Odessa – Since the wind turbines and solar panels spread through the cultivated land in the central state of Texas, Robert Fleming prompted him to stop it.
Four years ago, a 61-year-old persuaded the Trojan School Council not to approve the taxes of the renewable energy company. When members of the Bell District Commission were considering a similar tax relief after a year, he reinforced the court of the commission and urged them to dismiss the company’s request. He failed.
It did not deter him from his crusade against the industry.
“I didn’t want to give them a hard-earned tax money,” Fleming said. “They have a lot of cursed money.
Fifth -generation farmer and rancher Fleming said he wants to stop more solar panels and wind turbines to cover more Texas -cultivated land and pushed out agriculture. He does not think that county government or school districts should afford tax benefits. And while he could not say that his business suffered losses, he said neighboring projects could affect some of its water and soil – he said problems he said were not seriously regarded.
At least one Texas legislator takes Fleming’s concerns seriously. The state elder Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, passed the laws to regulate the development of renewable energy. This will determine hearing, taxes and certain distance requirements from real estate lines. The entire Senate approved the bill in April. And waiting for the discussion in the palace.
Robert Fleming poses a photo of Troy. Credit: Eli Hartman for Texas Tribune
The landowners, including in the village of Texas, took advantage of the transfer of their land to renewable energy companies, in some cases earning enough money to retire. However, the resistance to the expansion of renewable energy sources has received some attraction in places where the industry has established itself. For example, in East Texas, residents said they were worried about the growing interest in sun and battery devices, fearing they would harm the environment. Other landowners interviewed by the article said they were worried about the growing trace of industry, which is historically used for agriculture.
Solar panels and wind turbines do not emit greenhouse gases and do not require permanent energy drilling. However, the industry is facing a Blight problem, especially due to damaged blades and plates.
Texas’ business -friendly environment, a market and a huge rural Expanse, the state, has become an attractive place for the renewable industry that flourished in the state. Texas is a national leader of renewable energy sources, fact Judd Messer, vice president of the Advanced Power Alliance policy, said it was possible for land owners.
“Private ownership is the basic principle of everything the landowners do,” Messer said. “But suddenly, when the wind and solar energy, the neighboring landowner seems to have a greater right to his private property than the one who tries to develop wind and solar energy.”
Fleming grew up on the farm and spent his life on it, except for a short place at Tarleton State University, 100 miles north, where he studied agriculture. After the university, he immediately returned home to work in property.
Today, the farm, grains and cattle, thousands of acres of bells, waterfalls, limestone and free stone counties. The family devotes their time to the agricultural sector. His wife Lynn is retired by an employee of the Economic Services Agency. His eldest daughter Dakota works as a Texas State soil and water protection board. His son, August, helps to carry out operations on a farm where corn and cattle are first sold.
Most of Fleming’s criticism is based on fears about what can occur for its land and business through his observations, online research he has done independently, and the flow that the industry is developing in projects.
Construction is caught by several traffic, especially trucks, transporting panels to features. He said the redheads could not look for rodents to eat property where solar panels were installed. He said water was traveling faster to streams, ditches and tributaries causing floods and plows in the area. Its land was not flooded because it is below.
Roberto Fleming’s land limits the solar energy project. Credit: Eli Hartman for Texas Tribune
He believes that one solar farm in front of his property can cause flooding. He said he had been dismissed when he complained of Pine Gate Renewables, about the construction of ditches to maintain water and prevent flooding of the surrounding areas. He is concerned that water can take chemicals in solar panels and kill its crops, which has not happened.
“I just pray for kindness so that the plates would not have the effects of human health,” he said.
Renewable developers looking for land projects say that relationships with landowners are very important, and that investigations and tests are done against any construction.
Monty Humbo, CEO of High Road Clean Energy, company finding land renewable companies, said he was looking for assets with access to the transmission line. These lines send electricity from the sun and wind to the main network of the state. Transmission lines cannot be created for specific projects.
First, they negotiate the lease agreement on the landowner, whom the landowner was assigned to the renewable infrastructure. They will then hire a biologist for scouts for endangered species. The renewable company in Texas must follow the federal guidelines under the Law on Endangered species, which includes fines. The murder of an endangered animal is considered a crime. The company is investigating the land to ensure that projects will not threaten the environment or wildlife.
The state does not regulate renewable energy companies as this would mean regulation of private property, which contradicts Texas, Humble said.
“They have to trust us and they had to want to implement the project,” said Humbo. “And that is why we will receive shipments from landowners who refer to other people in other places of the state because they trust us.”
Humbo said he was familiar with Fleming, who refused to rent his land for a renewable project.
Fleming is inverted in a folder with spam and legitimate offers to install solar panels in his company’s office. Credit: Eli Hartman for Texas Tribune
Neighboring landowners said they had no environmental problems due to solar panels or their construction, adding that project money helped them.
Randall Tate, a 70-year-old retired Trojan farmer, is raising cows. He used to grow corn and wheat. His wife Brenda has retired a school teacher. The couple owns about 220 ha of land. 2023 They rented almost half of them to a solar company.
Tates said the company organized several meetings with them and other landowners before construction. During construction, they said the company was careful with the land. When construction was completed, the company planted the grass to supplement the loss and prevent erosion that would kill the soil. It supports sheep in the area to eat it.
Tates, which no longer drink wheat or corn, said they had left for the income they earn from the solar panels.
Joe and Loretta Henson, near Fleming’s neighbors, have 1,200 acres of land. Solar panels occupy about 70 ares of assets. The couple, 87 and 89, agreed to allow the company to install them five years ago.
They said the company was responsible for its land, causing little damage and correction of the part where the construction was. They said it took many years to plan until anyone was built. Hensons bought tractors and equipment, including plows, with the money they receive from the agreement.
No couple had floods or problems due to grass and soil in the parts of the land occupied by the renewable infrastructure.
However, they said they wondered if the renewable industry is starting to take up too much space to use the farm.
“It looks like there should be some boundaries,” Loretta said. “I mean that we cannot turn all our agricultural land into solar energy.”
Fleming drives through the neighboring sun project. Credit: Eli Hartman for Texas Tribune
Meanwhile, Fleming said he would continue to protest for renewable energy projects in his hometown and throw out all the offers he receives in the trash, as in the last four years. He will find web social media groups to find landowners who can share their experience to add it to a clip with more than a thousand pages of web research.
His latest expedition was a testimony that he was supposed to give to the Legislative Commission. The lawmakers had to be heard from the draft law on the Kolkhorst Law.
Fleming woke up at 4 o’clock in the morning and drove about two hours south to Austin. He wanted to overcome traffic. In the Capitol building, he waited for his turn in the cafe. While he was waiting, he heard others talking about testimony. Someone claimed that landowners contrary to renewable energy sources caused concern. He left before noon and testified, insulted for the offer.
“I have been told so many times that all the things we have come up with is misinformation simply because we read it online,” he said. – I don’t believe it is.
Eli Hartman contributed.
Disclosure: The Advanced Power Alliance was the Texas Tribune, non -profit, non -partisan news organization, which is funded by the victims of members, funds and companies’ sponsors. Financial sponsors have no role in Tribune journalism. Here you will find a detailed list of them.
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