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Linn County Planning and Zoning OK’d a draft nuclear zoning code. What’s in it?
The proposed code outlines application requirements, review procedures and host community agreement requirements.
Jul. 21, 2025 8:43 pm, Updated: Sep. 3, 2025 9:29 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Future nuclear energy producers in Linn County would be required to reimburse the county for related governmental expenses and prepare an economic development plan under a draft zoning code headed to the county Board of Supervisors.
The Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the draft code at its July meeting, although supervisor approval is needed before it can take effect.
Linn County Planning and Development Director Charlie Nichols said the county began to discuss the creation of a nuclear energy ordinance after NextEra Energy this winter announced its intent to reopen the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo.
The center — which closed in 2020 after more than 45 years of operation as Iowa’s only nuclear plant — previously operated under a county-issued conditional use permit that predated any set zoning code.
But with the recent "resurgence" in interest around nuclear energy nationwide, Nichols said county staff opted to create an official zoning code to apply to a possible Duane Arnold restart or any other potential nuclear energy operations in Linn County.
As such, the code could allow for smaller-scale nuclear development, particularly as interest and investment increases into small modular reactors that produce less power than a traditional power plant.
“Yes, Duane Arnold Energy Center wants to restart, but there’s also a huge surge in interest in nuclear power” more broadly, Nichols said. That’s what “made us think that we should get something down officially and have that community conversation now.”
Code focuses on local interest, defers to national regulations
The code was 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.
If approved by Linn County supervisors, the draft plan would create a new zoning district with its own application process and unique requirements for nuclear energy generating and/or waste storage facilities.
Applicants would be required to submit a general application form, a major site plan with additional project details and an application fee to be established by the Linn County Board of Supervisors.
Project leaders also would need to submit a completed economic development plan outlining how the proposed facility would contribute to the local and regional economy through factors such as job creation, workforce training and development and/or anticipated community investment.
Download: Nuclear Energy - Linn County Draft Ordinance.pdf
“Nuclear power plants and waste storage facilities come with some additional costs for the counties or communities that are hosting them, but they can also be huge economic drivers,” Nichols said. “They often come with good jobs and — typically — lower power prices.”
To offset related costs, the draft code further requires applicants to enter into a “host community agreement” — or HCA — with Linn County. That agreement would run from the time a plant starts producing energy until notice of certification to the county and NRC that fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vessel.
It would establish an annual, inflation-adjusted payment to the county to support the various government functions and public services associated with hosting a nuclear facility such as emergency response, infrastructure maintenance, environmental monitoring and more.
It also would require approved applicants to reimburse the county for any costs incurred as a direct result of all pre-operational activities taken ahead of the plant’s actual start date.
State interest in nuclear power on the rise
Interest in nuclear power is on the rise nationwide, and Iowa is no different.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds this month told reporters that she intends to move forward with plans to create a nuclear energy task force to make recommendations about adding nuclear energy to the state’s energy portfolio.
Reynolds has said the state must look to future energy needs with the rise in artificial intelligence, growth in data centers and reshoring of U.S. manufacturing.
At a more local level, at least two Iowa counties — Linn and Woodbury counties — are discussing potential zoning code updates to address rising interest in nuclear power.
NextEra hopeful, but public comment mixed on future of nuclear power
At the Planning and Zoning meeting, NextEra representatives reiterated their interest in a potential Duane Arnold restart and thanked county staff for their efforts to draft a nuclear-specific code.
The company is currently taking steps to receive regulatory approval for the restart from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has created a Duane Arnold Energy Center Restart Panel to consider the proposal.
Several steps remain to gain all federal and local approvals but in documents filed with the commission, the company said it hopes to resume operation of the facility in late 2028.
“NextEra remains excited about the opportunity to resume operations at Duane Arnold and grant hundreds of permanent, high-quality, well-paying jobs to the area,” said company representative Garrett Goldfinger. “Restarting a nuclear power plan is a serious undertaking, and (our) team is working diligently to pull together all the necessary pieces.”
The update was celebrated by many in the crowd of roughly three dozen who packed into the basement of the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center to learn more about and provide feedback on the nuclear code.
Several of the speakers during public comment lauded the approval of the zoning code as a positive step toward a potential Duane Arnold restart that could bring high-paying jobs and increased energy independence to the region.
Some were more neutral and peppered county staff with questions, while still others urged commissioners to vote down the ordinance over concerns related to emergency response, long-term waste storage and overarching unease about the promotion of nuclear energy.
Ultimately, commissioners voted to approve the draft code as presented — noting that the public will have additional opportunities for feedback at future Linn County Board of Supervisors meetings and that the code could be amended in the future.
The board is set to hold its initial discussion related to the ordinance on Aug. 25. It requires three rounds of board approval to formally take effect.
“I’m sure there will be changes in the future,” as knowledge around and availability of nuclear energy evolves, said Planning and Zoning commissioner Tina DuBois. “But this is where we’re at right now.”
See for Yourself
Those interested can watch a recording of this month’s Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting by visiting bit.ly/nuclearzoning.
Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com
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