BROWNSVILLE, TX — Valley Interfaith leaders are applauding a unanimous school board vote to deny a tax break to a liquefied natural gas company.
Texas LNG Brownsville LLC plans to build a $4 billion export terminal at the Port of Brownsville. Under a proposal submitted to Point Isabel ISD, Texas LNG would have received a $160 million tax abatement.
Valley Interfaith leaders, alongside residents of the Laguna Madre region and allied organizations including Save RGV and the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, had urged trustees to carefully weigh the financial and environmental impacts of the proposal.
“This decision shows that when communities organize and ask hard questions, public officials can stand up for the common good,” said Rosalie Tristan, a Valley Interfaith leader. “Public school funding should not subsidize private corporate projects. Companies that want to operate here should contribute fully to our schools and protect the natural resources our coastal communities depend on.”
An Application for Taxable Value Limitation on Eligible Property was filed with the Texas Comptroller’s Office by Texas LNG Brownsville LLC under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Act, Texas Government Code § 403, Subchapter T. TX LNG is considering investing approximately $4 billion to construct and operate a Liquefied Natural Gas facility at the Port of Brownsville. The project will be sited inside Texas Enterprise Zone Census Tract 142.02.
Valley Interfaith’s Tristan pointed out that community leaders have raised concerns that LNG industrial expansion at Port of Brownsville could impact air quality, fisheries, wildlife habitat, and the Laguna Madre ecosystem. She described the Laguna Madre ecosystem as one of the most sensitive coastal environments in Texas.
Valley Interfaith leaders say the vote sends a clear message: economic development must create real jobs, protect the environment, and contribute fairly to local schools and communities.
Texas LNG was dismayed by the school board’s vote. A spokesman for Texas LNG said:
“A yes vote would have delivered an additional $15 million per year to Point Isabel ISD. The no vote results in $15 million less for the education of local students. We are at a loss at how school board leadership could have made such a decision. There is no economically rational benefit for this vote, which should be about how to benefit students.”
