Two readings down for wind ordinance, one to go

WASHINGTON — County supervisors have completed the second of three readings for an ordinance that would effectively ban commercial wind energy in Washington County.

While the county’s faced a recent influx of criticism over the local law, most vocal constituents have expressed support over the last year for the policy, with some even asking for an outright ban on the generators.

While elected officials floated the idea of waiving the ordinance’s third reading to get it on the books sooner, they ultimately opted to delay the final step of enactment until their next meeting.

“I don’t want to take any shortcuts on this, in case it tries to come back on us,” said Supervisor Bob Yoder, who typically votes against any motion to waive a policy’s third reading.

The ordinance is expected to pass that third and final reading on Monday morning. If it does, Washington County’s supervisors will close the book on years of debate over wind energy. The saga was marked by lengthy delays, first to enact prerequisit codes authorizing taxation for the generators, then to iron out fine details like a road use agreement and decommissioning obligations, and later to address clerical errors and late-breaking amendments made after the public hearings for its earlier versions.

In theory, the county law would still allow developers to build turbines, but it would impose more strict limitations on commercial-scale generators than those seen in most of the state. At least one prospective company — Deriva Energy — has all but pulled out of the county over concerns about the waivable one-mile setback for turbines from any occupied structure, as well as requirements that developers pay a “property value guarantee” to nearby landowners, despite studies showing the generators don’t influence property values long-term.

Wind turbines have yet to see construction in any Iowa county with a setback of over a half-mile. Representatives from Deriva Energy said earlier this year that, even with waivers, the limit would create too much uncertainty to justify investment. On the flip side, some anti-wind advocates have endorsed the current ordinance specifically because they see it as a functional ban.

Supporters of the county legislation, most of them vocally conservative, argue it will aid in wildlife conservation, maintain the local skyline, and deter efforts to develop a technology they claim wastes tax credits and subsidies.

“There’s (several) counties in the state of Iowa that have a moratorium,” said county resident Marlin Bontrager at a public hearing for the latest ordinance draft. “I run into a lot of people that wish there’d never been any turbines in their county … and I’d love to see not a single turbine in Washington County.”

Those arguments seemed to resonate strongly with Washington County’s all-Republican Board of Supervisors. The group voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance at its first and second readings.

Opponents, meanwhile, come from across the political spectrum. Those on the left argue the green technology represents a sustainable energy source without planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, while those on the right argue the functional ban amounts to the same zoning laws Washington County abolished in 2013, and represents government overreach into property owners’ rights to their own land.

Other critics made a more centrist appeal, arguing that the proposed ordinance overregulates local business, deterring tax and job-generating investments.

“When you bring in crews for construction, you have day workers, you have engineers, you have a lot of foot traffic for local business,” said Sandy Johnson, a Washington resident and local organizer for the Democratic Party. “I think every Washington County resident has noticed how our tax levy has increased over the last several years. Give us a break, would you?”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com