Knox County Coalition for Safe Solar

06/08/2026

We just did some research on our neighbor to the south. It appears Pike County is now being advertised as a "megasite" in Southern Indiana. These aren't just springing up everywhere "just because". The people that run your county sold you out just like all of the other counties and just like ours are doing here in Knox. Remember who all has been in there from 2020 until today, and remember who is actually trying instead of making deals with solar. They'd rather work for solar than for the people they were sworn to represent. Vote them all out and don't put them back in office.

Here's the link on the megasite for more information: https://indianamegasite.com/data-center

PIKE Co. FRIENDS.. Interesting Story... this is only a screenshot of a long post link to it all in comments.

06/04/2026

⚠️ HEADS UP – Knox County Neighbors: Know Before You Sign

We're hearing from community members that a representative with Orion is currently reaching out to landowners and residents who will be impacted by the upcoming Iona Solar project, which is expected to seek approval before the APC within the next month or 2. We are seeing survey crews all over in the South Knox area as well.

He is presenting what Orion calls a "Good Neighbor Agreement."

Here's what we know is being discussed:

💰 $2,500/year payments to affected neighbors
🌳 Double tree coverage along the project perimeter
🚧 80%+ opacity maintained on fencing
📋 130% decommissioning bond being mentioned

Other items are also being discussed, but those are the details we're aware of so far. Long story short: they are painting a beautiful picture. Those numbers sound great. And that's exactly the point. They want you to buy into it too.

We want to be clear, we are not saying Orion is acting in bad faith. What we are saying is this: we've seen this playbook before. Across Indiana and across the country, with solar farms, wind farms, and data centers. Companies have made impressive verbal commitments and painted beautiful pictures during the outreach phase. Then the actual contract lands on the table, and it looks very different.

A few things worth knowing:

👉Any project seeking approval from this point forward is bound by the new ordinance of 300ft setbacks and staggered, double row trees, plus fencing that maintains 80% opacity. Plus the other flawed parts of our ordinance.

🔍 It is not confirmed whether these agreements include an NDA. If you sign one and it contains a non disclosure clause, you may not be able to share the terms with your neighbors, your community, or us. Ask that question directly, and get the answer in writing.

📞 Before you sign a single piece of paper, contact an attorney and have them review the full document. This is not something to take lightly. These are binding legal agreements.

We greatly appreciate every one of our followers and members.You are why we do this.

We will continue to keep you updated as the land use committee meets and more information becomes available in the coming weeks. We expect to see an increase in projects seeking approval by the end of the year.

Stay informed. Stay together.

— Knox County Coalition for Safe Solar
🌐 safesolarknoxcounty.org

05/20/2026

Last night, the Knox County Commissioners passed ordinance language moving solar setbacks to 300 ft and requiring dual vegetative screening.

Thank you to every coalition member who showed up, spoke up, and stayed engaged to get us this far.

But let's be honest about what this is: a step. Not a finish line.

These protections should have been in Knox County's ordinance from the very beginning. Back in 2020, when the original ordinance was drafted, the communities now, or soon to be living next to industrial solar projects deserved this foresight, and they didn't get it.

Closing that gap 5 years into active development is necessary, but it doesn't erase the fact that families have been left exposed in the meantime, and will continue to be exposed while this land use committee holds meetings.

And there is still far more protections to add. Counties across Indiana have passed stronger protections like 750 ft setbacks, mandatory fire response plans, developer funded first responder training, decommissioning requirements with teeth.

These aren't radical ideas. They're the baseline in communities that took the threat seriously from day one. Knox County deserves the same.

We've heard repeatedly from local officials that stronger protections could expose the county to lawsuits. But Indiana counties have been passing tougher rules for years, 500-2500 ft setbacks in some places, moratoria in others, outright denials in a few, and we are not aware of a single Indiana case where a solar developer has successfully sued a county for adopting stronger protections.

This fear being used to justify weaker rules just isn't matched by what's actually happened across the state. Our neighbors have shown that standing up for residents is both lawful and legitimate. It's time ours did the same. Others actually passed a moratorium in order to get this right, but yet again, Knox County cares more about a dollar than its people. Not passing a moratorium still leaves the door wide open for projects to continue coming in.

The Knox County Coalition for Safe Solar isn't going anywhere. We will remain active, engaged, and present at every meeting until the people of this county have the full protections they deserve which are the ones their neighbors across Indiana already have.

Thank you for standing with us. The work continues.

05/06/2026

05/06/2026

📍 OAKTOWN: More solar leases are coming in.

Update: We have a majority of the area in Oaktown mapped. You can see the image below and we will include a link to the interactive map.

KC Solar Exposure - Sat View
https://goo.gl/maps/rZUu3w6LRE9hceQP9?g_st=ac

Our coalition is actively mapping new lease agreements in the Oaktown area. Current tally: ~1,500 acres and growing.

We'll publish the full map breakdown once our research is verified. Until then, if you live in or near Oaktown and have been approached by a solar developer, please reach out.

Stay informed: follow this page and visit safesolarknoxcounty.org

05/06/2026

The people have spoken! We want responsible solar development in Knox County and we are finally going to get it! Congratulations Hoffman for Knox County Commissioner, your Republican nominee for Knox County Commissioner District 3, with 53% of the vote.

This win belongs to every voter who paid attention, every coalition member who refused to stay quiet, and every neighbor who decided their community was worth fighting for. You showed up. You won.

To the commissioners still in office: the message from District 3 is unmistakable. 750 ft setbacks. Real fire response plans. Developer funded firefighter training. Well water protection. Property value guarantees. Responsible development. Honest government. The voters are watching.

The APC meets tomorrow, May 6, at the Vincennes Water Treatment Plant. Let's bring the same energy.