Oregon county to review turbine ban
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 9:59 AM PDT
PENDLETON (AP) — The Umatilla Planning Commission on Thursday will begin considering a proposal to keep wind turbines out of the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon.
The ‘‘No Turbine Zone’’ is an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan proposed by Richard Jolly of Milton-Freewater and the Blue Mountain Alliances. It seeks to designate the area as a visual resource.
The land in the proposal runs from Highway 11 in the east to the Umatilla National Forest on the west, between the Washington state and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
The commission has scheduled another hearing on the matter for July 23 and may add another meeting in August. Once the planning commission makes a decision, its recommendation goes to the county commissioners, who plan a public hearing Sept. 22. Jolly said he became involved because he thought the companies involved were not forthcoming with their plans. Currently, the only publicly acknowledged project for the Blue Mountains is being developed by an Irish company.
‘‘We started out on this issue because of the secrecy involved in some of the development,’’ he said. Umatilla County Planning Director Tamra Mabbott says she believes the meeting will be well attended because of the issue involved.
leftbychoice wrote on Jun 24, 2009 7:48 AM: