Local tax abatements and federal tax credits for the Texas wind industry generate costs for Texans, promote grid instability, and impose harm on residents of rural Texas.
Key Points:
- Local tax abatements for Texas wind energy cost Texan taxpayers money and have not been proven to generate a net overall increase in job-creating investment.
- The wind mainly blows in remote areas of the state and it costs additional money to transport the energy created to more populated areas.
- Wind energy is also unreliable because the wind mainly blows when the energy generated is less needed. For example, Texans rely on fossil fuel generators during heat waves, not wind energy.
- People who live near wind turbines report harmful effects on their health and happiness.