Swanson said rural Iowa families shouldn't have to suffer wind turbines — which compact soil during construction and hurt crop yields — to satisfy urban residents' need to feel good about the environment. ..."What we care about is our homes, our health, our land, our wildlife and our economy," which are jeopardized by wind projects, said Swanson, a board member of the Coalition for Rural Property Rights, along with Youngblut.

Legal Iowa

Mitchell County Sheriff Greg Beaver said the fatal accident occurred about 1 p.m. Saturday while the worker was loading heavy equipment at Turtle Creek Wind Farm, which is under construction near St. Ansgar. 

Safety Injury Iowa

A three-judge panel of the Iowa Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal filed by attorneys for Mason Wind, Dante Wind 6, Galileo Wind 1 and Venus Wind 4, which are under a Fayette County District Court order to remove three turbines by Dec. 9.

Legal Iowa

“I’m thrilled,” Kerns said. “The constant whoosh, whoosh, whoosh sound they make is nonstop … and the shadow effect was like I was back in the ’70s with the disco strobe light. “I couldn’t sit outside in the evening,” she added. “Until you live near one, you don’t know what it’s like.”

Impact on People Legal Iowa

Holmes contends the hearing and vote was moot because the correct way to handle the request would have been through a rezoning application to the elected Board of Supervisors. “(The Board of Adjustment) have no power to grant a special exemption on land that is exempt from zoning,” he said. “They should have just gone home.”

Legal Iowa

As members of the Adair County Supervisor consider a more comprehensive ordinance on wind turbines, the ordinance in Cass County focuses solely on assessment.

Zoning/Planning Iowa

The proposed 345-kilovolt line would run between Dubuque, Iowa, and a substation in Middleton along one of two routes that the utilities say would deliver low-cost wind energy from Iowa to population centers where the power is needed.

Transmission Iowa Wisconsin

Bauercamper found the wind companies in contempt of court earlier this year and ordered the turbines to cease energy production by July 2 and be removed at the turbine developers’ cost by Dec. 9. The turbines have stopped spinning.

Legal Iowa

While members of the Adair County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance Wednesday morning related to where wind turbines could be located, discussion on the topic is expected to continue during their next meeting where they will discuss creating a even more comprehensive ordinance.

Zoning/Planning Iowa

Members of the Adair County Supervisors hope to have an ordinance to consider during their next meeting on Wednesday, following discussions in meetings last week about wind turbines. Supervisor Matt Wedemeyer said Friday that citizens started coming to supervisor meetings last summer, “concerned about the large amount of windmills coming into the county, and our county did not have an ordinance related to the citing  of wind turbines.”

Zoning/Planning Iowa

Adair County is moving forward with a plan to restrict wind turbines in the county. Wind turbines have been a contentious issue there for a while now. KCCI's Chris Gothner has details.

Zoning/Planning Iowa

Some would argue there has never been a more controversial issue in Palo alto County as wind energy. What began as a way to protect the rights of citizens, landowners and the environment in the county, has turned into a legal war.

General Iowa

He said a wind turbine four miles south of Zearing off U.S. Highway 65 was damaged by the tornadoes that ripped through Iowa earlier this summer, leaving one blade dangling. Then, lightning struck it during the storms this weekend.

Safety Structural Failure Iowa

The plan is part of MidAmerican’s request for a 30-year U.S. permit to allow for an average of 10 turbine-related incidental bald eagle deaths per year across the company’s Iowa footprint.

Impact on Birds Impact on Bats USA Iowa

The supervisors have been meeting with Nick Schuler of Tradewind Energy for months in preparation for the installation of wind turbines in southwest Davis County. The wind project also extends into Appanoose County and Schuyler County, Mo.

Zoning/Planning Iowa

Beaver Creek Phase II, now under construction across Greene County near the town of Dana, IA is a MidAmerican project. It is slated to host 85 Vestas V110-2.0 turbines for a total nameplate capacity of 170 megawatts. The project started construction in May and is expected to be operational in December of 2018. 

Injury Iowa

Julie Kuntz, a Grafton-area farmer who is a member of Concerned Residents of Worth County, opposes the wind turbines, noting the impact on farmland and the noise they cause for local farmers. "We could make a lot of money signing up for this, but at a cost," Kuntz argued. "I’m contacting every landowner to give them information and polling them as I go, and I’m finding overwhelmingly that local farm owners are opposing this."

General Iowa

The investigation found hundreds of cases of injuries resulting from epoxy resin used to fabricate wind blades. Exposure to the chemicals caused some workers to develop skin sensitization, essentially an allergy developed over time. Some workers say that after they reported the injuries, they were let go. Former employees at TPI in Newton have filed a lawsuit against the wind turbine manufacturer. 

Injury USA Iowa

MidAmerican still gets 30 percent of its electricity from coal ..."The 100 percent renewable energy vision is a bit of a gimmick," said Josh Mandelbaum, an Environmental Law & Policy Center senior attorney, "It's pretty misleading if MidAmerican is giving customers the impression that's all they have to do."

Energy Policy Iowa

DEXTER, Ia. — The battle playing out over a second crop of wind turbines that MidAmerican Energy is proposing near this small town is like many playing out across Iowa and the nation.

General Iowa