Residents Upset Over Chance of Nuclear Plant
Another nuclear power plant may go up near the metro, and Fremont County residents are fired up over the prospect.
Hills and farmland line the western border of Iowa along the Missouri River. People who live here call it pristine. But MidAmerican Energy is studying if Fremont County near Thurman would be a good spot for a nuclear power plant. The Iowa Legislature passed a bill allowing the energy company to do a feasibility study for nuclear plants in 2010.
Representatives spoke with residents in an invite only meeting Friday afternoon. Residents worry about the environmental and safety impact, and are mad they weren’t notified earlier.
"I'm pretty upset about the whole thing,” said Fremont Co. resident Shelda Baylor. "It's a major thing, it's not a Fremont County issue, or an Iowa issue, this is a national issue. Good agricultural land, which is getting scarcer and scarcer, will be used.”
People who attended say reps were looking for about 640 acres from a land owner. They wanted it near the Loess Hills, east of Interstate 29 near Thurman. Some wondered why they wouldn’t want to put it closer to the Missouri River.
MidAmerican Energy says they have not done any testing yet in Fremont County, but they did say they are going to be drilling soil in 5 locations around the county about 100 feet into the ground.
“We're now at a time where we'd like to get on site, and we think it's important that the land owners know what we're looking at." Dean Crist, VP of Regulation for MidAmerican Energy.
MidAmerican is also looking at a site on the Mississippi River, but hasn't given a timetable on when a decision will be made.
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