Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week to prioritize the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project.
The project, which will deepen the 36-mile ship channel to 52 feet (MLT) Mean Low Tide from the current 45 feet MLT, is critically important to the people of Texas, America’s energy industry and the nation’s economic and national security.
“Energy exports of oil, liquefied natural gas, chemicals and refined products hold enormous opportunities for our country in terms of our economic and national security,” Commissioner Sitton said.
“The U.S. is poised to dominate global markets in this new energy paradigm, but a lack of appropriate transportation infrastructure could hamper our ability to realize our economic potential to fill the world’s needs for American energy. We must make investments in pipelines and the ship channel improvement project so that as production rises, we have the ability to safely and efficiently move those products around the globe.”
Charles Zahn, Chairman of the Port of Corpus Christi Commission , added: “The Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project represents a top priority on the port’s list of infrastructure improvements. The Port of Corpus Christi is the only port in the Gulf with federal authorization to go to 54 feet.”
Following the press conference, Commissioner Sitton gave a keynote address at the Eagle Ford Consortium discussing Texas’ role in the nation’s quest for energy dominance.