The Gulf Coast
Originally Published February 1, 2022
From Mobile to Galveston, there is an uninterrupted coastline of white sand beaches. Unlike Florida where condos tend to line the beach, here a road separates the beaches, meaning that they are almost entirely open to the public, that is, since 1965, when Blacks were finally allowed, after a yearlong "wade-in" at Biloxi
Cities come and go along this route. Sometimes it's just a gas station, a thrift shop, a mini-mart and the ubiquitous tire shop. Other towns have a vague resort quality with a combination of casino, hotel and RV park. The economy of the gulf coast is largely supported by oil and gas industry. Nearly half of the country's fossil fuel demand is met here. To give you a sense of proportion, the annual industry report for Texas includes:
Refinery: Crude: 250,000 barrels (10.1 million gallons) processed daily Gasoline: 170,000 barrels (7.1 million gallons) produced daily total regular and premium grades Jet-A aviation fuel: 44,000 barrels (1.9 million gallons) produced daily Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel: 95,000 barrels (4.0 million gallons) produced daily Anode grade coke: 1,000 tons produced daily
Chemicals: Ethylene: 3.33 billion lbs/yr Propylene: 1.44 billion lbs/yr Butadiene: 0.35 billion lbs/yr Aromatic Feedstocks: 0.84 billion lbs/yr
In Texas these refineries are mostly offshore on manmade peninsulas just off the coast. In Louisiana they lie inland, in the infinite swamp above Lake Pontchartrain. In the daytime they blow cumulous clouds of steam. At night they produce a halo in the sky from literally millions of lights illuminating their infrastructures. Tankers move out to the coast the coast or up the Mississippi. Railcars move in mile long phalanxes.
There is a Southern Gothic point & click narrative adventure that purports to “immerse the player in the sinking suburbs and verdant industrial swamps of a distorted South Louisiana.” It is also the name of an oil refinery compound in South Louisiana. We were returning from Natchez to New Orleans when we noticed a halo in the clouds in the night sky was. As we approached, it seemed as if we were driving up East River Drive. A virtual city was completely illuminated for several miles, with occasional flare stacks flashing in the night.
