Exxon Mobil to “slow pace” on Calhoun County project development

In a press release by Exxon Mobil, company representatives announced that it will “slow the pace” on the development of the Calhoun County-targeted Coastal Plains Venture. The announcement follows a court order by a district judge against a tax abatement requested by the company.

First reported on by Independent Commodity Intelligence Services Oct. 1, representatives of the company stated through a press release that the development of the $10 billion facility project would “slow.” However, the statement also said Exxon Mobil was still interested in the Gulf Coast region.

“Based on current market conditions, we are going to slow the pace of our development for the Coastal Plain Venture,” the statement read. “We’re confident in our growth strategy, and we remain interested in a potential project along the U.S. Gulf Coast and in other regions around the world. We’re maintaining good relationships with community leaders and contractors, so we are ready to reevaluate the project’s status when market conditions improve.”

The release of the statement followed a conditional injunction made Aug. 19 by Calhoun County District Court Judge Julie Bauknight against Calhoun County Independent School District (CCISD), preventing the district from approving a tax abatement for Exxon Mobil. The request for the injunction came from the San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and local environmental activist Diane Wilson.

“Exxon’s postponement is certainly encouraging, and quite frankly, [San Antonio Bay Estuarine] Waterkeeper sees it as a victory for the bay and our fishing communities,” Wilson said. “For us, it underscores the fact that market pressures are catching up with [the] plastic industry's big, fat expansion plans. Shrinking Exxon's plastic market is what will keep Exxon out and ultimately prevent them from trying again.”

Submitted by Exxon Mobil, the $242 million tax abatement form estimated that the project would create approximately 600 permanent jobs in the area between contractors and Exxon Mobil employees and bring in $80 to $90 million a year in taxes to local government once the abatement ends. Wilson said that the county community should be focused on bringing in more environmentally-friendly businesses.

“The strong undercurrent here is continued community pressure on fighting all the harms brought by these polluting plastic industries.  Whether it is fighting their million dollar tax giveaways, i.e. tax abatement, demanding  clean air, clean water and a healthy environment to raise our children-- or how about not having them in at all?” Wilson said. “There should be a more concentrated effort in this county to bring in green alternative businesses instead of the dinosaur trend that has brought us mercury super fund sites, abandoned, leaking plants and landfills, and bays, creeks and fisheries contaminated with plastic. Enough is enough.”

The Port Lavaca Wave has reached out to the Victoria Economic Development Corporation for a comment, but has not received a response at this time.