A number of area residents expressed concerns about Alliant Energy’s proposed natural gas-fired power plant to the Linn County Board of Supervisors Wednesday, mostly focused on public awareness, air quality issues and the proposed plant’s proximity to residential areas in both Linn and Benton counties.
The proposed plant, known as the Morgan Valley Energy Center, would be built on a 160-acre site at the southeast intersection of Highway 30 and Linn-Benton Road in Linn County, about 2 ½ miles northwest of Fairfax and west of Cedar Rapids.
The project would involve construction of a 720-megawatt power plant with three simple-cycle gas-fired combustion turbine engines, 150-foot-tall exhaust stacks and external fin fan cooling radiators, according to Alliant officials.
There are currently no specific customers for the plant’s electrical output, according to Allliant spokesperson Taylor Adams, and no power purchase agreements have been reached. But officials have said that the power plant’s proposed location in Linn County is based, at least in part, on rising power demand from data centers under construction on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids.
A formal application for the project hasn’t yet been submitted to Linn County officials, but several objections have already been filed in the Iowa Utilities Commission’s official docket for the proposal, which was opened in February.
One of the speakers in Wednesday’s public comment period, Jon Lee, who lives just southeast of the proposed plant site, said he was concerned about public awareness of the proposal.
“This is a county-wide awareness gap,” Mr. Lee said. “That matters, because decisions like this don’t just affect one area. They affect air quality, infrastructure, (and) long-term development patterns across the county. (The impact doesn’t) stop at property lines or county boundaries.”
He also asked the board to “commit today in clear, visible steps to improve the awareness before this project moves forward. That could include direct communication to constituents, public statements that clearly explain being proposed and where. Because information awareness is not optional, it’s fundamental to responsible decision-making.”
Another commenter, Jane Scheer, who has a Fairfax address but lives in neighboring Benton County, said she was concerned that Benton County residents and officials haven’t yet had the opportunity for official input on the proposal, despite the proposed plant’s location near the Linn-Benton county line.
“Pollution and air quality do not stop at county lines,” Ms. Scheer said. “Property lines or fence lines move across communities, and they affect people beyond the immediate site – residents in neighboring areas who may be affected, but who do not have representation in this decision-making process.”
Nate Sirotok of rural Linn County said the plant would be built “across the street” from his home.
“Knowing the documented long term health concerns of the emissions and particulate matter emitted and the radius it affects, it seems irresponsible and reckless to build a facility of this magnitude so close to three large population centers,” he said, “including directly west of the second largest population center in the state, Cedar Rapids, with prevailing winds carrying that harmful matter directly towards the population.”
He also asked why the proposal would encompass 160 acres, while the proposed plant would only cover 20 to 30 acres of that total.
“I would ask the board, have you been provided a clear explanation of why this amount of land is being acquired, and if not, will you request that explanation to be made public before this moves forward?” he said. “I would also ask if developers have approached you about building data centers or other industrial infrastructure around this power plant, if it is successfully built.”
Board chair Kirsten Running-Marquardt, while noting that the board is not allowed to respond directly to comments made during a public comment period, noted that the county’s newly-approved ordinance governing the siting of natural gas-fired power plants provides “several protections” regarding setbacks and other development standards.
She also noted that the county does not have the legal authority to make decisions on power plant applications based on potential environmental or air quality impacts.
“That authority was taken away, and also, even further eroded from our public health department by the Iowa Legislature in 2023,” she said.
Ms. Adams, the Alliant spokesperson, provided an official company statement regarding the status of the proposed plant.
“Alliant Energy is proposing the Morgan Valley Energy Center to support long‑term energy security and reliability for our customers,” Alliant said in the statement. “Morgan Valley Energy Center is subject to an extensive approval process and independent regulatory reviews at the local, state and federal levels – all of which are public and part of the record.
“Permits are only issued if regulatory requirements are met and required studies are completed and made publicly available as part of the outlined process,” the statement added. “We appreciate the continued engagement from individuals as we proceed through the required process.”
