Blackford County Tightens Controls on Wind and Solar Projects as Residents Challenge Approval Process

From the Blackford County Commissioners meeting on April 6, 2026, County Council meeting on April 8, 2026, and Commissioners meeting on April 20, 2026

Blackford County commissioners approved stricter road use rules for all four wind and solar energy projects while residents pressed for a moratorium over alleged problems with how at least one project was approved.

The commissioners passed Resolutions 2026-01 through 2026-04, amending road use agreements for EDF Lake Trout Solar, RWE Prairie Creek Wind, Leeward Wind, and Blackford Solar. The amendments restrict work hours to 7:00 AM–7:00 PM Monday through Saturday, with any work outside those hours requiring county approval. Off-route truck fines were raised to $5,000 per truck for the two new projects (Lake Trout and Prairie Creek) and $2,500 for the two existing projects (Leeward and Blackford Solar). A new "three strikes" rule means any road where a truck is caught off-route three times gets added to the agreement, and the company must repair it. County Highway Superintendent John Lancaster reported he has already collected over $30,000 in fines and caught 14 trucks in a single day at the previous $500 rate.

Separately, residents raised concerns about Lake Trout Solar's approval process at all three meetings. Resident Deb Grider stated that the hearing minutes for Lake Trout "were never approved and never signed," that "there is also two sets of minutes," and that "the recordings for that hearing have been destroyed." She asked commissioners to rescind the project's Improvement Location Permits and impose a moratorium until the Area Plan Commission completes ordinance revisions pending since August 2024. A second speaker, Todd, said the county is "knowingly standing behind approvals that do not comply with its own ordinance." The commissioners confirmed county attorney Aubrey Crest is reviewing the documents but have not paused construction. At the April 20 meeting, Grider noted Lake Trout is actively constructing, with a driveway pipe installed on 500 North and road upgrades underway.

Also on April 20, commissioners appointed Michelle Walker to replace the commissioner representative on the Area Plan Commission.

Source: Video transcripts — Commissioner Meeting 2026-04-06, County Council 2026-04-08, Commissioner Meeting 2026-04-20