Brunell asks Gov. Gregoire to support proposed Skamania wind project

AWB President Don Brunell sent a letter to Gov. Gregoire last week asking her to support the Whistling Ridge Wind Project, a 75-megawatt wind project proposed by SDS Lumber Co.

Brunell told the governor that the AWB is taking the unusual step of intervening with the state's Energy Site Evaluation Council on behalf of the lumber company because of the precedent-setting nature of the project northwest of White Salmon.

Many potential wind generating sites are located in forest land areas, Brunell noted. In addition, I-937 requires 15 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable generating sources within the Bonneville Power Administration service area, not counting hydro and some biomass sources.

In order to comply with the requirement, "projects such as Whistling Ridge must come on line as soon as possible," Brunell wrote.

The project is located outside of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and has the support of the Skamania County Commissioners. It would produce enough electricity to power 20,000 homes, and provide an important generating source to replace Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, which is scheduled to be demolished.

The Friends of the Gorge and some folks who have moved into an area adjacent to SDS Lumber Co. lands oppose the project, even though it is clearly outside the scenic area boundaries.

Read The (Vancouver) Columbian's article on the issue here.