Linn County extends solar moratorium through March

CEDAR RAPIDS — A moratorium on utility-scale solar installations will be extended through March, the Linn County Board of Supervisors decided this week.

The supervisors originally adopted the moratorium in October to last through Dec. 31 with the idea that it could be extended up to three times through 2023 while the county ordinance governing the solar projects is reviewed.

The moratorium does not affect the already-approved solar projects near Palo and Coggon, which will continue. But applications for new projects will not be considered until the pause is over.

“By the March deadline, we will have a better idea of how much time is actually needed,” Planning and Development Director Charlie Nichols said. “It won’t be open ended like now. We should be close to completion or at least developed enough to know how much time we need.”

Nichols said the next step is to get the first meeting set for the renewable energy advisory committee, which will take place in either mid December or January.

Ultimately, the group will make recommendations to the county planning and zoning commission about any changes to be made to the current solar ordinance. Planning and zoning would then vote whether to recommend changes to the supervisors.

The supervisors have approved three utility-scale solar projects this year — one near Coggon and two related ones near the decommissioned Duane Arnold Energy Center nuclear plant. The vote for each project was 2-1, with Supervisor Louie Zumbach opposed.

Both projects are facing lawsuits from neighbors.

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