PETITION TO THE LINCOLN COUNTY COMMISSION

To the Lincoln County Commission, Lincoln County, Missouri:

We, the undersigned residents, property owners, business owners, farmers, and members of the Lincoln County community respectfully petition the Lincoln County Commission to adopt a temporary moratorium on the approval, permitting, rezoning, conditional-use approval, or other county authorization of new large-scale energy storage, solar energy, data center, and similarly intensive industrial developments within the County, to the extent permitted by law, while the County conducts a comprehensive review of its existing regulations and determines whether additional safeguards are necessary to protect the health, safety, welfare, property rights, agricultural resources, infrastructure, emergency-response capabilities, water resources, environment, and long-term interests of Lincoln County residents.

WE REQUEST THAT THE COUNTY COMMISSION:

1. Establish a temporary moratorium on applicable new large-scale developments while the County evaluates its existing land-use and development regulations.

2. Conduct a transparent public review of whether existing County regulations adequately address the unique characteristics and potential impacts of large-scale battery energy storage systems, solar energy facilities, data centers, and other large industrial developments.

3. Evaluate appropriate standards and safeguards, including, as applicable:

- Fire prevention, detection, suppression, and emergency-response requirements;
- Emergency evacuation and incident-response plans;
- Protection of groundwater, wells, streams, wetlands, and other water resources;
- Stormwater, drainage, erosion, and flood-related impacts;
- Road construction, maintenance, traffic, and emergency-access requirements;
- Setbacks from homes, property lines, roads, schools, churches, and other sensitive locations;
- Noise, lighting, visual, and other quality-of-life impacts;
- Agricultural land and soil resources;
- Decommissioning and site restoration requirements;
- Financial assurances sufficient to address decommissioning, abandonment, or unforeseen costs;
- Responsibility for infrastructure, emergency-response, and other public costs;
- Potential impacts on surrounding property owners and property values;
- Compliance with applicable state and federal requirements; and
- Any other safeguards determined necessary through the County's public review.

4. Require meaningful public participation before adopting or approving regulations governing these developments, including appropriate public meetings and hearings as required by law.

5. Ensure that any future regulations are applied consistently and transparently and that affected residents have a meaningful opportunity to review and comment upon proposed developments and regulations.

PURPOSE OF THIS PETITION

This petition is not intended to oppose economic development generally. Rather, it asks the County to pause new large-scale developments long enough to establish clear, comprehensive, and enforceable standards before additional approvals are granted, so that development can be evaluated in a manner that protects both private property rights and the long-term interests of the County.

We respectfully ask the Lincoln County Commission to receive this petition into the public record, acknowledge the number of citizens supporting this request, and formally consider the requested moratorium and regulatory review at a properly noticed public meeting.

We ask the County Commission to act before additional large-scale projects are approved under regulations that may not adequately protect our community or address the potential impacts of these developments.

A COMMUNITY UNITED IN PRAYER

As neighbors, families, farmers, property owners, and citizens of Lincoln County, we recognize that decisions made today can affect our community for generations to come.

We invite our community to come together in prayer, wisdom, and respect as we seek what is best for Lincoln County. May our elected officials have wisdom, courage, discernment, and integrity as they consider these important decisions, and may our community remain united, respectful, and willing to work together for the good of our families and future generations.

Let us stand together, pray together, and participate together.

PETITION SIGNATURES

By electronically signing, I indicate that I support the request made in this petition and ask the Lincoln County Commission to consider and act upon it.