22 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Winter 2018-19 TheCoastalBend.com Snap to Realty Since the 1960’s, however, the growing con- servation movement, led by the United Kingdom and the United States, has become a fundamental influence on where and how development takes place. A century after we humans were eating up the earth’s re- source at a dizzying pace, the world’s lead- ing builders of everything from infrastruc- ture and urban expanse to factories and chemical plants are employing the most advanced methods available to make a minimum environmental impact. Even in a political climate where the idea of reduced government regulation, including and especially environmental standards, seems to be more popular than ever, stakeholders of all stripes are singing in a single voice on many issues that affect quality of life—and business—along the Texas Gulf Coast. Cynics are sure to call “NIMBY” (Not In My Back Yard) on oilmen who oppose an offshore oil tanker facility, for example, stationed in the Gulf of Mexico less than ten miles off the coast of Padre and Mustang Islands—in the name of protecting endangered sea life as well as lucra- tive commercial development. In Port Aransas, where the value of vacation property is directly connected to the price of crude oil and natural gas, dyed-in-the-wool conserva- tive Republicans find themselves in opposition to the very industry that fuels their political party of choice, as they Dr. Donna Shaver