A large solar power plant has been proposed for southwestern Brown County, near Brookesmith. The company that would construct and operate the plant is Intersect Power of San Francisco, California. The project would be constructed on approximately 3,000 acres within the Brookesmith Independent School District and would produce 300-megawatts of power, 830-gigawatts annually, enough to power nearly 60,000 homes, according to Intersect.

Brown County Commissioners thus far have taken no action on a request for a tax abatement for a solar power farm project.

The following two pieces were submitted to BrownwoodNews.com by Intersect Power and TLOW, the Brown County group opposing the construction of a solar farm, stating their respective cases:

INTERSECT POWER

Solar Benefits All, Harms None in Brown County

Tucked away in the far southwest corner of Brown County, Intersect Power is developing the Radian Solar Energy Project. Located on mostly unfarmed land owned by more than ten private property owners, the project will be an economic boon to the local economy, infusing Brown County and the Brookesmith Independent School District (ISD) with nearly $23M in property tax payments and creating numerous jobs in the community.

The development of the project, and the corresponding tax revenues and local jobs, are dependent upon the County and Intersect Power coming together under what’s known as a “312 Tax Abatement Agreement.” Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code was enacted in 1987 as a way to empower local communities to invigorate local economies. The chapter enables counties to create property tax incentives to attract new or expanding businesses in order to compete with other counties in Texas, or other states, which may have similar incentives.

Detractors of the project, many of whom are from outside Brown County, are pushing a false narrative that the 312 Agreement means that Intersect Power will pay minimal-to-no property taxes. That simply is not true.

Under a ten-year agreement, the project will start paying taxes in year one and, by the final year of the agreement, will have paid nearly $6.5 million in taxes, with $1.4 million going to Brown County and $5.1 million to the Brookesmith ISD. Without development of the project, the expected property tax revenues on the relevant properties over that same ten-year period are less than $50,000. With the proposed tax agreement, the project will increase property tax revenues to the County and ISD during the ten-year period by 13,000%.

The total expected tax payments over the 35-year life of the project are estimated to be $7 million to Brown County (compared to $50,000 without the project) and $16 million to Brookesmith ISD (compared to $90,000 without the project). That’s a net property tax revenue improvement to the local community of nearly $23 million.

Opposition to the project is also pushing the narrative that the solar project is effectively a welcome sign to wind developers. This is incorrect. The project will actually make it more challenging for wind projects to be developed in the area in the future by utilizing a large portion of the available real estate around the existing transmission substation and by using up available transmission capacity required for future projects to interconnect to the grid.

The construction of the project will create more than 300 new jobs, including clearing, fence installation, electrical and mechanical engineering, and construction work. The project’s general contractor will work to maximize local jobs so that project contributes to the local community both through the substantial increase in tax revenues and through community employment. Long-term, the project will create two permanent jobs in Brown County and there will also be opportunities to hire local contractors for mowing, panel washing, and general site maintenance. Beyond job creation, our workers will frequent local restaurants, retail stores, and hotels, contributing significantly to the local economy. We are also committed to procuring materials and equipment locally and working with local vendors to construct and operate the project when possible.

In addition to ensuring the project provides economic benefits to the local community, Intersect Power has taken measures to make sure the project mitigates any potential environmental impacts and preserves the rich agricultural history of Brown County. The location of the project has low quality soils, so no high-value agricultural land will be impacted. Similarly, once constructed, native grasses will grow onsite, restoring the land under and around the solar panels to its natural state.

In concert with local landowners, environmental experts have extensively studied and surveyed all proposed properties, including completing a detailed review of the cultural, biological, and hydrological conditions.These studies have resulted in a detailed design, which avoids all bodies of water and streams. The electrical and chemical components of the panels are securely contained within the solar panels, meaning these elements cannot wash off onto the ground or into surface water or groundwater. The project site does not contain habitat for sensitive species and, before construction begins, the project biologist will complete a comprehensive survey to ensure that common species of birds or other animals are protected from harm.

Even if protecting the environment were not a priority and best practice for us at Intersect Power, strict federal permitting processes and stringent financing requirements ensure that the project will adhere to all environmental safety standards.

The project’s contributions to the local economy are undeniable: nearly $23 million in property tax revenues, two new permanent jobs, and over 300 construction jobs. The tax revenues will enable Brown County to build and maintain new roads and bridges and ensure that the community has access to resources it needs. Funds to Brookesmith ISD will ensure financial security for the school system, enabling the district to hire teachers, purchase supplies, or build additional facilities. While these economic benefits are clear, Texas is a remarkably competitive landscape for the development of new power projects and, without the approval of the tax agreement with Brown County, the Radian project will not be viable. It is our hope that all parties at the table – local landowners, county commissioners, Intersect Power, and the broader community – can work together to approve the pending 312 agreement and help build a bright future for Brown County.

https://www.intersectpower.com/radian

TLOW

A Bad Deal for Brown County

As we begin 2021, a monumental decision will be made on the future of Brown County. The Brown County Commissioners will vote on a proposal that affects all county residents and taxpayers. Intersect Power, a California-based solar-power development company, requested an 85 percent property tax abatement over 10 years to build approximately a 2,600-acre solar farm in southwest Brown County. As this is a decision that would forever change Brown County, our quality of life, and increase the likelihood for an influx of additional wind and solar projects, we ask that you consider the following reasons as to why Brown County should say NO to this property tax abatement. The commissioners have asked for public input, so we urge you to write, call or email your commissioner to let them know how you feel about this issue.

A property tax abatement is an economic development tool that allows local communities to provide tax breaks that would stimulate their local economies. Tax abatements do this by incenting existing businesses and new businesses to bring jobs and economic growth to the community. These new permanent employees would then buy houses, cars, shop in local stores, and in other ways, spur economic growth. This would create a benefit to the local economy and its residents through having a long-term positive impact to the community that exceeds the cost of the abatement. In the case of the Radian Solar Project, they have committed to only two permanent jobs. In exchange, they have requested Brown County provide a property tax abatement of 85%, equal to an initial estimated $176M reduction in taxable value. So, any tax benefits are but a fraction of the rate that Brown County would charge most other local Brown County business, few of whom now receive abatements. Radian Solar’s sales pitch attempts to obscure the lack of permanent jobs by pointing to a large number of temporary jobs, most of which would be with non-local construction companies who are experienced in solar construction. Does that sound like a good deal to you?

While Radian would like you to only consider their project, one key risk to Brown County residents and landowners is the additional projects that would come to Brown once our county opens the door with tax abatements for renewable companies. There is already a second project application that the Brookesmith ISD has submitted and which we expect to approach Brown County for a property tax abatement similar to Radian. This second project, Mustang Mountain Solar, will be approximately 3,000 acres, per public documents, and will be in very close proximity or possibly adjoining the Radian Solar Project. Together, these two projects would consist of approximately 6,000 acres and approximately 2 million solar panels. We can expect more projects as landowners from many areas of Brown County are reporting inquiries from wind and solar companies. If Brown County passes a Property tax abatement for Radian Solar, it can be expected that there will be an influx of wind and solar companies to Brown County. Is that what the citizens of Brown County want?

In addition, the negative impacts on the land are long lasting. These solar project areas will be clear cut of all native trees and other vegetation. For the following 35 to 50 years, this area will be maintained to minimize growth of vegetation. Native habitat will be destroyed for deer, turkey, dove, quail, and all other forms of native wildlife and will force the wildlife off this land, thus increasing competition in surrounding areas for already scarce life sustaining resources. This happened in California, where a solar farm resulted in catastrophe for an already threatened desert tortoise population. The winged population is also known to be negatively impacted by solar farms and as we know, Brown County is a flyway for many species. Finally, local water use would also be significant, impacting already scarce water resources.

Let us not forget that there will be innocent landowners who will be harmed. While there are approximately 13 landowners that would benefit financially, there is approximately more than 50 nearby landowners that would be negatively impacted. Some landowners who stand to benefit have stated “it’s our land and we have the right to do with it as we see fit”. While that is true, the Texas Supreme Court has held that the Texas Constitution “protects each individual’s right to use and develop his or her property in any way that doesn’t cause a nuisance or harm the neighbors.”  It is believed these projects do cause harm by loss of property values, marketability, and enjoyment and are therefore certainly a nuisance.

Intersect Power admitted that this project would not be viable without the county tax abatement.  If this corporation is unwilling to pay this relatively small tax burden (county property taxes are a significantly smaller amount compared to the federal tax impact), we must assume this project is not financially sound nor stable. These massive wind and solar corporations should not place the burden on our taxpayers to make their projects profitable, competitive or viable.

In closing, Brown County has experienced exceptional demand from people looking to purchase rural land and has benefited from increased property values, home construction, as well as new residents and landowners injecting money into our local businesses. This directly creates a long-term benefit for Brown County stores, restaurants, fence builders, welders, electricians, as well as other trades and businesses. We are seeing this today with the new stores and revitalization of downtown Brownwood. Enabling renewable energy projects to come into our area by providing tax abatements will certainly change this trend and possibly reverse it. We have the chance, right now, to preserve this area and to keep it one of the desirable areas of our state, in other words keeping it feeling like home, by simply not giving away our tax dollars.

Again, we urge you to tell your county commissioner to vote NO on solar property tax abatements. You may do so by contacting them by phone or email. You can find a direct email link at www.tlow.org/commissioners. Below is also their contact information:

Judge Paul Lilly
200 South Broadway Street, Room 111
Brownwood, TX 76801

[email protected]
Ph: 325-643-1985
Fax: 325-643-1356

Precinct 1: Gary Worley
[email protected]
325- 643-1985
Precinct 2: Joe Kelton
[email protected]
254-259-3752
Precinct 3: Wayne Shaw
[email protected]
325-646-8293
Precinct 4: Larry Traweek
[email protected]
325-752-6821

TLOW is a local grassroots group of over 400 residents, landowners, business owners and officials, many of whom have been in this area for generations. For more information or to get involved, please visit TLOW.org.