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In the Trenches: Solar Fights Flare Across Five States, Data Center Backlash Grows in Indiana, and a Battery Protest Draws Hundreds in Washington

7 min read
In the Trenches: Solar Fights Flare Across Five States, Data Center Backlash Grows in Indiana, and a Battery Protest Draws Hundreds in Washington

From the bayous of Louisiana to the farmland of southern Michigan, communities pushed back hard against energy and infrastructure projects this week, with solar siting battles dominating the landscape across at least five states. In one of the week's most striking developments, hundreds of residents in Snoqualmie, Washington, marched in protest against a proposed lithium-ion battery storage facility just hours before the developer submitted its permit application — a sign that opposition to energy infrastructure is expanding well beyond wind and solar into newer technologies.

The week also brought a notable legal rebuke in Massachusetts, where the state Attorney General struck down a town's moratorium on solar and battery projects, and fresh scrutiny of the political dynamics surrounding renewable energy bans in Ohio. Meanwhile, in Indiana, a detailed anatomy of data center opposition revealed how electricity rate concerns and utility mistrust are fueling resistance to the facilities powering America's artificial intelligence boom.

Solar Siting Battles

Solar projects faced headwinds in every direction this week, with communities from the Deep South to the Upper Midwest raising objections rooted in property values, agricultural land loss, and quality of life.

In Plaquemine, Louisiana, about 70 residents turned out to oppose Entergy's proposed Cypress Harvest Solar Project, a 200-megawatt facility that would span approximately 1,660 acres west of Plaquemine along La. 75. The project, developed through a partnership with E.J. Gay Planting and A. Wilbert & Sons under a 40-year lease agreement, would include reserved land for potential future battery energy storage integration. Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle touted the project as a generator of $2.9 million in annual tax revenue, and project spokesmen emphasized large setbacks from residential areas and roadways. But residents said they felt "blindsided" by the announcement, which appeared on the parish government's Facebook page less than a week before the public forum. Concerns ranged from diminishing property values to flooding and groundwater issues, according to reports from both the Plaquemine Post South and New Orleans CityBusiness.

Further east in Baldwin County, Alabama, official-level resistance to solar escalated when the Baldwin County Commission voted to ask the state Attorney General whether it has the legal authority to pause a proposed 2,500-acre solar project near Stockton. The move signals that opposition has moved beyond public hearings and into the legal arena, as county commissioners seek to determine what tools they have to slow or halt the project, Lagniappe Mobile reported.

In southern Michigan, two separate solar projects remained mired in prolonged public opposition. The Fayette Township Planning Commission postponed any decision on a developer's application for a special use permit to build approximately 1,000 acres of solar panels outside Jonesville in Jackson County. "We have a lot to consider," commissioner Scott Playford said at the close of a second public hearing on May 7, where residents presented complaints for roughly two hours — part of what MLive described as months of steadfast community organizing. The planning commission has not yet set a date for its next meeting.

Meanwhile, in Richland Township, Michigan, Consumers Energy's proposed solar park faced its own divisive public hearing process. The utility's application has drawn opposition centered on the conversion of fertile agricultural land to energy production, with the hearing process set to continue, according to ARC West Michigan.

Renewable Energy Bans and Moratoriums

Several communities this week grappled with broader policy tools — moratoriums and outright bans — aimed at blocking renewable energy development entirely, with mixed legal and political results.

In Richland County, Ohio, a resident-led campaign to reverse the county's existing ban on wind and solar energy development fell short at the ballot box, though the close vote demonstrated what Canary Media characterized as bipartisan support for clean energy even in a conservative rural county. The political fallout, however, has been intense. Separately, emails obtained by the Energy and Policy Institute revealed that a Richland County commissioner made inflammatory "cross burning" remarks about residents who had opposed the renewables ban, underscoring the depth of community divisions the issue has created.

In Grand County, Colorado, commissioners unanimously voted to extend a two-year moratorium on commercial-scale solar and wind projects through June 2027. The moratorium, which applies to commercial alternative energy projects, gives the county additional time to develop land-use regulations for large-scale renewable installations, Sky-Hi News reported.

But in Southwick, Massachusetts, a town's attempt to impose a similar pause ran into a legal wall. The state Attorney General's office ruled against a temporary moratorium on large-scale solar arrays and battery energy storage systems that had been unanimously approved at a Special Town Meeting in January. The ruling means companies can now apply for permits to install those systems. "If a company puts in an application, we'd have to move forward through our current process and hear it within 60 days," Town Planner Alvin Allen told MassLive. The moratorium had been prompted by a contentious 2025 fight over a battery energy storage system proposed on Medeiros Way in neighboring Blandford and Westfield.

Battery Storage Concerns

The week's most dramatic opposition event took place in Snoqualmie, Washington, where hundreds of residents marched against a proposed lithium-ion battery energy storage facility the day before the developer submitted its permit application. The rally reflected growing community anxiety about battery storage technology specifically — concerns that differ from those typically raised about solar or wind and often center on fire risk, chemical exposure, and proximity to homes. The protest's timing, coordinated to precede the formal permitting process, suggested a level of strategic organizing by opponents aimed at shaping the regulatory environment before the review even begins, according to a report carried by MSN.

Data Center Disputes

In Lake County, Indiana, an in-depth report from Latitude Media dissected the forces driving community resistance to data center construction — a form of opposition that is increasingly intersecting with energy infrastructure debates. Residents' concerns in Lake County go beyond the typical land-use and noise complaints. The opposition is fueled by fears of rising electricity rates, frustration with what residents describe as opaque deals between developers and local officials, and longstanding mistrust of the local utility. The report paints a picture of a community where decades of industrial promises — and disappointments — have created deep skepticism toward any large-scale development that relies on massive power consumption, regardless of the economic benefits touted by proponents.

What to Watch

  • Fayette Township, Michigan: The planning commission has yet to schedule its next meeting on the roughly 1,000-acre solar project outside Jonesville, but commissioners indicated they have "a lot to consider" after two lengthy public hearings. A decision on the special use permit could come at any time once a date is set. MLive
  • Baldwin County, Alabama: The county now awaits a formal opinion from the state Attorney General on whether it can legally pause the 2,500-acre Stockton solar project. That ruling could set an important precedent for county-level authority over solar siting in Alabama. Lagniappe Mobile
  • Richland Township, Michigan: The public hearing process for Consumers Energy's proposed solar park will continue, with community members expected to press their case against converting agricultural land. ARC West Michigan

Closing Analysis

This week's stories reveal several recurring patterns in the community opposition landscape. Property values, agricultural land conversion, and a sense of being "blindsided" by announcements continued to dominate resident complaints across solar projects in Louisiana, Michigan, and Alabama — suggesting that developer outreach strategies remain a persistent friction point regardless of region. The legal setback in Southwick, Massachusetts, where the Attorney General struck down a voter-approved moratorium, highlights the tension between local democratic action and state-level energy policy — a dynamic that is also playing out in Baldwin County's request for an AG opinion. Perhaps most notably, the week demonstrated that opposition is no longer confined to wind and solar: battery storage in Washington and data centers in Indiana are now generating the same intensity of community resistance, driven by concerns about safety, electricity costs, and a fundamental skepticism toward large-scale infrastructure promises. As the energy transition accelerates, the siting battles are diversifying as fast as the technologies themselves.