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Jefferson County Supervisors hear more feedback on wind ordinance
FAIRFIELD – The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors hopes to pass an ordinance regulating wind turbines next month, after holding two public hearings on the matter.
The first public hearing was held Aug. 5 and the second was Aug. 26, both of which drew supporters and opponents of wind farms in Jefferson County. The supervisors were gathering public feedback on a proposed ordinance that would require wind mills to be set back about half a mile from an occupied structure, which supporters of wind farms said was so restrictive that it would mean wind farms could not be built in the county.
After listening to comments from about a dozen people, the supervisors agreed to hold the third reading of the ordinance on Sept. 10, when they hope to pass it. The supervisors opted not to hold a third public hearing on the matter.
For the Aug. 5 meeting, public comments were mostly critical of wind farms and their effect on the landscape, roads and farmland, with the only exceptions being representatives of wind energy companies who had come to speak. But the Aug. 26 meeting included both supporters and detractors, with supporters arguing that wind farms are an important alternative to coal-fired power plants, while opponents argued they were not a good fit for Jefferson County.
After listening to comments from the public, Supervisor Dee Sandquist said states like Wyoming and Kansas are better suited to host wind farms where one can drive for miles and not encounter another person. She added that a wind farm would not generate much revenue for the county in taxes because few landowners have agreed to host a wind turbine on their property.
Julie Greeson said that only one person in the county had agreed to host a wind turbine. Jared Hershberger of Apex Clean Energy said that was not true, but did not give a number, saying only that it was “more than one.”
Apex Clean Energy is interested in building a wind farm in the northwest part of Jefferson County and possibly in Keokuk and Wapello counties as well. At the two public hearings on Aug. 5 and Aug. 26, most of the residents who came to oppose the project were from northwest Jefferson County. One of those who spoke Monday was Brent Adam, who said wind turbines are a “nuisance.”
“Find somewhere else better for these turbines,” he said. “We do not want them in Jefferson County at all. I’m going to be here for the rest of my life, and my kids are going to be, too. We don’t want them, and we’re the ones who will live amongst them.”
Fairfield resident Patrick Bosold said he helped develop a wind farm in Tama County, and he said that project was a model to follow because of how the developers worked with landowners.
“I was lucky enough to be working on something that was done right from start to finish,” Bosold said.
Bosold said Tama County’s ordinance addresses the concerns that have arisen among Jefferson County residents.
Fairfield resident Michael Moore said he’s proud of Iowa’s commitment to renewable energy, which now accounts for 65 percent of the state’s energy. However, he said the state is still using the “coal plants that pollute the state, and the energy goes to other states.”
Moore said he had also worked on wind farms, and that he wanted the public to know that a landowner could get $18,000-$25,000 annually for each turbine.
Resident Denise Hall said she agreed with the half-mile setback in the ordinance. Greeson said that, while she was campaigning for the board of supervisors, she met with the Maharishi Vedic City Council and found that none of the members were in favor of the wind farm.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
