Concerned Citizens of Scott County is inviting the public to attend a Tuesday, Nov. 17 evidentiary hearing in downtown Davenport on the controversial plan of Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), which wants to build a $400-million, 240-megawatt natural gas plant near Maysville on prime farmland.
After the Scott County Board of Supervisors voted last February 4-0 to reject it, CIPCO appealed directly to the state (Docket No. GCU-2026-0001) to override the local decision.
The Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) will hold a formal hearing at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 at the DoubleTree Ballroom (111 E. 2nd St.) in Davenport to cross-examine witnesses who have already submitted pre-filed testimony, before issuing a final decision a few weeks later, according to Linda Golinghorst, president of Concerned Citizens of Scott County.
While the state hearing starts Tuesday morning, it could last up to three days, depending on the first day’s action, she said recently. “We have no projection at this point of the outcome of the hearings,” she said.
The group recently sent an e-mail outlining the importance of the CIPCO proposal, with the following concerns:
- Land Use: Sets a precedent for industrial sprawl on protected farmland. Already, CIPCO's investment arm has purchased $8.5 million in farmland, some already exchanged for land in and around the plant, increasing the footprint of two very large landowners in the county.
- Air Quality: Increases in air pollution near local homes and schools. Will cause more health issues and will bring the county very close to the maximum limit for particulate matter (PM 2.5).
- Water Aquifer: Operations demand pumping 210 gallons of groundwater per minute, threatens neighboring private wells without contractually binding protections.
- Roads: Massive construction traffic and diesel convoys will destroy rural farm roads (like 115th Avenue) already labeled high-risk by the Bi-State Commission.
- Volunteer Fire Departments: A major fire or chemical leak will severely strain local volunteer units forced to manage a dangerous convergence of 1.8M gallons of diesel fuel, pipelines, and transmission lines.
The Scott County residents recommend these urgent actions:
1. File an Objection (Deadline: Mon, Nov 16): Submit comments online at https://efs.iowa.gov/ (search Docket GCU-2026-0001) or mail a letter to the IUC (1375 E. Court Ave., Des Moines, IA 50319) so regulators read it before the hearing.
2. Pack the DoubleTree on Nov 17: Attend in Davenport to show state officials the public’s collective strength.
3. Rush a Donation to the Legal Fund: They must pay for the legal support to hold CIPCO accountable. The Concerned Citizens group has raised only 25% of its $50,000 goal. Please mail checks to: Concerned Citizens of Scott County Iowa 501(c)(4) • PO Box 22, Donahue, IA 52746-0022
Last February, the Scott County Board considered the request for a Hickory Grove Generating Station from Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) to supply reliable energy derived from a diverse and dependable mix of resources, and the plant would sit on 30 acres near Maysville, in rural Scott County.
“This generating facility is critically needed to meet the power demands of members today and for the decades ahead,” according to the CIPCO website. “This facility will bolster CIPCO's ‘all-the-above’ resource portfolio strategy and add to our diverse mix of energy resources and join the existing fleet of Iowa’s dependable, and long-lasting, natural gas-fired power plants.”
CIPCO has operated a dispatch and transmission facility in nearby Wilton for over 35 years, in addition to providing wholesale power to Eastern Iowa Light & Power REC, the local distribution electric cooperative serving large portions of rural Scott County.
At the Board of Supervisors meeting Feb. 12, 2026, some board members noted the massive public opposition to the new plant, and said even if it was needed, this prime farmland is not the right location for it.
“This ordinance is not the solution,” Supervisor Jean Dickson said then. “So I just want to state that and that for me, there's no compelling county interest at this point to justify going against what I've heard from so many citizens on this issue.”
The IUC held a hearing on the plant of more than three hours April 6, 2026, attended by dozens of concerned local citizens at Rhythm City Casino Event Center, Davenport.
It was hosted by IUC commissioner Joshua Byrnes, of the three-member commission, with presentations by officials of CIPCO, which wants to build a peaker power plant on prime farmland east of Maysville. IUC attorney Hunter Fors said after the public meeting that the commission has state authority to supersede the wishes of local authorities for such facilities.
Dickson said at the April 6 meeting that state law requires the IUC to “ensure that any proposed facility is consistent with reasonable land use and complies with local zoning requirements and if not, whether the location of the proposed facility at the proposed site is reasonably justified from an economic, technical and social standpoint,” she said. “Today's presentation in my opinion was deficient on both fronts in terms of the reasonableness and the local zoning.”
CIPCO response
Kerry Koonce, CIPCO vice president of communications and corporate relations, provided this statement Thursday to WVIK News:
“As an electric generation and transmission cooperative, CIPCO has an obligation to provide safe, reliable, cost-effective power, which requires careful evaluation and planning for future generation resources. We recognize that infrastructure projects can raise concerns among neighboring landowners and communities.
"Those concerns are important and must be balanced with the significant reliability and economic benefits the project will provide to Iowa families, farms, businesses, schools and the communities served by our member-owners.
“CIPCO is committed to working closely with the appropriate regulatory agencies to ensure the facility meets all applicable state and federal environmental requirements, including those governing emissions and water use. As the project advances, we will also continue coordinating with Scott County to address road and traffic considerations during construction and ongoing operations.
“Obtaining a generating certificate from the Iowa Utilities Commission is a required step before the proposed facility can be constructed and operated. We believe CIPCO has submitted a thorough, well-supported application that demonstrates the need for the project and its commitment to responsible development. We look forward to the Commission's decision in the coming weeks.”
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