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Residents urge strong setbacks and cleanup rules as turbine debate continues in Des Moines County
Summary
During public comment at the Des Moines County supervisors meeting, several residents urged maintaining or increasing turbine setbacks and adding mandatory cleanup and penalties for debris after concerns that turbines could scatter fiberglass that would harm cattle and property.
Public commenters at the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors’ Nov. 25, 2001 meeting urged the board to preserve conservative setbacks for wind turbines and to require cleanup and penalties in the event of turbine blade failure.
Jeff Fisher, who identified himself as a Pleasant Grove Township resident, told supervisors that a tornado that crossed nearby land in April 2024 showed the risk to grazing lands if turbines were already sited in the area. "If that windmills would have been in place, this is kinda my point... fiberglass blade debris in my hay fields and my grazing land... my cattle basically grazing this stuff... my cattle are my only source of income," Fisher said, asking the board to set setbacks far enough from property lines and to require special cleanup provisions and fines payable by the company that owned the turbine at the time of any damage.
Charles Tompkinsons argued that small debris becomes lethal in tornado conditions and noted that the county’s ordinance previously used a 1,800-foot setback. "The majority of tornado fatalities are caused by exposure to high speed debris... small debris is what kills people... that's why the county adopted 1,800 feet," Tompkinsons said, urging that any change should remain proportional to turbine height to preserve public safety.
A former plant manager who said he had 40 years with USG also spoke, stressing that industry safety guidelines (OSHA, MSHA, Iowa DNR) can be followed and recommending that any ordinance revisions explicitly account for safety and setbacks so local operations and land values are protected.
Board members did not take formal action on wind-turbine setbacks at the meeting; the public health department had earlier told the Board of Health that it lacked sufficient information to make recommendations and would research the issue further. The supervisors accepted the public comments for the record and did not adopt new setback rules during the session.
