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WAC 197-11-965 Adoption notice for the Windy Flats West Wind Energy Project Adoption for (check appropriate box) X DNS X EIS X OTHER Description of current proposal: The Windy Flats West Wind Energy Project (the “Project”) is a proposed wind energy generation facility consisting of up to 29 wind turbine generators and associated infrastructure, including access roads and transmission lines. The Project would generate approximately of 67 megawatts of additional renewable energy. The Project is proposed for lands that were previously permitted for wind energy facility development as part of the Windy Flats Project, but never developed. Proponent: Windy Flats Phase III, LLC Location of current proposal: The Project site is in the Columbia Hills, approximately four miles southwest of Centerville, Washington, in Klickitat County. Title of documents being adopted: 1) Windy Flats Mitigated Determination of Non-significance (Klickitat County Planning, September 2007) (see also the accompanying SEPA Addendum issued May, 2010); 2) Windy Flats SEPA Environmental Checklist, Windy Flats Partners, LLC, (July 2007); 3) The Windy Flats Environmental Report, Ecology and the Environment, Inc. (July 2007), including technical appendices; (Documents 1-3 above are referred to collectively as the “Windy Flats Environmental Documents”) 4) Klickitat County Energy Overlay Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Klickitat County, Aug. 2003); 5) Klickitat County Energy Overlay Final Environmental Impact Statement (Klickitat County, Sept. 2004; and 6) Second Addendum to Klickitat County Energy Overlay Final Environmental Impact Statement (Klickitat County, Feb 2010) incorporating by reference Avian, Bat and Habitat Cumulative Impacts Associated with Wind Energy Development in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion of Eastern Washington and Oregon (WEST, Feb 2010) ) (the draft and final Overlay EISs and this addendum are referred to jointly as the “EOZ FEIS”) ---PAGE BREAK--- Agency that prepared documents being adopted: Klickitat County Planning Department. Date adopted documents were prepared: Issue dates are provided above. Description of documents (or portion) being adopted: Windy Flats Environmental Documents. The Windy Flats Environmental Documents include the SEPA decision document issued by the Klickitat County Planning Department to accompany the EOZ permit for the Windy Flats Project. The County issued the MDNS after reviewing the Windy Flats EOZ permit application, expanded SEPA checklist and accompanying Environmental Report. The Windy Flats Environmental Documents identify measures to mitigate potential environmental impacts described therein. The proposed Project is located on western portion of the lands covered by the Windy Flats Environmental Documents. The County issued an Addendum to the MDNS in May, 2010, which confirms the applicability of the Windy Flats Environmental Documents to the Windy Flats West Project. EOZ FEIS. The EOZ FEIS is a programmatic environmental impact statement that was prepared to examine environmental impacts, alternatives, and mitigation measures for development of energy projects generally, including wind energy projects, at various locations within Klickitat County and under various permitting procedures. Based on the EOZ FEIS, Klickitat County adopted its Energy Overlay Zone ordinance, which designated areas of the County where wind energy projects could be permitted outright through an administrative process subject to specified development, use and construction standards. The Windy Flats Project is located within the designated EOZ area and proposes to incorporate the EOZ standards. The adopted documents are supplemented by studies conducted to confirm the applicability of the Windy Flats analysis to the Project and to address new affected areas in the limited instances where the Project layout departs from the proposed Windy Flats layout. If the documents being adopted have been challenged (WAC 197-11-630), please describe: The Windy Flats Environmental Documents were challenged in 2007 in an appeal to the Klickitat County Board of County Commissioners. A hearing was held before the hearing examiner in 2008, and all appeals were denied. The adequacy of the EOZ FEIS was challenged in 2005 in an appeal to the Klickitat County Board of County Commissioners. The County and the appellants reached a settlement before a decision on the merits, and the appellants withdrew their appeal. The documents are available to be read at (place/time): Klickitat County Planning Department, 228 West Main Street, Goldendale, Washington. Typical business hours at the Planning Department are 8am to 5pm. We have identified and adopted these documents as being appropriate for this proposal after independent review. The documents meet our environmental review needs for the current proposal and will accompany the proposal to the decision maker. ---PAGE BREAK---