Economic considerations for our communities

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While it could a take a lifetime to read everything available on just the money around a project like this-my goal here is to simply state our objections to this project in Fannin and Lamar counties-with the information we have gathered.  We have requested better information from the companies who are looking to build here, and will add more over time-if they ever provide it.

Only a very small percentage of our neighbors will financially benefit. It's an unfortunate fact that it only takes a few large landowners to sign up to make an Industrial Turbine Plant of tens of thousands of acres like this one happen.  In Fannin County where we have data so far-10 owners own 55% of the acreage that one company is targeting.  22 owners could give them 75% of the total acres they have targeted.  

So, with only 10% of the landowners (22 out of about 220) in that patch of ground-we could see a Turbine Plant of ~75 generators happen here.  In a county of about 35,000 people-all of whom will be economically affected-we could see %0.0006 of our population saddle us with these economic problems:

• Decreased property values-and possible buyers near the Plant.  While there are those that will tell you it doesn't affect values; ask yourself if you ever expect to hear "I am so excited to be able to live/buy land near a turbine plant!".
• Decreased tax revenues.  These plants ask for and expect tax abatements-and many communities give them just that.  ZERO dollars in taxes on $400 million in capital improvements, and no tax generation on the tens of millions in power generated.
• While there are mountains of money in government subsidies available to build these turbine plants-this money goes to absentee developers, foreign equipment makers and international owners of the electricity generated.  
• Increased burden on our roads and landfills.  Huge cranes, blade hauling rigs, rock trucks for the roads across the fields, returning every couple of years to replace the blades and the failed turbines.  And the massive costs of disposing of the blades-which cannot be recycled & will fill up our landfill space.  
• As people choose to move or live away from this Turbine Plant, our small communities will see a shrinking tax base, and school attendance (which decreases the State Education funding coming to our schools).  So those who remain will continue to shoulder more of the tax burden.
• When I say more of the tax burden-I have to make sure everyone understands that every resident of our counties have an interest in making sure any development is taxed equitably.  When this doesn't happen-all of our tax bills go up to make up the difference.  So while you may not live near the Turbine Plants-you are absolutely affected.
• This project will supply its power directly to ERCOT and the Texas grid.  We won't see any reduction in our power rates.

All of this works against the reality of our properties increasing in value as these two new lakes begin to deliver on the promises our representatives promised when they sold the projects to us.  The Fannin county portion of this project sits directly between Bois D' Arc and Ralph Hall lakes.  These lakes promise to bring real economic benefit to the region, which would be slowed and halted by turbine placement.

So in return for a couple of dozen landowners getting a check, and the developers and ultimate owners of the Turbine Plant profiting-the rest of us will get nothing in the way of economic benefit.  We will get the costs.  I will be posting an interesting analysis soon of where the money flows on projects like these.  It only gets less attractive.

What can you do?  Contact your County Commissioner and School Superintendents, and make sure that any request for a free ride on taxes from any developer requesting it is denied.  Send a letter to your Chief Appraiser and Appraisal Board that tells them you expect that these types of investments are treated correctly for tax purposes.  Turbine plants have to pay their fair share of taxes, just like you and I do.