SWEETWATER, TEXAS - OCTOBER 04: In an aerial view, discarded wind turbine blades are seen in a field next to the Sweetwater Cemetery on, October 04, 2023 in Sweetwater, Texas. General Electric filed a lawsuit against Global Fiberglass, claiming that …
A Texas wind turbine company must stop accepting wind turbine blades and begin the cleanup process at two of its facilities in Sweetwater, according to a temporary injunction from a Travis County district court judge.
The injunction comes just months after the state filed a lawsuit against Global Fiberglass Solutions, Inc. alleging the company and its affiliated entities illegally dumped and abandoned thousands of wind turbine blades.
Company must start the process of breaking down wind turbine blades
According to the injunction, Global Fiberglass Solutions can no longer accepting waste at their facilities and create a detailed inventory of all blades and other waste at the facility within 30 days.
The company must also begin the process of removing the blades within 180 days, either through obtaining permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and breaking down the turbine blades at their facilities or finding another facility that can handle the disposal.
All waste must be removed from the two facilities within 550 days.
What they're saying:
"This is a victory for protecting the land, health, and safety of the people of Texas," Attorney General Ken Paxton said. "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. We will not allow Texas land to be used as an illegal dumping ground."
Abandoned wind turbine blades in Texas
The backstory:
According to the lawsuit, Global was hired by various companies to break down and recycle the massive turbine components. Instead, investigators documented a stockpile of more than 3,000 blades and nacelles, the housings that enclose turbine engines, abandoned at the two facilities.
The state alleges that as of March 2025, the sites contained approximately 487,000 cubic yards of solid waste.
The lawsuit names Global Fiberglass Solutions of Texas, LLC, Global Fiberglass Solutions, Inc., GFSI-MHE Manufacturing of Texas, LLC, Vo Dynasty, LLC, and individual Donald Lilly as defendants.
The state's claims include:
- Failure to Recycle: Under Texas law, facilities must recycle at least 75% of accumulated material annually to avoid being classified as a waste disposal site. The state alleges Global never met this threshold since operations began in 2017.
- Violation of Prior Orders: Global signed an "Agreed Order" in 2022 promising to cease accepting waste and to obtain proper permits. Investigators claim the company ignored the order, accepted new shipments, and eventually abandoned the sites.
- Unauthorized Storage: None of the defendants ever received authorization from the TCEQ to process or store industrial solid waste at these locations.
What's next:
The injunction was signed on June 10. The case is set for trial on Sept. 13, 2027.
The Source: Information in this article comes from a release from the Attorney General's Office, court documents filed in the 201st District Court of Travis County and previous FOX Local reporting.