Resident speaks out against proposed battery facility at Highland County commissioners meeting
Pictured, from left, are Highland County commissioners David Daniels, Terry Britton and Brad Roades. (HCP Photos/Caitlin Forsha)
Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades heard from a local resident concerned about a proposed new battery storage facility on Mad River Road during their Wednesday, July 29 meeting.
As previously reported, the up to 200MW Barr Energy project being proposed will encompass approximately 35 acres on Mad River Road in New Market Township, near state Route 138. If approved, this would be NextEra Energy Resources’ first battery storage facility in Ohio, as they already own and operate 50 sites across the U.S. and Canada, according to their website.
Ed Puckett, who formerly served as a firefighter and assistant fire chief with the now-defunct Hillsboro Fire Department, said he lives near the proposed facility, and he and his neighbors have “concerns as residents in the area.”
“They are a really high-risk facility,” Puckett said. “Each one has an individual pod with isolated lithium batteries, and as you know, batteries, as far as fumes and that kind of stuff, our concern is they are real volatile in fire.”
Puckett said that in the event of a fire, it would require “hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, for lots of hours,” to put out the fire itself, “and then that battery is lethal for 24 to 48 hours even after it's been extinguished.
“Because it produces its own energy, it can reignite and explode,” Puckett said.
According to Puckett, he has met with developers and has been told that the policy is to “let them burn” if there is a fire at their facilities, but Puckett told commissioners that this could be dangerous to anyone in the area.
“It takes a matter less than a minute for fumes at a six-mile-an-hour breeze to travel,” Puckett said. “Those fumes are highly toxic. I mean, highly toxic. In fact, if you do the studies on it, the recommendation is you have to evacuate and everything else when you have a fire, and it will burn for hours and hours. The city of Hillsboro would be in its path as far as fume, and you'd have to evacuate if it had a fire there.
“They even said they met the fire department because they didn't want the fire department to respond and put any water on. They wanted to let it burn. Well, that's just not a legitimate response.”
Puckett added that he also has concerns for the environmental effects on the water in the area; the potential impact on property values; and the lack of data shared by developers on both fires in facilities and economic impact on neighboring houses.
“I just don't think the benefit of it is worth the risk to the community where it's at,” Puckett said.
After sharing his thoughts, Puckett asked commissioners if they had any advice on next steps for him and his neighbors to try “to stop this thing.” Britton advised that since it is “sited through the Ohio Power Siting Board,” their best option is to voice their concerns through that entity.
“Whether we agree or disagree, it's sited through the state, and there's really not a whole lot that we can [do],” Britton said. “We can voice our opinion, but as far as making a change for that, unless you can get the Ohio Power Siting Board to take it out, that would be the place to start.”
Daniels agreed, saying that the county “has some authority over solar development” from Senate Bill 52 but that the law is “silent as to battery storage facilities.
“Every project that goes through the Power Siting Board is given a project number, and the public can go on and I guess express their opposition, their concerns, and that becomes part of the overall investigation that the Power Siting Board does,” Daniels said. “You can go on the Power Siting website and make a formal statement, formal complaint, formal ‘I’m for it, I'm against it.’ You can do any of those things on there, and they have to include that in the record.”
Roades also encouraged Puckett to continue attending the informational meetings by developers, including one scheduled for Aug. 20, “and voice your opinion” and ask questions again.
The Ohio Power Siting Board’s email address for people to register opposition to the plan for this site is contactopsb@puco.ohio.gov and the official project name to reference is the BESS Barr facility on Mad River Rd in Highland County, OPSB Case No. 26-0498-EL-BGN.
For more background on the project, see the stories at: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/nextera-energy-resources-outlines-… and https://highlandcountypress.com/news/commissioners-updated-proposed-bat…. Their PUCO docket case number is 26-0498-EL-BGN.
In other discussion:
• Wednesday’s meeting marked a third straight week with commissioners’ regular 9 a.m. session lasting under 25 minutes. Earlier this month, commissioners began hosting work sessions on Mondays for informational meetings that do not require immediate action.
According to minutes provided by commission clerk Ashleigh Willey, this week’s work sessions included:
— Discussions with Highland County Job and Family Services personnel on how to disburse funds from the FCFC and Help Me Grow accounts, as the FCFC program has ended;
— A review of county manual revisions and possible insurance changes with county human resources director Amy Bradley;
— Talks of “the relocation of the courthouse offices” during its planned renovation and “the possibility of doing away with County Court” in Greenfield with court representatives and law enforcement; and
— Discussions of the READY Local Government program, the new county maintenance building, tax bills and several miscellaneous projects with Willey, commission clerk Mary Remsing and county ARPA funding coordinator Nicole Oberrecht.
Sessions on Monday lasted off and on throughout the day, from 10 a.m. to after 3:30 p.m., according to meeting minutes.
• Commissioners agreed to host two high school interns in either their office or other county departments, following a request from Highland County economic development director Julie Bolender.
Bolender told commissioners that they have grant “money for four high school internships” and that she had two spots that she needed to find locations for. Bradley said that she could host one, while Britton said he thought there were likely “plenty of things to do” in the commissioners’ office. Britton also suggested the treasurer’s office as a potential spot, and Daniels said they would find a placement even if it meant switching between offices.
“As long as we've got funding for them, I want to do everything we can to try to give some young people at least some exposure to what goes on around here,” Daniels said.
• Bradley told commissioners that she is “looking at some other solutions for supplemental insurance” for the county and is considering going with a different provider, in a continuation from talks from Monday’s work session.
“These are things like accident policies, cancer policies, term life, whole life stuff that's outside of our health and wellness programs and stuff like that,” Bradley said. “These are all 100-percent paid by the employee, and we just service them through payroll deduction.”
Bradley said that their two vendors right now are Washington National, which does not have a local agent, and Allstate, whose agent serving the county is looking at retiring “maybe within the next two years.” She added that she would like to have policies with agents who can assist “after the sale” of insurance, both with helping employees and with “helping me manage different benefit stuff.”
According to Bradley, she is looking at entering an agreement with American Fidelity, which would involve “creating a transition plan” for their retiring Allstate agent and “probably just ending” their partnership with Washington National for future policies.
“We're not going to be canceling those policies,” Bradley said. “We're just not going to allow any new sales, so we'll continue to service the employees through payroll deduction and stuff like that.”
• After commissioners approved the retire/rehire of county employee JayDee Burba on July 15, Britton confirmed that her job reclassification is official.
“She was our CHORE representative for years, and when the CHORE situation actually ran out for Highland County, she got moved to a different job classification,” Britton said. “She’s now doing janitorial in the Hi-TEC Center.”
• Roades invited the community to attend the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution’s Revolutionary War Memorial dedication ceremony Saturday, Aug. 1 at 1 p.m. at the Highland County Courthouse.
Commissioners also made the following approvals, each by a 3-0 vote:
• A six-month grant extension for work at the Highco courtyard.
“The work is almost complete, but the lead time for material that needs to be done is probably going to put us over the deadline, so Mary [Remsing] asked for a six-month extension,” Daniels said.
• A commitment to participate in the READY Local Government Program.
• A request from the Engineer for an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the 2065 Repair MVL fund, in the amount of $29,778.30.
• A resolution to authorize a “then and now” purchase order and to authorize the county auditor to issue warrants for payment.
• A request from Victim Witness for an additional appropriation from unanticipated revenue within the 25400 Victim Witness fund, in the amount of $10,500.
• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund, Human Resources in the amount of $500.
• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds to County – Advances Out in the amount of $25,905. Also requested is an advance to Runway 23 PAPI-2 in the amount of $25,905.
• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the 4220 Airport Capital Improvement fund in the amount of $10,660.
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Comment
Public Safety, Transparency and Leadership
I appreciate The Highland County Press for covering the proposed Barr Energy battery
storage project and for reporting on the concerns raised by Ed Puckett during the July
29 commissioners meeting. Regardless of where one stands on this project, his
comments highlighted important issues that deserve thoughtful public discussion.
The purpose of this letter is not to argue for or against battery energy storage. New
technologies can bring benefits, and they also deserve careful scrutiny. My concern is
that the public discussion has focused far more on economic benefits, tax revenue, grid
reliability and permitting than on emergency preparedness and public safety.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that our county commissioners support or oppose this
project. Based on the public meetings that have been reported, I simply do not know
where each commissioner stands. That uncertainty is part of the problem. After
following each public meeting reported on this proposal, I still cannot determine where
our commissioners stand or what contingency planning they expect should the project
ultimately be approved. Residents deserve to know whether their elected officials
support the project, oppose it, or are still evaluating it—and, most importantly, why.
Our county commissioners may not have the legal authority to approve or reject this
project. That authority belongs to the Ohio Power Siting Board. However, limited legal
authority does not eliminate their responsibility to lead on behalf of the people they
represent.
Public office carries with it a duty that extends beyond simply explaining the limits of
government authority. Elected officials are entrusted to ask difficult questions, seek
complete and accurate information, and advocate for the best interests of the people
they represent. Whether a project is ultimately approved or denied, residents should
have confidence that their concerns have been thoroughly examined and that every
reasonable effort has been made to protect the community.
Leadership means asking the difficult questions that residents would ask if they were
sitting at the commissioners' table.
If this facility is ultimately approved, what is the emergency response plan? Which fire
department will respond? What specialized training and equipment will be required?
How will nearby residents be notified if an evacuation becomes necessary? What plans
are in place to protect groundwater and nearby property? Who bears responsibility for
cleanup and recovery if an incident occurs?
These are not anti-development questions. They are common-sense questions that
should be answered before construction begins, not after.
In earlier discussions, much attention was given to jobs, tax revenue, road agreements
and grid reliability. Those are certainly important considerations. But they are only part
of the equation. Public safety deserves the same level of attention.
I respectfully ask each commissioner to publicly answer three questions:
1. Where do you stand on this project?
2. Why have you reached that position, or what information do you still need before
doing so?
3. If this project is approved, what is the county's plan to protect the people who live
nearby should an emergency occur?
Even if the county cannot determine whether the project is built, our commissioners
can still advocate for the people they represent by asking difficult questions, insisting
on complete transparency, and ensuring residents understand both the potential
benefits and the potential risks.
I also believe the county should consider holding a public meeting devoted specifically
to emergency preparedness. Representatives from NextEra Energy, the Ohio Power
Siting Board, Highland County Emergency Management, local fire departments, public
health officials and other appropriate agencies should explain how an emergency
would be handled and answer questions from the public.
Mr. Puckett's presentation demonstrated the value of informed citizen participation.
However, asking these difficult questions and seeking these answers cannot and
should not be left solely to individual citizens. That responsibility should also be
embraced by those elected to represent the people of Highland County.
This project has the potential to affect our community for decades. Residents deserve
more than assurances that everything will be fine. They deserve clear answers,
thoughtful oversight, and confidence that every reasonable precaution has been
considered.
Regardless of where each commissioner ultimately stands on this project, I believe the
people of Highland County deserve to know their position, understand the reasoning
behind it, and have confidence that every reasonable question has been asked before
decisions that could affect our community for decades are made.
Public office is a public trust. Those entrusted with it should be guided not only by what
they have the authority to do, but by what they have a duty to do. The true measure of
leadership is not found in avoiding difficult questions, but in having the courage to ask
them, the humility to seek truthful answers, and the conviction to act in the best
interests of the people they serve.
At the end of the day, every public servant should be able to look the people they
represent in the eye—and themselves in the mirror—knowing they asked the hard
questions, sought the truth, acted in the best interests of their constituents, and did
everything reasonably within their power to protect the community they were elected
to serve. That is the standard the citizens of Highland County should expect, and no less.
Well Put Scorch
Going into greater detail on the duty to represent.
I thank you
Battery fires
Why spray water on a battery fire , couldn't it be covered with dirt or another non toxic material to smother it .
With a fire like that water would run everywhere and take toxic material into the soil or wind up in creeks .
If it was smothered out with dirt or other material the toxic material stays in one place and not wind up in ground water and soil .
How would you put dirt on a fire by using one of those top soil shooters or equipment like they use to spray the grass seeding materials on the sides of highways and construction sites.
A site like that should have to have some kind of mat put under the soil to prevent toxic material from seeping into the ground and have a site barrier around it to contain any type of spills.
I don't really approve of such a site because these companies never manage them very well, I say this because there's only 15 states I haven't worked in over a 25 years of travel and no state ever manges these site well .
I live in the middle of the solar fields on Stringtown and I am concerned about fires from the panels and their effects .
We didn't really have a say so over these solar fields and it looks like no one gets a real say so over this battery storage place either ,but that typical.
People should have say so and the last word on anything that is built in the community that is considered dangerous.
But before they build it they should consider figuring out the best way to make it safe and put out any fires other then using water and spreading toxic waste and creating a cancerous cell like they have around Aber Roads toxic land fill in Clermont county.
It's Not Our Job To Get Involved?
The first battery storage in Ohio. The developer apparently estimated zero effort by Highland County Commissioners to advocate for it's citizens. Deflect the issue to PUCO. Take the position we as your elected officials will not assist. Par for the course. Mr. Puckett you are on your own. Try asking your neighbors to fight. It's your problem. Highland County voters consistently elect GOP. You lose. Independent voters lean red.
Try getting your Senate and House elected officials involved. Your township trustees also need to be in fight with your neighbors. As in the 2021 2022 fight against industrial solar as a participant with the team fighting, I learned many who sided with us failed to follow our recommendations. Write letters to all elected officials. Especially Commissioners. And PUCO. They are all public records easily obtained. We didn't see the volume that should have been there. Finally public speaking at PUCO hearings held at the Highland County fairgrounds. July 29, 2022. I was the only opponent. I received the hearing transcript later to confirm. Just David Anthony Mayer was listed.
You have serious concerns which I agree with. My Highland County vacant property is in the easterly direction if a fire is left to burn. You cannot effect any change just by yourself. Either escalate your battle or walk away.