Solar farms booming in Washington, but where should they go?
Some Klickitat County residents say projects hurt property values, way of life By Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times
Published: May 10, 2021, 6:03am
Share: Dan Christopher, Klickitat County commissioner, talks with solar critics picketing across from the Goldendale Post Office. (Hal Bernton/The Seattle Times)
GOLDENDALE In September 2018, Russ and Amy Hanson received an unsolicited offer from Invenergy to cover their land near this south central Washington town with solar panels.
They could earn up to $40,000 a year for a quarter-century lease on their 40-acre tract, according to correspondence from the company to the Hansons.
Solar Farms Will Redefine Energy If They Can Get Installed
Washington state hopes to implement solar farms as a way to achieve clean-energy goals and transition toward more renewable energy. But officials are having troubles finding places to install them.
May 03, 2021 • (TNS) In September 2018, Russ and Amy Hanson received an unsolicited offer from Invenergy to cover their land near this south central Washington town with solar panels.
They could earn up to $40,000 a year for a quarter-century lease on their 40-acre tract, according to correspondence from the company to the Hansons.
After decades in Western Washington, the Hansons were close to retiring to this area with a spectacular view of snow-capped Mount Adams.
This is part two of our series on solar energy projects potentially planned for Klickitat County. There are two corrections that must be made from last weekâs first part: the fences around the projected solar farms are eight feet high, not 14. And the Energy Overlay Zone is not quite 20 years instead of the typo of 80 years stated last week.
According to its creator, Klickitat Countyâs Energy Overlay Zone (EOZ) may be the only one in the entire U.S. Itâs that unique. And it may have sparked an equally unique situation in the county.
The EOZ is a kind of enormous zoning map for renewable energy. Started in 2001 and completed in 2004, itâs about 20 years old. Back then, originator Dana Peck, lately retired from his position as executive director of the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce, considered it a useful tool to determine workable locations for renewable energy projects.
Here, Historian Dana Beck reminisces about two centuries of barbershops in Inner Southeast
Saturdays were often the most popular day of the week for men in the 1920 s, and it wasn t just because for many it was a day off. There wasn t a week that you wouldn t find a gathering of gentlemen at the local barbershop, weekends included.
It s not that men a century ago were fastidious about their looks; it s just that the corner barbershop was where men gathered to banter with each other, follow their favorite sports teams, and hear the latest local gossip. And, like many other local communities in the City of Portland and across the nation, Sellwood and Westmoreland offered a host of hair cutting establishments to choose from.
Letters to the editor, Dec. 31
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To the editor,
Saturday, Dec. 19, was a very special day in Biddeford. Over 3,000 wreaths were placed on grave sites all over the city by volunteers who paid their respects to the veterans buried there. The snow came just days before the event, but that didn’t prevent the many volunteers from acknowledging the service that local veterans gave for their country. The outpouring of volunteers who trudged through the deep snow to place the wreaths was awesome!
I had the honor of getting involved with this event when local trucking company owner Graig Morin decided that he would piggyback onto the Wreaths Across America program that oversees the distribution of Christmas wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery and over 2,500 other locations. The support of the community in general made for a “feel good” day to wrap up a year that was anything but.