Energy Projects Fueling a Prosperous Texas Coast

New oil & gas pipelines, offshore rigs, port expansions and wind farms bring additional prosperity to the Texas coast beyond the traditional tourism and second home activity of resort areas.

Here are some of the new energy efforts for the Texas coast

Austin-based Baryonyx Corp. submitted applications to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for three wind farm sites in South Texas. The farms will be on 60,000 acres of submerged land leased from the Texas General Land Office.

One proposal would develop more than 26,000 acres off Mustang Island, just north of Padre Island near Corpus Christi. That site is being reviewed by the Pentagon for potential interference with operations at nearby Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.

If problems arise with that site, an alternate proposal would develop 45,000 acres in coastal waters off the southern third of Padre Island.

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The wind energy industry has become increasingly sensitive to those environmental concerns, and has deployed radar systems that can warn when large flocks of birds or bats are approaching. One project that adopted such technology was the Peñascal Wind Power Project in South Texas.

The Army Corps of Engineers is asking for public comment on Baryonyx’s application for an offshore wind farm. You can forward your comments and questions here:

Jayson M. Hudson
Regulatory Branch, CESWG-PE-REU.S.
Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 1229
Galveston, Texas 77553-1229
Phone: 409-766-3108
Fax: 409-766-6301

Opponents take sides on pipeline to PA

Almost three years after TransCanada, an international energy infrastructure builder, asked the U.S. for approval to build the Keystone XL pipeline, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power has approved a bill that would give the Obama administration a Nov. 1 deadline to make a decision.

If the House approves the bill, it will limit what Republicans consider stalling on the part of the Obama administration to approve the project that would connect oil producing regions in Canada to the Gulf Coast, with one of its terminating points in Port Arthur.

The Houston Chronicle reported that the $13 million project would allow as much as 1.3 million barrels of Canadian oil sands crude to flow into Midwest and Gulf Coast refineries — a 700,000 barrel-per-day increase over its existing capacity.

According to Rep. Ted Poe of Congressional District 2, the pipeline was approved in 2009, but the State Department intervened.

The State Department has the final word on the pipeline because the pipeline crosses an international border.

“It’s been delayed two years,” Poe said, “but the Obama administration has stone-walled it.”

According to Poe, the pipeline will bring much needed jobs and energy to Port Arthur and that two important years have now been wasted.

“There comes a day when an administration has to make a decision and that day is Nov. 1,” Poe added.

Bill Day, executive director of media relations for Velero Energy Corporation, said the corporation is eager to see the approval of the Keystone pipeline.

“Canada will be a friendly partner and a dedicated supply,” Day said, especially at a time when many Americans think the U.S. should be steering away from buying oil from unfriendly sources, like Venezuela and the Middle East.

The Velero refinery in Port Arthur has a unique coker designed to process the Canadian oil sands crude, a particularly heavy variety of oil.

The heavy crude produces a high quality of fuel, but, according to Carla Tucker, an adjunct hydrogeology instructor at Lamar University, the crude contains diluted bitumen, also called DilBit, a highly corrosive and acidic form of bitumen.

“This stuff is hotter,” said Tucker, “but (the Keystone XL pipeline) uses the same walled pipe that is used for the regular forms of crude.”

Opponents to the pipeline, worry that leaks from the pipeline may damage the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, which provides water to much of East and Southeast Texas.

According to Tucker, because the crude is so heavy and sandy it would settle into the cracks on the bottom of the aquifer, making clean up very labor intensive.

But the big problem, Tucker added, is that people do not even realize that this strange, foreign crude will be traveling right through their backyards.

If the pipeline project does go through, Tucker hopes U.S. officials will take necessary safety precautions.

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