MidAmerican continues to receive pushback over wind turbines in Woodbury County - KTIV Siouxland's News Channel
MidAmerican continues to receive pushback over wind turbines in Woodbury County
WOODBURY COUNTY, Iowa - MidAmerican Energy is facing resistance as it tries to move forward with the construction of wind turbines in Woodbury County.
Right now, MidAmerican boasts over 3,400 wind turbines in 33 Iowa counties.
Last August, after opponents of wind turbines presented the Woodbury County board with a petition signed by more than 900 people, supervisors increased setback distances for the construction of wind turbines from 1,250 feet to 2,500 feet from rural residences. Then, in May, supervisors increased setback distances from 600 feet to 2-miles around incorporated towns.
MidAmerican says that will still allow the construction of over 100 wind turbines in Woodbury County.
Opponents want either major change to the ordinance, like a “substantial” distance between a wind turbine and residential homes, or a ban on any wind farms in Woodbury County.
“There’s a place for wind; but it’s not in close proximity to people, their houses, their animal, or their property. And in the case of Woodbury County, because of our dense rural population, we are not the right place for that, they just need to pack up and go somewhere else where it’s more suitable,” said the founder of Woodbury County Preservation Daniel Hair. “We’re just going to stay around here and keep the awareness up until they realize that we’re not the right county and they’ll move on and go somewhere else.”
In spite of the opposition, MidAmerican has secured land for this project.
“So far we have locked in agreements with over 80 landowners, more than 16,000 acres of land in Woodbury County, and we’re continuing to have those discussions with landowners,” said MidAmerican’s Spokesman Geoff Greenwood. “We’ve been meeting with the county as well to discuss the project and if there’s enough support in the county we will move forward with the project. If it falls short, then we will look at our options.”
For Woodbury County residents who want to express their opinion about the wind turbine project, you may sign up to speak at the board of supervisors meetings every Tuesday afternoon starting at 4:30 p.m.
Copyright 2023 KTIV. All rights reserved.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”