The City Council of Corpus Christi earlier this month voted to cancel a contract for a seawater desalination plant meant to offset high water demand from the oil and gas industry.

After years of debate, escalating costs, and public opposition that played a significant role in local elections, the council voted Sept. 3 to avoid paying an additional $50 million to move forward on a design contract that began in December with an initial payment of $50 million, according to Inside Climate News.  

While facing a seven-year drought, the city had committed major amounts of its water supply to heavy industry, including 25 million gallons per day to a plastics plant operated by ExxonMobil and Saudi Basic Industries Corp., plus 6 million gallons per day to a Steel Dynamics steel mill.

Meanwhile, the cost of the city’s proposed desalination plant ballooned from $140 million to $1.2 billion. Instead of pursuing the plant, council members are opting to consider piping in groundwater or recycling wastewater, according to Inside Climate News.

The move led to threats from the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a fossil fuel proponent, to withhold state funding from Corpus Christi unless it moves forward with the desalination plant.