McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to appeal a court ruling that denied permits for a liquified natural gas project in the Port of Brownsville.
Cruz on Wednesday sent a letter to FERC Chairman Willie Phillips asking that his agency push back on a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in Washington, D.C., that vacated previously issued permits for the building of an LNG export terminal and pipeline in Brownsville, Texas.
On Aug. 6, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled to cancel previous approvals for the two LNG export terminals, as well as construction of a pipeline to carry the natural gas to the Port of Brownsville. The projects had previously been green-lighted by FERC.
“I write today to urge you to pursue an appeal and seek a stay of the decision,” Cruz wrote in the letter. “The decision sets a chilling precedent that will harm the development of infrastructure for projects related to all forms of energy, directly undermining American energy security and therefore national security.”
Cruz says 7,000 “high-paying jobs will disappear” if the permits are not reauthorized. He says that could jeopardize $24 billion in investments in the Rio Grande Valley associated with the project, which is already a decade in the making.
He says the $400 million Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project — to deepen the Brownsville shipping channel from 42 to 52 feet — “will likely stop.”
And he said an estimated 31 million metric tons per year of LNG exports will not be shipped from the Brownsville port.
This “will have far-reaching and negative cascade effects,” Cruz said.
The appeals court found there hasn’t been enough study on how the projects could affect local communities, wildlife and the environment.
Organizers with the nonprofit group Save RGV tell Border Report they support the appeals court’s decision.
The group, which began in 2014, originally was called Save RGV from LNG but changed its name after it added other issues, such as lobbying the Federal Aviation Administration against rocket launches from SpaceX’s Starbase facility, which is just 5 miles from the Port of Brownsville.
Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr., says: “Cameron County remains committed to the Project and the significant economic benefits it will bring to the Cameron County and the Rio Grande Valley.”
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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