MidAmerican and Page County residents spar over Nottoway solar project as supervisors weigh legal options

At the Page County Board of Supervisors meeting, residents and MidAmerican Energy debated the proposed Nottoway Valley Solar project and the county’s ability to enforce local ordinances.

Nearby landowner Darren Adi told the board he believed a supervisor had a conflict of interest and challenged the county’s stricter-than‑national setback and noise standards. “You obviously have a conflict of interest going along with your vote,” Adi said, urging supervisors to align the county’s ordinance with national standards and to allow landowners more choice.

Several neighbors pressed MidAmerican on outreach and local impacts. Jean Wagner said she canvassed neighbors and found widespread opposition: “I spoke with 6 families … those 6 were against the project, and 2 others I spoke by phone were also against the project. So 8 of the neighbors are against the project,” she said, and reminded residents the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) objection deadline is July 23.

Kelsey Ballard, MidAmerican’s director of project development, said the company has been engaged with state regulatory processes and local outreach but acknowledged areas for collaboration. “The answer is 0 — waivers signed,” Ballard told the board when asked how many neighbor waivers MidAmerican had secured. She described the project as part of MidAmerican’s 800‑megawatt Solar Reliability Project and said the Nottoway site could be online around 2028, noting the company had invested “several million” dollars in site‑specific studies and preliminary engineering.

Ballard proposed negotiating a development agreement to address neighbors’ concerns, including decommissioning, road use, drainage and sound mitigation. She said MidAmerican’s engineering at the site is at roughly a 10% level to allow design flexibility and that drainage and tile maps are being reviewed.

Speakers repeatedly raised specific technical concerns. A nearby resident asked how the project would manage surface and tile drainage and warned of potential downstream flooding if terraces or tile lines were removed during construction. Another resident pointed to existing neighborhood noise sources — including a state prison and a trailer business — and argued the county had not previously targeted those issues.

On the policy side, supervisors and the public debated whether county ordinances should govern or whether the IUC’s generating-certificate process for projects over 25 MW would supersede local rules. One supervisor said portions of the county solar ordinance may contain typographical or clarity issues and offered to work with MidAmerican and landowners on possible edits or a joint working session.

The board’s county attorney, Jim Varley, told supervisors he had consulted outside counsel about representing the county before the IUC and recommended a closed meeting to discuss litigation strategy under Iowa Code section 21.5(1)(c); he proposed holding that closed session at the board’s next meeting on July 21.

The meeting included several concrete timelines and figures mentioned by speakers: MidAmerican characterized the project as part of an 800‑MW SRP approved by the IUC; Ballard said zero neighbor waivers have been signed; a public commenter estimated the project would generate an additional $50,000 or more in tax revenue for Page County; Ballard said the company expects to be able to provide additional construction and revenue details in follow‑up conversations.

What happens next: MidAmerican said it will continue local outreach and the board’s county attorney recommended the supervisors hold a closed session next week to discuss counsel and possible intervention at the IUC. Neighbors were urged to submit comments to the IUC before the July 23 intervention deadline.