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Residents urge Benton County supervisors to push back on Alliant's Morgan Valley power plant proposal
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Summary
Hundreds of residents across the Benton–Linn county line told the Benton County Board of Supervisors they were not notified about Alliant's planned Morgan Valley power plant, urged baseline air and weather monitoring at nearby homes, and asked supervisors to consider setbacks or an injunction while the Iowa Utilities Commission docket proceeds.
Residents from communities near the Benton–Linn county line told the Benton County Board of Supervisors on March 27 that they were blindsided by Alliant's proposed Morgan Valley power plant and urged the county to act before the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) advances the project.
"Can you imagine the impact of pollution? Air, light, sound, smell, 24 hours a day," said Jane Shear (speaker 10), a property owner who told the board her home sits about 30 yards from the proposed site. She urged supervisors to seek information and slow the process so affected communities can be heard.
John Lee (speaker 3), who said his home is immediately adjacent to the site, asked the board to request site-specific baseline air and weather monitoring at residences closest to the proposed plant. "Without that baseline testing ... there's no way to understand whether localized conditions such as air settling and temperature inversions could affect how emissions behave at nearby homes," Lee said.
Other speakers criticized Alliant's outreach and the project's potential footprint. John Lukrasic (speaker 11) told supervisors a single large gas plant operating part-time could dramatically increase local emissions and natural gas demand, asserting the facility would produce "2,000,000 metric tons of emissions" under the operating assumptions he described and that the plant would serve large data-center demand.
Speakers also raised safety and infrastructure concerns: the route of a proposed high-pressure gas pipeline, the suitability of local gravel roads to handle heavy industrial traffic, and whether county emergency services would be adequate for the site. Several residents asserted that Alliant had not adequately notified Benton County people because the site lies across the Linn County line and urged the board to treat notification by radius rather than by county boundary.
County staff and residents explained how to participate in the IUC process. The IUC docket referenced during the meeting was recorded by participants as "GCUDash2026Dash0002;" staff and several public commenters urged residents to file comments or seek intervenor status in the IUC electronic filing system to make objections part of the administrative record. Speakers warned that emailed comments sent without the docket reference may not be accepted as official filings.
The board did not take formal action against the project at the meeting. An assistant county attorney (speaker 6) said the county's legal reach is limited where matters are sited in another county, but he committed to researching statutory and procedural options and to report back to supervisors. One supervisor (speaker 4) told the crowd, "As of right now, I'm against it," but no county resolution or injunction was approved that day.
What happens next: residents at the meeting urged Benton County officials to consider drafting a setback ordinance, pursue joint action with neighboring towns, and assist residents who need help filing comments with the IUC. County staff advised that if Alliant files the formal application with the IUC, the commission will determine whether to hold adjudicatory hearings where intervenors can present evidence and expert testimony.
