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Emmons County commissioners delay permit decision on battery storage project pending tax numbers and ordinance review
Summary
County commissioners heard hours of public comment and developer responses on a proposed battery storage facility, debated a proposed 3% project-fee and other permit terms, and discussed scheduling a special meeting for a decision after obtaining tax-impact estimates from the state tax office; no permit was approved at the meeting.
Emmons County commissioners heard extended public comment and a developer presentation on a proposed battery storage facility and declined to make a final permit decision, instead discussing a short special meeting next week or a meeting in about a week to decide after obtaining tax-impact information from the state.
The discussion centered on a proposed permit fee equal to 3% of the project value and uncertainty about how the project would be taxed at the state level. A company representative said the projects’ economics are “very tight” and warned that increasing fees could render a project uneconomic. County commissioners and residents pressed for more precise tax estimates and for assurances the county would not shoulder long-term infrastructure costs such as road damage.
Why it matters: commissioners said the county could see only a small fraction of the revenue they expect after state apportionment, and several members said they have previously…
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