Don’t Blow It, Texas

Spain-based renewable energy company, Greenalia, is acquiring the rights to develop the Blue Hills Wind LLC project on the Carma Ranch. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), previously granted GH America the ability to develop the 46-turbine project until the Texas legislature passed SB 2116, also known as the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, effective June 18, 2021. 

ERCOT, however, is allowing the project to proceed if the real estate is conveyed along with the development rights to Greenalia. GHA, controlled by Xinjiang oligarch Sun Guangxin, currently owns over 130,000 acres in the county with plans for more wind and solar developments. This threat has been highlighted by national security experts in Fox News, policy experts in Foreign Policy Magazine, and local advocates in the San Antonio Express-News.

The Devils River Conservancy (DRC) has partnered with the Lower Pecos Landowner Group (LPLG), and other locals to express their opposition to the proposed wind farm development. 

The DRC and LPLG recently met with Greenalia’s C.O.O. to further educate him on the region and advocate for the continued preservation of public and private lands in Val Verde County. The DRC and LPLG are currently awaiting a response from the company following the delivery of an official letter of opposition sent on January 3, 2023.

The DRC supports alternative energy but says Don’t Blow It with inappropriate siting!

Learn more by viewing the latest press release announcement here.

MORE ABOUT LONE STAR INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION ACT

Texas Senate Bill 2116 (Campbell et al.), now known as the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, passed unanimously through the Texas House and Senate, was signed into law by Governor Abbott on June 5 and is effective immediately. The law prohibits companies from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran from investing in projects connected to Texas's critical infrastructure, including the electrical grid and prohibits GH America from being the developer of their proposed wind farms. Read More Here.

While this is a win in efforts to defend Val Verde County against industrial wind energy encroachment it is not the end. Devils River Conservancy will continue advocating for the protection of this unique region and urging Texas to Don’t Blow It by placing wind farms in the wrong places.

Join the Devils River Conservancy in protecting the unique natural and scenic treasures that Val Verde County offers all Texans.

Don’t Blow It demands thoughtful regulation of wind energy development to save one of the last wild areas in our state for future generations.

700 foot tall wind turbines affect:

• Ecotourism Economy

• Laughlin Air Force Base

• Border Security Operations

• Public Parklands

• Private Property Values

While we fully support renewable energy, "Don’t Blow It" by placing wind turbines in the wrong place. Let’s keep our natural parkland skies and iconic viewshed unobstructed for everyone to enjoy.

NATURAL PARKLAND OR INDUSTRIAL Wasteland? 

a wind farm will have many catastrophic impacts on the region.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

• Encroaches upon the most pristine river in the state, the Devils River, as well as the Pecos and Rio Grande.

• Threatens Fern Cave, one Texas’ largest bat roosts.

• Pollutes night skies with pulsing red lights.

• Disturbs the habitats of native endangered animal species and obstructs the migration paths of golden and bald eagles, monarch butterflies, Mexican free-tailed bats and other wildlife.

CULTURAL IMPACTS

• Detracts from the experience in viewing the area’s 4,000-year-old pictographs and rock art murals in over 300 rock shelters.

• Degrades the spiritual aspects of this country side and the frontier legacy character of this region.

• Diminishes the natural beauty of public lands including Lake Amistad National Recreation Area, Devils River State Natural Areas, and Seminole Canyon State Park & Historical Site.

ECONOMIC & NATIONAL SECURITY IMPACTS

• Jeopardizes Laughlin Air Force Base, home to the largest training program in the U.S., graduating hundreds of pilots each year.

• Heavily supported by government subsidies, paid by U.S. taxpayer dollars. Wind farms are not economically sustainable without these subsidies.

• Poses a direct threat to recreation, ecotourism and property values.

• Spoils one of West Texas’ greatest tourist attractions. More than 1 million people visit state and federal parks in Val Verde County each year to enjoy nature-dependent activities including hunting, fishing, paddling and bird watching.

• Enriches absentee landowners like the Xinjiang Guanghui Industry Investment Group who have no local stake in the region’s wellbeing.

• Compromises the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to secure our nation’s borders.

• Laughlin employs 24% of the Del Rio labor force and is responsible for a local economic impact of $243 million, according to the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce.

ways you can make a difference

Make your voice heard! Spread the word to get more Texans involved.

• Demand regulation of renewable energy to protect the future of Texas

• Require use of FAA approved radar-activated lightning systems to protect our night skies

• Combat wind farm development in Val Verde County