Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge commissioners to oppose AES battery storage near Jasper airport over safety worries
Summary
Citizens raised chemical-fire, toxin and training concerns about a proposed AES battery storage facility near the county airport; commissioners said the county lacks regulatory authority over such facilities and no specific application had been submitted to the county.
Several residents spoke to the Dubois County Commissioners on Oct. 6 urging them not to support an AES battery storage facility proposed near the Jasper airport, citing fears about chemical fires, thermal run-off and toxic emissions.
Rita and Randy Bartelt told commissioners they were worried about risks to nearby neighborhoods and schoolchildren; landowner Brent Ring voiced specific concern for students near the project site. Councilmember and resident Alex Hohl asked whether the solar parks would provide specialized firefighter training and raised prevailing-wind safety concerns.
Commissioner Chad A. Blessinger told the meeting the county currently cannot regulate battery storage facilities, noting those agreements are made between landowners and the solar parks and that no information on the AES project had been received by the county as of the meeting.
The Board did not take formal action on the matter at the meeting; residents were advised to submit further information if they receive project documents.
