As reported by the Texas Tribune, The Biden administration has approved plans to build the nation’s largest oil export terminal off the Gulf Coast of Texas.
The Sea Port Oil terminal is claimed to add 2 million barrels per day to the U.S. oil export capacity.
The approval by the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration was quietly filed in the federal register on Monday, and without any public announcement.
This came a day after the United Nations’ annual climate conference wrapped up in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt.
Earthworks, an environmental nonprofit, spotted the filing and publicized approval of the Sea Port Oil Terminal on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Jacoby, deputy director of Texas Campaign for the Environment said "Last week, they were in Egypt telling the world that now is the time for climate action. This week, they’re locking us into a climate-wrecking monstrosity for at least a generation".
According to the Maritime Administration, the project will expand a Houston-area terminal operated by Enterprise and connect it to a new 140-acre onshore facility near Freeport with 4.8 million barrels of storage capacity.
From there, two 36-inch underwater pipelines will run to the new deepwater port, 30 miles offshore, where two 24-inch floating crude hoses will load it onto the world’s largest class of crude tankers.
At least 14 giant pumps with a combined output of 86,000 horsepower will be needed to move the oil from Houston to Freeport and then out to the offshore terminal.
According to the story, the project will create 62 permanent jobs, plus up to 1,400 temporary construction jobs.
