Nortex Times

A public debate over wind farm developments and tax incentives took an ugly turn recently with a Jack County commissioner resigning after what he said were death threats directed at him.

The North Texas Heritage Association is opposed to industrial wind generation installments being developed in North Texas, specifically Jack, Clay and Montague counties. The association points to the economic, environmental and community impacts from the massive wind farms.

The NTHA has encouraged the Jack County Commissioners Court to consider ending tax abatements to wind installations. 

Jack County Judge Brian Keith Umphress | Jack County

However, one of the commissioners resigned just before the April 26 vote, claiming that he had been subject to serious threats against him and his family. Two other commissioners abstained, citing conflicts of interest.

Because of these issues, the court lacked a quorum and no discussion or vote was held, according to Bryon Barton, a founding member of the association.

“Probably the biggest development in this story is that recent events in Jack County are showing the true ruthlessness of the pro-wind lobby, and the extent they will go to, to crush their local grassroots opponents,” Barton told Nortex Times. “Recently, Bosque County, Texas had their county commissioners pass a resolution declaring they would not grant further tax abatements for wind development in their county. In Jack County, after several Commissioners Court meetings and extensive testimony from local residents opposed to tax abatements, a Bosque-style resolution was placed on the agenda for the 26th of April Commissioners' Court meeting. NTHA had reason to believe that the item would pass the commissioners' vote, especially after two commissioners were forced to recuse themselves because of conflicts of interest.

“On the morning of the vote, however, in a very dramatic development, one commissioner abruptly resigned his position, and in writing cited credible death threats to himself and family members,” he said. “As a result, the court could not form a quorum and the Bosque resolution died. The community has now been thrown into conflict, with speculation running rampant as to who is responsible for issuing the threats against the commissioner.”

Precinct 2 Commissioner James Brock said he had been threatened and was in fear of his life. Jack County Judge Brian Keith Umphress announced Brock's resignation before a scheduled discussion to cease tax abatements for wind energy farms.

It’s an issue that has received increased scrutiny of late.

Texas Public Policy Foundation Vice President Chuck DeVore said subsidies in the form of federal tax credits and state property tax abatements have significantly distorted the electricity market in Texas to the point where "wind generators, some owned by foreign governments, can pay the grid to take their power and still make money."

Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian warns against being impressed by Texas’ 30 gigawatts’ capacity of renewables. He told Austin News that those 30 GW have “always been an illusion.” Christian recounted how renewable generation dropped dramatically even Winter Storm Uri hit Texas due to its “inherent unreliability.”

Energy Alliance Policy Director Bill Peacock has made an argument against Chapter 313 abatements, saying that the program essentially takes taxpayer dollars and uses them to subsidize large corporations. When 313 is used to subsidize renewable energy projects, there is additional harm to the Texas energy grid. These project create instability in the grid and are a unreliable source of energy production. Peacock notes that heavy reliance on renewables has lead to blackouts in California, and Texas experienced something similar during Winter Storm Uri.

Robert Michaels, a retired Cal State University Fullerton economics professor, has stated that wind and solar generators need subsidies and other financial breaks in order to survive. Michaels says that regular “capital expenditures and operating expenditures” are given to renewables to keep them afloat financially and to deal with their unreliable nature.

That’s one of the primary reasons the North Texas Heritage Association opposes the industrial wind farms receiving tax abatements, and why it wanted the Jack County officials to debate the concept. But it wasn’t to be.

Barton said when the April 26 meeting was set to start, Brock appeared, but looked distraught and said he felt compelled to resign to ensure his family's safety. His wife posted on Facebook that the family was deeply upset, and watched vehicles drive past their home through the night out of concern from the threat.

Barton said these developments demanded a response.

“NTHA has issued a strongly worded condemnation of the threats of physical violence that was clearly directed towards stopping their initiatives within the community,” he said. “We also understand that both the FBI and the Texas Rangers have been notified of the situation.”

A statement posted on the association’s Facebook page says: “NTHA condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the death threats made against Jack County Precinct 2 Commissioner, James Brock, and we will support any and all efforts to expose the perpetrator and ensure conviction without delay.

“James Brock is our friend and has served the people of Jack County well. We will continue our fight to #keepthecountry in a professional, respectful, and unintimidated manner, and hold the Commissioners Court accountable to act in the best interests of Jack County fairly and legally.”

Barton said he feels law enforcement needs to get involved. 

“I called the FBI, because to me, that constitutes a terrorist threat,” he said.

But he said the FBI told him because it could not determine the manner in which the threat was delivered, it could not investigate. Barton was advised to contact the Texas Rangers.

“I can’t even get them to return a phone call about it,” he said.

Barton said Brock had told him “unequivocally – I’ve sat down and talks with him for extensive periods of time,” that he would side with the views of the Precinct 1 commissioner, Gary Oliver, who strongly opposed to the tax abatements.

“And everybody knew that,” he said. "With a commissioner who had stepped aside because of a commitment to a wind farm, the vote seemed likely to go in favor of ending the abatement. But when Brock resigned, everything went into limbo. The question is, who will be named to fill the seat, and what views on this matter will the new commissioner have?"

“This is a deeply complex situation with emotions running high in the community. It is also the classic case of Goliath crushing David in the dead of night, and then crawling off into the dark,” Barton told Nortex Times. “Local law enforcement has said they can do nothing without cooperation from the threatened commissioner – you can imagine how an event like this affects (how) simple country folks view their county leadership and law enforcement. Many feel that evil has triumphed by a simple act of violent terroristic threats, and no one is coming to their defense.”

He said this matter cannot be silenced and that threats of physical violence must not subvert the legal process. The association represents more than 700 people who own and manage more than 750,000 acres of land in the three counties, he said. Barton said their views and interests cannot be overwhelmed by threats and intimidation.

“To me, we have to have an independent, outside investigation of this,” he said.