John Beard awoke Saturday to alarming news concerning a potential global oil crisis impacting Texas. The state’s southeastern region, home to over a dozen oil refineries, has seen Beard witness numerous funerals of friends who succumbed to cancer, leading him to reassess his career in the oil industry.
Over the past year, Beard has been actively engaging with European allies, cautioning them about the expansion of fossil fuels and encouraging them to resist U.S. industry plans during the Trump administration. He is also collaborating with local advocates to closely examine new industrial proposals in Port Arthur, his hometown in southeast Texas, which hosts several refineries.
Federal data shows nearly half of Beard’s neighbors report poor health, with the cancer risk from air pollution being the highest nationwide at 1 in 53 residents.
The recent U.S. airstrike on Venezuela, killing at least 40 citizens under the guise of restoring democracy, appears to Beard as another oil conflict. Venezuela, once a leading oil producer, saw its output plummet due to U.S. sanctions. Despite this, the nation holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, crucial as global supplies dwindle.
President Donald Trump stated the U.S. aims to control Venezuela’s oil reserves, keeping some while selling millions of barrels globally. Beard and other Gulf Coast Black communities in Texas and Louisiana fear increased pollution and cancer risks.
Beard’s hometown, Beaumont, Texas, and Louisiana comprise the world’s densest refinery cluster, designed for processing Venezuelan crude. Years of disruption led to reliance on Canadian and Middle Eastern oil, raising costs for U.S. companies. Experts suggest that accessing Venezuelan oil is an attempt to boost U.S. supply chain profitability.
Previously, Venezuelan oil constituted 15% of U.S. refining; now it’s about 3%. With U.S. control, imports are expected to rise significantly. Notably, Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at the University of Houston, remarked on the U.S.’s history of overthrowing oil-rich regimes, warning it seldom benefits Americans.
Hirs argues that controlling reserves won’t lead to lower prices at American pumps but will boost oil companies’ profits. Trump revealed his attack plans to oil company leaders before the bombings.
Venezuelan oil is worse for the environment than lighter U.S. grades. According to Paasha Mahdavi of the University of California, Santa Barbara, it is among the dirtiest to produce. Economically, however, it is $5 to $15 cheaper per barrel.
A study reported 91,000 annual premature U.S. deaths due to oil and gas industry pollution. Black and Asian communities, especially in Texas and Louisiana, face the harshest impacts, including asthma and cancer cases.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett criticized the Venezuela bombing and President Nicolás Maduro’s kidnapping, saying it detracts from pressing domestic issues. The administration claims American companies will aid Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, but Beard remains skeptical, noting unfulfilled promises in his community.
Experts predict minimal job growth from increased Venezuelan oil refining, despite regional industrial investments. Francisco Monaldi from Rice University estimates a decade and $100 billion investment for any significant change.
Valero Energy, Chevron, and PBF Energy, processing 80% of Venezuelan crude in the U.S., stand to benefit most. Despite over $100 billion in regional industrial investments, majority-Black communities around these refineries face high unemployment, which Beard calls “environmental racism.”
In Lake Charles, Louisiana, three major refineries, including the large Citgo refinery, process Venezuelan oil. Longtime resident Debra Ramirez anticipated the Venezuelan oil crisis, citing her community’s dismantling by petrochemical plants.
For Ramirez and Beard, increased Venezuelan oil refining symbolizes ongoing exploitation and environmental damage.
Original Story at insideclimatenews.org