Behold, The Crude Oil Export Capital of the United States
Dear Reader,
I’m on the road again, but I’d like to draw your attention to one of our biggest reporting projects ever: a three-year investigation into Ingleside on the Bay, Texas, the little-known Crude Oil Export Capital of the United States.
Not only have the 614 residents at Ingleside on the Bay not benefited economically from a $50 billion industry next door, they are dealing with all the negative consequences brought by these out-of-country corporations: two oil spills, toxic air, damaged views, and declined fisheries, just to name a few.
Ingleside on the Bay is not your usual fenceline community. It is very white (over 80% as of the last census), very wealthy (it has the second-highest home prices in the region), and very conservative (it voted for Trump by a 50-point margin three times!)
Our reporting reveals three things:
Everyone is at risk when political strongarming, lack of enforcement, and deregulation tilt the playing field towards the wealthy, powerful, and well-connected.
The decline of local news and warping of our information ecosystems have life and death consequences. I found myself being the only journalist during a TCEQ Notice and Comment Hearing for the permit renewal of the largest crude oil export facility in the country!
Residents realize that the only way they can stop or throw speed bumps at Big Oil is to form a united front that bridges political, ethnic, and language differences.
This reporting could not have been possible without all the residents, advocates, officials, and experts who spoke to us, or your generous donations supporting my salary as I transitioned out of J-school.
To keep this important work going and create more such reporting opportunities for early career AAPI journalists, please consider donating during the last day of the #GiveinMay campaign to support our summer newsroom intern, Jinger Zhang, who will be looking into home energy efficiency improvement access among Asian American communities!
Next issue, you will hear from our Engagement Editor, Aorui Pi, about her adventures in China.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Ip
Publisher and Editor
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THINGS YOU SHOULD READ
✨ NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS
🎙️ Alex made an appearance on the Drilled podcast to talk about his investigation at Ingleside on the Bay, Texas. Take a listen!
📺 We’re excited to be featured in the NBCU Academy article, “Welcome to the Expansive Universe of Asian American and Pacific Islander Media”! Rhysea was quoted in the story.
💰 Thank you, Stephen Holsenbeck, our new sustainer! On a related note, Alex will be a panelist in the “Working Together to Fundraise for Climate Journalism” session at INN Days in Minneapolis. Come say hi!
📱 ICYMI: We’re piloting a WhatsApp channel, which would help reach users who stay off social media, and curb misinformation at the source (share it with your immigrant parents, aunties, or uncles!)
🍑 A SOUTHERN FLAIR
YANCEY COUNTY, North Carolina — Helene’s Unheard Warnings (Jennifer Berry Hawes, with additional reporting by Cassandra Garibay, ProPublica)
When she wondered if it cost too much, John argued that wasn’t the right question.
“Do you want to live here?” he asked.
“I want to die here, Johnny.”ATLANTA — ‘Too much power’: PSC hopefuls across party lines take aim at Georgia Power (Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon, Atlanta Civic Circle)
“Remove their ability to give campaign contributions,” said Lee Muns, the sole Republican primary challenger this year, who is facing District 2 incumbent Tim Echols in the GOP primary. “Take it off the table, and then you bring everybody to the same playing field,” he said. “That’s a Republican that just told you to take away campaign contributions, but it’s the right thing to do.”
EAST TEXAS AND LOUISIANA — How farmers can help rescue water-loving birds (Lela Nargi, Knowable Magazine)
Not every farmer is thrilled to host birds. Some worry about the spread of avian flu, others are concerned that the birds will eat too much of their valuable crops. But as an unstable climate delivers too little water, careening temperatures and chaotic storms, the fates of human food production and birds are ever more linked — with the same climate anomalies that harm birds hurting agriculture too.
🗺️ WHAT ELSE WE'RE READING
LAHT SAEN, Laos — Their Bombs Destroyed–and Still Threaten–Villages. Vietnam-Era Veterans Are Going Back to Help and Heal (Noah Daly, The War Horse)
When the school was finished, Super was told it was to be named in his honor. Overwhelmed by remorse, the veteran refused. He couldn’t tell them why.
We Made Luigi Mangione’s 3D-Printed Gun — and Fired It (Andy Greenberg, WIRED)
But don’t 3D-printed ghost guns offer that same anonymity and privacy to actual dangerous people who might otherwise not be allowed to obtain a deadly weapon, even in America? “I don’t love that people commit crimes and kill each other with guns. But we live in a country that’s relatively free,” PSR responded. “Freedom is, ultimately, dangerous.”
YARLUNG TSANGPO, Tibet — China’s Mega Dam Project Poses Big Risks for Asia’s Grand Canyon (Fred Pearce, Yale Environment 360)
“Weaponizing water is a perilous strategy that may backfire,” says Mehebub Sahana, an environmental geographer at the University of Manchester. “The weakening of water diplomacy in South Asia is not just a regional threat; it endangers global climate security.”
(SOME OF) THE XYLOM’S RECENT STORIES
🛢️ "All Hell Breaks Loose": How Big Oil Ruined a Small Texas Town
Three export terminals that captured half of the U.S. crude oil export industry have formed around Ingleside on the Bay, turning the Texas Coastal Bend town into an unlikely fenceline community.
A three-part series produced by The Xylom and co-published by Drilled, Floodlight, and Deceleration News.
♟️ Perspective: Learning Math From an Ancient African Board Game
Owari is an ancient African game designed to teach the mathematical concept of fractals, a game that is enjoyed by children and adults in its modern form to this day.
🔌 EXPLAINER: What’s at Stake in the Georgia Public Service Commission’s Upcoming Primary Elections
Early voting is officially underway for the primary elections for Georgia Public Service Commission Districts 2 and 3. While a commissioner must live in the geographic district they represent, all five are elected by voters statewide. They, in large part, determine how the state tackles the threats posed by climate change. This story was first published by Atlanta Civic Circle.