The Highland Independent School District learned earlier this month that it is a property wealthy district after being notified of its status by the Texas Education Agency. In TEA terms, Highland is a Chapter 41 district for the 2008-09 school year. Chapter 41 of the Texas Education Code makes provisions for certain school districts to share their local tax revenue with other school districts. ... The Highland ISD has been declared a Chapter 41 district because of significant increases in property values due to the new wind farms in the district. Nelson said those wind farm values will peak in the 2008-09 school year and then decline due to tax code Chapter 313 property tax limitation agreements ...

Laurie Lasater finds himself these days in an exquisite dilemma. He reveres the right of property-owners to use their land as they see fit, yet he deplores the rush of ranchers to install huge wind turbines on vast rolling plains. "The concerns are twofold," said the third-generation rancher, whose grandfather introduced the Beefmaster breed to South Texas. "First are property rights. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association stoutly defends private property rights, but wind farms not only affect the view, they also hurt land values. "Second is the true cost of energy produced. For both ethanol and wind energy, the true cost is approximately double the cost of energy from other sources."

His distaste for wind-generated energy may have begun as a “not in my back yard” sentiment. But as he learned more about the industry, Rankin said, his attitude hardened. With several of his neighbors, Rankin filed one of the first anti-wind-industry lawsuits in the state, arguing that wind farms are a public nuisance that do little to help the state’s energy needs. “One of the things that really energized us is how quietly, how stealthily and surreptitiously these people worked behind the scenes,” Rankin said. “The lack of regulation, combined with the state renewable-energy mandate, is making Texas a prime spot for these wind companies. But I can tell you, nobody wants to live next to them.”