Letter to the editor: Green promises, local risks

Calhoun County has built its identity on a delicate balance between our coast, our agriculture, and industry. But a recent letter to the editor from the Synergen Green Energy Team asks us to quietly accept a massive green ammonia plant in Point Comfort. But if you look at the site maps, this facility sits right next to the Olivia and Port Alto communities. Today, we look past the smooth PR phrasing to see what this project means for the families living at ground zero.

When you read Synergen’s letter promising they will be 'long-term community partners' by supporting local schools and youth sports, what goes through your mind?

It feels like a distraction tactic. They talk about corporate partnerships, but they didn't partner with me before deciding to drop a massive industrial chemical complex right against my fence line. Their letter brags about 'wetland avoidance,' but I look out my back window every day. I know exactly how water moves across these fields. If they alter the natural drainage into Keller Creek, my pastures are going to flood. No amount of corporate donations to local Little Leagues can replace land that's been underwater for half the year because of industrial runoff.

Water is the primary flashpoint. Synergen's letter claims their 1,430-foot test well pulls from a brackish layer that won't touch local drinking supplies. They even canceled their freshwater contract with the GBRA to look like good neighbors. But local advocacy groups like Calhoun County Communities for Clean Water have pointed out a glaring omission: Synergen hasn't even submitted a formal groundwater permit application yet. They are making public safety claims before independent state scientists have verified their math.

Our water wells are our lifeline out here. If you pump two million gallons a day right next door, you create a massive underground vacuum. They can call it a 'brackish layer' all they want, but aquifers are connected. If my freshwater wells go dry or drop because the water table shifts, my ranch is worthless. They get the green energy tax credits, and we get the dust.

Then there is the wastewater. Synergen explicitly promised they won’t dump into Carancahua Bay because they know the community is actively protecting local oyster reef restoration projects near Port Alto. Instead, they chose Lavaca Bay, claiming it has a 'far greater flow and dilution capacity.' The Coastal Conservation Association of Texas has already stepped up to oppose this, stating clearly that industrial waste shouldn't be dumped into our fragile marine nurseries.

Calling Lavaca Bay a 'larger body with dilution capacity' is just a fancy way of saying they think our bay is big enough to hide their pollution. We’ve spent decades cleaning up this coast from old industrial mercury and heavy metals. My neighbors make their living shrimping and crabbing these waters. We aren't interested in moving backward just to accommodate a multi-million dollar chemical plant.

Finally, there is public safety. The letter mentions that ammonia has been transported safely across America for a century. What they downplay is that anhydrous ammonia is an incredibly toxic, suffocating gas. A severe leak creates a ground-hugging chemical cloud that can be fatal to anyone downwind within minutes.

A double-walled tank at the port sounds nice on a corporate slide deck, but it does absolutely nothing to protect my family from pipeline failures, valve leaks, or a Category 4 hurricane hitting the coast. If a major release happens, corporate executives aren't the ones running into the cloud. The burden falls entirely on our local volunteer first responders and county emergency teams. They are asking our local guys to risk their lives to protect a private company's bottom line.

Synergen says trust comes from transparency, not promises. If that's true, we need an ironclad commitment to our environment—not corporate public relations. Stay vigilant, protect Calhoun County, and make sure your voice is heard at the next local district meeting.  Additionally, I challenge the Synergen CEO to a public debate.

--------

Letters to the Editor Policy: The opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Port Lavaca Wave, its staff or ownership. Letters may be submitted to publisher@plwave.com.