Wind Energy ordinance amendments go back to the drawing board

MT. PLEASANT — While Henry County Supervisors have decided to take discussion about changes to the renewable energy ordinances in county code back to the drawing board with the Planning and Zoning Commission following news of possible state legislation and town hall meetings. Some residents, however, are asking they slow the process down even further.

The supervisors held their regular meeting Thursday morning, Feb. 15 with a first reading of amendments to the Alternative Energy Overlay District county code on the agenda. When it came time to discuss the agenda item, however, the supervisors did not move forward with their first reading.

“On the agenda we have the first reading of an ordinance to amend Title 6, Chapter 2, Article 11-2 through 11-6 Alternative Energy Overlay District,” Supervisor Greg Moeller said. “Yesterday our planning and zoning individual went up to the State House. There was a Senate Study Bill 3169 introduced then taken off the committee’s agenda.”

“One of the big one of the beginning entry remarks that they put in with the bill is it is the intent of the General Assembly,” Supervisor Chad White said. “To encourage the development of renewable electric power generation. It is also the intent of the General Assembly to encourage the use of reasonable renewable power to meet local electric needs and the development of transmission capabilities to export wind power generated in Iowa.”

At the Thursday morning meeting, the supervisors understood that this bill could be placed back on the floor, however, at Friday’s Legislative Sen. Adrian Dickey confirmed the bill died before the first funnel that ended Feb. 15.

“I wouldn’t say I killed the bill, but I was pretty vocal against it,” Dickey sad. “So, we killed it in committee. We didn’t run it and it’s not against wind. We talk abut local control, essentially it was taking local control away.”

This reason of losing local control pertaining to their alternative energy ordinances is what played a large role in the supervisor’s decision to not move forward with the first reading of the proposed amendments as Moeller expressed that this bill could make any changes made to the ordinance null and void and questioned the usefulness of moving forward.

According to Moeller, other contributions to the supervisor’s decision to pump the brakes included hearing from residents at the town hall. While they had heard from some citizens in the fist town hall meeting Tuesday, Feb. 13 in Wayland, the supervisors still encouraged residents to attend the town hall planned the evening following their supervisor meeting in which they sent the ordinance considerations back to the drawing board.

“I don’t want to squelch tonight’s meeting whatsoever because I still think there’s valuable information that can be given to us,” Supervisor Marc Lindeen said.

Last week at these town halls hosted by the Henry County Supervisors Henry County residents voiced their concerns about the potential for a wind energy farm coming to the northern part of the county and representatives from RWE Renewables answered questions and supervisors heard concerns over hours of conversation.

Much of the conversations at the townhalls revolved around questions of appropriate setbacks, tax dollars, progress of the project, types of windmills, and property values among other topics.

“By putting the health and safety of the person that already owns and enjoys the land at stake, it is a gamble,” one woman opposed to the wind farm stated at Tuesday night’s meeting. “I mean, you’re asking a lot of people, maybe more for some people than other people, but you just don’t know.”

This woman proposed that a 5,000-foot setback would significantly diminish potential issues with shadow flicker, ice throwing, noise, infra and audible sound issues.

“I think that should be the priority to take into consideration our safety and health,” she said. “We’ve spent many years, in my case three generations of building up that farm equity and that should not be compromised because of some new wind project or whatever it is. You need to be sensitive to those things.”

“What this is doing is, it’s driving a wedge between community and family,” she said.

A man at the Thursday morning supervisor meeting in favor of wind power echoed this woman’s sentiments about it driving wedges, though, when he told the supervisors he didn’t feel they were hearing all sides of things.

According to this man, many are afraid to speak up in the public forum for fear of repercussions from their neighbors.

So, as the supervisors head back to the drawing board, they continue to ask for community input by emailing them at supervisors@henrycountyiowa.us

Moeller says he welcomes the community input and anticipates multiple meetings with them and the Planning and Zoning Commission as they move forward.

A group of Henry County residents and landowners have taken it upon themselves to try to ensure that this process slows down considerably following the town hall meetings.

According to county resident Brooke McArtor, multiple individuals have petitions for a two-year moratorium throughout the county that any resident over 18 years old can sign. McArtor states that the efforts are lead by Kevin and Dorothy Wenger.

“We, as citizens and landowners of Henry County Iowa, are opposed to Commercial Wind Energy Conversion Systems (CWECS) being built in our County,” the petition addressed to the Henry County Supervisors states. “We are requesting the Henry County Board of Supervisors postpone their consideration of any proposed changes to the Conty’s ordinances relating to CWECS.”

“We are requesting a two-year moratorium to give the Henry County Board of Supervisors the opportunity to adequately review the Counties existing ordinances, research any proposed ordinance changes and allow the citizens to present to the County our suggestions, concerns and requests for any ordinance changes within our County,” it continues. “It is our right as community members, property owners, tenants, business owners, agricultural land owners and citizens to have a say in proposed ordinance changes that can affect value of our property and the quality of our lives.”

According to McArtor, she will meet people to sign the document, Kevin and Dorothy Wenger will meet people, and so will Bill Crawford.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com