SPI Businessman Supports Proposed Rio Grande LNG

Some opponents of the proposed Rio Grande LNG project assert that the project would harm the environment and threaten South Padre Island tourism.

As a longtime area resident and businessman interested in tourism, environmental conservation and economic growth, I have thoroughly studied the project with great interest. Here is what I learned:

– The liquefied natural gas industry is highly regulated by more than a dozen local, state and federal agencies to ensure compliance with safety, environmental, maritime and engineering standards.

– The Rio Grande LNG project will use proven, reliable, safe technology that reduces construction and operational risk.

– This project will bring badly needed skilled jobs to the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It will employ 4,000-6,000 workers during construction and about 200 full-time workers when it is operational.

– The additional property taxes, worker income and indirect economic benefits will bring huge economic growth and improved quality of life.

– After thorough review, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality confirmed that the project would meet or exceed state and federal air quality standards.

As a businessman with restaurants and tourist-related businesses in Port Isabel and South Padre Island, I see only benefits for our area. The project will be built in an industrial area on the Brownsville Ship Channel. Visual models show that it will be barely visible from Port Isabel and SPI.

For all of these reasons, I am supporting the proposed Rio Grande LNG project.

David Friedman
Port Isabel, TX