Marshall County approves permanent ban on data centers, effective immediately

Marshall County, Indiana, has enacted a permanent ban on data centers, effective immediately. This decision, made by the Marshall County Commissioners on Monday, follows a one-year moratorium that had previously paused data center and industrial-scale solar farm developments. Commissioner Jesse Bohannon stated the move is crucial for protecting the county's residents, citing concerns over various large-scale energy and technology projects. In addition to the data center ban, the Commissioners adopted an ordinance restricting Battery Energy Storage Systems, requiring county approvals and a 1,320-foot setback from properties. They also advanced a first reading for regulations on large-scale solar farms, proposing a five-acre cap on panel area. Deborah Johnson, president of the Marshall County Council and Planning Commission, explained that existing ordinances were insufficient to protect the county from the scale of these new projects. Despite potential concerns about lagging behind neighboring counties in development, Commissioner Bohannon indicated a focus on other "positive projects" with smaller footprints, such as natural gas generation facilities or small nuclear reactors, to meet state energy needs without consuming thousands of acres of farmland. The solar farm ordinance is scheduled for a vote at the next commissioners' meeting.