Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to travel across Iowa, and one thing stands out everywhere I go: Iowans know how to make wind work.
For more than two decades, we’ve put our common sense to work harnessing the wind that blows across our state. We’ve learned what works, what doesn’t, and how to make sure wind energy benefits everyone, from farmers and landowners to schools and taxpayers.
Today, more than 6,000 wind turbines operate safely in Iowa, generating nearly 60% of our electricity while keeping energy costs among the lowest in the nation.
That’s not luck. That’s Iowa know-how.
Smart Rules, Proven Results
Iowans are practical people. We’ve developed common-sense rules for wind energy that include reasonable noise limits, fair setbacks, and safety standards. These reasonable rules integrate wind energy and the local investment that comes with it successfully into our communities
These local rules work because they were built on real experience. They protect property rights with respect for the people who live nearby.
And the benefits are clear. Wind, solar, and storage projects contribute more than $76 million in local taxes every year, helping counties fund essential services including schools, roads, and public safety, without raising taxes.
Wind Delivers Quality-of-Life Improvements
The results speak for themselves and for the people whose lives have been made better because of wind energy.
In Howard County, revenue from wind turbines helped replace 32 aging bridges and repaired dozens of miles of rural roads. Those bridges connect families to schools, farmers to markets, and first responders to the people who need them most. Without that funding, the county would have faced painful choices such as closing bridges or raising taxes on hardworking residents.
In Marshall County, wind revenue helped local schools avoid a 22% property tax increase. That meant classrooms stayed funded, teachers kept their jobs, and parents didn’t see their tax bills go up just to maintain the basics.
And in Ida County, wind funding paid for courthouse renovations and highway repairs that had been on the wish list for years. Today, county employees work in safe, updated offices, and families drive on smoother, safer roads. All accomplished without a single tax hike.
These are more than infrastructure improvements, they’re quality-of-life improvements. They keep small-town Iowa strong, protect family budgets, and show what happens when we put local revenue to work for local people.
Farmers Reinvesting in the Land
Wind energy is also helping our farmers weather tough times. Across Iowa, landowners receive more than $90 million in lease payments each year, money that stays right here at home. As one farmer told the Center for Rural Affairs, “We’ve put that money back into our land, buying equipment, building sheds, improving our operations.”
Wind energy isn’t replacing agriculture. It supports it.
Iowa’s Common-Sense Leadership
Our experience shows what’s possible when you mix innovation with good old-fashioned common sense. We’re making decisions that help our communities grow stronger, our families more secure, and our energy more reliable and affordable.
Because in Iowa, we know how to make wind work for everyone.
Join Us
Over the next several weeks, Bright Future Iowa will share stories from communities across the state about counties, schools, and families who are benefitting from wind done right.
These stories prove what we already know: when Iowans work together with fairness and practicality, good things happen.
Follow along on our Facebook page and website as we highlight how #WindWorksinIowa
