Hobbs: LNG terminal at Port of Brownsville will lead to higher wages across lower RGV
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - Hiring 5,000 construction workers to build a liquefied natural gas export terminal at the Port of Brownsville will lead to increased wage rates across the lower Rio Grande Valley.\xa0
That is the view of Pat Hobbs, executive director of Workforce Solutions Cameron.
In a wide-ranging interview that also included news of big developments at SpaceX, Hobbs said he expects a decision from NextDecade on their Rio Grande LNG terminal to \u201cpop\u201d any day now.\xa0
\u201cWe're expecting the LNG to pop any day\u2026 for NextDecade to make their final investment decision. And when they do I think that's going to be the start of a large scale change in the wage rates for the Valley region, which is long overdue.\u201d
So, wage rates are going to go up, Hobbs was asked.
\u201cRates are gonna go up, I predict. I won't believe it until I see it but all the signs say that the skilled workforce in the Brownsville, Harlingen, (lower) Valley area is going to increase. The value of their services is going to increase on par with the rest of the state. So, our workers our skilled workers won't have to leave the Valley in order to make a decent living.\u201d
Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian website.
To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.