Several Texas-based community activists and tribal groups have called on the Washington State Investment Board (WISB) to put a stop to the proposed Rio Grande liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal in South Texas.
Those who have raised concerns for the project say it will be the second largest single-source polluter in the region and would severely degrade local fishing, shrimping, and nature tourism industries.
Earlier this year, WSIB invested in Global Infrastructure Partners Fund V via a $400m commitment. GIP committed $3.5bn to the proposed Rio Grande LNG export terminal in Texas.
Those looking to now stop the state pension fund for the project emphasise that Rio Grande LNG is estimated to emit the equivalent emissions of 44 coal power plants every year, or around 163 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent.
Christopher Basaldú, Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas member, said the project does not have consent from the original Indigenous people of this land, the Carrizo Comecrudo Nation.
He continued, “They have already destroyed many acres of sacred land and destroyed sacred sites, and they wish to continue to destroy and pollute sacred lands and delicate wetlands that support endangered and threatened plant and animal species.”
Basaldú emphasised that the owner of Rio Grande LNG has ignored all requests for consultation from the Carrizo Comecrudo Nation and local community.
Washington State has seen its own battle over LNG terminals, with many tribal, community, and advocacy groups coming together to fight the Tacoma LNG facility. Continued buildout of LNG infrastructure locks communities into continued reliance on outdated fossil fuels and puts communities and ecosystems at risk across the US.
Bekah Hinojosa of Brownsville, Texas, and of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network added, “For nearly a decade, we have confronted investors, banks, companies, and permitting agencies involved with Global Infrastructure Partners’ Rio Grande LNG and urged them to reject this dangerous gas project that would destroy our community’s way of life.”
Rio Grande is among several proposed LNG terminals that have been “repeatedly delayed due to rising construction, labour and borrowing costs” and volatile gas prices, according to Reuters.
European CO2 Summit 2024
An adage that captures the great CO2 paradox in one succinct sentence. Yet this paradox in carbon dioxide availability and sourcing is being challenged. How we see CO2 is changing.
CO2 is shifting from by-product and waste disposal to an integral circular value chain in its own right, but is it moving quick enough?
We know that sourcing has to change. We know the CO2 supply chain in Europe is fraught with instability and vulnerability; at the same time, demand continues to grow. We know that decarbonisation brings opportunities, but it could also present threats if invaluable CO2 is taken off the table and lost.
The clock is ticking, which begs the question, if CO2 is there to be captured and the proven technology exists to do that, what needs to happen next?
Join gasworld in Austria in February as we turn the attention to what comes next and an action plan for the CO2 business of tomorrow, at the Europe CO2 Summit 2024.
To attend, sponsor and for more information, visit https://bit.ly/GWCO2EU-S24
