Scott County residents rally against proposed natural gas power plant

ELDRIDGE, Iowa — Dozens of Scott County residents showed their opposition to a proposed natural gas power plant Wednesday night.

Most of them are North Scott residents who live near the site. Run by the Central Iowa Power Cooperative, or CIPCO, the peaking plant would turn on when the demand for power is highest.

Susan Frye is one of them. Her century-old family farm is about a mile from the site. After she and her husband retired, they came back to restore the farm her grandparents and great-grandparents built.

“It’s not just us, it would harm the crops in the surrounding property,” Frye said.

It’s one of many concerns about the plant. Family physician Dr. Ross Burandt said power plants give off harmful pollutants.

“These pollutants can worsen preexisting conditions like asthma, COPD, and lead to respiratory disease,” Burandt said.

He said he sees the patients suffering from these conditions.

“I continue to urge our leaders to put the health of Eldridge and Scott County residents first,” Burandt said.

A Government Accountability Office study of peaking plants found they might put out fewer emissions overall, but those emissions are more concentrated every time the plant turns on.

“The thought of putting more particulates into the air does not resonate well with me,” Burandt said.

Since it was tabled in October, the ordinance allowing power plants to be built on prime farmland hasn’t come back up at the Scott County Board of Supervisors. That’s because Board Chair John Maxwell said he’s waiting for more information. He told News 8 he wants to know the county’s current generating capacity, and whether a peaking plant is actually necessary.

Board Member Maria Bribriesco said she also wants more information. She said the ordinance change was sprung on the public and the board.

“Yes, there may be reason to do something with our prime farmland, but at this point in time I am not convinced that this is the best thing to do now,” Bribriesco said. “I think we need to study it.”

The approval process for the power plant is still in the early stages. The Board of Supervisors vote on the ordinance change is on hold indefinitely. If approved, CIPCO would need to get the go-ahead from two more county boards, the Iowa Utility Commission and the Iowa DNR.

At the October board meeting, several in the crowd raised questions about a conflict of interest.

Board Chair John Maxwell also owns Cinnamon Ridge Farms. He rents two hog barns to Tom Dittmer, owner of Grandview Farms and member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Dittmer’s land is being considered as the site for the CIPCO plant.

Maxwell asked the Scott County Attorney’s Office to issue a formal legal opinion on whether he has a conflict of interest. In an opinion issued Friday, Jan. 16, Senior Assistant County Attorney Kristina Lyon said Maxwell wouldn’t see a financial benefit from the plant. She said there was no conflict present for the vote on the ordinance change.

Maxwell told News 8 Dittmer will recuse himself from any vote on the plant, if it gets that far in the approval process.

The opinion only covered the Board of Supervisor’s approval of the ordinance change. That would be the last time they vote on the power plant.

Several people at the Wednesday night meeting still called for Maxwell to recuse himself from the vote.