by Mary Loden
At a recent meeting, the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a 15-month moratorium on accepting applications on issuing permits for utility-scale wind energy conversion systems, solar energy installations, and battery storage installations in the rural portions of the county.
The county’s Planning & Zoning Commission previously endorsed the idea of a moratorium after a suggestion from the county’s just-departed zoning administrator, John Robbins, that one should be put in place to give P&Z and the county supervisors time to address future applications.
Any project that had already been granted a permit is able to move forward, but no new applications will be accepted until a renewed comprehensive plan with renewable energy guidelines is put into place. The comprehensive plan should be completed mid-to-late summer.
Out of the dozen people present for the public hearing, only two voted against the moratorium.
Corey Eberling, representing Apex Clean Energy, argued that a company shouldn’t be asked to stop doing business just because someone wants to change the economic criteria. He asked the supervisors to enact a shorter moratorium. “We just ask that you reduce it to nine months,” Eberling said.
Rand Fisher, a representative from a new organization called the Center for Infrastructure and Economic Development, also said his group has reservations about any type of moratorium established by the county. He said it wasn’t fair to land owners who are trying to make long range plans with their land, such as investing in drainage and farm equipment. “Delay and procrastination can take a toll on those,” he said.
First Ward Supervisor, Chris Watts, said he agreed to the 15 month moratorium, but he also feels it is too long of a time period. “My opinion is, we could get it (the comprehensive plan) done in nine months or less.”
“We’re taking a pause, making sure we have the right ordinances in place to have some kind of control in the county,” Watts said.approved the ordinance establishing the moratorium and waived the second and third readings of the ordinance.
Joe McGrath, a fifth-generation farmer and a member of the Cerro Gordo County Farm Bureau, said he has done his homework and read the land lease offers these renewable energy companies are trying to get landowners to sign. And after reading, he had more questions than answers.
He lives and farms near Burchinal, an area where Ranger Power, LLC would like to build a 3,000 acre solar farm. A solar farm that size is equivalent to throwing a black blanket over the top of Clear Lake.
This particular solar company makes wonderful promises, but they haven’t been in business long enough to know if they can meet those promises. McGrath said there is just too much involved that people don’t comprehend and right now the risk is just too great.
But, for the McGrath family and their neighbors, taking that much prime farmland out of production for an indefinite period of time isn’t even a question they ponder. They vote “No.”
McGrath said he has finally been able to get a good night’s sleep since the moratorium was passed.
