Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) is seeking approval for its 240-megawatt gas-fired power plant on 90 acres east of Maysville after the county’s board of supervisors denied a special use permit for construction in February.
CIPCO applied earlier this year for a permit from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Utilities Commission, which has authority to override the Scott County Board of Supervisors.
Linda Golinghorst is the president of the nonprofit group Concerned Citizens of Scott County (CCSC). She told WVIK in a phone interview Friday, September 18, that the IUC has yet to approve whether they can participate in a public hearing in November after they filed the necessary petition in late July.
“Interveners are required to file their written testimony by October 1st. And we are preparing our testimony, but we cannot file it until we've been accepted as intervenors,” Golinghorst said. “The IUC didn't come back to us until August 25th. So that was a very long time we felt that we were waiting for them to come back to us and tell us what questions they have, because the IUC decides, not CIPCO. They gave us 10 days to answer some questions regarding our petitions. So we got those answers back to them within 10 days. That was on September 4th. Now it's the 18th, and we haven't heard anything back.”
The group’s opposition to the project stems from four issues. One, other industrial development following CIPCO’s presence.
“[W]e know that CIPCO’s venture capital company has been buying additional land in the county. So they have a total of, between land options and purchases that they've made through CMA Ventures Inc., they have about 400 acres in Scott County, and they're not really saying what all of that is needed for. So that's concerning to us.”
In an article published by the North Scott Press in May, CIPCO Vice President of Communications Kerry Koonce said the 230-acre land purchases are for investment purposes, and any notion it's for development is unfounded.
The second concern CCSC is sharing is that the development will take away prime farmland and present road hazards.
“We have very narrow farm-to-market roads that will need to be used not just during the construction but for refueling the 1.8 million gallon diesel tanks that they will have on site for backup fuel,” Golinghorst said. “It's just tons of traffic and we think that's going to provide a danger to commuters, school buses, and farmers that regularly use these roads. There's blind curves and no shoulders, and the county has— we have data from the DOT that shows that there's already— it's a very accident-prone route.”
The third concern is the lack of emergency plans in the county if the gas-fired power plant malfunctions.
“We're supported by— out here in Scott County by 9 mutual aid fire departments, mostly volunteer. And there is no plan that's been worked out with those mutual aid providers as to what would happen if there was an emergency given the high risk of the thermal facility and the diesel fuel storage that's going to be located on site,” Golinghorst said.
The final concern shared with the Scott County Board of Supervisors is the facility's potential impact on residents' health. Golinghorst notes the county has a population of 178,000 people and the impact zone for drift is about ten miles.
“And while their permit— their permitting application shows that they're going to try and keep below certain limits, and they argue that it's— CIPCO argues that it's a nominal change to our current air, we know that this will be an increased risk to our population, especially vulnerable people,” Golinghorst said.
The group became a nonprofit organization this year to obtain an attorney, as the IUC does not allow groups to participate as interveners without one. Golinghorst stated the group already spent $25,000 to fight the special use permit at the Scott County BOS, and now they’re raising $50,000 to cover the ongoing costs with the IUC. She noted the group has raised over 20% of the $50,000 goal. Those interested in contributing can find more information on the group’s Facebook page.
The group is holding a public informational meeting on Monday, September 21, at the Eldridge Public Library, 200 North 6th Avenue, from 6 to 7:45 p.m. Attendees can be assisted with submitting an objection to the IUC.
“And then in the meantime, people can file their objections all the way up till the public hearing. The only actual meeting would be during the public hearing on Tuesday, November 17th at 9 o'clock. It's at the DoubleTree ballroom in Davenport, Iowa. The Iowa Utilities Commission will host that, and that's where people that have intervened are able to ask questions of the witnesses, the expert witnesses, or of the opposing testimony. And the public is invited to attend that.”
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