The original Cactus Pipeline was a pioneer in moving large volumes of crude oil from the Permian and the Eagle Ford to the Corpus Christi area, which quickly became a leader in U.S. crude exports. Cactus II, an even longer and larger pipeline that came online in H2 2019, only added to Corpus Christi’s export prominence. But the competition with Permian-to-Houston pipelines is fiercer than ever and negotiated rates on pipelines to the Texas Gulf Coast are under pressure. In today’s RBN blog, we look at the Cactus I and Cactus II pipelines and their significance.
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This is the latest in our series on crude oil pipelines traveling from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast. Today’s blog focuses on the last of the Corpus-bound pipes. Previously, in Bustin' Out, we looked at the EPIC Crude Pipeline (yellow line in Figure 1 below), which has been operating at full capacity, and then told the story of Gray Oak Pipeline (aqua line) in Movin' On Up. We recently wrapped up our Permian-to-Houston series with a new Drill Down Report, West Texas Highway, where we detailed how Corpus Christi is competing head-to-head with the Houston area to attract Permian barrels. Corpus Christi surpassed Houston as the top dog in Q1 2025, with Permian-to-Corpus flows averaging 2.5 MMb/d compared to Houston’s 2.4 MMb/d, according to RBN’s weekly Crude Oil Permian report. (In 2024, Houston outpaced Corpus for half of the months.) Combined, the two regions receive about three-quarters of the Permian’s output. Corpus Christi is an ideal spot for crude because it’s home to 857 Mb/d of refining capacity and has extensive export options, including Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center (EIEC) and Gibson’s South Texas Gateway (STG), the top two crude export terminals along the Gulf Coast by volume. (More on those in a bit.)
Figure 1. Permian Oil Outbound Pipelines to Corpus Christi. Source: RBN
Before diving into the details of Cactus I and Cactus II (light-green and dark-green lines, respectively, in Figures 1 and 2), which account for more than one-third of Permian-to-Corpus volumes, let’s discuss the origin story of Plains All American and how the ownership of the Cactus pipelines, which don’t share the same infrastructure, has morphed over time. Back in the 1980s and early ’90s, Plains Resources, a small E&P, expanded into the midstream sector, and in 1998 the company’s midstream subsidiary was spun off via an initial public offering (IPO) and simultaneously acquired All American Co. Ever since, it’s been Plains All American.
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About the song
“Can’t Hold Back” was written by Chris Gates, David Roach, Patrick Muzingo and Clay Anthony. It appears as the third song on side two of Junkyard’s eponymous debut album. The hard-rocking song about a Hollywood rock-and-roll girl is powered by loud guitars and the strong vocals of David Roach. Personnel on the record were: David Roach (lead vocals, percussion), Chris Gates (guitar), Brian Baker (guitar), Clay Anthony (bass) and Patrick Muzingo (drums, percussion).
The album, Junkyard, was recorded at Conway, Studio Sound, and One On One in Los Angeles during 1988 and 1989. Produced by Tom Werman, the album was released in May 1989 and went to #105 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. Two singles were released from the LP.
Junkyard is an American rock band formed in East Hollywood in 1987 by Austin, TX, punk-rock musicians Chris Gates (Big Boys), David Roach (Strappados, Pagans) and Max Gottlieb (Strappados), along with Los Angeles musicians Johnny Hell and Clay Anthony. The band made a name for themselves in the Los Angeles underground club scene with a sound combining Motorhead with Lynyrd Skynyrd, with a healthy dose of punk-rock attitude thrown in the mix. Geffen Records signed the band in 1988. Drummer Hell was replaced by Patrick Muzingo (Decry) and guitarist Gottlieb was replaced by Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Dag Nasty). They released two studio albums and seven singles for Geffen. They have released four studio albums, a live album, an EP, and a single on indie labels. Ten members have passed through the band since its formation. Clay Anthony died in Hawaii in December 2020. David Roach died in Omaha, NE, in August 2025. The future of the band is unknown at this time.
On a personal note, David Roach has been a good friend of your managing director of musicology at RBN since the late 1980s. Junkyard, Little Caesar and my band, Dirty Dogs, shared a rehearsal studio in Hollywood back then. For a brief time, there was a magical scene of real rock-and-roll street bands playing the underground club circuit in Los Angeles. Real camaraderie and friendships were forged, all the cool bands would be at our friends’ shows, supporting them and nurturing the scene. David Roach was a guy who was a major part of that scene. He sang on some of my demos, we did a country project together, and he was always this great guy to know. He would always light up a room with his great personality, wicked sense of humor and rock-and-roll attitude. He was a great singer and performer, a chef, a family man, and will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, David. Sincere condolences to his family, friends, and Junkyard fans.
