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Letter to the Editor: To family members of loved ones buried in West Union Cemetery east of Traer

Please be aware of the fact that easements have been signed by the absentee landowner of the farmland directly north, south and east of West Union Cemetery in Perry Township just east of Traer, with TED Renewables Land LLC, to build an Industrial Solar Complex. Just these two parcels alone surrounding West Union Cemetery encompass over 230 acres of agricultural farm ground, but that is not all of the story. The landowner has also signed easements for another 460 acres along a two mile stretch east of the cemetery both north and south of Hwy 8. Tama County at present does not have an Industrial Solar Ordinance. A group of concerned citizens has been very active in addressing this situation on a weekly basis, and pleading with the Tama County Board of Supervisors for the last several months to create an Industrial/Commercial Solar Wind Ordinance. Finally, since these solar easements have been made public, the Board of Supervisors has started listening. There will be a Public Hearing for public comments on adding an Industrial Solar Ordinance to Tama County on Tuesday, April 4 at the Reinig Center in Toledo, set for 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. TED Renewables Land LLC has not yet requested a building permit from the Board of Supervisors. If you are at all concerned about what this would do to the quiet, solitude, and reverence of the cemetery, as well as residents living along Hwy 8 east of Traer, please plan to attend the Public Hearing and voice your concerns. The cemetery already has TMU’s large commercial generator across the road to the west, and now the other three sides of the cemetery would be a sea of black glass solar panels. Please advocate for all those at eternal rest in the cemetery, as they no longer can.

Nancy Yuska

Traer