Castlen lays out high standards for data centers, hard line against industrial solar on Daviess County farmland

“I want to be direct with you about where I stand on data centers in Daviess County.

As your Judge Executive, I’ve already put a moratorium in place on new data center proposals in this county, giving us time to get the rules right before any project moves forward.

Daviess County welcomes, needs, and wants companies to invest and grow here. That’s how we’ve landed the biggest economic development years in this county’s history under my tenure. Most of us use AI every day, whether we realize it or not, and it isn’t going anywhere. I also want to be straight with you on something: it is against the law for me, or anyone, to outright ban a business from coming to Daviess County. That’s not how this works, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise or promise something I legally can’t deliver.

But this isn’t a simple yes or no question. I hear the concerns people have: electric rates, noise, water consumption. These are valid and deserve real answers before decisions get made. That’s why I’ve set the bar high, and I believe the process should be brought before the public, not negotiated behind closed doors. My absolute goal is the best deal for the people of Daviess County, not the easiest deal for an out-of-state company. Right now, nobody has come close to that standard, and I won’t support anything that doesn’t meet it.

And that leads me to something else I won’t stay quiet on: industrial solar farms.

Daviess County ranks 2nd in Kentucky in agricultural sales. Farming isn’t a side industry here. It’s one of the backbones of our economy and our way of life. I will not support paving over productive farmland with industrial solar farms, and I’ve already put real setback protections in place to make sure it doesn’t happen on my watch.

My opponent says he has “no position” on industrial solar farms. But Daviess County public records show he personally holds an active solar lease on his own farm, a real financial stake in the exact issue he claims to be neutral on.

It also raises a real question: why is a man with a personal financial interest in industrial solar farms personally bankrolling his own campaign, tens of thousands of dollars and counting, to win the one office in this county responsible for regulating industrial solar farm development?

I don’t think Daviess County farmers want to find out the answer the hard way.

So let me be clear. Daviess County is open for the right kind of growth, and that means real accountability and high standards on data centers, not a rubber stamp. On industrial solar farms eating up our farmland, the answer is no.

This county’s future should be decided by what’s right for the families and farmers who built it, not by who can outspend everyone else to control it.”