Residents rally to block Texas GulfLink tank farm in Jones Creek

by Taylor Walton

The Facts

July 27, 2026

Residents and environmental advocates renewed their opposition to the proposed Texas GulfLink Project during a community meeting, voicing concerns about flooding, drinking water, public health, property values and the long-term impact an oil storage facility could have on Jones Creek residents.

The meeting, hosted Saturday by Better Brazoria and the Texas Campaign for the Environment, drew about 10 to 20 residents, plus elected officials and representatives from several environmental organizations.

Speakers encouraged attendees to continue opposing the project by attending upcoming public meetings, contacting elected officials and remaining engaged as additional permits are considered.

Texas GulfLink, a project of Sentinel Midstream, would include a crude oil storage facility near County Road 400 and Peach Point Road, a 36-inch pipeline extending through Brazoria County and, about 32 miles offshore, a deepwater crude oil export terminal in the Gulf.

The onshore facility would occupy about 200 acres and include 13 above-ground, floating-roof storage tanks capable of holding up to 9.2 million barrels of crude oil, according to permit documents filed with state regulators.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration approved the project through a Record of Decision on Feb. 14, 2025, and issued a Deepwater Port License on Feb. 3. The federal approval authorizes construction of the offshore export terminal, the onshore storage facility and more than 50 miles of onshore and offshore pipelines. Sentinel Midstream first applied for the project in 2019.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also issued a federal Clean Air Act construction permit for the project in September 2024. Under the permit, construction must begin by March 11.

Although federal approvals have been issued, Better Brazoria Executive Director Melanie Oldham said the company still must obtain several local permits before construction can begin.

“It’s not a done deal,” Oldham said. “There are still permits they have to get before they can move forward.”

Residents invited Bruce Heine, the Sentinel official leading the Texas GulfLink project in Brazoria County, to Saturday’s public meeting, but he did not attend.

Residents have opposed the project since Sentinel Midstream proposed in 2019, arguing the company selected a tank farm location adjacent to neighborhoods despite years of community opposition, Oldham said.

“Most people came here to have a nice, quiet, small-town, rural community,” Oldham said. “People retired here, and now they’re finding out a gigantic tank farm could be built next to their neighborhoods.”

Residents remain concerned about flooding, increased truck traffic, noise, property values and the facility’s proximity to homes, she said.

“We deserve clean air, clean water and quality of life,” Oldham said.

One of the primary topics during the meeting was Sentinel Midstream’s pending drainage plan, which organizers said is expected to be reviewed by the West Brazoria County Drainage District.

“There are representatives who are asking these questions,” Texas Campaign for the Environment organizer Dominic Chacón said. “They need people to show up and support them.”

Residents continue asking company representatives how the project could affect local infrastructure and what benefits Jones Creek would receive in return, Chacón said.

“What’s in it for our community?” Chacón said. “What protections are you going to offer? These are not unreasonable questions for us to ask.”

Questions remained regarding the project’s anticipated demand for water and electricity, emergency response planning, long-term maintenance of the storage facility and whether local taxpayers could ultimately bear infrastructure costs associated with the development.

Several attendees expressed concern about potential impacts to air quality and discussed the difficulty of monitoring volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, such as benzene. Community air monitoring is expensive and state regulators often rely on their own monitoring equipment when evaluating air quality complaints, Chacón said.

“Our children and our children’s children are going to be impacted by the decisions that are made on this project,” Chacón said.

The project also remains the subject of ongoing litigation, Oldham said.

The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard arguments in June on the organization’s lawsuit challenging federal approval of Texas GulfLink, Better Brazoria Chairman Gary Witt said.

The lawsuit argues the Maritime Administration improperly approved both the Texas GulfLink and Sea Port Oil Terminal, or SPOT, projects within the same impact area under the federal Deepwater Port Act, Witt said.

“We’re still waiting for the reply from the Fifth Circuit,” Witt said.

The earlier SPOT project serves as evidence that delays, litigation and changing market conditions can affect major energy developments, Witt said. The SPOT project stalled after potential customers withdrew, despite receiving federal permits, he added.

The main question and problem most residents had was what were they going to get out of the project.

Meeting organizers encouraged residents to attend the West Brazoria County Drainage District meeting at 4 p.m. Aug. 3 in West Columbia.

“The easiest way they get this project passed is if people believe it’s inevitable,” Chacón said. “But if we resist, if we show up at these hearings and ask the right questions, you’ll be surprised how much influence the community can have.”