Wednesday, February 26, 2020

WILL FISHING AT JAIME ZAPATA BOAT RAMP BE CURTAILED BY LNG? CITIZENS SPEAK THEIR MIND



Our recent article suggesting that fishing at the Jaime Zapata Boat Ramp will eventually be closed drew the ire of the pro-LNG establishment who described the suggestion as "fake news."

Do people really believe that recreational fishing will be allowed just outside the one mile hazard area of an LNG facility?


Obviously, I could be wrong.  Future generations of sportsmen could be allowed to fish adjacent to an LNG plant or, in a few years, the Superfund cleanup wreckage and chemical waste left after the short-term profiteers leave the area.

Port of Brownsville Director Eduardo Campirano reassured the citizenry in a Brownsville Herald letter to the editor dated 10/5/15:  "LNG is the liquefied form of the natural gas that people use in their homes for cooking and heating and has been safely handled for many years."

Of course, that silly, irresponsible statement totally ignores the fact that it is the process of condensing natural gas to 1/600th of its volume that is dangerous and highly polluting!

Anyway.  Following the article, an interesting discussion ensued on Facebook that is worth reprinting:



  • Dana Libby Our county government sucks bad ,but then look what we voted for last time . Maybe its time to do a recall or vote for people with our interests , instead of theirs .
    3
  • Dorothy Adams Gonzalez No that's been a fishing spot since i can remember. Can something be done Bobby
    2
  • Dorothy Adams Gonzalez Same as what Cameron County did with SpaceX Get rid of SpaceX taking ovet Boca Chica beach
    3
  • Bobby Lerma And you should know bloggers are usually close to right sometimes
    • Sheala Sue Bobby Lerma even if they’re not closing imagine the environmental impacts, the effects of closing waterways, etc. Good business doesn’t always mean prosperous community or environment.
      1
    • Jared Hockema Pati Pineda Matamoros the ramp may not be permanently closed, but one of the concerns that I have is the restrictions that will be placed on marine traffic when the LNG tankers are present. In other cities where LNG facilities are located, the coast gSee More
      1
  • Bobby Lerma Good to know! Thanks for updating us
    1
  • David Childress Sad but true
    1

  • David Kowalski Look what happed with the Dakota Pipeline
    2
  • Carlos Masso That is not true! The anti-lng people are putting this out to play on your fears and it looks like its working. I have been to an lng right on the Texas/Louisiana border that is adjacent to Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. Its been operating for years. No chemicals going out into the environment. Recreational fishing not affected at all.
    5
    • Donald Clupper Carlos Masso the Lake Charles facility you are referring to has not started operation yet it is to be opened sometime this year it has not been there for years.
      1
    • Carlos Masso Donald Clupper i am referring to the Cheniere Sabine Pass LNG. its been there for several years. I visited about 4 years ago and it had already been in operation for several years at that time.
  • Richard Hitchcox This is a total political lie by the same campaign that threw around lies that I work for his opponent. Thanks for the thought, but I am a political nobody who works for no one politically. Why attack me? Donald Clupper lacks common dignity!!!
    2
  • Jared Hockema What is also not mentioned is that if these facilities catch fire, there is no way to extinguish the flames.
    1
  • Jared Hockema Another issue that has not been mentioned is the deposition of the spoil from the dredging that will be necessary to make the ship channel deep enough to accommodate these vessels. It will be deposited on the East bank of the shop channel. If anyone remembers the silt and sand we had blowing across highway 48 before this area was restored, a similar situation will occur.
  • Pati Pineda Matamoros False news. Boat ramp will NOT BE CLOSED! Beach will NOT BE CLOSED!! Anti-LNG people are putting this out. My husband and I enjoy fishing 🎣 as much as most of you. FISH ON!!! 🐠
  • Ellen Tyma Not true at all
  • Donald Clupper Carlos Masso the Lake Charles facility you are referring to has not started operation yet it is to be opened sometime this year it has not been there for years.
    1
  • Carlos Masso Donald Clupper i am referring to the Cheniere Sabine Pass LNG. its been there for several years. I visited about 4 years ago and it had already been in operation for several years at that time.
  • Donald Clupper Carlos Masso it has been there since 2008. It is expanding, however it is not on the coast and its tankers are moved by tugs avoiding the disruptions we will have here. They are able to contain their pollution by being inland always. We will not have tSee More
  • Carlos Masso Donald Clupper its a very clean operation. There is no pollution going on. Oil tankers are far more dangerous if they were to be targeted than an LNG ship or facility. You are against LNG and are spreading fake news and paranoia.
  • Donald Clupper Carlos Masso this is not fake news. LNG is going to devastate the local economy if it goes through.
  • Jared Hockema Carlos Masso why would you want such an ugly facility next to a beautiful, pristine natural area? I’m embarrassed to think of our visitors coming to the Laguna Madre area who will see this mess. As once example, Texas LNG, which is to be located behind H-E-B in Port Isabel, will have a 450 foot tall smoke stack and a 300 foot tall tank. That is far higher than any building on SPI!
  • Donald Clupper Carlos Masso just because you cant see it, smell it or taste it doesn't mean it isnt there. This is very dangerous stuff. The explosions in San Juan Puerto Rico, Plymouth Washington, and many other LNG sites overseas prove it. This isnt mentioning the numerous tanker explosions that have happened.
  • Donald Clupper Carlos Masso ask yourself a very simple question. If this stuff is so safe why wont they let them build one in Houston?
  • Carlos Masso Jared Hockema you wont be able to see it while you are driving on hwy 48. There will be a natural barrier along the hwy. Also the actual tanks are not much bigger than some of the oil tanks already there at the port. Houston lacks the acreage to build them.
  • Carlos Masso Jared Hockema you all think that the LNGs are like a refinary but they are not. I will agree with you that refineries are sore sights. LNGs are not like that. Go check some out in person so you can see.
  • Jared Hockema Carlos Masso I have met with them and discussed the size of the facilities. At first they said that it “wouldn’t be visible from the road,” but that’s because they’re building a high berm around the facility. However, they confirmed the height to me and that will be visible for miles!
  • Carlos Masso Jared Hockema Its a port. It is there to bring jobs for the community. There is nothing wrong with LNG.
  • Jared Hockema Carlos Masso I think this project will risk more jobs and more taxable value than it will create and SUSTAIN in the long term.

    The project is not being developed in a port. It is being developed alongside the Bahia Grande. The Port of Brownsville des
    See More
    2
  • Carlos Masso Jared Hockema we considered all those issues when LNGs first approached the port. Thats why we went to see an LNG in operation. We did our due diligence. This is where I live too. I wasnt going to just take their word for it. We went and we saw anSee More
  • Donald Clupper Carlos Masso how can you say it is going to create high paying jobs? That is not what Annova filed. It is my understanding that those high paying jobs will be in Houston and those employees will only come here occasionally for Inspection and maintenance.
  • Carlos Masso Jared Hockema the bahia dried up because it got blocked off by hwy 48 on one side and hwy 100 on the other side. The port opened up a canal from the ship cannel to the bahia grande with the help of several agencies and organizations. The salinity levSee More
    2
  • Jared Hockema Carlos Masso the original destruction of the Bahia was caused by the ship channel. I am very familiar with the project to restore the Bahia grande

3 comments:

  1. Don't bet the farm that they will not close those fishing sites. The county may be telling you they will not but those are the same people that told you SpaceX would not cause beach closings over weekends. Just this week there was a SpaceX announcement that the road and beach would be closed for periods of time on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If they have not amended the agreement between SpaceX and the county this is in violation but even if it is a violation no one from the county cares. Just like no one from the port cares whether you can fish in traditional areas. Money in their pocket trumps their concern for you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fake news. Judge Eddie TreviΓ±o says the boat ramp is not closing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior and this applies to the county, too.

      Delete