Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Wind turbines raise land use, property rights questions
May. 23, 2023 3:51 pm
To the Editor,
Iowa County could have up to 200 more industrial wind turbines, under foreign ownership. Canadian company “TransAlta” is making inquiries.
Supervisors Abby Maas and Alan Schumacher have proposed a temporary moratorium on any new turbines in Iowa County until the effect of the current industrial wind turbines on its residents can be reviewed. Chris Montross has recused himself because he is receiving money from turbines. Johnathan Degen is looking into the current situation.
According to the May 10, 2023 issue of “The Current,” Supervisor Kevin Heitshusen has stated that they couldn’t tell someone how they can use their land, and added that he also felt they couldn’t ask the town residents to decide what farmers can or can’t do with their land. Does he have objections to town residents paying taxes to the county or asking town residents to vote for him come election time?
This is not a town residents versus farmers’ issue. There are town residents, rural residents and even out-of-state residents who have turbines in rural Iowa County. They are not bothered by the turbines if they don’t live near them. But they force rural residents who live here to experience the negative effects of industrial wind turbines while they collect the money.
Everyone has property rights. No one I know of is proposing county restrictions on grain bins, livestock or any other agricultural activity. Many people who support a moratorium are farmers. No one living in rural Iowa County can currently do “whatever they want” with their land. There are numerous county ordinances that regulate, limit and restrict land use in Iowa County.
Our property rights apply and extend from fence line to fence line, not just to our residence. If you really want to settle this issue quickly, simply require that every landowner who signs a lease with a wind developer must have an established residence within 600 feet of a working wind turbine in the proposed wind farm and occupy the residence. That is the setback from a non-participating property owner’s property line that the Iowa County Board of Supervisors requires in the Diamond Trail Wind Farm agreement. If industrial wind turbines are not intrusive for non-participating property owners, don’t interfere with their property rights or create a nuisance that devalues their property and interferes with the enjoyment of their land, then it shouldn’t be a problem for those who want industrial wind turbines to live within 600 feet of a working turbine.
Please call or write your Iowa County Supervisors and ask them to pass a moratorium on industrial wind turbines in Iowa County.
Denise Leubka, Williamsburg