Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Hill Country Energy group plans public outreach after regulators decline meetings on battery storage
Loading...
Summary
The Hill Country Energy Subregional Planning Commission said it will step up public outreach and consider town halls after the Public Utilities Commission and LCRA declined meeting invitations to discuss battery energy storage system (BESS) projects.
The Hill Country Energy Subregional Planning Commission (HCESRPC) will increase public outreach and consider hosting town-hall meetings to explain concerns about proposed battery energy storage systems after statewide regulators and LCRA declined repeated invitations to meet with the commission, an HCESRPC member told Kerr County Commissioners on Monday.
Representative to the court reported on a June 3 HCESRPC meeting and said the subregional commission has had difficulty securing attendance from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). "We're having difficulty getting Public Utilities Commission and LCRA to attend one of our coordination meetings and hear our concerns. So it's time to kind of step up our game and take it to the public," the commission representative said.
Why it matters: BESS installations have prompted concerns in several Hill Country counties about siting, public-safety setbacks, communications with grid operators and local review processes. The subregional commission said it will recruit residents to submit comments and make phone calls to legislators and regulators if regulatory meetings remain unavailable.
The commission has been tracking related legislation and said bills passed in the recent legislative session were not "game changers." An effort by state Representative West Verdell to require a 500-yard offset from adjacent property lines did not pass. The court was told Verdell’s outreach to the PUC has increased the chance the PUC will meet with the group.
The HCESRPC reported it had received a request to speak to the Ingram Oaks homeowners association and gave a similar report about a regional radio program appearance to explain concerns and encourage public participation. The subregional commission’s next meeting is tentatively scheduled for July 8 in Kerr County; the group said the date could change to accommodate a meeting with LCRA or the PUC.
Ending: The HCESRPC said its next step is public education and mobilization, including organized town halls and outreach to legislators, if state agencies do not respond to invitations to jointly discuss battery storage siting and safety.
