SAN ANTONIO – A federal judge recommended that the work on a solar farm project in Bandera be temporarily halted on Monday.
For months, KSAT Investigates has followed the battle between landowners and the solar company, Pine Gate Renewables, LLC.
During a Monday morning emergency motion hearing, the judge heard from several attorneys.
Landowners said the work being done on the project has led to contamination on their land.
One neighbor said sediment spilling from the project has killed fish and turtles on his property.
An attorney for Pine Gate Renewables disputed that in court and said the solar farm construction isn’t contaminating anything.
The attorney representing the landowners declined to make a comment after the hearing.
In a statement, Pine Gate Renewables spokesperson Kristen McKenzie said it believes landowners “have violated the agreement by filing one-off ‘emergency’ motions on isolated issues instead of abiding by the agreed-upon dispute resolution framework.”
McKenzie said the company plans to stop work on the site “other than those necessary for the protection of property and public safety” until an October hearing.
All parties are expected to be back in court in October.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
