Published 7:54 am Saturday, October 3, 2026
By Pamela Sleezer
Representatives of a solar farm proposed for the Moss Bluff area have failed to provide documentation supporting their claims that the project will reduce property taxes, according to one parish official.
District One Police Juror Darby Quinn said parish staffers met this week with representatives of the Persimmon Energy Center project to discuss the project’s claims that, if constructed, the solar farm would reduce property taxes in Ward One by about 22 percent and approximately 27 percent in Ward Six, as well as seven percent for the rest of Calcasieu Parish.
“I spoke to parish staff and was informed that (Persimmon representatives) could not or would not give any documentation providing any support for their claims of tax reductions,” Quinn said. “They were advised to no longer make claims about reducing taxes until there was some supporting evidence for the claim.”
The Persimmon project is a 4,700-acre solar farm proposed for the Moss Bluff area by Oakland, Calif.-based Orion Renewable Energy Group. Orion representatives have claimed the project would equal a $1.7 billion investment into Calcasieu Parish.
In recent months, tax claims have fluctuated in publications and brochures shared with community members and stakeholders. The American Press viewed brochures shared in July that claimed estimated property tax reductions would equal 16 percent to 31 percent for Wards One and Six, respectively.
In messages shared with the American Press, Quinn expressed concerns that, without knowing the full size and scope of the Persimmon project, the parish has no way to determine the true tax value of the project.
“The assumptions that are being made are for the entirety of the completed project, and no one seems to know what that means because they can’t, or won’t, produce a map,” Quinn said. “Either way, this project will not result in any direct tax reduction as it is being described.”
The company has yet to file a permit application with the Calcasieu Planning and Zoning Commission to construct the solar farm.
Johnny George lives in the east Moss Bluff area, about five miles from the proposed site of the solar farm, and he said he was visited by Orion reps at his home the week of Sept. 21. George said he was given a brochure that claimed the area would see property tax reductions between 22 and 27 percent.
“It was two representatives, and they said they were gathering feedback from the community about the project,” George said.
He said the information shared with him didn’t sway his opposition to the project.
“I’m a retired engineer,” George said. “I told them that, from the engineering side, I think the technology is very interesting, but I don’t believe this is the right location for it.”
State Representative Brett Geymann said George’s response sums up the community’s feelings regarding the project.
Geymann recently shared the results of a NextGen poll survey of the Moss Bluff community to his social media page, which reflected that more than 87 percent of residents oppose the solar farm. Geymann said the results match the feedback he has received privately from community members.
“No one is against innovation or industry,” he said. “But they don’t want it in Moss Bluff.”

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