The Attorney General's Counsel for the Environment (CFE) represents the public and its interest in protecting the environment on the proposed development of large, non-hydro energy facilities in Washington state. The projects at issue are under review by the state's Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC).
Under state law, the Attorney General appoints an Assistant Attorney General as Counsel for the Environment (CFE) when EFSEC has received a site application for review. CFE is independent of:
- EFSEC
- Other state agencies and
- Parties involved in the site-application proposal.
Counsel for the Environment plays an important role in the overall project review. His or her responsibilities include soliciting public input, providing general information concerning the EFSEC process, helping citizens inform the EFSEC of their concerns, and participating in the review process.
CFE actively assesses the environmental impacts a project may have on the local community and the state's natural resources. When a project likely will result in significant environmental impacts, CFE advocates for measures that will avoid and/or mitigate those impacts. Environmental impacts often associated with the siting of a major energy facility include:
Projects currently under review include:
As revised in late 2005, early 2006, the project proposes the construction of up to 65 turbines approximately 12 miles northwest of Ellensburg.
- Pacific Mountain Energy Center: The Pacific Mountain Energy Facility (PMEC) is an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power generation facility that will use fuel flexible gasification technology and processes to produce approximately 600 megawatts of electrical power. The preliminary design is based on a wet slurry gasification process. In this process feedstock such as petroleum coke and/or coal are crushed and mixed with water to form a slurry. The slurry is combined with high purity oxygen in the gassifiers to form a synthesis gas (syngas). The syngas is then used to fuel combustion turbines to generate electrical power.
The PMEC will consist of two IGCC units, each producing about 300 megawatts. Associated with the project will be a enclosed fuel handling and storage terminal with access to a deep water port and rail system. The project will require short natural gas pipeline and transmission lines. The Port of Kalama will supply process water to the PMEC. Artist drawing.
The project will be located on about 95 acres at the Port of Kalama, about 8 miles south of Longview in southwest Washington State.
- Desert Claim Wind Power Project: The Desert Claim Wind Power Project is a 180 megawatt (MW) wind power project located on approximately 4,783 contiguous acres in Kittitas County, eight miles northwest of Ellensburg, Washington. The Project consists of a maximum of 90 turbines and associated electrical collection system that would connect the Project to the regional high-voltage transmission grid. The Project area includes land leased from private and public land owners.
The Desert Claim Wind Power Project will use REpower MM92 model turbines. This turbine model has a tower height of 262.5 feet, a rotor diameter of 303 feet with a total height of 414 feet. Each turbine has a nameplate generating capacity of 2.0 MW.