Leaders in southwest Iowa’s Adair County have voted to limit the development of wind farms.
Following a public hearing Tuesday at the Adair County Board of Supervisors meeting, and a waiving of the second and third readings, the supervisors approved an amendment to the Wind Energy Ordinance 31B.
The amendment caps the number of commercial wind turbines or wind farms erected within the boundaries of Adair County at a total of no more than 535. Adair County currently has 532 turbines completed or under construction. This comes after neighboring Union County earlier this year passed its ordinance allowing the construction of wind farms to start within the county.
At the October 3rd meeting, the Adair County supervisors approved Wind Energy Conversion Property ordinance No. 31A which refers to setbacks. This defined the non-participating landowner, participating landowner and occupied building as well as made the set back from the nearest occupied building located on anon-participating landowner’s property a distance of not less than 2,000 feet.
(By Raquel Linch, KSIB, Creston)