𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗢𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗𝗟𝗬 𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗟𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥

According to a writeup in the Texas Tribune (https://www.texasobserver.org/brownsville-lng-pr-elected-officials/), several of our local politicos, including Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, City Manager Helen Ramirez, Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino have been given "talking points" and "media strategy" in an attempt to overturn the recent court order stopping Rio Grande LNG's massive project in  984 acres of wetlands northeast of Brownsville in the fragile Laguna Madre area, a crucial habitat for migratory birds and ocelots separated from the Gulf by South Padre Island.

The parent company, Houston's NextDecade, has, in some cases, actually written out the words for these politicians to use in responding to the media or making testimonials on behalf of the LNG firm.

According to the Tribune, "NextDecade lost its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorization to develop Rio Grande LNG in August, as a result of a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, after nearly a year of construction."

A Couple Fishing Along Hwy 48 with LNG Plant in the Distance

The court said that FERC had not properly measured Rio Grande LNG’s environmental impacts or considered air quality data from a nearby monitor. “We appreciate the significant disruption [this decision] may cause the projects,” the judges wrote. “But that does not outweigh the seriousness of the Commission’s procedural defects.”

NextDecade has also "coordinated with the City of Brownsville and Cameron County in their filing of amicus briefs in support of the LNG project," according to the Texas Tribune.

County Judge Trevino even produced a video in support of the LNG company as did  Cameron County Commissioner Joey Lopez.

Another Cameron County Commissioner, Sofia Benavides, whose district includes the Rio Grande LNG project, sent a short statement for the site, saying, “Anyone who says LNG is bad or dangerous hasn’t done their proper research.”

Democratic Congress members Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar have both signed onto an amicus brief asking the court to restore Rio Grande LNG’s FERC authorization. U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn filed a bill in September that would prevent courts from reversing authorization for LNG projects. (NextDecade’s PAC has donated to all of these officials at one time or another since 2020,  according to the website OpenSecrets.)