Resident warns of safety, financial and property impacts from Crossvine battery storage and solar project

Barbara Goldblum, who identified herself as a Honey Bird resident, told the Du Bois County Council she is concerned about safety and long-term costs from the Crossvine battery energy storage and commercial solar project now under construction near her neighborhood. She cited a state utility-scale battery study and said the project is “less than 2 miles” from multiple daycare and school sites and lies adjacent to a flood-prone tributary.

Goldblum warned of what she described as both “safety risk, and financial risk,” saying batteries that undergo thermal runaway can release flammable and toxic gases and that fires at some battery facilities can burn for days while firefighters attempt containment. She pressed the council for a clear accounting of what local governments and taxing districts will receive in revenue, what costs — including decommissioning and emergency response — will fall to taxpayers, and whether state measures such as a $1/megawatt-hour payment discussed in legislation have been funded.

The council and other speakers followed with questions about local assessments, pilot payments and whether nonparticipating neighboring property owners will see reduced values or tax relief. The meeting record shows council members and staff discussed state-set solar-land base rates, assessment timing and the practical limits of local authority over utility assessments.

Goldblum closed by asking the council to consider renewing or extending the county’s moratorium on solar development tax abatements while staff and the public gather more information. Chair (S3) thanked her for the comment and noted staff follow-up would be arranged.