Linn County won’t take new utility-scale solar applications through June

CEDAR RAPIDS — No new applications for utility-scale solar installations will be taken in Linn County through June.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously voted to extend its pause on new large-scale solar projects as renewable energy review committees wrap up their work to assess the county ordinance governing the solar projects.

The supervisors initially adopted the moratorium in October to last through Dec. 31, with the option to extend it up to three times through 2023 while the review is underway. They extended it previously through March.

Already approved solar projects near Palo and Coggon remain underway and are not affected by the pause. But applications for new projects will not be taken until the moratorium ends, which will either be at the end of June or whenever new code is adopted.

The four review committees meet to make recommendations to the county planning and zoning commission about potential changes to the current solar ordinance. Planning and zoning would then vote whether to recommend changes to the supervisors. Any potential changes would not apply to previously approved projects.

Planning and Development Director Charlie Nichols said the committees’ final meetings are slated for this week, though some groups could possibly need another clarifying meeting before information comes to supervisors for their review.

The supervisors in 2022 signed off on three utility-scale solar projects — one near Coggon and two related projects from NextEra near the decommissioned Duane Arnold Energy Center nuclear plant. The vote for each project was 2-1, with Supervisor Louie Zumbach opposed.

Neighbors sued over both projects. A Linn County District Court judge in February dismissed a lawsuit against supervisors over the 640-acre solar farm near Coggon.

The utility-scale solar farm three miles west of Coggon is from Coggon Solar LLC, a partnership between Idaho-based Clenera and Central Iowa Power Cooperative. The project, which would be dismantled after 35 years, is planned for land that property owners voluntarily leased to Coggon Solar.

Supervisor Ben Rogers said there’s wisdom in continuing the pause so new applicants know what rules may be and so the board can consider the work done by committees.

“We are where we are now,” Rogers said. “We’re literally at the finish line. Would I have liked it to have gone faster, sure, but here we are.”

Supervisor Kirsten Running-Marquardt said she appreciates there are different interests involved in providing input. She said it didn’t seem the county would necessarily need three months to finish drafting ordinance revisions, but the three-month extension gives the county a buffer.

“We are taking this pause to gather all the information, make sure we’re getting it right without hurting any of the projects” or economic development and workforce needs, Running-Marquardt said.

Zumbach agreed with his colleagues in continuing the pause.

“I hope that you can have it done within the three months, but I do want it to have all the steps finished” so NextEra, for instance, would know what rules actually are, Zumbach said.

Nichols said the pause is “valuable for all parties” and he is not aware of any other applicants besides NextEra looking at solar or wind projects while the new guidelines are drafted.

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