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A woman with a pensive expression stands with a microphone.
A group of people standing in a row holding protest signs that read "Methane is Malicious."
A group of people are gathered in front of a blue indoor pavilion wall, with a stage pictured behind them.
Logo of a palm tree and sun in front of the ocean with text that reads "Better Brazoria Clean Air & Clean Water."
A small group of people are gathered in front of a blue stage, where a drummer and bassist are playing in front of a sign that reads "Better Brazoria"
Four women stand on a city sidewalk in bright sunlight, wearing matching black t-shirts that read "Stop Fossil Fuels."
A woman is gesturing with her hands while speaking. Two men standing to her right hold signs that read "CHUBB stop insuring Freeport LNG."

Better Brazoria: Clean Air & Water

Freeport, TX

In 2021, Climate Nexus launched an Energy Equity Regranting Project to help resource organizations, tribes, and community leaders on the frontlines of climate change and the impactful work they are doing to fight the gas industry. The energy equity transition grants prioritize grassroots groups with an annual budget of $1 million or less to boost their efforts in racially, ethnically, gender, and culturally diverse communities across the United States and at the intersections of public health and energy justice.

In our second year running the program, 11 organizations received grants ranging from $20,000 to $40,000, including Better Brazoria: Clean Air & Water, whose work is detailed below. 

Overview

Based in Freeport, Texas, a town of 13,000, Better Brazoria: Clean Air & Water produces educational information for residents and watchdogs petrochemical companies trying to export liquid “natural” gas. Better Brazoria has sent representatives to Washington, D.C., and New York City to speak with policymakers working on methane regulations. They’re working to bring in better resources, fighting for clean water, and a government that prioritizes transitioning away from fossil fuels and preventing the expansion of petrochemical plants such as Dow Chemical, BASF, and Freeport LNG.

Activities

Watchdogging Freeport LNG

On June 8, 2022, there was an explosion at Freeport LNG, the second-largest U.S. liquid natural gas processing facility. Since that explosion, Better Brazoria: Clean Air & Water connected with international media, providing  German, French, and Italian reporters with tours of the area around the Freeport LNG terminal. 

  • They sent letters to all the LNG insurance companies this past June on the anniversary of the explosion, with responses from Allianz and Chubb.
  • While in New York City, a representative from Chubb listened to their request not to reinsure Freeport LNG. Better Brazoria hand-delivered that representative a petition signed by 140 organizations about why they should not insure Freeport LNG.
  • Texas residents grilled PHMSA officials over their supervision of liquefied natural gas processing plants at a meeting to discuss Freeport LNG plant conditions.
  • Based on the previous educational materials Better Brazoria was creating, they published a new study showing how the local government gave $2.16 Billion in corporate tax breaks to 14 Brazoria County polluters.
  • Following the release of PHMSA’s Root Cause Failure Analysis of the Freeport LNG explosion, which they felt was insufficient, Better Brazoria undertook an investigation of their own, including interviews with workers, to paint a more complete picture of the root causes of the explosion. 

Pressuring Beltway Decisionmakers

Better Brazoria met with Andrew Hoot, the lead engineer at First and DC, to inform him of the dangers of the Freeport LNG explosion and its reopening. Four members from Better Brazoria traveled to Washington, D.C.. They held a press conference in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to promote the findings from their investigation into the root causes of the Freeport LNG explosion. 

Better Brazoria Bash

On July 22nd, Better Brazoria hosted the first-ever Better Brazoria Bash, with free food from food trucks and a van with activities for children. There were educational pamphlets about Freeport LNG, the explosion, and why Freeport LNG has yet to reopen fully.

Lessons Learned

Melanie Oldham, Founder of Better Brazoria, reflected, “Since we’ve had these Zoom meetings with Climate Nexus and other groups, we feel like we’ve had more wins, and we’ve been able to reach out to more of our community and educate [them] about what’s been going on. A lot of folks never knew until we put out the information [about Freeport LNG]. We hope to continue doing that.” 

Future and Sustainability

Melanie Oldham, Founder of Better Brazoria, reflected, “Since we’ve had these Zoom meetings with Climate Nexus and other groups, we feel like we’ve had more wins, and we’ve been able to reach out to more of our community and educate [them] about what’s been going on. A lot of folks never knew until we put out the information [about Freeport LNG]. We hope to continue doing that.” 

Due to Better Brazoria’s campaign to pressure insurance companies and a lawsuit led by Sierra Club, Freeport LNG has yet to be reinsured or restart reconstruction. Better Brazoria will continue to target insurance companies and expand its campaign to target banks that finance LNG exports. Better Brazoria’s last year of activism has raised its profile among federal policymakers and community members, setting a foundation for more significant influence.

A small group of people are gathered in front of a blue stage, where a drummer and bassist are playing in front of a sign that reads "Better Brazoria."
A woman with a pensive expression stands with a microphone
A woman is gesturing with her hands while speaking. Two men standing to her right hold signs that read "CHUBB stop insuring Freeport LNG."
A woman is speaking into a microphone in an outdoor urban setting. Behind her is a large cardboard cutout of Chuck Schumer, who controls other political figures with marionette strings.
A group of people standing in a row holding protest signs that read "Methane is Malicious."
A sign hangs off of the railing of a public beach building that reads, "Freeport LNG got .1 Billion in tax breaks, we got this.." and depicts a photo of the Freeport LNG facility exploding
Four women stand on a city sidewalk in bright sunlight, wearing matching black t-shirts that read "Stop Fossil Fuels."
A man in a tan bucket hat is standing outside and holding a protest sign that depicts the Freeport explosion, and reads "Our Home is not a Sacrifice Zone. #NOLNG"
A man is shown lighting a cigar with a hundred dollar bill, followed by the words "YOU PAY HIS TAXES" and "Brazoria County elected "leaders" give .6 Billion in tax breaks to some of the world's richest corporations. Angry Visit YouPayHisTaxes.org"
A group of people are gathered in front of a blue indoor pavilion wall, with a stage pictured behind them
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