Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ellis County urges state to give counties land-use authority over wind, solar projects
Summary
The Ellis County Commissioners Court issued a resolution asking the Texas Legislature to grant counties authority to regulate siting, permitting and standards for large-scale wind and solar projects in unincorporated areas, citing nearby wind development that touches the county.
The Ellis County Commissioners Court on May 12 issued a resolution urging the Texas Legislature to grant counties meaningful land-use authority in unincorporated areas to regulate the siting and development of wind and solar energy projects.
Commissioner Louis Ponder, who brought the resolution, said the measure mirrors a prior request about data centers and is intended to give counties the ability to ‘‘say no if it’s necessary, but also say yes, but with certain restrictions.’’ The resolution asks lawmakers to authorize counties to set permitting requirements, enforceable standards and to protect landowners and public health and safety.
Judge Ray noted that the first local wind development now touches the southern portion of Ellis County and framed the resolution as an appeal to state lawmakers for clear and consistent authority for counties. No formal vote was required for the court to issue the resolution.
Supporters said the resolution aims to ensure large-scale energy development occurs in a way that ‘‘reflects the needs and values of local communities,’’ while opponents or other stakeholders were not recorded speaking on the item during the meeting. The court took the action by issuing the resolution on the consent of the body rather than through a contested vote.
