TX: Oil-and-gas industry rally draws modest attendance in Corpus Christi

CORPUS CHRISTI — A relaxed group of about 80 oil-and-gas proponents responded to the American Petroleum Institute’s appeal to rally in Corpus Christi against extending the deepwater drilling moratorium and additional federal regulations on the sector.

Organizers of the simultaneous rallies in Corpus Christi, Houston and Port Arthur had predicted that several thousand people would participate in the events, the first three of seven rallies planned in five states through Sept. 10. A live video feed of the Houston event–the largest of the Texas rallies–showed what appeared to be hundreds of people in attendance.

Update: According to a spokesperson, API’s official headcount at the three Texas rallies was more than 5,500 people, including more than 5,000 people in Houston. The Houston Chronicle reported that more than 5,000 rallied at the three events combined, including ‘hundreds’ in Houston. Port Arthur’s CBS 19 has photos of its local rally, which appears to be on the same scale as the Corpus Christi event.

The Chronicle had reported that organizers expected 5,000 people to show up for the Houston rally.

Inside the American Bank Center in downtown Corpus Christi, speakers from the local business and energy communities argued that additional intervention from Congress would cost the Coastal Bend region thousands of jobs and would constitute an unwarranted response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“It would be an overreaction to a bad situation,” said Charles Barber, incoming chair of the API’s Corpus Christi chapter.

Half of the region’s $18 billion annual economy is tied to oil, said Art Granado, with the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corp.

“Not everybody in this country can make a living off government jobs,” said Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce chair John Michael.

Michael singled out U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz (D-Corpus Christi) for praise, since Ortiz joined the Texas congressional delegation in appealing against extending the gulf drilling moratorium.

“We should applaud our congressman’s support in this. He does understand what you do every day,” Michael said.

The BP oil spill disaster was caused by the mistakes of individuals, and the entire industry should not be punished for it, speakers told the audience that included several people clad in the distinctive red uniforms of Halliburton, a contractor on the BP rig.

Rally attendee Eric Herman of commercial electricity broker Success Power Partners said the Corpus Christi community is generally united behind the energy industry, since the city is home to three major refineries. While Herman’s political leanings are conservative, he said both Gov. Rick Perry and Democratic challenger and former Houston Mayor Bill White are supportive of oil and gas.

“I don’t know anyone in Texas who’s not pro-energy,” he said.

Herman attended the event because he knows one of the speakers, and he believed in the rally’s intent.

“I’m all for not taxing Texas and telling the federal government to keep their hands off of us,” Herman said.

Corpus Christi’s “rally for jobs” had the support of 34 organizations, including conservative nonprofit FreedomWorks, business groups and workers unions.

(Photo: Patrick Brendel)