The “Battle for the Coastal Bend” is, at its core, about the push for rapid industrial growth in a relatively undeveloped part of the Texas coast. Where some see natural beauty to be preserved and enjoyed for recreation and retirement, others see the opportunity for exploitation to make money. Industries prowl the globe to find large swaths of undeveloped land, near unlimited supplies of water, with little or no regulation, led by public decision-makers who buy into the rhetoric of economic development and job creation.
The Sacrifice Zone provides a brief history of what is happening here. Health Impacts from Air Pollutants describes some specific compounds of concern. The impacts of the many different industrialization activities underway, including channel deepening and desalination, are examined from the standpoint of Cumulative Dangers to the Coastal Bend. Dangerous emissions from flaring are described in Flare emissions: human health exposure concerns of hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide.
Industries located in the region include Chemours, Cheniere, Exxon-SABIC (Gulf Coast Growth Ventures), Flint Hills, Kiewit, MODA, Occidental (OxyChem), South Texas Gateway, Steel Dynamics, TPCO, and voestalpine. To get a better view of some of these polluters, Fractracker has produced a 12-minute “Channels of Life” video featuring an aerial view of the industrial buildout around Corpus Christi Bay along with interactive maps of the region.