The State of Washington’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) has sent a formal notice to Klickitat County requesting appointment of a representative to the council for the purposes of evaluating a proposed solar development site near Goldendale.
EFSEC’s letter to the county commissioners was likely cut and pasted from a previous document, one sent last year to Benton County, with attempts thereafter to customize it for Klickitat County. But a reference to Benton County remains in the letter to Klickitat County.
The Carriger Solar Project by Cypress Creek Renewables (CCR) is proposed to be built off Knight Road just a short distance from Goldendale. CCR filed an application to evaluate the site with EFSEC on February 10 this year. EFSEC is required by state law to invite a designated representative of the county in which site evaluations are considered to join the council during the evaluation period for a site in the county. EFSEC’s notice to Klickitat County for this purpose was sent on March 8.
RCW 80.50.030(4) states, “The appropriate county legislative authority of every county wherein an application for a proposed site is filed shall appoint a member or designee as a voting member to the council. The member or designee so appointed shall sit with the council only at such times as the council considers the proposed site for the county which he or she represents, and such member or designee shall serve until there has been a final acceptance or rejection of the proposed site.”
In its March 8 letter to Klickitat County commissioners, EFSEC stated, “The person the Klickitat Board of County Commissioners appoints as a voting member of EFSEC should be familiar with county issues to provide local insight to the EFSEC process.”
In its following sentence in its Klickitat County letter, EFSEC makes an inadvertent reference to Benton County: “We respectfully request that the appointment of the Benton County EFSEC representative be made no later than April 11, 2023.”
EFSEC goes on to complete its legal train of thought: “EFSEC may hold adjudicative proceedings for these projects, so the person you appoint will need to become aware of ex parte rules and regulations that apply to each EFSEC Council member,” it wrote. “In addition, the person must be able to participate fully in EFSEC’s process. EFSEC expects the time commitment to initially be approximately one day per month starting in March 2023. The time commitment will increase if an adjudicative proceeding is held.”
The letter cites state law requiring a meeting with the public. “RCW 80.50.090 requires EFSEC to hold a public information meeting within sixty days of receipt of an application,” the agency wrote in its letter. “More information will follow once the meeting details are available.
“Subsequent to the informational meeting EFSEC will conduct a land use hearing. A notice will be sent to you when it is scheduled and to the project email list.”
Klickitat County Commissioner Lori Zoller was expected to be named as the representative to EFSEC at yesterday’s commissioners’ meeting.
