Letter: Dubois County Commissioners must act before solar moratorium expires

Dubois County residents deserve straight answers about large-scale solar, battery energy storage systems, and data centers—not more shoulder-shrugging from county officials. The repeated claim that the county commissioners “can’t do anything” to regulate or slow these projects does not square with the reality that counties across Indiana use ordinances, planning, zoning, setbacks, permitting standards, decommissioning requirements, safety reviews, and other local tools to guide land use.

Indiana law does not prevent Dubois County from adopting local ordinances or zoning standards for these developments. In fact, state resources recognize that many Indiana counties already regulate commercial solar through local land-use rules, and Indiana has also created a state framework for utility-scale battery energy storage systems. That should not be used as an excuse for local inaction. State oversight and local standards can coexist, especially when the issues involve emergency response, setbacks, drainage, road use, decommissioning, agricultural land preservation, property values, and the character of rural communities.

The commissioners placed a moratorium on commercial solar applications in late 2025, and that moratorium is set to expire in December 2026. The public was told this pause would give the county time to study the issue and develop stronger standards. Yet months are passing, and residents are left wondering whether the real plan is simply to run out the clock.

That concern is especially serious because two major projects remain at the center of this debate: EDP Renewables’ proposed Duff Solar Park Phase 2 and RWE’s proposed Shamrock Solar and battery energy storage installation north of Ireland, Indiana. If the commissioners truly oppose moving forward without proper safeguards, then they should prove it by adopting clear ordinances and zoning protections before the moratorium expires—not by waiting until the deadline passes and then claiming their hands are tied.

This is not about being for or against every form of energy development. It is about whether Dubois County residents have a meaningful voice in what happens to our roads, farmland, neighborhoods, emergency services, and future tax base. Large industrial-scale projects should not be approved by default just because local officials failed to act in time.

The commissioners should stop telling residents what they cannot do and start showing us what they are willing to do. Dubois County needs enforceable local standards now—before December 2026, before any approvals are rushed through, and before rural residents are left to live with decisions made through delay instead of leadership.

Dave Duncan
Huntingburg