Keep Wind Energy Growing in Texas - Tell the Texas Senate to Vote "No" on SB 277
The Texas Senate will vote on an anti-wind energy bill (SB 277) in the next few days. SB 277 would bar wind projects within 30 nautical miles (about 35 miles) of a military base from applying for economic development tax credits available to many businesses across the state.
The result would be that over 64,000 square miles of Texas land wouldn't see additional wind development. Texans in these rural areas would be denied the opportunity of significant earnings from leasing and for wind farms and all Texans would be denied the lower electric bills and cleaner air that come with adding wind energy to our electric grid.
This bill is entirely unnecessary because the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) already has process to vet all proposed wind farms for possible problems with siting in relation to aviation activities at military bases. The DoD knows how to protect its bases and has clearly stated that case-by-case vetting is the best procedure, not arbitrary buffer zones.
