The EOZ and renewable energy are here to stay

Lou Marzeles
News Editor

     Energy Overlay Zone—wasn’t that the force field around the starship Enterprise? “Engage the Energy Overlay Zone, Mr. Spock.” “Energy Overlay Zone engaged, captain.”
     The EOZ, as it’s casually referred to around here, of course turns out to be the stuff of energy fact, not science fiction. Some of its opponents might well wonder if there isn’t some fiction going on in how the EOZ is defined and considered by the county. One person at the county planning commission hearing last week made the wry comment, “I’d like to see the science behind the setbacks,” referring to why and how setbacks between wind turbines and residential homes are determined as they are. It’s a fair and reasonable question, as were those about how many raptors in a particular species can be killed before it significantly impacts their long-term survival, and those about potential damage to legitimate archeological sites of critical importance to the Yakama Nation.
     There is a fair pile of data on a desk at The Sentinel office on the EOZ, its history, and the proposed revisions being considered to it. There are pages of notes taken at the public hearing last week, recording the 90-plus minutes of comments from the audience, most of whom were clearly strong in their stands while remaining polite and respectful. There lingers a strong sense of appreciation for the process and people involved in the matter, on both sides of this complex and intriguing issue.
     In the end, we come down in favor of seeing continued renewable energy projects in the area, so long as they do in fact conscientiously (as opposed to mechanically) observe the letter and spirit of relevant guidelines and reasonable expectations of all concerned parties. The broad benefits will impact the area for years.