Lead Maintenance & Reliability Specialist

Alliant Energy Foundation awards $5,000 grant to support emergency meal kits. Elderbridge Agency on Aging is honored to receive a $5,000 grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation to provide emergency shelf-stable meal kits for low- to moderate-income older adults and adults with disabilities throughout its 29-county service area. The grant will help ensure that vulnerable individuals continue to have access to nutritious meals when regular meal services are disrupted by severe weather, staff illness, volunteer shortages, or facility issues such as flooding or equipment failure. Because the meals require no refrigeration or preparation, they provide a dependable emergency food source for both congregate meal participants and homebound clients. Meal kits will be prioritized for individuals at greatest risk, including those living in poverty, experiencing food insecurity, facing social isolation, at risk of malnutrition, or at risk of institutionalization due to functional limitations. The Alliant Energy Foundation supports nonprofit organizations and community initiatives that strengthen the health and well-being of the communities they serve. Elderbridge is grateful for the Foundation's investment in helping older adults remain safe, healthy, and independent during unexpected emergencies. On behalf of the Elderbridge Board of Directors, staff, and the clients Elderbridge Agency On Aging serve, Elderbridge Agency On Aging sincerely thank the Alliant Energy Foundation for its generous support of the Elderbridge mission. Partnerships like this help ensure that older adults and adults with disabilities have access to essential nutrition when they need it most. Elderbridge Agency on Aging. Subscribe! Sign Me Up!

Save Morgan Valley hosts guest speakers to address Alliant's gas-fired power plant proposal. Beloit-based speakers tout efforts to impact similar projects in Wisconsin Dr. Brittany Keyes, Clean Air Policy Manager for Healthy Climate Wisconsin, speaks during a public forum hosted by Save Morgan Valley Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026 at the Ushers Ferry Lodge in Cedar Rapids. CREDIT RICHARD PRATT Guest speakers at a Cedar Rapids public forum hosted by Save Morgan Valley Tuesday night, Aug. 11 offered sharp criticisms of Alliant Energy's plan for a natural gas power plant in western Linn County, focusing on the plant's potential environmental and health impacts. Morgan Valley proposal. The Save Morgan Valley group was formed in March after Alliant - through its Iowa subsidiary, Interstate Power and Light - formally proposed the Morgan Valley Energy Center, a natural-gas-fired power plant on roughly 160 acres near Highway 30 and Benton-Linn Road, about 2.5 miles northwest of Fairfax in unincorporated Linn County. The plant would use three 240-megawatt combustion turbine generators, for a combined capacity of about 720 megawatts. The facility footprint itself is about 55 acres, Alliant has said, with the remainder of the site to be restored for agricultural use. Alliant filed its application with the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) April 30, seeking a certificate of public convenience, use and necessity for the plant, and has asked regulators for a decision by December. If the plant is approved, construction is targeted for the second quarter of 2027, with operations planned to begin in the second quarter of 2030. Alliant has estimated construction of the plant would employ up to 360 workers with payroll of $110 to $160 million, and separately projects roughly 200 permanent-equivalent jobs, nearly $90 million in local economic output, and more than $24 million in tax revenue over the plant's operating life. The application does not identify specific customers for the plant's output and that no power purchase agreements currently exist, even though the site selection is tied at least in part to rising power demand from data centers under construction on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids. Beyond the IUC review, the project requires two other approvals: An air quality permit from the Iowa DNR, working jointly with Linn County Public Health under the federal Prevention of Significant Deterioration/Title V process, for which Alliant filed its application on July 21, and a Linn County rezoning/land-use approval, which is expected to be officially considered this fall. Fairfax, Atkins, and Benton County have each filed to formally intervene in the IUC case. Save Morgan Valley leaders say the group has gathered more than 3,000 petition signatures opposing the project, and has retained legal counsel to formally intervene in the IUC case. Issues raised during meeting. More than 100 area residents, many wearing orange shirts bearing the phrase "Save Morgan Valley," attended Tuesday night's meeting at the Usher's Ferry Historic Village lodge in Cedar Rapids. Speakers for the event included Lori Huntoon, a professional geologist/environmental consultant, and Dr. Brittany Keyes, Clean Air Policy Manager for Healthy Climate Wisconsin, who both traveled from the Beloit, Wisconsin area to share their experience fighting similar gas plants in Wisconsin. Group leaders said they remain uncertain who the plant will serve, but said they suspect it is intended to serve data centers, rather than general residential or commercial demand. "Tthis is a 720 megawatt gas-fired power plant. That's enough to power about half a million homes," said Jon Lee, one of the group's most visible members. "We believe that it's going to be used for data centers, and a lot of the documentation that we need to understand what the need is is behind confidential information at the state level. We can't prove that, and that is the problem." Dr. Keys said Iowa is currently a net exporter of energy, meaning the state generates more power than its current electrical demand requires. "You don't need more coal or gas plants," Ms. Keys said. "What you're being asked to do is take on this new gas plant to power data centers. You're being asked to be sacrificed to power data centers." Speakers also argued the plant will raise electricity and gas costs for local ratepayers, and repeatedly stressed air quality concerns related to the proposed plant. Alliant's July 21 air permit filing asks the DNR for a waiver from a requirement to conduct site-specific air monitoring for one year, and instead wants to use data from an existing monitor located in downtown Cedar Rapids. Mr. Lee said the plant's application acknowledges its emissions will exceed air quality levels for PM2.5 and PM10, as well as carbon monoxide. The group is asking attendees to email DNR and Linn County Public Health officials to oppose the waiver and request on-site monitoring, including both during pre-construction and plant operation. Ms. Keys said Linn County's current PM2.5 level is "about 8," nearing the EPA standard of 9, and the county has a failing grade for ozone from the American Lung Association. "Really, there's no safe level of this pollutant when it comes to human health," she said. As proposed, the Morgan Valley plant would use a simple-cycle combustion design, which would generate more emissions than a combined-cycle design. Ms. Huntoon said she's not aware of any large-scale power plants that have completed an Environmental Impact Statement, and questioned why that standard doesn't apply here. "It just puzzles me," she said. "Why are these companies coming in from out of state and they don't need to do this? That just seems very very wrong." Ms. Huntoon specifically discussed water needs for a gas-fired plant's cooling systems. She said the plant's water source is not yet known, but that roughly 85 wells within a 1.5 to 2 mile radius of the site could be affected by a "cone of depression" if a large supply well is installed to serve the plant. She also said Morgan Creek, near the proposed plant, has been listed as impaired in every DNR assessment cycle from 2016 to 2024, which she said should trigger an anti-degradation review under the Clean Water Act. Speakers also raised concerns about thermal pollution from stormwater and plant discharge affecting aquatic organisms; heat-island effects that can raise local ground surface temperatures by 3.5 to 16 degrees for up to several miles, potentially impacting area farm operations; and noise, including a low-frequency "hum" that may impact some residents more than others. Ms. Huntoon noted that the plant's proposed location contains habitat for several protected and endangered species. Ms. Keys discussed two Wisconsin cases as examples of successful community resistance - a similar-sized West Riverside Energy Center in Rock County, where a promised coal-plant retirement was repeatedly delayed and county emissions rose after the gas plant came online; and a proposed 630-megawatt gas plant near Superior, where sustained community organizing led the local planning commission and city council to deny the zoning change and road vacation needed for the project, stopping it even after state-level approvals had already been granted. Alliant Energy's response. Alliant Energy spokesperson Taylor Adams provided a statement after Tuesday's meeting: "The Morgan Valley Energy Center is needed to meet growing energy demand and support the reliable electric service our customers and communities depend on. The project is subject to a thorough regulatory review process designed to ensure compliance with federal, state and local environmental and public health requirements. Alliant Energy has a strong track record of environmental compliance and decades of experience operating regulated energy facilities under extensive oversight."

Open house offers Morgan Valley Energy Center answers. Alliant reps meet with public, but Save Morgan Valley attendees dominate. * fern alling the Gazette * jul 31, 2026 updated 48 mins ago. The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. Since Alliant Energy first notified the public in late March of its plans to build a 720-megawatt natural-gas-fired electricity plant in unincorporated Linn County, residents have had questions. At previous meetings, attendees directed those questions at Alliant representatives, including senior community and public affairs specialist Ben Rogers. At the time, Rogers said he was just there to take notes. But Thursday, at two open-house sessions Alliant held at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 405 hall, Alliant reps started sharing answers. "People have had questions, and we've wanted to answer them, but the applications weren't submitted yet," Rogers said. There are three permits Alliant needs for the Morgan Valley Energy Center to be built: one with the Iowa Utilities Commission confirming a need for the plant, one with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Linn County Public Health that confirms the plant meets regulatory requirements for air quality and one with Linn County to rezone the land in unincorporated Linn County south of Highway 30 near Linn Benton Road. Alliant had officially begun all three application processes when it submitted its rezoning application July 15. The articles in this timeline follow Alliant Energy's initial plans to build a natural gas-fired power plant - known as the Morgan Valley Ener... Unlike the public meeting Alliant was required to hold in March as part of its application with the Iowa Utilities Commission, Thursday's events were voluntary and meant to address some of the increasingly specific questions members of the public, including advocacy group Save Morgan Valley, have about the project. But despite the opportunity to talk to Alliant representatives about their questions, some Save Morgan Valley members said they remained critical of the plant. Questions and answers. Save Morgan Valley founding member Jon Lee attended the first open house session from noon to 1:30 p.m. and returned for the second one with additional questions. In an interview with the Gazette on Tuesday, Lee said he wanted to know what it would take for the company to consider installing selective catalytic reduction technology in the plant to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions. Lee said he planned to ask whether the company would conduct health impact and air quality studies to assess the facility's impact on nearby residents. Before he entered the second session, Lee said it was clear from the first session that the Alliant representatives had anticipated his questions. He said one representative interrupted a conversation Lee was having with an Alliant engineer to explain the process himself. "When I go in there, everyone knows my name already," Lee said. "It's like they're waiting for me." Jeff Hanson, director of environment and sustainability at Alliant, said selective catalytic reduction technology would not be used in the Morgan Valley Energy Center because of the way the plant will operate. The facility's three turbines will be simple-cycle turbines, as opposed to combined-cycle turbines. In combined-cycle turbines, the waste heat the turbines generate is directed to an external engine to produce additional energy. Simple-cycle turbines do not use the waste heat. Some questions for a Linn County Public Health staff and an Alliant Energy representative went unanswered at Wednesday's informational meeting Materials distributed by Alliant at the events said the simple cycle system is a better fit for the area's current energy needs, which are more for backup power and peak energy demand rather than the constant generation a combined cycle would be better suited for. Based on the amount of time the turbines would run - Hanson said the plant was permitted to run 40% or less of the year - and the type of turbine being used, Hanson said the selective catalytic reduction technology would ultimately be unable to deliver meaningful emissions reductions. As for air quality and health studies, Hanson pointed to the air quality impact assessment required for the permit Alliant is seeking from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Linn County Public Health. If the permit is approved, it means the departments found the company's plans were in line with federal and state standards that protect public health, Hanson said. "I've been asked a few times tonight, 'Well, are you doing air quality studies? Are you doing health impact studies?'" Hanson said. "That is a health impact study." Attendance. A spokesperson with Alliant estimated 75 people attended the morning session and around 50 attended the evening session. Save Morgan Valley held a press conference about the plant's water usage from 6 to 7:30 Thursday evening, overlapping with the evening session. Cindy Boland, who lives near Fairfax, was one of the estimated 50 people who attended the Thursday evening session. Boland, who is a member of Save Morgan Valley, said not only did she not want the plant built in its intended location near Linn Benton Road, she didn't want it built anywhere. "I don't think we should be building more natural gas plants," Boland said. "I think we should be using green energy." When asked how many members of the public who weren't affiliated with Save Morgan Valley attended the evening session, Boland said she recognized just about everybody in the room. She attributed the turnout to a lack of outreach on Alliant's part. "They're doing it so they can say they did it," Boland said. "But there's no public education happening here because there's no public here." Boland said Save Morgan Valley meetings generally drew 75 to 125 people, about the same number who attended the two Alliant information sessions Thursday. "When we talk to people about what it is, everybody's opposed," Boland said. "Nobody wants this." When asked if the event was likely to change public opinion on the plant, Rogers said its purpose was to help people understand the decisions being made. "Everyone has their own perspective," Rogers said. "Our job is to make sure everyone has the information." Linn County, Iowa Morgan Valley Energy Center permitting process Alliant Energy needs to complete three applications for county and state permission to build the Morgan Valley Energy Center: a petition for a certificate of public convenience, use and necessity from the Iowa Utilities Commission, a Prevention of Significant Deterioration permit from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and a rezoning application from the Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors. Once all three are complete, the project is approved.