A temporary injunction has been issued aganist Global Fiberglass Solutions of Texas LCC prohibiting it from accepting or disposing of additional industrial or municipal solid waste, primarily related to windmill blades, at two Sweetwater facilities while requiring them to begin removing the existing stockpiles.
The temporary injunction was signed by a Travis County district judge, applies to Global Fiberglass Solutions of Texas LLC, its affiliated companies, and company official Donald Lilly.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured the temporary injunction requiring the company accused of illegally stockpiling thousands of wind turbine blades in West Texas to stop accepting additional shipments and begin cleaning up the sites. Paxton sued the company in February, alleging it had illegally accumulated more than 3,000 discarded wind turbine blades, nacelles, and other materials at two facilities in Sweetwater in violation of Texas solid waste laws.
“No new wind turbine blade shipments will be accepted at these illegal sites, and the defendants are now legally required to begin cleaning up the thousands of discarded blades they irresponsibly abandoned in Sweetwater.,” said Paxton. “We will not allow Texas land to be used as an illegal dumping ground.”
According to the attorney general’s office, Global Fiberglass Solutions was hired by multiple companies to break down and recycle wind turbine blades but instead created massive stockpiles at the Nolan County sites.
The company was investigated after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in 2018 received an anonymous complaint. It was found the company was conducting recycling operations without notifying the agency and was accumulating wind turbine blades beyond the threshold allowing them to remain exempt from solid waste permitting requirements.
In 2022, TCEQ entered an agreed order with the company requiring it to obtain permits or remove the waste, but investigators later discovered more turbine parts had been delivered to one of the abandoned facilities without the required permits.
Under the temporary injunction, the defendants must immediately stop accepting additional waste and cease processing solid waste except as authorized by the order, submit a detailed inventory of all wind turbine blades and related materials within 30 days, including serial numbers and transportation records, and begin removing the material within 180 days. Should they receive the necessary permits from TCEQ, they must cut the blades into manageable sections, shred them, and recycle or lawfully dispose of the material. If unable to obtain the permits within 180 days, they must transport the waste to another approved disposal facility. One-quarter of the material is to be removed within 270 days, half within 365 days, three-quarters within 460 days, and all remaining waste within 530 days.
Paxton’s lawsuit seeking civil penalties and a permanent injunction remains pending. A trial is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2027.