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Lee County, Iowa

The Lee County, Iowa, Biofuel Development Opportunity Zone, is rated ‘A’, or ‘low’ risk.

Rating Issue Date: June 15, 2026.

‘A’ ratings denote high prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the Zone. Capacity to support new biobased plant operations is considered strong.

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Call 833-311-4BDO

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BDO Zone Rating

Lee County, IA, BDO Zone Overview

Feedstock quantities are expressed in bone dry tons per year (bdt/yr), while feedstock costs are expressed in USD ($). Maximum transport distance is based on a 75-mile drive distance from Madison, IA.

BDO Zone Assets:

A Large corn stover resource; rated supply of 550,000 bdt/year.
Agronomically mature corn production system with multi-generational producer experience in cultivation and residue management.
Virtually no industrial competition for corn stover.
Excellent infrastructure assets including Mississippi River barge access, BNSF rail certification, and robust utilities availability
Very low political, regulatory, and sustainability risk.

BDO Zone Liabilities:

Narrow, weather-sensitive post-harvest collection window.
Low historical demand for commercially aggregated corn stover.
Significant year-to-year variability in biomass feedstock availability.
Seasonal weather and low temperature risks.
Major scale-up requirements.
Uncertain and difficult-to-quantify farmer participation.

Infrastructure

Fort Madison Industrial Site

Location: US Highway 61 South, Fort Madison, IA.
Site Overview: BNSF certified. 128 acres. $12,000/acre. Flat topography. No zoning designation.
Infrastructure:
- Electric: Interstate Power & Light (Alliant Energy – distribution; ITC Midwest – transmission); 13.2 kV three-phase distribution, 64.5 kV transmission; Devils Creek Substation under 2 miles away; 2.5 MW capacity should be available within 6 months (Contact: Kay Sackville, kaysackville@alliantenergy.com)
- Natural Gas: MidAmerican Energy (transmission provided by ANR); 6-inch, 70 lbs distribution line; capacity of 15,000+ mcf/month (Contact: Greg Theis, Gregory.theis@midamerican.com)
- Water: City of Fort Madison; 10-inch main with 1 million gallon/day capacity; Waterworks plant 1 mile away with 5 million gallons/day total permitted capacity; 1.5 million gallons/day excess capacity (Contact: Mark Bousselot, mbousselot@fortmadison-ia.com)
- Wastewater: City of Fort Madison; 8-inch line on-site; Treatment Plant 2 miles away with 9 million gallons/day total permitted capacity. 2 million gallons/day excess capacity (at 7 MGD peak utilization) (Contact: Mark Bousselot, mbousselot@fortmadison-ia.com)
- Telecommunications: Danville Mutual Telephone Company (iConnectYou); fiber-optic chain runs along Highway 61 (Contact: Timothy Fencl, tfencl@danvilletelco.net)
Transportation Access:
- US Highway 61 is approximately 500ft east (accessible via multiple roads); 48 miles from I-172
- Site is BNSF certified; Not rail-served, though a BNSF rail line runs along the eastern boundary of site
- Southeast Iowa Regional Airport (25 miles)
Site Contact: Tim Gobble, Lee County Economic Development Group, tgobble@leecountyedg.com.

Contact Info

Ryan Magwood

Head of Business Development

BDO Zone Initiative

ryan@bdozone.org

647-962-3286

BDO Zone Local Development Leaders

Tim Gobble

Director of Economic Development

Lee County Economic Development Group

tgobble@leecountyedg.com

319-463-9030

Emily Benjamin

President & CEO

Lee County Economic Development Group

ebenjamin@leecountyedg.com

319-463-9030

Local grants and Incentives

This Certified Site sits within the boundary for both Opportunity Zone and New Market Tax Credits.

Additionally, the County has an Abatement program; to access City lead incentives, the property would need to be annexed into the City limits to capitalize on: TIF, Abatement, or Targeted Jobs Withholding Program (State pilot program).

Additional Information

Lee County Economic Development Group

Economic Development – Fort Madison, IA – Community Video Tour

Community Tour – Fort Madison, IA – Community Video Tour

Lee County, Iowa

Lee County, IA, BDO Zone Overview

BDO Zone Assets:

BDO Zone Liabilities:

Infrastructure

Fort Madison Industrial Site

Local grants and Incentives

Additional Information

Press Release

Fort Madison Certification Report