Rosebud County hears debate over 50% tax abatement for proposed NextEra solar and battery project

Rosebud County held a public hearing on a tax‑abatement application from NextEra for a proposed large solar farm and battery storage project. Bob, a county staff member, presented the county's fiscal analysis and said the company requested a 50% abatement in the first five years under a proposed schedule that increases in later years.

Bob presented, by his account, an $11,127,000,000 figure for the solar portion and a $695,000,000 amount for battery storage and ran a 20‑year scenario that he said showed the county would collect about $344 million without an abatement and about $303 million with a 50% abatement over the same period. He told the hearing that, in his reading, Senate Bill 117 affects how newly taxable value is treated and that granting a local abatement would change how much revenue the county receives under that statute. "If you give a tax abatement, Senate Bill 117 goes away," Bob said, describing the bill as a key determinant of long‑term revenue distribution.

Jim Atchison, executive director of Southeastern Montana Development, told commissioners he supported the project. "We are open for business in Rosebud County," Atchison said, arguing the development is consistent with his organization's goals to increase higher‑paying jobs and broaden the tax base across the four‑county region his group serves. Atchison said his group currently receives about $153,000 per year under an existing memorandum of understanding with NextEra tied to the Clearwater wind project and said negotiations for a second MOU tied to this project could bring about an additional $150,000 annually.

A presenter answering technical and economic questions said a project of this scale would likely create a few hundred construction jobs per project and that the company currently estimates at least a dozen permanent full‑time jobs for the solar and storage operations, on top of roughly 20 full‑time positions tied to the existing wind project. The presenter also stated both proposed sites are on private land owned by Wayne Veil and Jason Hirsch and described those landowners as supportive.

On schedule, the presenter described phased construction beginning in mid‑2027 and commercial operations coming online in 2029 across four phases, with components expected to enter service at different times during 2029. The presenter said the solar and storage additions would not require construction of a new transmission line to the coal strip, which he framed as a benefit to project feasibility.

Speakers at the hearing urged commissioners to weigh the tradeoffs between near‑term reductions in taxes under an abatement and longer‑term revenue certainty; county staff recommended review of the 20‑year numbers and noted that local choices about mills could offset some impacts on residential taxpayers down the road. The hearing ended with the chair adjourning the session; no vote or formal decision on the abatement request was recorded at the close of the public hearing.