counties with wind do better |

Counties with wind do better

Are Your Supervisors REALLY going to turn down economic opportunity for Buchanan County on November 14? Don’t let them!

If your Supervisors approve an anti-wind energy ordinance on November 14 they are rejecting economy opportunity for Buchanan County.

Wind energy has been shown to raise average income and home values in counties that support it – but your Supervisors are about to say no.

An anti-wind ordinance robs Buchanan County of millions of dollars in economic development, and new tax revenue from wind farms, money that could fix roads and our schools, or fund highspeed internet.

Buchanan County deserves a wind ordinance that encourages economic growth. The ordinance Supervisors are reviewing November 14 will not help the local economy.

Tell Buchanan County Supervisors to VOTE NO on the anti-wind ordinance on November 14.

(Click the button to fill out a short form with your name so we can personalize a sample message to your Supervisors. You can see and edit the message before sending it. It’s really easy!)

Need more information? See below.

Wind and Solar Energy are Delivering Economic Benefits to Iowa Counties – What about Buchanan County?

Counties with wind farms see an increase in income and property values

A recent study concluded that, on average, US counties where wind energy was built saw increases in per-capita income of 5% and per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) of 6.5%, relative to the average trends seen in counties that did not have new wind turbines.

The same study also found that home values were 2.6% higher compared to counties with no wind turbines.

Renewable energy leads to lower electricity costs for Iowans

Counties with wind farms see an increase in income and property values

Iowa’s prices compared to the U.S. average declined as Iowa increased its share of electricity from wind.

Iowa’s electricity price at $0.092 per KWH was 82% of the U.S. average in 2021.

Iowa’s farmers and landowners can expect to earn $86.2 million from wind and solar projects through 2025

That’s $50.3 million related to wind and $35.9 related to solar.

Wind investment and construction supported an average of 8,961 jobs each year in Iowa since 1992.

Total wages were $9.7 billion, and $3.7 billion in self-employment income.

Between 2020 and 2025 solar investment and construction is expected to support 3,238 jobs each year.

0 Jobs

Expected Each Year 2020-2025

Counties with wind experience more growth than counties without wind

From 2010-2021, the tax base in wind counties grew at an annual rate of 4.61%, compared to non-wind counties at a 3.51% rate.

The annual rate of growth in wind counties was 31.1% greater than in non-wind counties.

0 %

Greater Annual Growth Rate

Source: Iowa Conservative Energy Forum

Frequently Asked Questions

Benefit to Farmers

Many farmers who lease a portion of their land to renewable energy companies are provided with financial security. This allows them to continue to farm the rest of their land and keep the land in their families.

Soil preservation

Proper soil management during the project contributes to agricultural sustainability. Farmers can resume planting crops after decommissioning if they choose.

No taxpayer money needed

The construction of wind and solar farms is not funded by the government or taxpayers, but rather private companies making an investment in renewables. No local tax dollars will be used to build these projects.

Solar Panels are Solid

Solar panels are solid and sealed and cannot be penetrated by rainwater. In the same way the screens on the smartphones we carry with us all the time do not leak, solar panels do not leach.

Protecting the land

Solar developers make plans to control erosion and runoff by adding vegetation around the panels, as well as beautify the site with natural buffers. They also set aside money to restore the land to the same or better condition it was in before, after the solar farm lease ends, so farmers can resume crop farming, if they wish.

Wind Turbines and Wildlife

According to the Clean Energy Association: “Wind power is far less harmful to wildlife than traditional energy sources it displaces, including to birds and their critical habitats. Overall, wind causes less than 0.01% of all human-related bird deaths. Other causes include buildings (550 million), power lines (130 million), cars (80 million), pesticide poisoning, (67 million), and radio and cell towers (6.8 million).”

Solar Panel Manufacture

We support increasing the American production of solar panels. Once a panel is in place it produces energy from the sun shining on American soil and does not depend on ongoing and continuous supply of fuel from foreign sources, which is not true of other types of energy. Adding more solar now helps reduce American reliance on continuous imports of foreign energy now, moving us further towards our goal of energy independence.

Counties with wind do better

Are Your Supervisors REALLY going to turn down economic opportunity for Buchanan County on November 14? Don’t let them!

Need more information? See below.

Wind and Solar Energy are Delivering Economic Benefits to Iowa Counties – What about Buchanan County?

Counties with wind farms see an increase in income and property values

Renewable energy leads to lower electricity costs for Iowans

Counties with wind farms see an increase in income and property values

Iowa’s farmers and landowners can expect to earn $86.2 million from wind and solar projects through 2025

Wind investment and construction supported an average of 8,961 jobs each year in Iowa since 1992.

Counties with wind experience more growth than counties without wind

Frequently Asked Questions

Benefit to Farmers

Soil preservation

No taxpayer money needed

Solar Panels are Solid

Protecting the land

Wind Turbines and Wildlife

Solar Panel Manufacture

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