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Cass Township trustee asks Dubois County to pause battery storage projects as residents raise safety, land-use concerns
Summary
Cass Township Trustee James Meyer asked the Dubois County Commissioners on Jan. 5 for a moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems, citing public-safety, financial-responsibility and land-use concerns. County Attorney Gregory Schnarr said any moratorium would apply to future projects and not to an AES BESS already under construction.
James Meyer, Cass Township Trustee, asked the Dubois County Commissioners on Jan. 5, 2026, to impose a moratorium on construction of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Cass Township, citing public safety, emergency-response readiness, financial responsibility, land-use and environmental concerns.
Meyer said the Cass Township Advisory Board is "concerned regarding the long-term impact" of the facilities and asked the county to pause new projects so officials can evaluate protections and ordinance changes. Resident Dave Duncan told commissioners he had discussed solar-project approvals with Indiana Homeland Security and said they "go by NFPA 855, the Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems," stressing his concern about fire risk and potential liability for the county if a BESS were to ignite.
Commissioner Chad A. Blessinger said the county has discussed solar in public meetings but that construction of the AES Battery Energy Storage System that is already underway has made the issue more prominent. Blessinger said the county lacks zoning ordinances that would provide a broader tool to halt a project already meeting permitting requirements. County Attorney Gregory S. Schnarr told the board he interprets a moratorium request as applying to future solar projects, not to the AES BESS already under construction, and that the county's authority to stop an active, permitted project is limited.
Other residents urged attention to landowners' rights. Randy Bartelt said extra fire protection would not be necessary if a facility simply were not built and asked the board to protect landowners who did not agree to solar projects on their property.
The commissioners did not adopt a moratorium at the meeting. Instead, they indicated they would review county ordinances, consider Planning and Zoning options, and have County Attorney Schnarr and staff evaluate any statutory or police-power tools available. The board will continue to monitor the issue at future meetings; the next regular meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026.
