Wednesday, August 12, 2015

SPI Chamber of Commerce President, Roxanne Guenzel, Lies at Press Conference for Annova LNG

Roxanne Genzel, President of
South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce
Understanding that a Chamber of Commerce might deal more in hype than reality, Roxanne Genzel, the President of the South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce, clearly misspoke yesterday at the Port of Brownsville press conference for Annova LNG, whose parent company is Excelon.  Genzel stated:

"Excelon has proven to us that they have a good track record with safety and environmental stewardship."


Jumpin' hydrocarbons, Roxy!  That is a lie!


Excelon, the parent company of Annova, does not have anything close to a squeaky clean record in "safety" or "environmental stewardship."  Did the pooch eat your homework?

According to the Chicago Tribune, Excelon has been ordered to pay $1,000,000 in settlement for leaking radioactive tritium into groundwater from three nuclear power plants.   

Excelon has also agreed to pay $11,500,000 towards a new water supply for the village of Godley, near its Braidwood plant.  

Also from the Chicago Tribune:  

"Exelon has been criticized for failing to notify authorities and neighbors about the leaks promptly. After the Braidwood contamination was revealed in 2006, the company was cited by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for failure to respond properly to 22 leaks that started in 1996.

Illinois lawmakers also approved legislation requiring Exelon to inform state and federal officials of tritium spills as soon as they are discovered."

Our untrustworthy local politicos are pushing hard for rubberstamping FIVE LNG plants stretching from the Port of Brownsville to the city limits of Port Isabel along Highway 48.  In imminent danger is the largest estuary restoration project in North America, home to tens of thousands of birds on their migrations to and from Canada and Mexico, an area populated by brown pelicans, ocelots, sea turtles, dolphins and a host of other endangered and protected wildlife.

22 comments:

  1. Thank you writing this and letting people know the TRUTH.

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  2. We should get a campaign going in change.org for this if there isn't one already.

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    1. Website http://rgvstoplng.wix.com/rgvstoplng Save RGV from LNG on Facebook, and you can submit a comment to Washington at https://goo.gl/W841ss

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    2. Save RGV from LNG on facebook, SaveRGVfromLNG.com and submit a comment to Washington at https://goo.gl/W841ss

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  3. Body Language:
    If you look at the KRGV video interview, she can barely open her eyes nor look at the camera... tell tell signs
    Even some high ranking SPI Chamber employees are baffled at her support of the LNG heck she is pushing for an expedited resolution $$$$, WTF? where are the Environmental studies? why is the FERC asking everyday people their opinon? ask TECQ (State of Texas) or the EPA?
    Where are the politicians? Fishing guides and Nature related businesses?...wake up and smeel the coffee you lifehood is at stake. Amazing that the Laguna Madre Water District and LAguna Astacosa Refuge (National) grew a pair and took a stance!....

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  4. This makes no sense whatsoever. She runs the Chamber comprised of businesses that rely on tourism. You better believe that LNG and comparable companies would negatively affect tourism (fishing, birding, etc.). Additionally, property taxes from the Laguna Madre area are a large percentage of revenue to the County. We’ll see a negative impact there, too. Sure, we’ll see an increase in jobs and perhaps a slight percentile increase in unemployment. However tourism means sales tax revenue. In the long run, and in the bigger picture, it will hurt our community tremendously.

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  5. When the Going gets Weird the Weird Turn Pro!

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  6. Actually Anonymous the property values will go up compared to know, especially the property value of the land the LNG plants will occupy directly. Now they're just strips of sand and brush but once they have infrastructure they'll be worth more to the County and PIISD also, which will reap payments for eternity. I don't want LNG in Cameron County either but all the powerful people are seeing short term dollar signs and not the ong term consequences (they'll let their grandchildren deal with that).

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    1. The LNG companies have asked for a 10 year property tax abatement, so it won't be the taxpayers reaping the benefits. They will also ask for state incentives. We'll be subsidizing their business, not benefiting from it. Our leaders are too accustomed to mindlessly welcoming growth and the few jobs however detrimental.

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  7. Unfortunately, there have been politicians, local economic councils as well as chambers of commerce endorsing these 3 LNG export terminals to the FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission).

    You can also comment until September 4, if you disagree. For ease and more information as to what's happening locally and beyond, go to SaveRGVfromLNG on Facebook

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  8. I have one question for Roxanne, why?

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    1. You are absolutely right. Why? Unless Roxanne is totally clueless, she has to know that this was a horrible deal. How were the Chamber Board of Directors bamboozled into it? These people are supposed to be smart businessmen and unless they each got millions in exchange for their support in killing the industry that sustains them... it just doesn't make sense. Still looking for the WHY and I'll bet you someone got a bunch of hush money to spread around. Why would the Port commissioners make such a stupid deal. How come Senator Lucio and representative Oliveira are not putting up the fight and protect his constituents' interests. As if sodomizing the tourism industry was not enough, the LNG companies don't want to pay taxes for 10 years? Where are our leaders??!! Nowhere. Hiding behind taxpayers funded walls. If this is such a great deal how come Port Chairman Ralph Cowen goes into hiding instead of rounding up some mariachis and singing the praises of LNG. Something smells fishy when no one, except United Brownsville's Mike Saldana, the business puppet who has no choice but to defend his salary, goes on TV and blabs generic bullshit. Where is the Mayor, the BEDC, the other chambers? How much wining and dining did LNG dish out to shaft our community?

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    2. ps: It is mike gonzalez

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    3. Thanks for the catch, but I do have plausabilities. Excuse #1: It's that Google auto-correct. I wrote Gonzales and it changed it to Saldana. Excuse #2: I musta been high and I aimlessly typed Mike Saldana for some reason or other. my apologies to all Mike Saldanas. Excuse #3: I didn't want any Mike Gonzalez to be confused with the other crook Mike Gonzalez from the Brownsville BCVB who got arrested for stealing money from the conventions bureau years ago.

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    4. Don't worry about that . .....Mike Gonzalez from United Brownsville is a crook too. Begging for money for his con organization and nothing in return for taking taxpayers money...a good for nothing crook!

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  9. The best way for business owners to make their displeasure known to the SPI chamber of commerce is to not join the organization or to not renew their current membership. Personal attacks are not a constructive way to fight them. Hit them where it hurts, by reducing their funding.

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  10. Thank you for your info! This will continue to get the word out!!

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  11. Great to get the word out, but, sorry, it is not the correct word getting out.

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  12. IT ALL GOES TO GOOGLE...

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  13. Misc:
    I was told bya good source it was aan executive decision (The whole Board approved it) some people are being rude to chamber employees that I had nothing to do with the crazydecison...
    I was told: It's a done deal
    Nobody is talking about the potential for Ammonia fumes and the schools realtively close by
    more big ships into the Port of brownsville channel...
    Laguna Atascosa just received a grant to expand their wildlife corridor that runs adjecent to the propsed area... which it makes the lNG proposal a crazy stupid idiotic uneducated proposal...
    The one thing we have going is Nature - Fishing - Birdwatching - Outdoor sports - Tourism...
    Fishing has come back with a vengance, the laguna madre is healthy and clean (you go north pass Corpus and it'sa a big trash can = Rockport- port lavaca area)
    Green peace?

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  14. City of Port Isabel voted to oppose, now that the Board of Directors of the South Padre Island Business Owners Association voted to issue a resolution and write a letter to FERC opposing the LNG plants, it does make you wonder who is the SPI Chamber is representing?

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  15. Laguna Vista called a special meeting and is voting this Tuesday on a resolution to oppose the LNG terminals. They will be downwind from these monster pollution producers. The City of South Padre Island is voting this coming Wednesday on a resolution to oppose the LNG terminals. It would be great if all three cities vote to oppose the LNG terminals, that would prove that the LNG companies do not have community support like they claim they do.

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