November 20, 2019
Iowa

Iowa County Board of Supervisors approves, adopts wind ordinance

By Aaron Scheinblum | KCRG | Nov 19, 2019 | www.kcrg.com

A long-debated wind ordinance in Iowa County has officially been approved and adopted by the county’s board of supervisors.

The agreement sets regulations on where energy companies can place wind turbines across the county.

In August, the Iowa County Board of Supervisors voted down a proposed ordinance after representatives from two energy companies argued it was too restrictive, but others argued it was too lenient.

“The 2,000-foot setback on the non-participating [residents], would really hinder future development in this county,” said Mark Zaccone, a contractor with Invenergy, in a hearing on August 23.

“An example is Adair County, they were pretty open about this when they implemented a 2,000-foot setback, which is the greatest in Iowa that I’m aware of,” said Adam Jablonski with MidAmerican Energy, also at the hearing on August 23. “They ultimately said it was like a moratorium until they got a comprehensive amendment in place.”

On Tuesday, the revised ordinance was voted and approved unanimously, with one supervisor continuing to abstain his vote due to a conflict of interest. The four remaining supervisors voted to waive the second and third reading, adopting the new wind turbine regulations

The ordinance can still be amended at a later date with changes, though the ordinance and any amendments would not apply to a current agreement between the county, Invenergy and MidAmerican Energy for plans to place more than 70 turbines across the county.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/11/20/iowa-county-board-of-supervisors-approves-adopts-wind-ordinance/