What is the County Conditional Permitting process entail?
Most counties with wind resources have amended their local land use codes to allow wind farms as a “conditional use” in their agricultural and forest lands. These counties then adopt a process for reviewing and approving “conditional use permits” for individual projects that are proposed for the agricultural and forest lands. In other words, a wind farm is not automatically allowed in these lands. It is allowed only if the county decides that it meets whatever conditions the county thinks are appropriate. It is subject to the environmental review requirements of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), which means that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) could be required if there are significant environmental impacts. It does not provide the one-stop permitting available under the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) process, so the project applicant must apply separately for any other permits that are needed.
