HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2023
Vol. 144 No. 11
$1.00
EFSEC asks county for rep LOU MARZELES EDITOR The State of Washington’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) has sent a formal notice to Klickitat County requesting appointment of a representative to the council for the purposes of evaluating a proposed solar development site near Goldendale. EFSEC’s letter to the county commissioners was likely cut and pasted from a previous document, one sent last year to Benton County, with attempts thereafter to customize it for Klickitat County. But a reference to Benton County remains in the letter to Klickitat County. The Carriger Solar Project by Cypress Creek Renewables (CCR) is proposed to be built off Knight Road just a short distance from Goldendale. CCR filed an application to evaluate the site with EFSEC on February 10 this year. EFSEC is required by state law to invite a designated representative of the county in which site evaluations are considered to join the council during the evaluation period for a site in the county. EFSEC’s notice to Klick-
itat County for this purpose was sent on March 8. RCW 80.50.030(4) states, “The appropriate county legislative authority of every county wherein an application for a proposed site is filed shall appoint a member or designee as a voting member to the council. The member or designee so appointed shall sit with the council only at such times as the council considers the proposed site for the county which he or she represents, and such member or designee shall serve until there has been a final acceptance or rejection of the proposed site.” In its March 8 letter to Klickitat County commissioners, EFSEC stated, “The person the Klickitat Board of County Commissioners appoints as a voting member of EFSEC should be familiar with county issues to provide local insight to the EFSEC process.” In its following sentence in its Klickitat County letter, EFSEC makes an inadvertent reference to Benton County: “We respect-
fully request that the appointment of the Benton County EFSEC representative be made no later than April 11, 2023.” EFSEC goes on to complete its legal train of thought: “EFSEC may hold adjudicative proceedings for these projects, so the person you appoint will need to become aware of ex parte rules and regulations that apply to each EFSEC Council member,” it wrote. “In addition, the person must be able to participate fully in EFSEC’s process. EFSEC expects the time commitment to initially be approximately one day per month starting in March 2023. The time commitment will increase if an adjudicative proceeding is held.” The letter cites state law requiring a meeting with the public. “RCW 80.50.090 requires EFSEC to hold a public information meeting within sixty days of receipt of an application,” the agency wrote in its letter. “More information will follow once the meeting details are available.
See EFSEC page A8
PEGGY WOODARD
HAVE YOU TRIMMED YOUR ST. PAT’S DAY TREE YET?: Klickitat Valley Health may be starting a new tradition—the St. Patrick’s Day tree. This in the lobby of the hospital. The tree is trimmed with tiny leprechauns and green and gold garlands.
BILL PASSES HOUSE, NOW IN SENATE: A bill that would overnight make purchasing so-called assault weapons illegal has passed the Washington House of Representatives and is now under consideration in the Senate. The House vote passed 55 to 42 votes, with all 55 votes in favor by Democrats. Forty of the nay votes were by Republicans, with two Democrats also voting against. Groups opposed to the bill have vowed to take it immediately to court should it be passed by the Senate and signed into law by the governor.
Finland leader speaks to State
First Library book sale of the year draws appreciative readers ZACHARY VILLAR FOR THE SENTINEL
RENEE DIAZ WASHINGTON STATE JOURNAL For the first time in history, a foreign head of state has addressed a joint session in the Washington State Legislature. President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland met with Washington lawmakers March 6 to discuss climate change and their partnership in supporting Ukraine. The visit comes as Finland intends to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). “The current critical geopolitical situation has brought us closer together than ever before. We are now strengthening our ties in sectors such as defense, trade, technology, and energy security. And soon we will be able to call each other allies.” Niinistö said. Both Washington State and Finland have made major efforts to welcome Ukrainian refugees since the war began one year ago. Ukrainian refugees are the largest refugee group in the state. Over
ZACHARY VILLAR
BANKING ON BOOKS: The Friends of the Goldendale Library held a successful used book sale Saturday.
RENEE DIAZ
FINLAND MEETS OLYMPIA: Sauli Niinistö, the President of the Republic of Finland, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and wife Trudi listen as both national anthems are played inside the state Capitol. Niinistö, began his five-day U.S. tour in Washington State, attended a joint session of the Legislature, and met with Inslee. 16,000 refugees have come to the state in the last year, more than any other state in the country. “Washington State stands with the people of Ukraine, and Washington State stands with the people of Finland who have been so courageous and so dedicated to this joint civilized effort to stand for democracy in Ukraine,” Inslee said.
See Finland page A8
There was a large turnout for the Friends of Goldendale Community Library’s first book sale of 2023. Held in the Camplan Community Room of the Goldendale Community Library, the theme of the March 11 event was “Book Sale for the Body, Mind, and Spirit.” The sale consisted primarily of non-fiction books and was the second in a series of themed book sales the Friends have organized that includes last November’s Holiday book sale. “I’m impressed with the neatness and organization,” said Robert, one of the patrons of the event. “I always look forward to these things. It’s a chance to say hi to people as well as acquire books.” Goldendale resident Conor Holbrook found out about the book sale while getting his library card a couple of weeks prior. When asked what he thought of the sale, Holbrook said, “I love it. It’s got a huge collection of all different sorts. I got a book about herbs which I didn’t think I would enjoy but, I don’t know, it looked pretty interesting.” Book sales like this raise funds
to sponsor programs that the library provides free to the community. The Friends of Goldendale Community Library (FOGL) is an independent fundraising organization under the umbrella of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation, a registered nonprofit organization working to support Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries through funding, advocacy, and volunteer support. The day before the book sale they were working hard to get the event ready for the public. The last few years have been difficult for FOGL. “We’ve been kind of at sixes and sevens since the whole Covid thing, so we’ve just kind of been regrouping,” said Kathleen McKinney, the president of FOGL. She explained the importance of the Library “Friends” organizations. “We raise money for the library events. Fort Vancouver has their own things that they are able to provide. We buy food for events or in the past we bought craft supplies. Friends of the Library groups also help advocate for the libraries.” FOGL has also previously helped pay for guest speakers to come to the library. “We would hope that we would
get up to the point where we could start doing some things like that,” said McKinney. Members of FOGL Betty LongSchlief and Marsha Anderson were among the group of volunteers busily organizing the large amount of books that were available at the sale, and their hard work did not go unnoticed. “They’ve done so much work,” said McKinney. “We wouldn’t have this without the help that she’s providing,” referring to Betty, “and Marsha as well. They’re here a couple of times a week.” Asked if Anderson had anything to highlight about FOGL, she stated, “We need more members.” FOGL member Becky Bare shared the general enthusiasm and hope for the organization’s future. “We really are trying to give back to the community,” said Bare. “We’re kind of getting regrouped and re-familiar with each other. It’s really been nice to have new people coming in, too. It’s a good chance for us to kind of do a restart. What does the world look like in 2023,” Bare asked, “and how will libraries support that?”
See Books page A8