Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The energy and petrochemical industries are rapidly changing. With growing calls to improve sustainability while satisfying increasing demand, the energy industry is adopting new technologies to meet this challenge. However, these should not be seen as obstacles to continued industry growth for the Port Arthur region, but rather opportunities to pursue innovation and solutions that will spur economic development. We need safe and proven low-carbon solutions that improve our traditional energy capabilities and promote economic growth.

This is why we need to embrace carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce is deeply committed to fostering a sound economic environment and maintaining a high quality of life for the entire Port Arthur community. CCS presents a unique opportunity to achieve this vision without compromising the safety and wellbeing of our community.

CCS can help us safely reduce emissions from hard-to-decarbonize industries while maintaining high levels of production in Port Arthur and throughout the Golden Triangle region. In use for more than 50 years, the science behind CCS has substantial research backing its safety and efficacy. With the addition of modern technologies, companies can closely monitor CCS infrastructure throughout their lifecycles, from capture and transportation, to injection and permanent storage, providing valuable insights and verifying project safety.

According to recent studies, installing CCS technology could reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% and greatly reduce other emissions like particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide. Reducing emissions on this scale would significantly improve the air quality along the Gulf Coast and result in quantifiable health benefits totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, making our region a better place to live, work, and call home.

In addition to creating more than 18,000 jobs annually, CCS projects would usher in billions in private investment and open new streams of tax revenue. These proceeds could be directly reinvested into our Port Arthur community, reinvigorating local infrastructure, supporting small businesses, and improving our public schools.

A new study by the Clean Air Task Force showed that CCS projects are already contributing to emissions reduction efforts, with climate science and energy system modeling affirming the need for CCS technology at a massive scale to continue this progress.

With a strong energy legacy, a highly skilled workforce, and the potential to store hundreds of billions of tons of CO2 right in our backyard, Port Arthur is the ideal place for CCS. It’s time to incorporate innovative technologies like CCS into our energy production network, making Port Arthur a pioneer in low-carbon solutions and further cementing Texas as a leader in the energy transition.

The time is now to bring CCS to the Golden Triangle.

Joe Tant is president of the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce