Limits to windmills considered in Blues foothills
Friday, April 24, 2009 12:51 PM PDT
MILTON-FREEWATER (AP) — A move is afoot to restrict windmills in the foothills of the Blue Mountains in Umatilla County.
‘‘I think there’s areas we shouldn’t have them, where there shouldn’t be development,’’ said Richard Jolly, who lives near Milton-Freewater. ‘‘We want to keep some of our open spaces and scenic views and wild areas.’’
Jolly has proposed an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan, and the county planning commission will hear it June 25.
It would limit structures in an area east of Highway 11 from the Washington state boundary to the Umatilla Indian Reservation if they conflict with agriculture or the aesthetics of the mountains.
The amendment says windmills, some 400 feet tall, ‘‘consume expansive contiguous acres’’ in their effect on the view, resources, wildlife habitats and facility support.
Umatilla County Planning Director Tamra Mabbott said cultural resources for American Indians or wildlife could also be affected in the Blue Mountains, unlike in other areas of the county where windmills already sit.
‘‘We have not yet had a wind farm that impacts such a variety of natural resources,’’ she said. ‘‘In our county and in most counties, they’re either on open range land, farm land or dryland wheat farm ground.’’
