SPIRIT LAKE, IA — Invenergy’s proposal to install 79 wind turbines near East Okoboji Lake was shot down by the Dickinson County Board of Adjustment last week, striking a major blow to Invenergy’s ambitions to force their will on Iowa small towns.
In a hearing that was supposed to take one night, but ended up taking three, the BOA voted to deny the permit. Kris Van Kleet, a resident of Dickinson County who helped found the group Dickinson County Concerned Citizens, credits grassroots efforts for halting the project.
“God is good, that’s all I can say,” Van Kleet said.
As is typical with wind farm projects targeting small towns, the proposed project divided the community, turning former neighbors and friends against each other. The focus now will be on healing the fractured community.
“I pray that our neighborhood will heal,” she said. “I pray that our community would heal, that people would forgive and remember that we’re still neighbors and we’re still people.”
Dozens of people showed up at the three day hearing to protest the project, raising concerns such as impacts on health, wildlife, property values, and tourism. Van Kleet’s son also owns a crop dusting business and fears that wind turbines in the area would destroy his business.
Two other wind farms have also been proposed for the Iowa Great Lakes Region, but Van Kleet says she will fight against those too. It’s also worth noting that Dickinson County already has one existing wind farm: The Lost Lakes Wind Farm which has 61 wind turbines located near the town of Milford, only six miles away from Okoboji. Had Invenergy’s project been approved, it would have brought the total number of wind turbines in Dickinson County to 140. Invenergy has 30 days to appeal the decision in court.
My take? There are several lessons Buchanan County should learn from Dickinson County here. The first is that Dickinson County already has experience with industrial wind energy thanks to the existing 61 wind turbines already operating in their county. Last week’s vote by the BOA makes it clear they do NOT want any more of them. Second, this proves what I and others have been saying all along. Opening the door to industrial wind turbines is like lowering the drawbridge on your castle to let just a few enemy soldiers in because they promise they will play nice. What really happens is that once the drawbridge is lowered, the rest of the soldiers behind them flood in as well, and now it is very difficult, if not impossible, to close the drawbridge again. If Buchanan County approves the Jubilee Wind Project and its proposed 70 wind turbines, how long will it be before NextEra or some other wind developer shows up wanting to install another 70 just six miles away? How long will it be before we have 140 wind turbines concentrated in Southern Buchanan County? How long before they start going after Northern Buchanan County and now we have 210 wind turbines? If this sounds alarmist? Well, I’d point out that MidAmerican Energy’s Highland Wind Energy Center in O’Brien County, Iowa has 218 turbines. But MidAmerican also owns a second wind farm in O’Brien with 104 turbines, making for a total of 322 wind turbines. In just one county! Do we really we want to open ourselves up to this?
Dickinson County said “no more” after letting the wind energy companies get a foot in the door. We should look to Dickinson for guidance, and we should see both Dickinson and O’Brien as warnings of what happens if we lower our drawbridge to let just a few in.
Dickinson like Grundy and Pottawattamie County’s in Iowa are updating ordinances in order to keep further wind turbines out of their counties.
Bob — Isn’t it interesting that counties that already have turbine fields are now trying to stop the influx of more. Says a mouthful right there. We need strong ordinances that protect the people and the rich soil of Buchanan County. Wind turbine fields will be a forever change. If out-of-state companies are allowed to come in and demand to choose whatever farmland they want, there will be no turning back. Wind companies do not care about the destruction they commit on good farmland or in once close communities. The bottom line is the dollar, and it’s coming out of our pockets. I wish Dickinson, Grundy and Pottawattamie Counties all the best in their fight.
On October 4 my wife and I went to Montfort, Wisconsin (located in Iowa and Grant counties) to see the wind turbines there. The first 20 were developed by NextEra in 2001 along Highway 18 and then sold to We Energies. In the spring of 2023 the Red Barn wind project of 28 wind turbines went into service. While traveling along Highway 18 we shot a video showing the extent of the wind turbines while moving at 55 MPH. This nine minute video shows what we can look forward to in Buchanan County if NextEra gets to place their proposed 70 turbines. How many more will they try to add once they get their foot in the door? According to the locals, 29 more will be built extending southwest towards Cassville. It looks like Grant County did not have the nerve (or resources?) to fight the expansion the way Dickinson County did in Iowa. Bottom line: “You give them a hand, they take an arm.”
You’re right … lessons are to be learned here. And we should be listening. After all, NextEra has been asked the question several times at community meetings: “How many turbines are you planning to put in?” The answer is always the same: “This project calls for 70.” Let me repeat: “This project … .” That answer loudly and clearly warns us that there will be another project in Buchanan County. How much highly prized farm land are we willing to sacrifice? Dickinson County decided they weren’t willing to sacrifice any more. I wonder if they wish they could go back in time and make a decision to not sacrifice any.
Good for you, Dickinson County! Thank you for taking a stand and protecting your land and your communities. Iowa Code 352 gives you the right to do so, and we’re glad you exercised that right.