it back on the other side of the Cascade Mountains and let Gov. Inslee put solar panels on Bainbridge Island where he lives, and put wind in Puget Sound to all you people on the westside can see what it’s like to have this useless so-called green clean energy.”
Commissioner Dan Christopher responded to Wagner’s criticism of the new $10 million fund by saying, “That money is not going to solar companies. That’s going for us to create good documents.”
Peterson also said the Department of Commerce was doing a survey to take comments from all stakeholders, and that since the survey was being done by outside consultants, “That way, the input will be more candid than if they were talking to an agency person,” he said.
Peterson noted that the survey was in direct response to input by state senators and representatives from rural areas. “Hopefully, your local newspapers will be printing the information,” he added.
That shouldn’t be a problem where Klickitat County citizens are concerned. To take the survey, go to ruralcleanenergywashington.org. On the right side of the page is a blue highlighted instruction to “Please use this link.” That will take you right to the survey itself, which has only three questions: What’s your zip code; Do you consider your area of Washington to be rural; and, Please use the space below to enter your comments.
The other counties surveyed include Yakima, Benton, Kittitas, Grant, Walla Walla, Columbia, Whatcom, Snohomish and part of Lewis County. The survey results will be presented to the legislature prior to the 130-day-long session in early 2025.
County jail, other concerns
Several people also expressed concerns about conditions in the Klickitat County Jail following some recent reports.
Christopher responded that he shared their concerns and called for an outside investigation.
“I would also hope that — and this one might stomp on a few toes,” he said. “If there is evidence of malfeasance or inhumane treatment or anything else that is a violation of the law that the prosecutor would bring charges against whoever that individual was, because we all deserve to be protected even at our most vulnerable.”
Christopher also responded to an accusation Wagner made, asserting Commissioner Jacob Anderson operated what Wagner claimed were unpermitted short-term rentals for which he had not obtained a conditional use permit.
“Mr. Wagner, when you say we need to direct the code compliance officer to make Commissioner Anderson comply, I agree with you,” he said. “If other people are being fined of or prosecuted for Code Compliance violations or nuisance violations. Everybody should and I don’t care what your last name is.”
Christopher also said he believed the code compliance officer was “between a rock and a hard place,” with one of his three bosses facing a complaint, and indicated staff should be directing the employee to file the papers, leaving it up to the prosecuting attorney whether to go to court or not.
Anderson presented his take on the issue: “I am the probably the largest fan in the county of hoping that there’s a short-term rental ordinance so that people could quit bringing it up and trying to use it as a political hammer against their opponents,” he said. “There’s probably no one who would love it more if we were to pass one than me. I’ve been an advocate for it prior to me being a county commissioner. So I just want to throw that out there.”
Consent agenda approvals
Commissioners approved a 14-item consent agenda, which included:
• Designating the Goldendale Sentinel as the official Klickitat County newspaper.
• Approval to purchase replacement equipment due to storm damage to the Public Radio System at Indian Hill and Stacker Butte Radio sites and the intermittent CenturyLink Communications Tl Failure.
• Renewal of the Interlocal Agreement for Radio Systems Use and 9-1-1 Dispatch Services between Klickitat County and City of White Salmon.
• Reappointing Nate Ulrich to the Klickitat Technical Committee representing Conservation Acquisition.
• Consolidated Contract Amendment 17 between Klickitat County Public Health and Department of Health.
• Accepting of a Statutory Warranty Deed granting fee simple county road right of way of previously established road in Klickitat County.
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