A developer that planned Texas’ first off-shore wind farm has pulled its project, a South Padre Island official said. Austin-based Baryonyx Corp.’s two state leases — off of South Padre Island — have expired and the company has not re-applied for a new permit three months after it pulled its permit applica-tions for a wind farm it planned to build about five miles offshore. The wind turbines would have risen...
The City Commission is slated to vote on an incentive agreement Wednesday among the Harlingen Economic Development Corp., Cameron County and SpaceX in the space exploration firm’s plan to develop the world’s first commercial and private vertical launch site at Boca Chica Beach. The vote is scheduled for the commission’s regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. inside City Hall, 118 E. Tyler Ave. The agreement provides for a job creation grant...
Anyone who pays the slightest attention to the oil and gas industry knows that Texas is in the middle of a major energy boom, one concentrated largely on the vast Eagle Ford Shale formation that spans several counties in South Texas. The same formation happens to extend south across the border into Mexico, where it’s known as the Burgos Basin. While Eagle Ford already has dozens of exploration sites in...
Poised motionless in the early morning stillness along the shore of the Lower Laguna Madre, a great blue heron stands ready to snatch any unwary fish that swims by. With its rapier like bill and gleaming golden eye reflecting the dawn light, the heron is a study in concentration. Without a trace of wind, the surface of the bay mirrors the great blue as it turns its head in...
Mounds of dark gravel dot the last 15.1-mile stretch of State Highway 4 that leads to the Gulf of Mexico, awaiting construction crews for a needed facelift. The road repairs will run from the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint to the eastern end of the roadway, which abuts Boca Chica Beach in Cameron County. The repairs, while long in the works, are significant because this is the main — in fact,...
Ron Guilot, of Parrot Eyes, has donated a six-week-old, baby macaw to the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. Officials are currently asking for guests to come visit and leave a comment on the Center’s Facebook page on what the bird’s name should be. The sex of the bird is determined by a blood test later. The bird is a hybrid called a “Catalina”. The dad...
The South Padre Island City Council, at its meeting last week, approved a paid program to be implemented next year to address parking issues along Gulf Blvd. The program will utilize smart phone technology by applying online or calling for a parking permit. Customers will receive five hours of parking for $5.35, which will apply from March 1 to Sept. 15. The parking charge is $5 and 35 cents will...
A 5K run on Sunday will benefit Friends of Animal Rescue. The run is open to the public and is sponsored by the Texas Narcotic Officers Association, which is also holding its annual conference at the South Padre Island Convention Centre. The event will benefit Friends of Animal Rescue. On-site registration for the one-mile walk or run and the 5K run will be held near the Hilton Garden Inn...
Efforts by the Harlingen Economic Development Corp. for a SpaceX incentive package got a boost Thursday when Cameron County commissioners extended an invitation for the group to get involved. The request was mostly a formality, explained Harlingen EDC Director Raudel Garza, but state laws require such an agreement before the group can offer incentives to a company locating outside of Harlingen. The county’s agreement allows Garza to add to the...
An economic energy boom is happening in Texas—from an international gas pipeline and federal government approval for a liquified natural gas (LNG) port facility to wind farms. The Rio Grande Valley is situated in the midst of two of the largest energy fields in North America, the Eagle Ford Shale of Texas and the emerging Burgos Basin of northern Mexico. The area has seen an increase in employment and...
