BOONE, Iowa—The Boone County Board of Adjustment has tabled action on a conditional use permit sought by Apex Clean Energy for the Great Pathfinder Wind farm that would be located in northern Boone County and southern Hamilton County. Apex has been working on the project for two-years and applied for a permit that would have allowed for the construction of 37 wind turbines, a substation and a permanent meteorological tower.
The motion to table until the June Board of Adjustment meeting was made with two requests. The first was to have a completed agreement between Apex and Boone County for road usage and drainage mitigation. The second was a request to see the actual environmental studies cited in the Apex application. Current requirements in the Boone County Code do not require that the studies be included with the application.
The Board voted 3-1 to table the permit application. Board Chairman Sam Fisher was opposed saying he felt Apex had met everything that is requested by the current code. Board members Dennis Lynch, Steve Kieffer and Amy Yoakum voted to table the application.
Several residents and property owners in the affected area in northern Boone County did take part in the electronic meeting, with the majority supporting approval of the conditional use permit.
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