Rosebud County approves NextEra road, decommissioning agreements and phased impact fees

Rosebud County commissioners on April 21 approved a set of agreements with NextEra for a multi‑phase battery and solar project, including a road‑use agreement, decommissioning contracts and phase‑specific impact fees.

Commissioners voted to approve a road‑use agreement that requires NextEra to post a performance bond (discussed in the meeting as $2.5 million) to cover road restoration and to comply with noxious‑weed controls and safety measures. The board then approved decommissioning agreements for all four project phases, which the county said will secure funds and procedures for retiring battery and solar infrastructure when the project ends.

The meeting also produced a package of impact‑fee approvals split by project phase. For Fairwater phase 1 the board approved an impact fee described in the meeting as 0.5% of an estimated project cost discussed as roughly $705 million, to be paid over three years with the final installment subject to adjustment if project costs change. Commissioners approved separate, smaller percentage figures for the Clearwater phases (Clearwater East, Clearwater 3 and Clearwater 2) with county staff describing estimated project costs and multi‑year payment schedules; the board noted actual agreement documents would follow.

Presenter remarks emphasized that splitting fees by phase is intended to help marketing and sale of later phases, and that timing of payments will depend on when each phase starts or completes. No public comments opposing the agreements were recorded during the hearing.

Next steps: county staff will circulate the finalized agreement documents and prepare the detailed payment and bond schedules for inclusion in the county record.