Gliding through the shallow channel on the north side of Corpus Christi Bay, you will see stubborn remnants of a barrier island estuary that was once home to vast oyster beds, seagrass meadows, teeming fish nurseries and abundant alligators. You will see dolphins, terns, maybe even a roseate spoonbill. "You still see glimpses of the natural beauty," said Jennifer Hilliard, 56, over the growl of dredgers that were deepening the channel to accommodate larger tankers. Hilliard, a former architect, is treasurer of the Ingleside on the Bay Coastal Watch Association. She and her partner, Tom Daley, 67, took me on a boat tour of the waters they have both fished since childhood. "I'm just hoping it won't all be destroyed," Hilliard said.
In less than a decade, the northern coastline of Corpus Christi Bay, in San Patricio County, Texas, has been developed from a greenspace of wetlands and dunes into a miles-long corridor of petrochemical and industrial facilities, their cracking towers rising hundreds of feet into the air. Dominating that cyborg skyline is the tower flare at the Corpus Christi Liquefaction facility, owned by gas giant Cheniere. The plant's three operational "trains," which came online in 2019, produce 16.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year for export to hungry markets in Europe, Asia, and other international destinations. There are plans to add seven smaller trains at the facility, equivalent to another 11 million tons of capacity.
