Dubois County residents press commissioners on Crossvine solar battery storage; board to research options including moratorium
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Summary
Residents and town officials urged Dubois County Commissioners to revoke the AES Crossvine Solar permit or enact a moratorium after Huntingburg voided older approvals; county staff said state rules limit local land‑use authority and the board directed the county attorney to research options.
Residents and local officials urged the Dubois County Commissioners on Dec. 1 to take action on the proposed AES Crossvine solar battery storage project after the City of Huntingburg voided prior approvals and adopted a moratorium.
Resident Jason Heile urged the board to revoke the county permit for AES Crossvine Solar and to consider a countywide moratorium, saying the project approvals are not current. Holly Bartelt Gogel told commissioners she has gathered petition signatures opposing the project and said local municipalities do not want it to proceed.
The exchange drew several technical and legal qualifications from county officials. Commissioner Nick Hostetter said he believes the permit should be redone because construction has not begun and that setback provisions should be renegotiated. County Attorney Gregory S. Schnarr noted the county has adopted state regulations for solar parks and said county authority to dictate land use is limited where countywide planning and zoning are not in place. County Engineer Levi Leffert said he overlaid the site plan with the existing permit design and found no substantive changes; he described the design as still preliminary.
Public commenters raised health and environmental concerns. Dr. Norma Kreilein said more risk analysis is needed regarding potential pollution controls and health consequences, and biology teacher Korrine Whitehead said solar development "can be detrimental over large areas" and called AES a "dirty" company.
The transcript records a setback guideline of 250 feet from a residence and 50 feet from a parcel line, though the statement in the record did not identify who provided that figure. Commissioner Chad A. Blessinger said the board is trying to balance private property rights with community safety and confirmed the board is taking the issue seriously; he said the county attorney should continue researching possible legal and policy options to protect county residents.
The matter remains under review. The board indicated it may consider a moratorium and will continue researching regulatory options; no formal county moratorium or revocation was adopted at the Dec. 1 meeting. The commissioners next meet Dec. 15, 2025.