Austin News

The Devil’s River Conservancy hopes for help from the State of Texas or the federal government to prevent the construction of a massive Chinese-owned wind farm.

GH America Energy, which purchased land for the proposed Blue Hills Wind Farm, is a subsidiary of Guanghui Industry, owned by Sun Guangxin, a veteran of the Chinese People’s Revolutionary Army with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. 

Laughlin Air Force Base, where the U.S. Air Force trains most of its pilots, is located in the region. The 47th Flying Training Wing is based there. President Randy Nunn and other members of the conservancy worry about the security of the base with the Chinese development so near.

Devils River | File Photo

They also have concerns about the Texas electricity grid and the rugged beauty of the area. The wind farm would erect 40 turbines reaching heights of 700 feet.

“The Devils River is a place many consider to be the last pristine river in Texas,” according to the DRC website.

Nunn said the DRC has provided input on a pair of bills introduced in the Texas Legislature. One is sponsored by a Republican, the other by a Democrat, as part of the conservancy’s bipartisan campaign to protect the pristine area.

“Yes, we are involved in the discussions of these two bills,” Nunn told Austin News. “There may be more to come.”

State Rep. Eddie Morales, a freshman Democrat from Eagle Pass who represents House District 74, introduced House Bill 623, which would allow the Val Verde County Commissioners Court to designate specific unincorporated areas for wind energy production. Laughlin Air Force Base would have input on the areas selected. All other parts of the county would be declared off-limits for wind energy sites.

State Rep. John Cyrier, a fourth-term Republican from Lockhart who represents House District 17, introduced HB 783. It empowers the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to ban the construction of wind farms in the Devils River State Natural Area, imposing a civil penalty.

Nunn said the process will continue during the 2021 session.

“These bills will be fine-tuned as some of the details need to be fleshed out,” he said.

Nunn said the conservancy also hoped U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales might have some last-minute luck persuading former President Donald Trump to take some action to protect the area and keep the wind farm from being built. However, this development did not occur. 

The DRC believes the development could pose a risk to national security in addition to harming the natural beauty of the area and the wildlife that live there. Gonzales, a freshman Republican who represents the sprawling 23rd Congressional District, told Hill Country Chronicle in November he was listening to his constituents on this issue and also relying on his military record.

“I am concerned because Val Verde County is a very special place to a lot of people but in particular to Laughlin Air Force Base,” he said. “I understand this type of project poses a national security threat to the United States. As a 20-year Navy combat veteran, the safety of our citizens has always been paramount

On Jan. 14, Gonzales sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to express his concerns about the GH America Energy’s Blue Hills Wind Farm.

“The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) determined that Blue Hills Wind Farm does not currently pose a national security concern. This decision is incorrect and must be rectified. CFIUS can revisit this project at any time, and I encourage the agency to do so as soon as possible,” he wrote. “I also encourage the Trump Administration to review GH America’s acquisition under the authority of President Trump’s Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System, issued on May 1, 2020.”

Nunn said they were hoped for Trump to act before he left office.

“Today we are holding our breath for what Tony Gonzales pushed for in a Trump executive order,” he said on Tuesday. “It’s a long shot for sure as the president has had plenty of opportunity to do something before his last day.”

But that didn’t happen. Nunn said Rep. Gonzales might have a “Plan B” to try to prevent the wind farm from being constructed.