The Pacific Northwest, however, is seeing more similarities with Iowa since it had normal snowfall this past winter.Įnvironmental groups and state lawmakers are asking Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon to block a project that plans to place 11,600 cattle near a protected trout stream in northeast Iowa. One of the reasons for the lack of rain is this past winter’s wet season being relatively dry. A dangerous fire season is predicted this year as dry conditions worsen. 2021 might join 20 as one of the potentially worst stretches of droughts in the United States. Drought Monitor estimates there are 57 million people who are currently living in drought areas across the western part of the country. The river’s reservoirs are dangerously low. The people who rely on the Colorado River for access to water and power could see serious issues in coming years if nothing is done to ease droughts in the area. The wet weather is easing the current dry spell, but that is not the case for the majority of the Western United States currently, especially in the Southwest.Īrizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah are seeing particularly dry conditions this year. Some northwest Iowa counties are enduring drought conditions while southern Iowa is currently in the clear. More than 35 percent of Iowa is currently in some level of drought or abnormal dryness, down 12 percent from three months ago, according to the U.S. Nearly 90 percent of the American West is currently experiencing drought conditions while recent rains are helping Iowa have a less severe outlook than predicted earlier this year. “I feel this could limit our ability to grow, which grows our tax base.” “My concern is the future of growth,” he said. They also had questions and concerns about things like the environment, agriculture, and more.Īmong the people who were open about concerns to the county officials was Palo Mayor Eric Van Kerckhove. Nearly all residents at the meeting opposed the project.
A large-scale utility like this also would need to be approved by the Iowa Utilities Board. After that, it goes through planning and zoning and then to the Board of Supervisors.
The solar project would be across 3,500 acres at and near the decommissioned nuclear plant in Palo, according to project manager Kimberly Dickey.Ĭharlie Nichols told The Gazette that once an application from a developer is received, a review committee would be held the first Thursday of the month following the application.
The meeting’s purpose was to explain the process because the county has not received any project applications. The Palo Community Center was filled with both residents of Palo and nearby areas as Linn County officials presented the solar farm permitting process to the community. NextEra Energy has the goal of transforming the Duane Arnold Energy Center into a solar farm. On Tuesday night in Palo, IA, over 100 residents attended a meeting with Linn County officials to ask questions and voice concerns about a possible new solar project.
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