Last week, several dozen Simpson County residents attended a Franklin-Simpson Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to voice their concerns over a biodigester facility that might be coming to their community.

Biodigesters are seemingly growing in popularity. The facilities use bacteria to break down organic waste and eventually produce methane gas for energy production. They are typically located in rural areas.

It has been rumored that Vanguard Renewables — the company behind a proposed biodigester facility in Simpson County — has looked at building a facility in the Prices Mill area in the southwestern portion of the county.

There are legitimate reasons to be concerned.

In Ohio last summer, according to an article in the Dayton Daily News, a biodigester in Greene County in that state was ordered to shut down and pay residents a hefty settlement.

The state had to step in to close the facility after it was found to have violated state pollution laws, according to the article, and area residents filed a successful class action suit because of how the strong odor from the facility impacted their lives.

The foul odor associated with these facilities was one of the concerns expressed by Simpson residents last week. They also expressed concerns about increased truck traffic in the rural area, as well as lowered property values.

A petition signed by 552 county residents against the proposed facility was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission, which hosted the discussion even though no formal proposal for a facility has yet been made.

Representatives from Vanguard were also present at the meeting.

“We appreciate the public’s concerns and we do want to address them,” Kim Martin, vice president of development for Vanguard, told the Daily News.

The big question is, how can those concerns be fully addressed before the process moves forward.

Perhaps there is a plan that satisfies both sides, but until there are assurances that such a facility will not harm the greater community, Simpson officials are wise to perform their due diligence.