Alliant makes the right call

Alliant Energy is no longer planning to build a new natural-gas-fired power plant in Fairfax. Alliant wanted to generate more power to meet the electricity demands of planned data centers and others built in the future.

That makes sense. However, the Fairfax site proved to be the wrong location for building a plant.

“We appreciate the invitation to participate in the town hall series regarding our proposed combined cycle project. While Alliant Energy has not selected a site for the proposed project, we are deprioritizing the original Fairfax location at this time,” wrote Emily Kaiser, Alliant’s manager of community development, according to reporting by The Gazette’s Olivia Cohen. “We continue to evaluate the other viable sites in the region through our site selection process.”

It's the right call.

Fortunately, Alliant listened to officials at The Eastern Iowa Airport, who argued the plant’s planned stack would be 190 to 250 feet tall. The proposed plant would have been four miles from the airport’s main runway, less than three miles from a secondary runway, and less than two miles from a planned third runway.

Add to that plumes emitted by the stack, and pilot visibility could be diminished.

A third-party study commissioned by the airport reported that the plant would cause “concerns for airport safety and regulatory compliance.”

Fairfax residents also have concerns about building a large power plant in their town. They presented their concerns to the Fairfax City Council, including potential health impacts of the plant, noise and odors, and quality-of-life issues, Cohen reported. The council had approved the first reading of a rezoning measure to accommodate the plant. It was a 3-2 vote, but the council had not formally pledged its support or opposition to the plant.

We know that other nearby communities wanted the plant as part of an economic plan to attract more tech facilities. Elected leaders in Fairfax were seeking input from constituents, which is part of their job. Fairfax shouldn’t be shut out of future regional economic development projects.

Alliant will, undoubtedly, find a suitable site for a plant. We remain hopeful that gathering input from those who may be affected will continue to be part of the process.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com