Community Groups Uniting in Opposition to LNG Plants at Port of Brownsville

Liquefied Natural Gas Plant in Nigeria
for LNG Sales to Japan

While it may be too little and too late, several community groups in Cameron County have declared their opposition to the five proposed Liquefied Natural Gas plants to extend from the Port of Brownsville to near the city limits of Port Isabel.

Here are a few comments submitted to this blog:

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.

Also, this comment:

On 08-25-2014, the Port Isabel City Commission voted to oppose LNG. David Robledo videotaped the meeting [see it on our saveRGVfromLNG Facebook page]. Also, on 08-26-2016, the South Padre Island Business Owners Association voted to oppose LNG. the board of directors of SPI Business Owners Association, after polling its membership, voted to issue a resolution and send a letter voicing their opposition to the LNG plants being planned for the Brownsville Ship Channel [as reported on our saveRGVfromLNG Facebook page]. And don't forget that > On 08-07-2015 the Laguna Madre Water District voted against LNG! > On 08-17-2015 a Laguna Vista City Council member wrote a letter to FERC opposing Texas LNG! [ http://elibrary.ferc.gov/IDMWS/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13967026] > Around 08-17-2015 the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge was approved money for land and conservation easements in and around the refuge! > On 08-18-2015 the South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation

Also:

Director has told us not to say anything about this in regards to the LNG plants. - Emits carbon dioxide when burned - Contains 80-95% methane, a potent greenhouse gas - Explosive, potentially dangerous - Concentrated sources require long distance transmission and transportation - Energy penalties at every stage of production and distribution - Requires extensive pipelines to transport over land - Stored and distributed under high pressure - Requires turbine-generators to produce electricity - Liquefied form (LNG) used to transport over water, in tanker ships is potentially very dangerous - Energy use competes with use for chemicals and fertilizers

Despite these efforts, those knowledgeable within the city tell me the plants are a done deal with agreements being signed a year ago. Much of the impetus for the secretive deal to fund the Tenaska power plants comes from the huge power needs of the LNG plants which will compress natural gas to a liquid for much cheaper export.  The expected huge profits may be very short term as the prioritized customers, Russia and China, are in the process of building their own LNG plants.

Here is a pertinent comment just added by KBRO:

You're sources within the city of Brownsville are lying to you again Jim but it is a very, very close race to beat the Sept 4th deadline with enough petition sigs and messages for FERC to make our voices heard. Other municipalities are finally falling into line after the Port Isabel meet shocked civic leaders. There's no need to appeal to Brownsville city government at this time so in that respect you are correct: It is too late. Brownsville and the Port are to blame for inviting these low-life energy companies here. If the big dogs like Exxon or Mobil were here maybe we would not stand a chance. Natural gas is not in demand as much in Asia anymore. There is a surplus already produced. Many of these export terminals being proposed will not be built if investors shy way from this very speculative market. If you talk to port officials they'll tell you this is the energy of the future and we are sitting on a huge supply of it to make us a global energy power. That is simply not the case. The jobs they say they will bring are temporary construction jobs. Our port can do better to bring industry or jobs that are permanent and for our local citizens or we can do without until they do.