205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
The CESP Draft EIS is available for public comment. Please review and submit any comments before December 11, 2026.
The County will host two open houses for the public to learn more and ask questions about the Draft EIS, see below for more information.
A hard copy of the Draft EIS is available for review at the Kittitas County Community Development Services office at 411 N. Ruby Street, Suite 2, Ellensburg, WA 98926. Flash drives of the pdf are available upon request. The Draft EIS evaluates three alternatives for the Clean Energy Siting and Permitting Project:
Kittitas County welcomes the public, agencies, Tribes, and other interested parties to provide comments on the Draft EIS. The comment period is from November 5, 2026 to December 11, 2026. The comment period will close at 5:00PM on December 11, 2026.
Comments may be emailed to cleanenergy@co.kittitas.wa.us or mailed in at Kittitas County Community Development Services, 411 N. Ruby Street, Suite 2, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Kittitas County is holding two Draft EIS open houses to gather input from community members on the Clean Energy Siting and Permitting Project.
In February 2026, Kittitas County entered into a contract with the Washington State Department of Commerce to execute a CESP grant awarded in November of 2025. The grant funds a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and code update to assist in siting of clean energy facilities within Kittitas County.
The Kittitas County CESP Project goals are to:
The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement consists of a county-wide assessment of alternative energy development and siting standards. The project follows a general EIS process including scoping, stakeholder/public/agency input, development of alternatives and selection of alternatives. The "programmatic" element is because the County is initiating this review without any specific project proposal in mind and with the hopes of providing a framework for alternative energy developers that is predictable, environmentally responsible, and in line with community interests. The County has hosted scoping open houses and stakeholder meetings, alongside comment periods and multiple public hearings throughout this process. In addition to the PEIS, the County will revisit our alternative energy development regulations to reflect the results of the PEIS. The project is scheduled for completion by June 2027.
The CESP Project is scheduled to take place over several phases beginning in February 2026 and ending in June 2027.
Throughout the project, opportunities to learn more and share your input will be posted on the project website and social media. Key opportunities to share your voice include
The Clean Energy Siting and Permitting CESP-CLEANENERGY25 RFA is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at https://climate.wa.gov/
