Residents press officials on health concerns tied to proposed Morgan Valley Energy Center in Linn County
Residents in Linn County, Iowa, voiced health concerns to officials regarding the proposed Morgan Valley Energy Center, a natural gas power plant. This plant is intended to power future data centers from QTS and Google in the Cedar Rapids area. Officials from Linn County Public Health and Alliant Energy addressed the community, with a future public comment event scheduled for July.
Residents of Linn County, Iowa, convened at a public meeting to voice health concerns to public health officials, state regulators, and Alliant Energy regarding the proposed Morgan Valley Energy Center, a natural gas power plant near Fairfax. The Linn County Board of Supervisors organized the event, emphasizing its purpose as an informational session about the role of Linn County Public Health in the permitting process, rather than a decision-making forum.
During the meeting, attendees, including local resident Jon Lee, pressed officials on actions taken to safeguard public health, particularly given his proximity to the proposed site. A supervisor highlighted that the power plant is intended to support the development of "dozens more" QTS and Google data centers on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids, which are projected to include over 13 buildings. Alliant Energy, represented by senior community and public affairs specialist Ben Rogers, committed to providing technical answers at a separate public comment event scheduled for July 30 at the IBEW Hall in Cedar Rapids. Despite ongoing community concerns, the Linn County Board had previously voted unanimously to advance the Morgan Valley project.