Franklin County considers wind farm ordinance

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors is hearing from various viewpoints as they consider updates to the county's wind farm ordinance.

Apex Clean Energy has recently identified an area of northern Franklin County and Southern Cerro Gordo County, roughly along the area around Interstate-35, as a possible site for a 200 megawatt wind farm. As a result, several residents of the area met with the Board of Supervisors on Friday, January 28 to ask that they consider updating the county's ordinance regulating the construction of wind farms.

Dan Jurgens, representing members of the Facebook group "Citizens concerned about Wind Turbines in Franklin County, Iowa," presented the supervisors with a detailed list of concerns along with examples of ordinances from other Iowa counties that they would like the supervisors to use as a template when updating the county's ordinance.

"There's a lot of moving parts to it if you want to do it right," said Jurgens.

Among the top of the concerns Jurgens expressed about the project was the issue of sound, which is exasperated as wind turbines are built taller and taller while required setbacks remain the same. Jurgens asked the supervisors to consider a setback requirement directly tied to the height of the turbine.

"Sound is the biggest complaint we get about them," said Jurgens. "The two kind of go hand and hand a little bit."

Along with asking the supervisors to consider sound and setback regulations, the group would also like the ordinance to consider other issues such as flashing lights, shadow flickering, damage mitigation to roads and tile, and making sure that there is a decommissioning plan in place. A one year moratorium was also requested in order to provide time to develop a comprehensive set of regulations.

Currently, Franklin County's ordinance regarding wind farms is very lax, with just a single section of the county ordinance relating to wind energy for tax valuation.

The group presented the supervisors with a copy of Worth County's ordinance, a 36-page comprehensive series of regulations that they would like to see Franklin County use as a model.

"We know we're going to have to continue to look at this," said Supervisor Gary McVicker.

On Monday, January 31, the Supervisors heard from the other side of the issue as representatives from Apex Clean Energy used public comment time to share their own positions.

Apex employees Julie Drennen and Holly Nelson presented the supervisors with fact sheets about sound along with their own examples of ordinances to be considered. While receptive to the idea of updating the county's wind farm regulation, they did note that the ordinance in place in Worth County would essentially be a non-starter for them.

"It's an ordinance designed to kill wind," said Nelson. "Not a single turbine could be built with that ordinance and I'm sure that is the intent."

Corey Eberling, formerly a Franklin County Supervisor himself, made note of the financial benefits that previous wind farms have brought to the county.

"We were able to do $46 million in road projects," said Eberling. "We wouldn't have been able to do that without wind farms."

While acknowledging that other wind farm projects in the county have not been well received by their rural neighbors, Eberling was adamant that Apex was committed to learning from those issues and taking steps to mitigate them. For example, Apex is already planning to invest in light shields that will keep the FAA required lights visible in the sky without flashing at those on the ground.

Eberling also noted that both he and Nelson live in the targeted area as well and have a vested interest in making sure the project is done with limited impact on their neighbors or themselves.

With plenty to chew on from both sides, the Board of Supervisors will have much to consider over the coming months as they hash out where Franklin County's wind farm policy should land.