Friday, September 4, 2015

Cameron County Commissioner's Court Ignores Rising Opposition to LNG Plants

Interim County Judge Pete Sepulveda
Between jostling for position in the 2016 race for County Judge and orchestrating a more favorable panel to authorize raises for themselves, the county commissioners have pretended not to notice the rising tide of opposition to the liquefied natural gas plants proposed for the Port of Brownsville, extending to the city limits of Port Isabel.

The agenda for their September 10, 8:45 AM meeting at the Dancy Building includes Action Item J:

Consideration and approval of a Chapter 38 tax abatement betwen Annova LNG and Cameron County(RG Planning, Development and Management)



Meanwhile, the opposition to these short-term profiteering, long-term environment damaging LNG plants mounts. Here's the current list of Cameron County opposition to LNG:

On 08-07-2015 the Laguna Madre Water District voted against LNG.
http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13960241
On 08-11-2015 the Surfrider Foundation, South Texas Chapter, sent a comment to FERC opposing LNG!http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13962737
On 08-18-2015 the South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation rejected a Texas LNG request for a Letter of Support.

On 08-24-2015 Texas Parks & Wildlife submitted a three page comment to FERC listing 26 concerns about the LNG proposals.
http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13966068
On 08-25-2015 the Port Isabel City Commission voted to oppose LNG!

On 08-26-2015 the South Padre Island Business Owners Association voted to oppose LNG!

On 08-27-2015 Sea Turtle, Inc sent a letter of concern to FERC regarding LNG.
http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13978113
On 09-01-2015 the Laguna Vista Town Council voted to oppose LNG!

On 09-02-2015 the South Padre Island City Commission voted to oppose LNG!

On 09-03-2015 Defenders of Wildlife sent a letter of concern to FERC regarding LNG.
http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13977678

On 09-03-2015, the RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce submitted a letter to FERC opposing LNG!
http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13978536
On 09-03-2015, the LRGV Sierra Club Chapter submitted a letter to FERC opposing LNG!http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13978540
On 09-04-2015, the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club and save RGV from LNG submitted a letter of concern to FERC regarding LNG.http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/opennat.asp?fileID=13979240

17 comments:

  1. At the end like always Garza, Benavidez, and Sepulveda look for their interests finding a way to override the public's opinion on the issue.

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  2. All are in awe of the money that the LNG companies "might" bring to the county. Eduardo Campriano and the Port Boart of Trustees are salivating about this potential expansion of the port and the money it brings. We have no idea what "incentives" (property tax abatements, etc) might be offered to these companies, but they are already bringing money to the port just by having a "potential lease". The port is saying that the expansion of the port is being paid for by these leases. The big question is "Why are local taxpayers being taxed to support this port?" It is time the port paid for itself and got off the public dole.

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    1. good suggestion - let the Port pay the County taxes for the 10 years the LNG companies don't want to pay!

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    2. Quite an impressive list - and the Hispanic Chamber REVERSED themselves - that takes courage!

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    3. i didnt know that they had voted for LNGs before. You're right, it would take a lot of courage for the Port of Brownsville commissioners to do the same thing and reverse themselves and put an end to this stupid misadventure. reminds me of the time my aunt quit her job teaching at Cummings in late April and ran off to Mexico with a Jamaican merchant marine guy and they spent the summer in puerto escondido yadayadayada then she shows up back in town in mid August and said the jamaican was fun and all but she said it wasnt going to work out in the long run and the family had a nice welcome back party for her and she went back to doing what she liked best, teaching, then in september she got married to some older pharmacist and in May they became the proud parents of a baby they named Kanelita and she is now all grown up and she runs a stingray therapy spa in Kingston.

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  3. The Port of Brownsville is in Sofia benavidez precinct 1 and she can easily be persuaded vote for LNG. But now that bea Rosenbaum, who is the Port's director of industrial development, is challenging her to make sure the LNG have another sure vote on the port, she maybe will vote for LNG just out of spite towarsd the Port for putting Rosenbaum against her.

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  4. You don't make sense....... "easily persuaded to vote for LNG"......."vote for LNG out of spite " .....same thing?

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  5. You don't make sense....... "easily persuaded to vote for LNG"......."vote for LNG out of spite " .....same thing?

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  6. These people need to open their eyes and realize the LNG have come to the poorest county in the nation because they know with a little money these people can be easily persuaded. The LNG are dirty corrupt companies that have done nothing but lie about everything they promised and now they want to come destroy our environment.

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  7. Whats the Turd have to say about all this?

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  8. Sorry.....forgot the Turd is too busy chasing water development contracts (as a family practice lawyer) and skimming off state funding programs from public entities to care about the LNG impact.

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  9. County commishioners are worthless and the county judge fits right in with them . They should learn from the example the South Padre City Council set.....they took a vote because they felt " they risked losing constituents trust by ignoring calls for city leaders to take a position ". Instead, our county commissioners copy Tony Martinez's style of ignoring the will of the people and trying to get a piece of the pie for themselves . Bola de ratas !

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  10. Maybe the County should justify to the public, "Why are we still paying taxes to the Port of Brownsville?". The county seems ready and willing to give the LNG companies tax abatements...which then puts the burden of the county budget on the taxpayers. I see another "Titan Tire" fiasco headed our way.

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  11. Pete Sepulveda was not elected and continues to be a pawn for the "special interests" that seek his vote in policy making for the county.

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  12. Please call or email your objections to the county commissioners. Over five thousand comments were made to FERC in opposition by Texan's locally and from across the state, including many Texas environmentally concerned heavy hitter agencies wanting to protect our region and demanding further EIS performed answering specific concerns.

    It is now up to us here in the county to apply pressure by showing up and saying.."No Tax Abatement" at this Thursday's 8:45 am meeting or via calls and emails.

    Time to speak up is now, not just here on this blog but to those we elected to represent us, not a industry.

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  13. Pete is an arrogant asshole who, hopefully , one day will have to answer to federal authorities for his schemes . ....perfect boss for the Mexican Pendejo Valadez .

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