By Karen Gleason
A county commissioner has condemned a Devils River landowners’ group for its support of a proposed measure to allow a state agency to decide where to place wind farms in the county.
County Commissioner Pct. 3 Beau Nettleton criticized the Devils River Conservancy, a group of Devils River landowners that advocates for protection of the pristine river and the land through which it flows, during Tuesday’s meeting of county commissioners court.
The commissioner’s sharp remarks came during discussion of a court resolution to oppose House Bill 783, a proposed bill currently before the Texas Legislature. The bill relates to the powers and duties of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department regarding wind-powered energy devices.
“This bill was filed by a state representative out of east Texas. It only pertains to Val Verde County, and it did pass out of the House and is in the Senate now. The bill would allow Texas Parks and Wildlife the authority to regulate wind farms in Val Verde County,” Nettleton told the court during Tuesday’s meeting.
He said a similar wind farm regulation bill, one supported by both the Del Rio City Council and Val Verde County Commissioners Court, is dead.
“The bill that we sent up, that was supported by the city, the county, the chambers of commerce in this community, has been killed in House committee because they do not believe that the county should have the authority to regulate, but yet they want a state agency to regulate what we can and cannot do in our county,” Nettleton said.
“I think this bill, in my opinion, is a complete and utter government overreach, for a state agency to have authority outside the bounds of what we need authority to do, which is simply to protect Laughlin Air Force Base. I think this is a dangerous precedent, and when a group like the Devils River Conservancy, in my opinion, is nothing more than an eco-terrorist group, is directing what we should or should not do in Val Verde County, and dictating what we should or shouldn’t do, and we send a bill that we support and it gets killed because our representation does not push it,” Nettleton added.
He next made a motion the court approve a resolution opposing the bill and forward the resolution to state legislators.
County Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores gave the second.
The court voted unanimously, without further comment, to approve Nettleton’s motion.
Randy Nunns, Devils River Conservancy president, rebutted Nettleton’s comments in an email to the 830 Times.
“I’m flattered that the Devils River Conservancy might be considered more powerful than our county leadership, however I’m very disappointed with Commissioner Nettleton’s characterization of his constituents, the landowners of the Devils River Conservancy,” Nunns said.
He noted he and Nettleton recently were the only witnesses to testify in favor of Texas Rep. Eddie Morales’ House Bill 623 during a recent hearing on the bill in Austin.
Nunns also pointed out the legislator who introduced House Bill 783 is from Lockhart, not East Texas “and as the Chair of the House Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Committee in the last session, he just reprised his 2019 bill, continuing his role of protecting the public’s wilderness experience on TPWD property with HB 783.”
Nunns also said, “The Devils River Conservancy supports all three legislative wind farm strategies to preserve the sanctity of the wilderness, the mission at Laughlin AFB and the security of the ERCOT grid from foreign threats. I respect Commissioner Nettleton and sincerely hope he can represent our interests on the way forward.”
