Orange City, Iowa — The Sioux County Board of Supervisors has placed a one-year moratorium on solar and wind projects in the county.
The text of the ordinance says that the county board, along with Sioux County’s Zoning Board, and the Sioux County Board of Adjustment desire to place a one-year moratorium on the development of any commercial wind turbine installations and utility scale solar energy systems, prohibiting such projects from being received, reviewed, considered, or developed by the Sioux County Board of Supervisors, Sioux County’s Zoning Board, or Sioux County’s Board of Adjustment.
Sioux County Planning and Zoning Administrator Shane Walter says the intent of the moratorium is to allow time to ascertain that the county’s zoning ordinance addresses these structures in a thoughtful manner. He says he and the county board value the county’s agricultural ground and wish to protect it and the county’s farmers.
Walter says the Planning and Zoning Commission will be working on language for the ordinance to adequately address these issues over the course of the next several months and at some point will present their recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for their consideration.
