The Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission took public input at its meeting Monday on restarting the nuclear power plant outside of Palo. The Duane Arnold Energy Center shut down in October of 2020, but the demand for energy is rising with data centers expanding in eastern Iowa.
Echo Oceanside attended the meeting and told KCRG TV her family supports the idea. ““We’re huge proponents of nuclear energy and we work with some people who used to also work at the plant, so eventually if it does come back online, we’d like the opportunity to work there too,” Oceanside says. Oceanside says she feels nuclear power is one of the best options in terms of her daughter’s future. “We really need a renewable resource and nuclear is a lot safer than people typically think it is,” she says.
Linn County Planning and Development Director Charlie Nichols says this is the first conversation in a series of many. “We’re kind of just getting the ball rolling. We’re trying to get that public input so we can develop our draft code and take it to a future Planning and Zoning Commission meeting,” Nichols says. Many people at the meeting told the commission they support bringing back nuclear energy, and one person asked about safety concerns. Nichols tells KCRG TV that the safety of the plant is an important issue they consider. “One of the key things we’re looking at right now is what the minimal level of emergency preparedness we need to maintain with Linn County staff and support in order to respond that anything that happens at the nuclear facility,” he says.
The Planning & Zoning Commission will discuss the feedback they received on reopening the nuclear plant at its next meeting on June 16th.