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Cameron County has received a Community Economic Development Award from the Texas Economic Development Council for the Rio Grande LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal project that broke ground at the Port of Brownsville in July 2023.
The $18.4 billion project, by far the largest development project in the county, is also the largest privately funded infrastructure project in the Texas and the United States. The investment by Houston-based NextDecade, Rio Grande LNG’s parent company, will contribute to the region’s vitality for years to come, the county said in announcing the award.
The is an example of cooperation between private and public sectors can benefit the local economy and community, according to the county.
“The project will yield significant long-term benefits through job creation, skills training, workforce development, supply chain strengthening and infrastructure improvements,” it said. “It also represents a significant step forward in bringing industrial development on a much larger scale to the economically challenged region.”
The CEDA program recognizes “exceptional contributions” from TEDC members organizations, according to the state. Nominees are judged on criteria such as “innovativeness, transferability community commitment and leverage, measurable objectives and secondary benefits.” Cameron County’s award is in the “Community Commitment and Leverage” category.
Finalists for the awards were chosen by TEDC’s CEDA Committee, made up of economic development leaders from around the state.
County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. said Rio Grande LNG, which currently has about 1,700 workers on site during the initial construction process, “will move the needle in a positive direction here in Cameron County.”
“The positive economic impact this project will have in our community is generational with the increase of employment opportunities, higher wages and the introduction of supporting businesses,” he said.
NextDecade Chairman and CEO Matt Schatzman said the company is “honored to be part of this recognition.”
“The (Rio Grande) LNG project is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our community partners and the partnerships we have built including those with Cameron County,” he said. “The … project will create thousands of jobs and bring billions of dollars of investment to Cameron County and the Rio Grande Valley.”
The first phase of the project will have the capacity to produce up to 17.6 million tons per year of liquefied natural gas for export to foreign customers. The facility is to be fed via pipeline from the Agua Dulce gas hub west of Corpus Christi.
Phase one of Rio Grande LNG was to have been completed by early 2029, though the timeline future is uncertain after an Aug. 6 ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court vacating authorization for the project by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and triggering a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement by FERC.
Rio Grande LNG recently filed a petition in the case seeking a reversal of the “vacatur” ruling by a panel of judges with the court. NextDecade said it will take the case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
