Liberty County commissioners table incentive decision for Project Emerald tire‑recycling plant

At a Feb. 19, 2026 special meeting, the Liberty County Commissioners Court discussed an economic development incentive request from Project Emerald, a business proposing a tire‑processing and pyrolysis facility in the Gulf Inland TIRS. Commissioners agreed to table action and requested the full application and a detailed abatement breakdown be circulated before the item returns to the court.

Project Emerald’s representative, who identified himself as “My name is Marcelo Vazin,” described the operation as a multi‑phase facility that would shred and process end‑of‑life tires and run the shredded rubber through a pyrolysis reactor to recover carbon black, fuel oil and gas. Vazin said Phase 1 would employ a minimum of about 75 people and that the company planned to collect tires via local dealers and transport them by truck rather than rail.

County staff summarized an abatement offer described as matching terms the city of Dayton used: 100% abatement on qualifying improvements for the first two years of construction, 75% in year three and 50% in years four and five while the company builds and begins production. Staff said school‑district taxes are exempt from these abatements.

Several commissioners voiced concerns before any vote. One commissioner said they were not in favor of a 100% abatement for two or three years; another cited recent problems at a different tire‑processing site and pressed for clarity on whether tires would be stockpiled on site and what fire‑suppression systems would be installed. Vazin said all processing would occur under roof, that the facility would not stockpile large external piles of tires, and that recovered gas would be reused in the process while oil would be stored in tanks and shipped off site.

Staff and commissioners also noted that the county packet did not include the applicant’s economic development application or the exact written abatement offer. In response, staff said they would circulate the paperwork and that any county renewal agreement would need coordination with the city of Dayton because the property lies inside city limits. With those items outstanding, a commissioner moved to table the matter until the next meeting and the court approved the tabling on a voice vote. The court then adjourned.

What happens next: the court asked staff and the applicant to provide the full application, a sheet showing the abatement breakdown, the project site plan and any draft renewal agreement with the city of Dayton before the court reconsiders the incentive request.