'Not in my backyard’ lobby threatens to hold up climate action plans in Eastern Iowa

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City have made themselves statewide leaders by adopting aggressive climate action plans.

They each have a goal to reach net-zero carbon output by 2050. To do that, city planners are relying heavily on non-governmental utilities to meet their own clean energy goals. Those efforts, however, are being threatened by the not-in-my-backyard constituency of local politics.

Two large solar energy proposals in Linn County are under regulatory review and they are drawing criticism from nearby residents.

The Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 last month to recommend denying approval for a 100-megawatt solar array near Coggon, big enough to power about 18,000 homes. County officials say the project meets or exceeds all the necessary local requirements, but commission members gave in to critics. It now goes to the Linn County Board of Supervisors for consideration.

A larger solar development is being proposed near Palo, site of the former Duane Arnold nuclear energy plant that was shuttered last year. It calls for 200 megawatts with another 200 to be added at a later date, in addition to 75 megawatts of storage capacity. The Iowa Utilities Board is expected to review the proposal next year.

They are both good projects and The Gazette editorial board urges state and local officials to approve them.

The stated objections to solar development often deal with conservation. Critics are worried, they say, about maintaining agricultural land and protecting natural resources.

The Coggon project would indeed take hundreds of acres out of agricultural production but planners have taken steps to preserve the land’s suitability for farming in case the area is reverted after the initial 35-year program timeline. They also commissioned an environmental review and agreed on measures to prevent degradation.

For neighbors opposing the projects, what it really seems to come down to is that they would prefer to look out their windows at crops rather than solar panels. It’s a reaction known to developers as NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) and it jeopardizes progress for many in favor of the personal preferences of a few.

Both the Coggon and Palo projects are intended to link up with existing utility infrastructure — through available capacity at the Coggon substation and the former Duane Arnold Energy Center. It’s a wise use of resources that other developers should be looking to emulate as renewable energy expands.

However you feel about the merits of solar developments, there are broader issues on display here about the process. For the Coggon project, staff determined it was in line with county requirements but commissioners voted against it nonetheless.

Staff even did an additional analysis beyond what’s required for the Coggon development, to assess the impact on local services and infrastructure. The project checks all the boxes — it doesn’t need water or wastewater service, the company will maintain roads within the footprint of the development and it’s well within the allowable range of the Coggon Fire Department.

The top priority in the Linn County Comprehensive Plan — adopted in 2013 following an extensive public input process — is alternative and renewable energy, to both encourage development and reduce barriers thereto. If supervisors reject the project, they will demean their own planning documents and make a mockery of the process.

Iowa City had a similar situation last year, when City Council members voted down a proposed solar energy project on top of a prairie in a city park. Even though carbon reduction is a top priority for Iowa City and existing trails would not have been affected, the council acquiesced to vocal critics who say they use the space for recreation.

If developers jump through all the hoops and still get shot down, Eastern Iowa will quickly earn a reputation as a bad place to do renewable energy business.

Meeting our lofty climate action goals will require some sacrifice and political courage. Educating residents about weatherization and efficient appliances is not going to cut it. We need industrial-scale renewable utilities and persnickety regulators shouldn’t stand in the way.

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

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