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Linn County releases, seeks feedback on draft nuclear zoning code
The county’s Planning & Zoning Commission will discuss the topic at its meeting next week
Jul. 16, 2025 11:50 am, Updated: Jul. 22, 2025 11:06 am
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Linn County is seeking citizen feedback on its proposed nuclear zoning code ahead of next week’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
The county commission will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center, 935 Second St. SW in Cedar Rapids. The commissioners will discuss proposed zoning regulations for nuclear energy generation and nuclear waste storage facilities in Linn County.
Public comment will be encouraged at what will be the second public discussion of a draft zoning code to establish local standards related to nuclear power operations in Linn County. The proposed code outlines application requirements, review procedures and host community agreement requirements.
The commission first discussed developing a code in May, but its members did not have draft language yet.
Per a county posting, the code has been drafted in a way that focuses on local considerations while leaving many safety considerations to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which sets and enforces nationwide standards for nuclear facility construction and management.
The draft code is available on the Linn County website at bit.ly/LinnNuclear, and residents are encouraged to review it prior to Monday’s meeting.
Feedback can be provided ahead of the meeting by sending an email to Linn County Planning & Development Director Charlie Nichols at Charlie.Nichols@LinnCountyIowa.gov, or residents can provide in-person feedback at Monday’s meeting.
The Planning & Zoning Commission will then make a formal recommendation to the Linn County Board of Supervisors at a future meeting. Agendas for future meetings can be found and reviewed online at the Linn County website “Agendas & Minutes” page.
The meeting comes as NextEra Energy works toward restarting the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo, which closed in 2020 after more than 45 years of operation as Iowa’s only nuclear plant.
NextEra is currently taking steps to receive regulatory approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has created a Duane Arnold Energy Center Restart Panel to consider the proposal. In documents filed with the commission, the company said it hopes to resume operation of the facility in the final three months of 2028.
Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com
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