Linn County Supervisors advance nuclear zoning code

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CEDAR RAPIDS — The Linn County Board of Supervisors has unanimously advanced a proposal to add nuclear energy generation to the county’s zoning code.

Supervisors voted 3-0 to approve the ordinance’s first reading following a public hearing at the board’s Monday work session. Two additional rounds of approval will be required before it can formally take effect.

The code was drafted in a way that focuses on local considerations while leaving many safety considerations to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which sets and enforces nationwide standards for nuclear facility construction and management.

As written, the ordinance would create a new exclusive use zoning district with its own ap