Voices of Port Aransas

"There has to be more than money - you can't drink money and you can't breathe it … And when you take the last of what we have from us, we are going to be forced to do everything in our power to prevent this from moving forward. This is a disgrace."

“As to me and my compadres, it’s almost a unanimous feeling that we don’t want any industrial development projects on Harbor Island...Why take a chance and mess it up? All it would take is one accident with a VLCC. That would cause harm that would last for years.”

“We want 100 percent due diligence, compliance, research, and investigations on what is being looked at for zero impact on our beaches, on our fishing industry, and our ecology...We’re a tourism economy, and we cannot have that impacted.”

“I just can’t imagine Harbor Island being the best place for that...I am definitely pro-oil and gas, do not get me wrong, but for all of this to be coming into our area … this is a community.”

“Most of those who oppose the Port’s plans aren’t anti-oil and gas. They say they just want the export terminal offshore, at a permanent buoy, similar to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port.”

“This is the longest barrier island in the world. If we can’t cherish that, what can we cherish? So, this will be a defining test for Texans.”

“Instead of shallow waters and birds where tourists wait for the ferry, a massive complex of pipes, pumps, storage tanks and docks would rise, accommodating two behemoth tankers; nearby new tankers have already begun loading 80,000 barrels of crude oil each hour from a new pipeline to the mainland. Price tag for Harbor Island: $1 billion, not including $100 million of dredging in and around Corpus Christi.”

“The economic benefits of such a terminal do not outweigh the environmental considerations upon which our economy is based. Without a healthy environment, our eco-tourism-based economy could not exist. Instead of focusing on a crude oil terminal for VLCCs on Harbor Island, we encourage the port to focus on a safer alternative: an offshore monobuoy system.”

“The need for the Harbor Island project was questioned even before the pandemic and now those doubts have grown…The US exported 2.9 million b/d of crude on a four-week moving average the week ended Aug. 28, below the 4 million b/d level seen in mid-March, US Energy Information Administration data shows. And S&P Global Platts Analytics expects exports to fall to around 2 million b/d in 2021.”

"There are other VLCC projects that are likely cheaper and quicker to get done, as well as substantial excess export capacity."