Location: Texas

In Crockett County, the turbines generate more than just electricity. Money from NextEra supports the meals and events at senior center center, among other benefits. It all comes down to clever utilization of a section of the Texas tax code. As a way of attracting large projects like wind farms, the state offers companies a temporary property tax break — up to 10 years — in exchange for local investment. This Texas Abatement Act (also known as Section 312) means less tax revenue in the short term, but more dollars immediately flowing to community projects and programs like the senior center in Crockett.

Views on grid-connected battery energy storage systems (BESS) are positive, but awareness is low: people are at an early stage of learning (and likely thinking) about this emerging technology, and over time opinions could potentially be swayed either way. Results from a national survey and a message test indicate no major opposition to BESS, and support is high after being informed about basic information, though there are some concerns about risks. When asked, people rate grid reliability as the most convincing reason for BESS, followed by its ability to support intermittent renewable energy; BESS’s positive impacts on local economies and lowering utility bills were also convincing. In testing, both high production value videos featuring testimonials from renewable energy workers as well as simpler graphic explainer videos were persuasive.

How a storm of false and misleading claims about extreme weather events spread unchecked on social media putting lives at risk.

In a poll of several coastal states, voters are increasingly backing offshore wind as energy demand spikes from AI and data centers. When asked why they support offshore wind, voters cite price stabilization (35%), pollution reduction (35%), and energy independence (31%) as key benefits. The findings coincide with growing awareness that sharply rising electricity demand makes it more important than ever to foster viable new sources of electricity

This report shares findings from a joint study of community benefit plans (CBPs) made by utilities and developers. RMI and the University of Minnesota (UMN) Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (CSTEP) collaborated on the research and analysis.