A court fight had begun between a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell and Decatur Township in Van Buren County.

WSJM says Jason West lives in a Decatur Township country home surrounded by farmland. However, if Savion, owned by Shell New Energies, gets their way, they plan to replace 1,000 acres of farmland with a solar panel array and energy storage facility.

West heard about the plan after Decatur Township officials had already approved the development, but due to an error, the township had to reopen the public process, landing the question on the August ballot and being rejected by 80 percent of voters.

West said he and the people of the township are not opposed to solar or private property rights, but they do want to protect the mineral-rich farmland.