Some in Iowa community oppose proposed wind farm

Source: By The Associated Press • Posted: Wednesday, February 23, 2022

TREYNOR, Iowa (AP) — A plan by MidAmerican Energy to build a large wind farm in southwestern Iowa is drawing opposition from some community residents.

MidAmerican is seeking to build a 400 megawatt capacity wind farm capable of providing power to about 144,000 Iowa homes, Iowa Public Radio reported. The project, dubbed the Silver Creek Wind Farm, would see between 90 to 140 wind turbines erected in northern Mills and southern Pottawattamie counties and is hoped to be operational by 2024.

But opponents in the township of Silver Creek and nearby Treynor are speaking out against the project. More than 850 people have joined a Facebook group titled “Say NO to the Silver Creek Wind Farm.”

Corey Vorthmann, a farmer in Treynor, is among those who oppose the project, saying he’s worried about noise and light produced by the turbines.

“It’s something that is really unthinkable for us to see,” Vorthmann said. “That we would wake up every morning and not really be able to take in the beauty of mother nature, but have it polluted with 300-foot wind turbines.”