Oil industry asks government to build coastal protection from climate change - Sensationalist Headlines

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/22/the-associated-press-big-oil-asks-government-to-protect-it-from-climate-change.html PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) — As the nation plans new defenses against the more powerful storms and higher tides expected from climate change, one project stands out: an ambitious proposal to build a nearly 60-mile "spine" of concrete seawalls, earthen barriers, floating gates and steel levees on the Texas Gulf Coast. The plan is focused on a stretch of coastline that runs from the Louisiana border to industrial enclaves south of Houston that are home to one of the world's largest concentrations of petrochemical facilities, including most of Texas' 30 refineries, which represent 30 percent of the nation's refining capacity. But the idea of taxpayers around the country paying to protect refineries worth billions, and in a state where top politicians still dispute climate change's validity, doesn't sit well with some. "The oil and gas industry is getting a free ride," said Brandt Mannchen, a member of the Sierra Club's executive committee in Houston. "You don't hear the industry making a peep about paying for any of this and why should they? There's all this push like, 'Please Senator Cornyn, Please Senator Cruz, we need money for this and that.'" Normally outspoken critics of federal spending, Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz both backed using taxpayer funds to fortify the oil facilities' protections and the Texas coast. Cruz called it "a tremendous step forward." Federal, state and local money is also bolstering defenses elsewhere, including on New York's Staten Island, around Atlantic City, New Jersey, and in other communities hammered by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. While plans are still being finalized, some dirt levees will be raised to about 17 feet high, and 6 miles of 19-foot-tall floodwalls would be built or strengthened around Port Arthur, a Texas- Louisiana border locale of pungent chemical smells and towering knots of steel pipes. The town of 55,000 includes the Saudi-controlled Motiva oil refinery, the nation's largest, as well as refineries owned by oil giants Valero Energy Corp. and Total S.A. There are also almost a dozen petrochemical facilities. "You're looking at a lot of people, a lot of homes, but really a lot of industry," said Steve Sherrill, an Army Corps of Engineers resident engineer in Port Arthur, as he peered over a Gulf tributary lined with chunks of granite and metal gates, much of which is set to be reinforced. The proposals approved for funding originally called for building more protections along larger swaths of the Texas coast, but they were scaled back and now deliberately focus on refineries. "That was one of the main reasons we looked at some of those areas," said Tony Williams, environmental review coordinator for the Texas Land Commissioner's Office.'' Oil and chemical companies also pushed for more protection for surrounding communities to shield their workforces, but "not every property can be protected," said Sheri Willey, deputy chief of project management for the Army Corps of Engineers' upper Texas district. "Our regulations tell us what benefits we need to include, and they have to be national economic benefits," Willey said. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_barrel

Cause the problems through greed/negligence, and then expropriate tax payer funds to protect your business interests. Nice.

So they want it to protect themselves, not to protect anyone else? Like they're straight up saying that Climate change is factually true and that they want to get free funding for protection from it Every single republican that supports this only proves that republicans don't care about actually truly 'lowering spending'

When the effective tax on corporations is at a historic low, none the less.

I mean, if they protect peoples homes in the surrounding areas too I'd be completely ok with this. I'd really rather not see this place after a harvey 2: electric boogaloo.

Oil and chemical companies also pushed for more protection for surrounding communities to shield their workforces, but "not every property can be protected," said Sheri Willey, deputy chief of project management for the Army Corps of Engineers' upper Texas district. "Our regulations tell us what benefits we need to include, and they have to be national economic benefits," Willey said.

>not protect anyone else Oil and chemical companies also pushed for more protection for surrounding communities to shield their workforces, but "not every property can be protected," said Sheri Willey, Not really trying to side with them but at least they're not fortifying all the refineries and telling everyone else to get fucked.

We've been trying to get them to do this since Hurricane Ike. Though the original Ike Dyke didn't extend out to Louisiana. https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/xkrfBnFvuSgeTKvoeyK4MWa-zm0=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(80)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Galveston-IkeDike.png We already have miles of Seawall but it's not long enough to protect everything since it was built in the early 1900s. The original cost was less than the damage caused by Harvey.

What climate change? It's just weather, it changes every day! /s

we can't even keep our roads in good shape or our schools funded well, while the idea seems great i'm not sure it could be done entirely

This is the ocean topping over our existing 17 foot tall sea wall during Hurricane Ike. https://cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/980907_AP_080912018928.jpg This is where there is no wall, just a few miles away: https://cache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/ike_09_15/ike11.jpg Presumably, an expanded wall would've protected all of this.

Wouldn't it be easier to just build inland instead? If we fucked up the ocean so bad it wipes out half the town every couple decades, then we probably ruined beachfront property for ourselves.

We did that already with Houston after the 1900 hurricane wiped out Galveston which was the bigger city at the time. The gulf coast is a hive of industry and the region we are talking about here is home to well over 6 million people. Probably millions more if you include going out east towards Port Arthur. You can't simply move this stuff. That cost would be astronomical.

But Republicans, I thought climate change wasn't real?! So if that's the case then we clearly don't need to do any of this needless spending! https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/133677/190c24ff-a64a-445d-ad20-b85e8d046bfc/tenor.gif

They're proposing so in order to not pay for it, if those protection support some of the civilian infrastructures, they can cliam it's for public use and therefore it needs public funding.

Well after the informative comments from OvB it seems rather better than it was initially. State government and oil business should pay a bigger share though. Texas has not tapped its own rainy day fund of around $11 billion. According to federal rules, 35 percent of funds spent by the Army Corps of Engineers must be matched by local jurisdictions, and the GOP-controlled state Legislature could help cover such costs. But such spending may be tough for many conservatives to swallow.

http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/blade-runner-2049-movie-image.jpg We're on our way

They've been talking about it on and off for about ten years. I don't know the history of the oil industries involvement in the talks but it makes sense for them to be behind it (no pun intended). They had a few draft design proposals but it mostly came down to cost because when things cost billions the government likes to be optimistic about the future. "It won't happen again." Type stuff. Of course, them Hurricane Harvey happened and cost $125b as I mentioned. So in my opinion the finance is definitely there if you look at it as an investment for not having to rebuild a ton of shit in the future. Climate change gives us a good excuse to build the thing but the original Galveston Seawall was built because the gulf coast of Texas is a chain of extremely low barrier islands that basically get completely flooded over during Hurricanes which are a fact of life here. Prior to 1900, Galveston was the biggest city in Texas and considered the Wall Street of the South, as it was a major economic hub. This changed overnight and the city was completely destroyed in a huge Hurricane. Being presented with a clean slate they decided to build a wall and raised the grade of much of the city to 17 feet. The wall was finished in 1904, and expanded in 1963. It has not been expanded since. https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1200/1*4jYQwekmSXM1nu5nnfwyaw.jpeg The Wall today: https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8069/8230544207_5e4b355b6c_b.jpg While climate change is making storms worse, a lot of the need for this is simply due to urban expansion. The region has grown faster than we can protect against storms and this was evident during Hurricane Harvey. Houstons flood management is awful, and there are way more people, business, and infrastructure on the coast. The current wall only protects 10 miles immediately in front of the city of Galveston. The rest of Galveston island is protected by strategic dunes. And Galveston island protects the mainland (Houston) from storm surge. To me it seems like we're long overdue to expand the wall. We need more dunes, concrete and stone barriers where there is city, and flood barriers in our channels like other regions have.

So a wall on the southern border, and walls on all the coastlines. We're heading towards Fort America at this point. Might as well just build a giant dome over the whole country.

Then just smoke it out with a fumigator

Unlike the wall that the Dump wants, I can see this wall actually doing something useful.

bruh don't they have enough money to not only build the things but to relocate the cities themselves this very moment to locations that won't be blubbed?

No no, climate is generally accepted, man-made climate change is a hoax. Shit just happens, mother nature plays cruel games. Nothing we can do about it. Move to your 2nd house etc - Oil industry

Satire is deaaad

I feel like it's worth noting that the USA could keep its roads in good shape and its schools well funded, it just chooses not to. Same with this. Though let's be honest, preventing climate change is a better idea than screaming "everything is fine!" while half heatedly trying to protect yourself against the some of it.

This wall is a good idea regardless of climate change. It's not for stopping rising sea level and such. It's for stopping storm surge from hurricanes in unprotected areas because of urban expansion into those unprotected areas. Of course climate change is making storms worse but bad storms would hit this area even if anthropogenic climate change wasn't real. Just like how the leaves in New Orleans and the dikes in the Netherlands are necessary.

Socialize the costs and privatize the profits