Harper Citizens Get BIG Legal Win over Battery Facility
- LoriDawn Messuri
- Jan 16
- 2 min read
13 JAN 2026
Harper Area Citizens Get Second BIG Legal Win Against Battery Facility
“It’s a great day in Gillespie County and you can thank Esther Schneider for another legal victory against Peregrine Energy!” Bruce Neitzke, Harper Resident
Fredericksburg, TX – Peregrine Energy signed an Agreed Temporary Injunction with the four Harper plaintiffs and intervenor Gillespie County, halting all activities on the Harper BESS site. This is the second major legal victory for the plaintiffs in the past five weeks. The plaintiffs had filed for a temporary injunction in September, prompting Peregrine Energy to file a Motion to Dismiss. On December 2, District Court Judge Albert Pattillo ruled against Peregrine Energy and awarded the plaintiffs attorneys fees and costs. Those costs totaled almost $30,000.
For almost a year, a group of Harper area residents has been meeting with Gillespie County officials, in hopes of stopping Peregrine Energy from building a lithium battery storage facility (BESS) next to the local K-12 school. This facility is sited less than 87’ from the headways of the Pedernales River. The effort has been spearheaded by Esther Schneider, a retired business executive, and heavily bolstered by a bastion of retired engineers and other professionals, residing in and around Harper.
“We were first told during a November 2024 public meeting that Peregrine Energy was intending to build a lithium battery facility, right in the middle of Harper,” says Bruce Neitzke, a retired professional engineer, “but now we know through litigation documents that Gillespie County officials had been meeting with Peregrine since September or October of 2023.” Neitzke said that before Schneider took the lead that all efforts to have meaningful dialogue with officials had been rebuffed. “Esther’s a retired government affairs executive and knew exactly what was required to stop Peregrine, starting with presenting facts surrounding the Moss Landing, CA BESS fire,” continues Neitzke, “then she went to work to find a bull-nosed, energy law firm.”
“While the fight is not over, these two legal victories demonstrate that citizens must remain vigilant against industries that want to take advantage of our private property rights and lax county officials,” says Esther Schneider.
Documents attached with special note: All three parties (Peregrine, Harper Plaintiffs and Gillespie Co) have signed and are awaiting final approval from Judge Pattillo.
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