From the KCRG TV9 Newsroom:
Linn County said no, but the state might say yes anyway. That’s what we now know about the proposed power plant Alliant wants to build in rural Linn County near the Benton County line. The county’s “no” does not end the project. Linn County will send its reasons for denying the rezoning to the Iowa Utilities Commission, the state agency with final say. The commission weighs three things–whether the plant provides reliable power, whether Alliant can actually build and run it as proposed, and whether it fits reasonable land, air and water policies. Alliant Energy sent us a statement regarding the vote saying in part, “We are disappointed with the Linn County Board of Supervisors decision. We remain confident in the strength of our proposal, which was thoughtfully designed to meet Linn County’s zoning standards.”
A new report from the nonprofit Common Sense Institute says Iowa is on track to triple its data center operations by the year 2031. The study found companies have already invested about $15 billion in Iowa data centers and have announced another $38 billion over the next five years. A large share of that is in Linn County with QTS and Google data centers under construction currently in Cedar Rapids, and another Google center that’s proposed near Palo. The data shows these projects carry billions of dollars in economic impact. All currents and planned data centers in the state would take up nearly half the electricity capacity that Iowa averaged in 2024.
The Iowa City School Board is expected to deny a $14 million Coralville pool agreement. Under a revised deal, the district would pay Coralville $1.1 million a year for 19 years for the pool lease. It would allow Iowa City schools to train and compete at the facility. This comes as the district continues to deal with a financial crisis. The school board is expected to vote on the deal at its meeting Monday.
