Hill Country Chronicle

The Devils River Conservancy will work with a new congressional representative in its ongoing effort to stop a proposed wind farm in southwest Texas.

They don’t expect anything to change, however.

The DRC opposes the planned Blue Hills Wind Farm owned by Chinese billionaire Sun Guangxin, who controls the Xinjiang Guanghui Industry Investment Group, a conglomerate that includes Guanghui Energy and China Grand Automotive Services. Sun, a veteran of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army with an estimated wealth of $1.9 billion, has purchased 10 ranches totaling 132,000 acres in the Devils River watershed.

Randy Nunns | Submitted

DRC President Randy Nunns, a retired San Antonio businessman and Val Verde County property owner, said the wind farm would be located in an environmentally sensitive area. On its website, the organization details its concerns.

“DRC strongly supports renewable energy and development by design. However, it is opposed to any wind power in the immediate region around the Devils River in Val Verde County,” it states. “Not only will 700-foot wind turbines obstruct the view and destroy the natural beauty of the land, but they will also impact local and migrating populations of bats and birds, as well as disrupt the delicate and rich biodiverse ecosystem of the region. The Devils River is a true national treasure and wind farms would destroy the region’s natural beauty and environmental values.”

Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican who represented Texas’ 23rd District for three terms, had been listening to and working with the DRC, Nunns said, but the congressman did not seek a fourth term.

Tony Gonzales, a Republican, defeated Gina Ortiz Jones, a Democrat, 147,496 to 135,415, or 50.7% to 46.5%. Libertarian Beto Villela garnered 8,247 votes, or 2.8%.

“While we are sad to lose Hurd, we are very encouraged that Tony has been actively engaging us on this topic, and his previous career in intelligence work should make a smooth handoff of the investigations in Washington,” Nunns said. “I have spoken with Tony Gonzales and he has committed to continue the excellent work of Will Hurd by pressing the investigation in Washington.”

He said all elected officials and candidates have willingly engaged with local residents to discuss this issue.

“The DRC is a non-partisan organization, but we have been engaged with local and national politicians,” he said. “We were pleased that our representatives in Washington, Sens. Cornyn, Cruz, and Congressman Hurd, all expressed their concerns publicly about the national security threat posed by Mr. Sun Guangxin’s wind farm plans. 

“We were also pleased that both of the candidates seeking to replace Rep. Hurd, Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones and Republican Tony Gonzales, came out in support of the statements by those elected officials.”

The newly elected congressman told Hill Country Chronicle he is acutely aware of how important this matter is to his constituents.

“During the campaign, the Blue Hills wind farm was brought up multiple times as a point of serious concern to many Val Verde County residents,” Gonzales said. “As your representative, I am glad I am where I can seriously address these concerns. It is important that the concerns of Val Verde County residents, our local county commissioners court and city council members as well as the commanding officers at Laughlin be addressed. These local leaders know the area better than anyone, and they take priority, so I want the opportunity to thoroughly review the issues with this project that include risks to national security as well as effecting the Devils River area.”

Nunns said the campaign is truly bipartisan, no matter what some have claimed.

“Recently there was an opinion by Admiral Bobby Inman at the University of Texas that the opposition to Sun’s project was an effort to help President Trump get re-elected,” he said. “Had Admiral Inman researched further he would know that the DRC started the 'Don’t Blow It' campaign three years ago with the position that we are not opposed to renewable energy but ‘don't blow it’ with inappropriate siting. Also, I doubt that Gina Ortiz Jones was agreeing with Cruz, Cornyn, and Hurd to assist Trump’s candidacy.”

The Devils River advocates did not endorse candidates, Nunns noted.

“There was no organized effort by the DRC to support one candidate or another as we have membership across the political spectrum. We did brief all relevant political officeholders and candidates on the details,” he said.

“While I have no idea how our members voted, I can say that I personally was swayed by state Sen. Pete Flores’ comments to me that he could not support Chairman Cyrier’s HB 4554 as his ideology of private properties rights for these non-resident investors over-ruled the private property rights of the impacted adjacent landowners, and that Texas Parks and Wildlife had no business trying to protect the viewshed around state-owned parks,” Nunns said. “State Sen.-elect Rolando Gutierrez has pledged support for our opposition campaign, so we look forward to continue our mission with him.”

Nunns said opposition to this project is not unique.

"Wyoming just killed a wind farm project over similar concerns as DRC has over the Blue Hills projects, with the exception that we have an Air Force Base to consider, and that our Chinese neighbor is currently connected to the grid via the nine turbines on his land that are part of the Rocksprings Val Verde Wind Farm operated by Akuo.”

The DRC continues to explore options, he said, and is willing to discuss the matter with all involved.

"We have met personally with the Houston-based officer of GH America, Mr. Mingyu Tang, to explore alternative land use," the DRC website states. "With our suggestions of joining the conservation legacy in the county that already has over 150,000 acres under conservation easement, Mr. Tang indicated that the ‘chairman,’ Sun Guangxin, is only interested in more-profitable options. We have also discussed carbon offset credits, land swaps, and maximizing the traditional uses such as livestock, hunting, and ecotourism instead of industrializing the wild lands."

The DRC believes the area is worth fighting for, and it has mounted a sustained campaign to do so.

“The Devils River watershed covers parts of Schleicher, Crockett, Sutton, Edwards and Val Verde Counties in southwest Texas,” the DRC website explains. “The surface water flows of the Devils River arise in northern Val Verde County, originating near Juno, Texas and flowing approximately 40 miles south into the Rio Grande at Amistad Reservoir, ultimately providing water to the lower Rio Grande Valley. The Devils River watershed is one of the most diverse and ecologically intact watersheds in Texas and home to the purest river in the Southwest United States.”