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Wind Power News: Iowa
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Resolution might halt commercial wind energy
Last week the Henry County Board of Supervisors held two courtesy readings of a resolution establishing a temporary moratorium on rezoning land to an Alternative Overlay District for commercial wind energy use. The resolution, which supervisors stated was written by the county attorney, would establish a temporary moratorium on the rezoning of any land to the Alternative Overlay District through March 2, 2025, unless extended or shortened by the Board of Supervisors. According to the resolution this is to allow . . . Complete story »
Apex pulls the plug on Tama County wind project
After first leasing office space in downtown Dysart more than two years ago, the Virginia-based company Apex Clean Energy – better known by its commercial wind energy project name, Winding Stair Wind – has terminated its leases with Tama County landowners. “Apex Clean Energy has made the difficult decision not to pursue the Winding Stair Wind project at this time and will be terminating the existing wind leases,” Drew Christensen, Apex’s senior director of public engagement, said in an email . . . Complete story »
Pottawattamie County Supervisors approve wind, solar energy ordinance
After months of debate and listening to public input, the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors recently approved new regulations for wind and solar energy projects. “We have, I think, really done our due diligence on this, on the documents that are all presented to you, and it meets all of the public feedback that we’ve heard along with all of the board considerations that we put into this,” Planning and Development Director Matt Wyant said at the Feb. 27 board . . . Complete story »
Midwest states taking power to ban wind and solar projects away from local communities
As the number of wind and solar farms increases, so does opposition in the rural areas where they’re being built. While more counties and townships passed restrictions in the last year, some states are responding by passing laws making it harder for local governments to say no to wind and solar. The land in Piatt County in central Illinois is flat, and it’s easy to see for miles around Jerry Edwards’ house in a rural area north of Mansfield. In . . . Complete story »
Malfunctioning wind turbine causes closure of county road in Osceola Co
A hard-surfaced road south of Allendorf is closed until further notice. According to Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls, emergency crews in Osceola County have closed a section of County Road A22 near Allendorf. Huls says A22, or 170th Street is closed for one mile, west of Highway 59, due to a malfunctioning wind turbine. Huls says one of the blades is off-kilter and emergency officials are concerned the blade may fly off or the turbine might start on fire. Again, . . . Complete story »
Muscatine County poised to enact wind farm moratorium
Muscatine County leaders are expected to pause new approvals of wind farms in light of a proposal that will include turbines that exceed 650 feet in height. “They’re going to have problems with those that nobody in this room’s even thought about,” Muscatine County Supervisor Scott Sauer said in a meeting this week. The county’s supervisors have discussed potential changes to county turbine regulations during their past two meetings and instructed staff to draft a moratorium for their approval, according . . . Complete story »
Gearboxes removed from 3-year-old wind turbines
Here’s what’s being removed from the duds from the western part of Alliant Energy’s Whispering Willow North windpower facility in Franklin County, Iowa. They have been dropping the blades on one unit after another for the past 2 years. There are 15 units that just sit idle most of the time, and another 10 that are getting serviced. These gearboxes are being removed from the units and dropped by the uplink 350-KV substation. We happened to pull up just as . . . Complete story »
Public comment about proposed wind turbine ordinance in Pottawattamie County
More than 100 people showed up to a public hearing in Oakland, Iowa, Wednesday night. Some spoke for and against a proposed ordinance that would make it more difficult for any new wind turbines to be built in Pottawattamie County. People took the podium in front of the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors Wednesday night, and it has to do with the possibility of new wind turbines in the area. “I enjoy gazing at the stars. I can’t imagine that, . . . Complete story »
‘It creates obstacles’: Aviation school raises flag about proposed wind farm in Pottawattamie County
Pottawatomie County is experiencing a little more turbulence over a plan to build a wind farm near Treynor. The proposed site is where student pilots learn to fly. Revv Aviation Flight School says turbines would create obstacles for their training and even graduation due to an increased cost for students. As students touch and go from the Council Bluffs Airport Tuesday, the chief flight instructor has helped hundreds of students’ careers take off, training above hundreds of miles in the . . . Complete story »
Dickinson County board rejects Invenergy permit to install new wind turbines in the Iowa Great Lakes area
Plans for a new wind farm in the Iowa Great Lakes region hit a major roadblock Wednesday night. Opponents of a proposed wind farm in the Iowa Great Lakes region credit a grassroots effort for putting a pause on the project located east and southeast of East Lake Okoboji. Emotions ran high as the Dickinson County Board of Adjustment turned down a permit for Invenergy to install up to 79 turbines. Tears streamed down the face of resident Kris Van . . . Complete story »
