Energy company holds public meeting
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By JEFF SNYDER
MOUNT AYR, Iowa — Representatives from Mid America Energy made its first public pitch to area residents on the construction project labeled (E-22574) during a public forum held Monday night in Mount Ayr with representatives from Iowa Utilities Commission also in attendance.
The project refers to the installation of a high voltage electricity transmission lines, which when completed will span nearly 50 miles from the Missouri border to a sub station north of Creston. The proposed route for the high voltage line will pass directly through Ringgold County and parts of Union County to the north.
In order to gain approval from the IUC (Iowa Utility Commission) the contractor is required to hold public meetings to allow the communities impacted by the proposed line installations to ask question, pose concerns and go on the record with individual issues regarding this project.
The meeting, which was held at Homestead Hall at the Ringgold County Fairgrounds, was well attended with approximately over 100 people. Many appeared to be individually invited guests based on the location of their property to the proposed line route. The meeting was also attended by other members of the community including Ringgold County Board of Supervisors Colby Holmes and Randy Taylor.
Members from the Mid America team laid out detailed information regarding the planned installation route and how it would impact area land owners. Everything from how the company would handle emergencies to land owners’ compensation for placement of the overhead equipment was discussed during the two and a half hour presentation.
The transmission lines would be suspended on metal poles standing between 100 and 150 feet above the ground. Poles would be mounted on a concrete base and run roughly 950 feet between towers. High voltage lines enable power to be routed throughout the grid in the assigned area creating increased capacity and long term reliability.
While the public meetings allow residents to voice their concerns in person, only written objections from the community will be considered official objections. The project, if approved by IUC, will not begin until 2029. One of the technical issues regarding public meetings for projects such as this one, pertain to the official start date for the beginning of negotiations with land owners. The members of the Mid America team did everything in their power to express to the attendees that their goals are to successfully negotiate with each affected land owner thereby enabling the project to move forward.
Although the company did its best to express its desire to successfully negotiate through any impasses, they also pointed out that they have the ability to claim right of way passage through eminent domain. Eminent domain is the legal process by which a utility project can legally commandeer land access without land owner approval. Mid America went out of their way to explain that this is a last resort method that has rarely been exercised by Mid America.
Mid America has teamed up with Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) which manages some 68,000 miles of high voltage transmission lines throughout the Midwest. Each of these projects are an effort to sure up the overall utility grid as more and more demand is placed on the service areas. Increased capacity enables the grid to withstand peak demands, improved weather resistance and ultimately reduced costs to the consumers who quietly relay on safe predictable electricity.
The meeting concluded with a vigorous Q&A session followed by an invitation to attendees to come to the front of the room to examine detailed maps provided by Mid America that showed the actual proposed route and the properties affected.
