In a presentation to the Portland City Council on December 19, Port Commissioner Wes Hoskins told us that the Port will build a mountainous berm between the Northshore/Bay Ridge neighborhoods and industry to keep the noise down. They may even plant trees at the top. But their own sound engineers say it will only lessen the noise. More important was the revelation of the Port’s plans for our future.
Sugar coated with accolades for the Port and deflecting from the real impacts of their plans, it was made clear that the Port will continue its massive expansion in San Patricio County in support of ongoing and future industrial development that will undermine our communities and the ecological balance in our bays and estuaries.
In his statements and accompanying slide presentation, Mr. Hoskins laid out a plan that will surround Gregory and Portland with heavy industry and lead to more threatening conditions for aquatic life and bird habitats in our bays and estuaries.
From the 550+ ships and barges per year that will traverse Redfish Bay and through the La Quinta Channel, to petroleum pipelines between Gregory and Portland, to new storage tanks on the channel and just southwest of Portland, to the plans of industrial growth that will surround Gregory and Portland, to the obvious need for more water and the concomitant need to discharge industrial wastewater and stormwater into our bays, there is no mention of any environmental study of their plans. All this before Exxon and future industries.
And what of Gregory? Are they going to build another mountain to protect them?
There are so many problems with THEIR vision of OUR future. But, the most distressing of all was that our City Council had NO questions on the presentation. Mayor Krebs only asked the Port to keep us informed.
Click the image/link below to see the 20 minute video of the Port Commissioner’s presentation at the December 19th Portland City Council meeting. We have also posted the slide presentation below.
http://portlandtx.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=204&meta_id=9131