Hundreds of residents and several public-safety professionals urged Dubois County commissioners on Nov. 17 to more closely scrutinize permits for the proposed Crossvine battery energy storage and associated solar project, saying the county should not be a testing ground for new battery systems.

"We do have 273 plus signatures this morning," an organizer identified in the record said, submitting a petition opposing the Crossvine battery energy storage system and the linked solar project. Residents and experts at the meeting raised concerns about fire risks, toxic gases released during battery thermal events and the capacity of volunteer fire departments to respond.

Dave Duncan, who described decades of electrical-industry experience, warned about gases produced during lithium-ion battery failures, including hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen cyanide, and cautioned that a rapidly moving cloud could reach nearby schools and public facilities before emergency crews could respond. "There's no way you can respond to them," he said of a fast-moving release.

The county27s emergency management director said AES, the company proposing the project, told local officials it would provide training for first responders and that its battery enclosures include built-in suppression features. "They told us that they are gonna provide the training for our first responders," the EMA director said, adding that AES offered multiple pre-implementation meetings so firefighters could learn procedures.

County staff told the board they have a decommissioning agreement dated May 20, 2024 with Crossvine Solar and will review the current permits for completeness and compliance. Commissioners and staff discussed options including close review for permit violations and a temporary pause on issuing future permits while the county updates its solar-energy ordinance. One commissioner said a moratorium for future projects would be permissible only if legally defensible and limited in duration.

Officials also noted that some permit and map materials submitted earlier did not show battery storage locations clearly; planning staff said that omissions could warrant requesting resubmittal or a variance if applicants seek reduced easement dimensions. "We should review the permit to make sure they're following what they were allowed to do," a board member said.

Public commenters asked the board to consider revocation of existing permits if they are out of compliance. Commissioners said they will task county staff and the engineer to examine the permits and report back; the board did not take immediate regulatory action at the meeting.

Next steps: county staff and the county engineer will review the Crossvine/EDP permit materials and maps and report back to the commissioners; commissioners said they may pursue changes to the county27s solar ordinance or consider time-limited moratoriums on future permit issuance depending on legal review.