LETTER TO THE EDITOR

No tax breaks for solar farm

Posted

Dear Editor,

I listened to the Gonzales County Commissioners Court meeting on Monday with much interest, as it was listed that the court would begin considering a Chapter 312 tax break for a company wishing to come to the area. These days, those are code words for major solar farms coming to town, looking for huge tax breaks. I was not disappointed.

It appears that a 2,000-acre solar panel industrial facility is slated for the Harwood area. Do locals know about this proposed project? Do locals know that a billion-dollar corporation wants tax breaks from Gonzales County and Gonzales ISD?

At the meeting, a representative from Duke Energy – a $69.72 billion company – spoke of plans to build the facility. It appears to be a project in collaboration with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), which is odd, since the only river running through these parts is the Guadalupe. Regardless, the mission creep of these solar farms, the corporations that peddle them, and the electric companies that sell them is quickly making their move on our unspoiled rural areas.

Don’t be fooled when Duke Energy promises jobs and tax base increases. The jobs are temporary and the taxes deteriorate almost immediately as solar panels depreciate at a rapid pace. The lure of free money is promised only if the county and school district give upwards of 100 percent of tax breaks to the solar farm over a decade. I’ve asked before and will again, why does a company worth $69.72 billion need tax breaks from a small county and school district? Can’t they pay their fair share of taxes like the rest of us?

We have been fighting the exact same battle up here in Rosanky since September. If you’d like to read a bit more of the scam that solar producing companies bring to a community, visit www.rosankytexas.com. Renewable energy has good benefits, but giving away hard-earned local tax dollars is not fiscal conservatism or even a green new deal, it’s corporate welfare at it’s worst.

Thank you.

Erik McCowan

Rosanky

Comments