Residents who live along Pleasant Hill Road and Reaves Road opposed to plans for a renewable energy technology facility in the area made their voices heard to the Osceola County Commission Monday.
Some three dozen of them attended the monthly meeting for items not listed on a meeting agenda, and most spoke. The prevalent topic was the fear of the facility’s anticipated hydrogen and lithium ion battery manufacturing units, and their potential for environmental-harming accidents.
On March 20, the county produced a release that CMG Clean Tech, a French green energy technology firm, announced an expansion of its operations to North America and plans to build a U.S. flagship facility, Green Garden Village, near where the county has, for nearly two decades, proposed a regional park on land the Mac Overstreet family sold.
That day, the county said it approved a plan for CMG Clean Tech to purchase all but 42 of the 389 acres — northeast of the Reaves -Pleasant Hill intersection and near Valencia College’s Poinciana campus — in phases, leaving land for the park.
The county said CMG intended to invest “nearly half a billion dollars in the construction of a renewable energy technology manufacturing park, creating 1,200 high-wage green technology jobs with average annual wages of $75,000 over the next three years.”
About 20 minutes after the meeting ended, the county put out a new release, noting that these plans are in a very early, exploratory stage of negotiations, and that last month’s action merely authorized talks to begin.
The county is “still exploring all aspects of the proposal,” — which includes a green hydrogen operation — it said in Monday’s release. That also noted CMG would, “Create a communications plan to ensure engagement with the community during the planning stages, including community meetings and distribution of information online.” Commissioners would then use that input when the vote to approve the plan comes before them.
But, in the meantime, residents vehemently commented on the potential dangers of hydrogen and lithium ion manufacturing on the environment, such as Lake Toho and nearby homes and schools. The concerns were about lightning storms, acts of terrorism, workplace accidents, and adding 1,200 cars to Pleasant Hill Road, a thoroughfare the see as already overly-congested.
“This is a significant and unacceptable safety risk to nearby residents,” said resident Steve Young. “It will use millions of gallons of water, and we are already on water use restrictions during our drier months.”
Resident Dean Wilson focused on the park aspect, which has been a part of the county’s master plan and comprehensive plan since 2005.
“It’s planned as one of four regional parks. I think the county should get to building the park,” he said, agreeing with those who thought the growing NeoCity campus north of Lake Toho would be more suited for this industrial use.
Commissioner Brandon Arrington, whose district 3 includes the Overstreet land, said the process is still in such an early stage that even he doesn’t have enough information to form a voting opinion yet.
“I appreciate their concerns, but, yes, the word for all this now is, ‘Exploratory,’” he said, a sentiment echoed by Commissioner Ricky Booth.
