Kerr County Commissioners Court has energized discussion over batteries

Kerr County Precinct 3 Commissioner Jonathan Letz brokered a compromise deal Tuesday morning to move discussions about forming a regional planning commission forward, but not before some heated debate about the intentions of the effort behind its formation.

The Kerr County Commissioners Court faced the challenge of adopting a resolution to stop the development of lithium-ion battery storage facilities, with the idea of partnering with Kendall County.

Led by Precinct 2 Commissioner Rich Paces, the resolution didn’t outright say stopping battery storage facilities, but the first-term commissioner said it out loud.

“There’s a massive concern from our community,” Paces said when Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly questioned why the county should enter into this agreement.

“If a fire does occur, we can’t fight it,” Paces said. “We don’t have enough water; we certainly don’t have enough foam. We want to as a minimum to apply international fire code.”

Throughout this process, Paces has shown little regard for context about fire safety in the battery field. While quick to cite fire dangers, the Precinct 2 Commissioner consistently fails to mention that there were four fires in battery storage facilities worldwide this year. Improving technology has reduced the risk.

Kelly also saw another hand at work with the proposed resolution.

“This feels like this is a byproduct of the fossil fuel billionaires from West Texas that have been funding our local politics,” Kelly said. “I think that trying to stop these lithium battery storage facilities across the board is not legal.”

Kelly’s comments relate to efforts by organizations affiliated with oil and gas billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks to sow distrust of renewable energy. We The People, Liberty In Action’s Terri Hall’s involvement certainly signals a connection, considering her lawyers are part of a network attached to Dunn’s contributions.

More significantly, Kelly argued that the county has little to no say in preventing private property development. Still, he did go along with Letz’s revised plan to study the planning commission versus outright blocking its adoption. The compromise also drew the support of Precinct 1 Commissioner Anne Overby.

“I’m concerned we are going to get sued,” Kelly said. “We can’t pass ordinances. We don’t have this power. I think this is a thinly disguised effort to stop those property owners from developing their land.”

Kelly criticized Paces for not including the city of Kerrville in the process.

“I find it odd,” he said of Kerrville’s exclusion. Paces said he wanted to focus on partnering with Kendall County, where a planned battery energy storage plant is drawing fierce resistance.

Lithium-ion batteries power many devices, including mobile phones and electric vehicles. The Biden Administration, following the Obama Administration’s lead, has invested heavily in growing storage. Texas, which is not only the nation’s largest producer of fossil fuels but also renewables, has made storing that energy a priority for the Energy Reliability Council of Texas. The state has dozens of battery storage projects planned to stabilize the renewable markets and the grid.

Paces is right about reasons to be concerned about batteries meeting fire codes. Three of the fires happened in California, including one Sept. 4 near San Diego, where residents complained about the installations not meeting codes. California residents are notoriously fickle about any energy project. Unlike Texas, California municipalities and counties have greater leeway to regulate battery storage on environmental grounds.

In a story by the San Diego Union-Tribune last month, firefighting expert Rob Rezende said the San Diego Fire Department is learning to deal with battery fires.

“The chemical reaction that’s happening in the batteries cannot be extinguished,” Rezende said. Crews applying water are trying to prevent the next battery from going into thermal runaway, known as propagation, he told the newspaper.

However, a recent natural gas pipeline fire near Houston resulted in firefighters having to let the fire burn itself out after four days last month. That fire left one person dead, led to the evacuation of 1,000 homes and knocked out power. Officials said the fire was caused by a vehicle striking an above-ground valve. Natural gas pipelines crisscross Kerr County, many with exposed above-ground valves.