Protests Halt Wind Farm and Data Center Projects

Opposition may have succeeded in stopping a wind farm project in Iowa and delaying unrelated data center proposals in Indiana. MidAmerican Energy, a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy, has worked over the past four years to develop the wind farm in northwest Iowa.

Wind is already a significant commitment from the company, which provides service in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Illinois. MidAmerican has turbines in roughly one third of Iowa’s counties and has been expanding wind production along with solar.

The 170-megawatt northwest Iowa project in Woodbury County could have brought another 60 turbines to the area. The company had been securing agreements with landowners, which can be

a valuable additional income stream for farmers.

MidAmerican Energy Adjusted Wind Farm Plan

Some critics had previously complained about turbines’ proximity to acreages. There were numerous public hearings on the matter. The company agreed to increase the distance that turbines were set back from private property to 2,500.

But some opposition remained. On Tuesday, Woodbury County officials confirmed that MidAmerican was ending its pursuit of the wind farm.

“When you have attendance of 100 plus people at these meetings, it’s really quite something,” Woodbury County Supervisor Mark Nelson said to KTIV-TV in Sioux City. “You saw folks that started a fund and were buying billboards, and yard signs, and they were setting up booths at the (county) fair,” said Nelson.

The organized opposition persisted for months. Nelson said, “They were actively engaging with people and going out and talking with people. And it was all on their own time and their own dime. I’ve never seen a movement like that in the county, and it brought people together.”

Landowners who already received payments for voluntary easements for the property will be allowed to keep the money, MidAmerican Energy spokesman Geoff Greenwood said.  

“We paid an annual payment to landowners who chose to sign an easement. Those landowners do not have to pay that money back and keep their easement payments,” he said.

RELATED: Peoples Company Director of Capital Markets for Peoples Company Dr. Dave Muth explained to American Farmland Owner that while there is not yet extensive data, it does look like wind turbines could enhance farmland value.  

Data Center Projects Halted in Another Indiana County

Developers for larger scale data centers in northern Indiana will have to wait at least a year after Starke County Commissioners agreed to a 12-month moratorium on Monday. That action followed a Starke County Planning Commission vote last week for a year-long moratorium on any data center that is larger than 5,000 square feet.

Amazon had been eyeing the region for an additional 2.4 gigawatts of capacity, according to GovTech. There is also reported interest in data center developments in LaPorte, Michigan City, Hobart, Hammond, and Merrillville.

Some residents have previously expressed concerns about the additional water use from data centers, whether the projects would raise electricity bills, and any environmental impacts.

County Attorney Justin Schramm told WSBT-TV in South Bend that officials want more time to develop guidelines for future data center development. “The county recognized quite a while ago that we don't have a lot of parameters currently in place for these data centers,” Schramm said. “So, the 12-month moratorium in effect will give us the time necessary to research these things a little bit more in depth.

Schramm acknowledged that a future ban is possible for bigger data center projects. “An outright ban is possible. If it's something that the Planning Commission finds out through the citizens that they're interested in, that'll be an avenue that the Planning Commission will have to look at on how best to do that," said Schramm.

RELATED: Some data center projects begin in secrecy with code names as developers work to win over local support from officials and finalize a deal before making details known to the public.