Grimes County residents petition for oversight after SpaceX's Terafab wins tax breaks

Nearly 900 residents of Grimes County, Texas signed a petition demanding stricter regulation of large infrastructure projects that receive public incentives, presenting it to the County Commissioner Court. Demands include a local oversight process, measurable local hiring commitments, and pollution controls. "When a company asks Grimes County for tax abatements, grants, reinvestment zones, development agreements, or other public benefits, the County has leverage," the petition reads. The trigger was SpaceX's 100-million-square-foot Terafab semiconductor factory, which secured an agreement to pay $20 million annually, about 78% of what it would owe in property taxes. SpaceX released renderings of the four-building complex this week and says the initial phase costs $16.8 billion, with future phases "much higher." Roughly 30,000 people live in the county.

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