110 Iowa L. Rev. 1863 (2025)
Abstract
Iowa is home to two land-intensive industries—agriculture and clean energy. The two industries have been in constant competition for decades, and Iowa has policies encouraging the development of both industries, without acknowledging or resolving the tension between them. This has played out to the detriment of both the agriculture and clean energy industries—for example, during the proposed Rock Island Clean Line; during the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the subsequently proposed carbon capture pipelines; and through wind and solar ordinances. A federal or state law limiting county-level restrictions on clean energy would help Iowa resolve this tension and realize the host of benefits co-location offers—but such a law seems politically unlikely. In lieu of federal or state action, this Note argues that individual counties should amend their comprehensive plans to resolve the tension and realize the benefits of co-location.