Wind Appeal Dismissedon

DAYTON - Jim and Lau­ra Peterson, the Columbia County homeowners who appealed a hearing exam­iner's

conditional use permit approval of Puget Sound Energy's Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project, have withdrawn their legal objec­tions against the wind farm.

Late last month, the Pe­tersons filed a motion for voluntary dismissal without elaborating on their reasons. Their voluntary dismissal has led the Superior Court for Columbia County to dismiss the Peterson's Peti­tion

for Review of Land Use Decision "with prejudice and without costs."

Company officials said they welcomed the develop­ment. "PSE is pleased that a settlement has been reached on the appeal of our Co­lumbia

County conditional use permit and that we now have a fully valid permit," Puget Sound Energy Public Relations Manager Roger Thompson said. "The condi­tional use permit was issued by Columbia County based

extensive, well-founded analyses that weighed the project's many benefits with its impacts.

"Regarding the settle­ment, we are bound to con­fidentiality by the agreement so we cannot provide any details on its terms," he said. It is not clear when PSE will actually begin construc­tion of the farm of up to 351 turbines in the county. Com­pany officials said recently that the decision to launch the Columbia County por­tion

will depend on a number of factors, including energy demand, but that it will not begin before the end of 2012.