Bremen residents urge County Commissioners to halt proposed thermal energy plant, protect farmland

Two Bremen residents voiced strong opposition to a proposed thermal energy plant and other large-scale energy projects during the public comment portion of the County Commissioners meeting on Monday, urging local leaders to protect the area's agricultural heritage.

The proposed plant, slated for construction on U.S. 6 between LaPaz and Bremen, has drawn the ire of local farmers who say such developments directly contradict the county's own guidelines for growth.

Kim Mishler, who lives on a Hoosier Homestead Farm on South Kenilworth Road that has been in her family since 1860, spoke first. Her generational family farm sits about a mile south of the proposed site for the peaker plant.

Mishler pointed directly to the Marshall County Comprehensive Plan, arguing that the influx of proposed energy-generating projects and data centers violates its core tenets. She noted that the plan repeatedly states that "the rural character that makes Marshall County unique should be protected," and warns that unchecked residential and commercial growth threatens the county's quality of life.

Quoting the comprehensive plan's vision statement, Mishler read: "Marshall County should minimize the loss of forest land and farmland for other unrelated uses such as homes and businesses," and "Marshall County will protect the citizens and natural resources of the county from misuse."

The plan also identifies agriculture as a key component of the county’s economic base, advocating for designated agricultural land to slow the turnover to non-farm uses.

"Allowing a thermal energy plant, energy storage systems, solar farms, and data centers, even entertaining the idea, goes against many of the Marshall County Comprehensive Plan’s goals and visions," Mishler told the commissioners. She warned that it "opens the door for parasitic commercialization to invade a way of life that has been sustaining Marshall County since its inception."

Mishler concluded her time by asking the County Commissioners to immediately halt the potential thermal plant on U.S. 6 and to investigate enacting a moratorium on energy plants within the county.

The commissioners also heard from Velina Clauss, a resident of the 69,000 block of Miami Road in Bremen. Clauss owns a 120-acre Homestead Farm in Saint Joseph County, as well as an 80-acre farm on 1st Road that currently has a major gas pipeline running through it.

Clauss described a relentless wave of solicitations from companies looking to install windmills, solar panels, and turbine projects on her land. "People are sending mail, calling, and knocking on our door, coming out of the woodwork like termites," she said.

To illustrate the aggressive push by energy developers, Clauss read a letter she received from LS Power. The company expressed interest in her property as an "excellent candidate" for a natural gas electric generating facility, offering a non-binding option to purchase the land over a five-year period at a rate far above market value. According to the letter, if Clauss accepted the payment of $70,000 an acre over five years, the family would receive over $5 million—specifically $5,000,436.20.

Despite the massive financial offer, Clauss stated firmly that her family wants to keep their farm agricultural and has no interest in selling.

Expressing concern that many other local landowners are receiving similar lucrative offers, Clauss asked the commissioners to create strict guidelines to control this type of industrial growth in Marshall County. She closed her remarks by thanking the county for the openness, honesty, and forthrightness of its meetings on such critical subjects.