DEARBORN COUNTY, Ind. — The Dearborn County Commission unanimously voted to approve a 12-month moratorium on all solar project developments and data center proposals Tuesday.
The vote comes after a meeting Monday where the county's planning commission voted to recommend the moratorium.
Hundreds of people filled the South Dearborn High School auditorium and debated solar farm construction in the county for hours Monday.
Residents had a chance to speak during public comment and share their thoughts on solar farm projects.
When Mark Hall asked every person in support of a 12-month moratorium on solar farm construction to stand, nearly every person in the room rose to their feet.
WATCH: We talk to a solar developer at the hours-long meeting considering a solar moratorium
Bobby Rauen has driven much of the effort to get a moratorium passed on the county level, and he addressed the commission, raising a thick stack of paper in the air.
"Over two thousand petitioners support a moratorium," he said, waving the stack.
Many of you have been telling us since our "Let's Talk" event in Lawrenceburg that property values, the loss of fertile farmland and a fundamental shift in the region's now-wholly rural area were concerns at the top of your minds.
While the commission said no developer has submitted an application to build a solar farm in Dearborn County, the reason behind the backlash is far from a secret.
Linea Energy is planning what could be a 1,200-acre solar farm in Manchester Township. Development director Chris Barry, whom we've talked to in previous reports, addressed the crowd during a half-hour-long presentation about the projects.
We spoke with Barry before the meeting began.
We asked if he expected the level of public participation in Southeast Indiana when the company was eyeing a development there.
"No, not necessarily," he said.
He said the company's other projects in Texas haven't faced similar backlash, but he didn't call the response a bad thing.
Sean DeLancey has been following solar farm development in Dearborn County for WCPO. You can contact him here:
"I'm proud that there is this much civic engagement," he said. "I think it's what makes our country great. While I didn't expect it, I'm proud to see it."
During his presentation, Barry proposed that members of the commission instead recommend a two or three-month moratorium so county commissioners can consider changes to Article 19, the ordinance governing solar farms.
He suggested changes to existing code, like limitations to work hours on the site and regularly updated decommissioning plans.
"We are making a lot of promises. We want the ordinances to demand that accountability of us. I think it's perfectly reasonable," Barry said.
Click here to learn what's next for Deaborn County after Tuesday's decision.
