News
Grant will buy wildlife habitat near wind farm
The state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council has agreed to grant $1.3 million to a trust for the purchase of land near the Wild Horse Wind Power project in Kittitas County. The money would be used to preserve habitat for elk and sage grouse.
December 3, 2005
by Leah Beth Ward
in The Yakima Herald-Republic Online
The council, which issues permits for power plants, came into the money as a result of a settlement over the Washington Public Power Supply System. That system planned to build multiple nuclear generating plants but ended up defaulting on its bonds. The settlement specified that the money be used for environmental restoration near power projects.
Another $1.3 million will go toward three environmental projects in Benton County.
Allen Fiksdal, manager of the council, known by its acronym EFSEC, said it has been evaluating various projects over the past year that would meet the terms of the settlement.
Mike Mills, the council's compliance manager, said the money for land acquisition in Kittitas County will go to The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit preservation group. Another $500,000 is expected to be added to the sum from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. This first phase of the project will purchase about 5,140 acres east of the Wild Horse project. Later phases, unfunded so far, would go toward the purchase of 17,500 acres.
Wild Horse will occupy about 5,000 acres on top of Whisky Dick Mountain in the eastern portion of the county.
— Leah Beth Ward
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