Songs for the Last Frontier

The Austin Chapter of Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA) is proud to announce a concert extravaganza on August 8th to raise money for the Not in Our Big Bend campaign to stop the Trans-Pecos Pipeline. Join us for an evening of great music and free beer to help the BBCA protect the last frontier of Texas! Tickets are available here>>

About the Not in Our Big Bend campaign and Trans-Pecos Pipeline:

The proposed Trans-Pecos pipeline threatens human health and safety, the region’s economic and ecological well being, and sets a dangerous precedent in an area largely untouched by industry.  

Natural gas transmission lines present very real dangers. On June 15th, in Cuero, Texas, a pipeline owned by Energy Transfer Partners exploded, releasing a fireball that could be seen more than twenty miles away. If such an explosion occurred in our semi-arid grasslands, resulting catastrophic wildfires could be devastating.

The Big Bend is also part of the most seismically active area in the state, significantly increasing the risk of pipeline ruptures. Resulting leaks would vent methane–a potent greenhouse gas–directly into the atmosphere. The “blast zone” (also known as the "incineration zone") for a pipeline of this size extends roughly three hundred yards from the rupture site. 

The scale of ground disturbance during construction would be unprecedented in this region. A 125 foot-wide corridor would be bladed the entire 143 mile length of the pipeline. A network of new roads and associated pipeline infrastructure such as block valves, meters, and blowdown stations would be built. The pipeline and its infrastructure would fragment one of the largest intact bioregions in the country and the scars would remain indefinitely, diminishing the beauty of the Big Bend’s pristine landscape.

Such changes to the Big Bend would have negative impacts to our tourism based economy. Over time, revenue generated from eco-tourism and heritage tourism would decline as those values across the region would incrementally diminish.

There are also concerns of a broader nature. As one of the last un-industrialized areas in the country, for the pipeline to get a toehold here would be tragic. The United States is covered in a maze of oil and gas transmission pipelines. But these huge pipelines still end in the Permian Basin, stopping well short of the Big Bend. 

If this pipeline is built, additional pipelines could be laid along the easement. Spur lines could be built to take gas to other sources. Over time, compressor stations are likely to be constructed along its length. And with each additional piece of infrastructure, we inch closer to becoming yet another casualty of industrialization.