Wind farm advisory vote will appear on ballot

The board’s decision to place a question on the November election ballot was made a day before the filing deadline.

The board’s decision capped a public hearing that began Aug. 4 and continued through the month.

The board gathered testimony in three public meetings before passing its resolution supporting the advisory vote. Throughout the hearing, it kept the record open for written testimony.

Board Chairman Mark Davidson noted that among 106 people testifying, opinion was split neatly down the middle concerning the vote.

“It was 53 for, and 53 against. I don’t think you could have arrived at that if you were trying,” he said.

Horizon, which opened the 100-megawatt Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm near Telocaset in Union County in 2007, has applied to the Oregon Department of Energy for a site certificate to build the 300-megawatt Antelope Ridge Wind Farm in the Craig Mountain area near Union.

The proposal has been controversial from the beginning. Opponents say the wind farm would have negative impacts on scenery, property values, wildlife, the tourism industry and more. Other people favor the project because it would create jobs and economic development, and produce green energy.

Horizon has maintained from the beginning that a majority of Union County residents want to see the project go forward. Valerie Franklin of the company repeated that contention following the board’s decision Wednesday.

“Horizon Wind Energy is confident of support for wind energy in Union County and the jobs and economic benefits it brings, and we are confident that support will show in the upcoming election,” Franklin said in an e-mail.

Dennis Wilkinson, chair of the local anti-wind farm group Friends of the Grande Ronde Valley, has said all along that a majority of county residents are against the project. He said Wednesday he still thinks that’s true.

“I think it will definitely be a no vote,” he said, citing results of The Observer’s web page poll earlier this year and also results from a poll done in the City of Union. “The overwhelming majority of the people who come to us say they want this thing to go away.”

The wind farm proposal has support from another local group, For Our Rural Oregon. During the hearing, members of that organization argued against the vote, saying citizens would have opportunity to register their opinions during the state’s siting process.

Today, FORO Vice Chair Doug Lewis said the group will work to spread its pro-wind farm message ahead of the advisory vote.

“We’re moving on. We recognize the need to educate people and start talking about the positives for Union County as a whole,” he said.

Wilkinson said Friends of the Grande Ronde Valley also plans to intensify its campaign.

“The key is getting people out to vote,” he said.

Horizon filed its preliminary application for Antelope Ridge in October 2009. To date the application has not been deemed complete. Once it is, the state’s Energy Facility Siting Council will gather input from local residents in public hearings.

EFSC will make its decision based on whether Horizon meets objective standards. Union County government has no authority in the decision, though the state must ensure that Horizon follows local land use laws.

In discussion before Wednesday’s advisory vote decision, Davidson said it’s important for local residents to remember the upcoming advisory vote is non-binding. Citizens should be sure to testify at EFSC’s hearings.

“EFSC will make the decision and there’s a set of criteria to follow and I encourage everyone to not forget that,” he said.

Davidson and Commissioner Steve McClure cast the two votes in favor of the resolution, with Commissioner Nellie Hibbert dissenting.

Davidson said he thinks some people in the county will question his decision to support the advisory vote.

“I know in my supporting this there will be some people who will say I am anti-growth or anti-economic development, but I think we can’t afford not to hear the public’s opinion,” he said.

McClure’s comments were similar.

“I’m comfortable asking the people the question when an issue rises to this level. That’s the way I like to do business. We should take input from a lot of people,” he said.

Hibbert said she would support a public opinion poll or a survey done by Eastern Oregon University, but is uncomfortable with the idea of a non-binding advisory vote.

“I hold the election process in high regard. I think the election process has a higher standard than a polling vehicle,” she said.

She also said she worries about setting a standard in which government must hold an advisory vote on every controversial issue that comes along.

In approving the language of the ballot question, the board was heeding advice from county legal counsel Brandon Eyre.

During the lengthy advisory vote hearing, Eyre gave the opinion it is inappropriate for the board itself to adopt a formal position, because the board has no authority in the site permit approval process.

Two other drafts of the ballot question were rejected by the board.

One would have had the board adopt a position either for or against the wind farm, according to the results of the vote. In the other draft, the board would have taken a position in support of the wind farm if the vote was in the affirmative; it would not have taken a position if the vote was negative.

Wilkinson said he was unhappy that the approved ballot question doesn’t force the board into taking a position.

“In my opinion, it doesn’t make them responsible,” he said.

Also rejected during Wednesday’s board meeting was local attorney Janie Burcart’s argument that Oregon law provides for referendums for the approval or rejection of laws, but does not provide for advisory votes.

Eyre said he researched the matter and came to an opposite conclusion.

“Based on the plain language of the statutes, it appears the Legislature has opened the door for advisory votes. In my opinion the county does have authority to put an advisory vote on the ballot,” he said.