EasternIowaFarmer_Fall2023
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THE ENERGY ISSUE<br />
would have on small family<br />
farms and ag-related businesses<br />
in rural communities.<br />
“The big question is why<br />
here?” she said, adding that she<br />
believed utility scale projects<br />
should look at locations that<br />
aren’t well-suited for grain<br />
products.<br />
In September 2022, the Scott<br />
County Board of Supervisors<br />
passed an ordinance that<br />
limits where solar farms can be<br />
placed based on the quality of<br />
soil and whether or not the land<br />
can be used for food, fiber and<br />
fuel. But it remains to be seen<br />
whether that can usurp landowners’<br />
right to decide how to<br />
use their property, and no state<br />
laws are on the books regarding<br />
the issue. A bill proposed in the<br />
2021-22 Iowa legislative session<br />
to place stricter guidelines<br />
on solar panel field projects<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / TREVIS MAYFIELD<br />
Sam O’Keefe, the project developer for Chicago-based Ranger Power,<br />
gives an opening presentation before taking questions at a public<br />
hearing about the company’s two proposed solar projects that are<br />
expected to begin construction late next year.<br />
did not get beyond the Senate<br />
Agriculture Committee.<br />
Financial impacts<br />
If all goes according to<br />
plan, Ranger Power expects its<br />
facilities to be operational in<br />
2026. NextEra’s Rock Creek<br />
Solar Project and its Clinton<br />
County Wind Project are slated<br />
to be up and running by the end<br />
of 2026.<br />
Such large-scale solar<br />
and wind projects in Eastern<br />
Iowa are forecasted to bring<br />
hundreds of jobs during the<br />
construction phase that will<br />
likely last more than a year per<br />
project, both Ranger Power and<br />
NextEra have said.<br />
Ranger Power representatives<br />
said during public hearings<br />
that they would commit to<br />
hiring local people for the job<br />
as long as the work force was<br />
available. During the course of<br />
the hearings, representatives<br />
from trade unions spoke regularly,<br />
urging that consideration.<br />
After the facilities are operational,<br />
two to four permanent<br />
jobs will be created, Ranger<br />
Power said of its Grand Mound<br />
project. Those workers would<br />
be tasked with upkeep of the<br />
panels and the aesthetics of the<br />
land they occupy.<br />
Millions of dollars in tax<br />
revenues are also expected<br />
from such projects, organizers<br />
said. Over the 30-plus year life<br />
of its solar installation, Ranger<br />
Power predicts a potential $12<br />
Your Legacy<br />
Begins Now.<br />
In Jackson County, $3.2 billion is expected to transfer<br />
from one generation to the next through 2049.<br />
If we each commit to investing just 5% of our estates<br />
in a community endowment, $6.8 million could<br />
be available annually for community projects and<br />
nonprofits.* Turn to pages 94 and 95 to learn more.<br />
*Based on a 4.25% annual payout<br />
An affiliate of the Community Foundation<br />
of Greater Dubuque<br />
Let’s Build Your Legacy. Together.<br />
Lori Loch<br />
Executive Director, Community Foundation of Jackson County<br />
563.588.2700 | lori@dbqfoundation.org | dbqfoundation.org/cfjc<br />
eifarmer.com FALL 2023 | EASTERN IOWA FARMER 49
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