Published by Earthworks and Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN)
Since the crude oil export ban was lifted by Congress in 2015, there has been a surge in private-sector efforts to build, own, and operate offshore crude oil export terminals (known as “deepwater ports”) along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The purpose of these terminals is to load bigger ships quicker, increasing profit margins for oil exporters and incentivizing faster production growth in shale plays like the Permian Basin.
Oil companies promise to bring local jobs and a positive economic impact to coastal communities by building deepwater ports. Instead, these projects create only a handful of permanent jobs while leaving environmental, social, and economic destruction in their wake. One proposal by Energy Transfer Partners to build the Blue Marlin Offshore Port LLC (“Blue Marlin”) promises to “financially benefit” the local communities of Jefferson County, Texas; Orange County, Texas; and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.
A closer look at the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), prepared by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), however, demonstrates these claims are misleading.
