BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Two opponents of the Texas LNG export terminal project slated to be built at the Port of Brownsville gave public comments at a Jan. 2, 2024, Cameron County Commissioners Court meeting.
Mary Angela Branch of Port Isabel and Kenneth Saxon of Brownsville urged commissioners not to give tax abatements worth tens of millions of dollars to Texas LNG. Both are supporters of the grassroots group, Save RGV From LNG.
Branch and Saxon were each permitted to speak for up to three minutes in the public comment period of the meeting.
Here are the remarks of Mary Angela Branch:
“Good morning. Thank you commissioners. My name is Mary Angela Branch and I'm a homeowner in Port Isabel. I'm here to comment on the tax abatement agreement with Texas LNG which the Court unanimously voted to approve in spite of local opposition at the December 19 meeting.
"Tax abatements to Texas LNG are not and never will be an incentive to keep them here. They decided on this location in 2014. Their permit is specific to this particular environment and location. They cannot threaten to build elsewhere. If new tax abatements are not granted, they would have to apply for a new permit which would cause further delays and it has already been 10 years since they were permitted for our port.
“Giving the tax incentives now is not fiscally prudent nor beneficial to our growing community, especially in light of the fact that only 75 permanent jobs will be created, when all is said and done. The Point Isabel School District voted unanimously against giving school tax abatements to Texas LNG last year, clearly sending a strong message from affected communities.
“Do not grant county tax abatements in deference to one of our school districts. Listen to your constituents and do not consider, publish, nor enter into any agreement with Texas LNG granting abatements. Please.
“We are a poor county. Taxes are rising year after year. Rent is skyrocketing. Housing prices are 40 to 50 percent overvalued and climbing. Costs of goods and services are at an all time high.
“Giving tax abatements to billion-dollar corporations - I know you've heard this over and over - that can absolutely afford to pay taxes should not be a consideration. Subsidizing mega industries with taxpayer money at this time is unconscionable.
“Per TCEQ, there are no air quality monitoring stations in the vicinity of any permitted LNG terminal site in our county. At the very least, you must demand that TCEQ or Texas LNG, as part of their agreement, pay to install air quality monitoring stations in Port Isabel, Laguna Vista, Los Fresnos, and Laguna Heights, preferably near our schools.
“The cumulative impacts from Texas LNG and Rio Grande LNG will be felt in these communities due to the prevailing south-southeast winds which directly impact air quality in our residential communities. Are you comfortable turning this into a cancer alley like so many industrialized fossil fuel coastline cities along the Gulf of Mexico? I hope not.
“Without air quality monitoring stations we won't know what damage has affected our children until it's too late. And TCEQ has already been cited with blatant abuses and violations on permitting and air quality…”
At this point, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño said Branch’s three minutes were up and she had to stop.
Here are the remarks of Kenneth Saxon:
“Thank you, commissioners. My name is Kenneth Saxon. I live in Brownsville. In my comments I would like to address the Cameron County, Texas, Chapter 312 Tax Code tax abatement agreement with Texas LNG of Brownsville, LLC.
“In particular, I would like to point out the weakness of this document, particularly its many false and unenforceable claims and agreements. This document purports to lay out the way that Cameron County will provide a tax abatement to Texas LNG worth millions and millions of dollars. To be eligible for this abatement, Texas LNG must meet with certain conditions and requirements. Or so one might assume.
“Here's a quote from Article Two of the document: As conditions precedent to the company receiving the abatement granted herein, the company agrees to the following commitments and performance requirements.
"Most notable are the so-called employment requirements.
“First, during construction, Texas LNG will have a goal to hire 35 percent of their full time employees from regional residents. Are these new hires or merely regional workers who are already employed by companies such as Bechtel that is contracted to do the work? We don't know.
“Second, during the first operational year Texas LNG will have a goal to hire 35 percent of their full time employees from regional residents.
“Third, Texas LNG agrees to pay the required wage, which is $12 an hour for hourly workers and $25,000 a year for salaried workers.
“But later in Article 2.06, Part 8, we read that these commitments and requirements are not commitments and requirements at all, but merely targets and goals. And these targets and goals are unenforceable. In fact, the document provides no mechanism to monitor whether these targets and goals have been met. And so for the most part, they are entirely useless.
“To provide compliance Texas LNG must merely provide, and this is a quote, a statement by an authorized representative or officer of Texas LNG that, to the best of the company's knowledge, is in compliance with these requirements.
“And then in Section 4.05 we read the company's failure to comply with and meet the performance goals of Section 2.03 for an operational year will not eliminate or limit the right of the company to an abatement for that operational year.
“This is not a tax abatement, it's a giveaway. I've seen more teeth in an apartment rental agreement. If this terrible project is to come into our county, I urge you to get top dollar from this multibillion dollar company which it can easily pay. Thank you.”
Judge Treviño thanked the two Cameron County residents and said he would have their remarks entered into the record.
Texas LNG is a subsidiary of Glenfarne Energy Transition LLC. The company has a 50-year lease on a 625-acre site located within the Port of Brownsville. Texas LNG plans to construct and operate a 4 million tonnes per annum (“mtpa”) liquefied natural gas export terminal on a deepwater frontage site at the port. The company expects to close its project financing in 2024 with construction commencing shortly thereafter.
A spokesperson for Glenfarne provided this statement to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service:
“Glenfarne Energy Transition, a global leader in clean energy, and the owner of Texas LNG, is dedicated to Cameron County and improving the social, economic, and environmental quality of life for local residents and businesses. We are proud that Texas LNG will be the lowest emission LNG facility in the United States. The construction and operation of Texas LNG will improve the quality of life for the area bringing hundreds of direct and indirect jobs with competitive pay to the area along with billions of dollars in economic development, and we look forward to continuing to engage in conversations with the community and its elected and appointed leaders to advance our community.”
Editor's Note: Here is a podcast on the public comment part of the Cameron County Commissioners Court meeting of Jan. 2, 2024:
