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UPDATE: Banita Creek Solar is currently moving dirt at lightening speed within a FEMA designated Zone A Floodplain with no Floodplain Permit from the county which is required by law.  Call your commissioners and voice your concerns. Clear cutting hundreds of thousands of trees with no regard for neighboring landowners is not only irresponsible - its DANGEROUS. 

Urgent Update: Van Zandt County Just Acted—Nacogdoches County Must Follow Suit NOW! Friends and fellow Nacogdoches County residents, Big news out of East Texas: Van Zandt County Commissioners are moving forward with a temporary moratorium on ALL new green energy projects (including solar farms, wind turbines, and battery energy storage systems) until Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s investigation into CCP-linked components in these developments is complete. This action comes directly in response to Paxton’s November 2025 probe into products from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL)—a company aligned with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—and their potential risks to Texas’s critical infrastructure, including our power grid. Concerns include national security threats, unreliable equipment, safety issues (like battery failures and fires), and foreign influence over essential Texas energy systems. Van Zandt County is taking a bold stand to protect local land, safety, wildlife, and our grid from unchecked foreign-tied “green energy” projects. They are halting permitting and construction until the Attorney General’s findings ensure no CCP parts or influence compromise Texas. Why Nacogdoches County must do the same—immediately: • Nacogdoches currently has ZERO regulations, zero permitting requirements, and zero local control over massive utility-scale solar and battery projects threatening Lake Nacogdoches, Alazan Bayou, wildlife habitats, property values, and our rural way of life. • These projects often rely on the same Chinese-manufactured components now under Paxton’s scrutiny. • If Van Zandt County can pause to prioritize safety and security, so can we—before irreversible damage is done here. We demand our Nacogdoches County Commissioners follow Van Zandt’s lead and impose an immediate moratorium on all new utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage projects until: 1. Paxton’s investigation concludes and confirms no CCP-aligned parts or risks are involved. 2. Strong local regulations are in place to protect our environment, economy, and communities. Sign and share this petition today—add your voice to tell our commissioners: Protect Nacogdoches first! No more foreign-tied projects without answers and safeguards. Together, we can save our lake, our land, and our future.

Thank you for standing up—keep sharing! Nacogdoches County has zero regulations, zero permitting, and zero control over giant solar farms and battery storage.  Three massive, interconnected projects totaling over 7,200 acres and 1,389 MW will completely surround: Lake Nacogdoches (our only reservoir) Alazan Bayou (the main feeder creek) The City of Nacogdoches Water Treatment Plant at 9966 FM 225 Dozens of family farms, ranches, gardens, and livestock operations The projects: Middlebrook Creek Solar (609 MW) – Solar Proponent LLC Spindletop / Banita Creek Solar (316 MW) Sunlit Pines Solar + Battery (464 MW) – AYPA Power / Blackstone The threats we already face or will face with no rules in place: Toxic chemical runoff into Alazan Bayou and Lake Nacogdoches from broken or degrading panels (cadmium, lead, PFAS “forever chemicals”) and battery fires that release lithium, cobalt, and hydrofluoric acid Drinking-water contamination risk — the city water plant is inside the project ring with no buffer zone Heat-island effect and glare - blinding drivers on FM 225 and stressing livestock (cows abort calves, chickens stop laying, goats overheat) 20-50 % property value collapse — proven in every Texas county that allowed these projects Battery explosions and toxic smoke plumes — BESS units have caught fire in Texas 6 times since 2023; one fire can force evacuation for miles No guaranteed cleanup — panels and batteries last 25-30 years; developers walk away and leave landowners with mountains of toxic waste and no decommissioning money Prime farmland and timberland destroyed forever — Class I & II soils turned into industrial zones Possible Chinese ownership or components — violates Texas SB 17 and threatens grid security SB 819 violations (passed in Senate but stalled in the Texas House)— these ≥10 MW projects must get a PUC “public interest” permit with setbacks and environmental studies before they can connect to the grid. None have applied.  We, the residents and landowners, demand that the County and City of Nacogdoches team up to create a 391 Commission to tackle our concerns and safeguard citizens from the harm that solar farms and BESS could cause to our farmland, water, and wildlife.  We must demand regulations before it's too late. Pass an immediate 180-day moratorium on all utility-scale solar and battery projects Adopt permanent ordinances including: 2,500-ft setbacks from homes, barns, livestock, churches, schools, creeks, bayous, and the city water plant  No panels or batteries within 5 miles of Lake Nacogdoches or its watershed  Independent water testing paid by developers — before, during, and 10 years after $150,000 per MW cash decommissioning bond posted upfront  Full road bonds and repair agreements Evergreen screening and glare studies Total ban on projects with any Chinese or “country of concern” ties  Ban on prime farmland and timberland conversion Mandatory public hearing and vote for every future project Nacogdoches County is home to 11 federally listed or candidate endangered species, including the Neches River Rose Mallow. This project will destroy their habitat with no county regulations in place. Demand TPWD/USFWS surveys before any clearing begins. This is our drinking water. Our environment. Our family farms. Our children’s future. We will not be surrounded and poisoned without a fight. PLEASE CONTACT NACOGDOCHES COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND THE NACOGDOCHES CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND DEMAND REGULATIONS BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!! Sign and share everywhere. #SaveAlazanBayou #ProtectLakeNacogdoches #StopIndustrialSolar