TCEQ Approves Draft Air Quality Permit for Lone Star Ports Project in Port Aransas

The Texas Coastal Coalition is disappointed in the decision made this week by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to approve a draft air quality permit for the proposed Lone Star Ports project on Harbor Island in Port Aransas. TCEQ Commissioners approved the permit request despite concerns raised by those opposed to the massive project.

The Lone Star Ports project is part of a huge oil and gas industrial complex proposed by the Port of Corpus Christi that directly threatens one of the most environmentally sensitive areas of the Texas coast.

Attorneys for the Port Aransas Conservancy argued the permit application doesn’t accurately reflect all of the potential sources of air pollution, and that the location of the oil and gas loading terminal directly conflicts with a separate wastewater discharge permit proposed by the Port of Corpus Christi for the exact same location. Despite those objections, the draft permit was approved. 

The TCEQ air quality permit is just one of several state and federal permits that must be approved before the Lone Star Ports project can move forward. The Texas Coastal Coalition will continue to monitor those permits and add our voice to those who oppose the industrial development of Harbor Island.

Every Texan is a stakeholder in the economic development of our beaches, bays, and estuaries, and every Texan who loves the Gulf Coast should care about the current and future health of those public resources.  We invite all who care about the iconic beaches of the Texas coast to get involved as this project wends its way through the regulatory process.

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