Nobody handles oil quite like Texas and a fresh supply of Venezuelan crude could soon be headed to the Lone Star State’s coast.

The first barrels of thick, tar-like crude could arrive as soon as next week at ports across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, where dense clusters of refineries are built and bred to process heavy oil.

The development follows President Donald Trump’s Tuesday evening announcement that Caracas will transfer up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., worth about $2.8 billion at current market prices. 

WE’RE GOING TO LET THE OIL FLOW: ENERGY SECRETARY SAYS US WILL OVERSEE VENEZUELAN OIL SALES

“The Gulf Coast concentrates most of our refining capacity, and those refineries were built or revamped over the years to process extra-heavy crude similar to what is produced in Venezuela,” explained Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS.

“From a market perspective, additional volumes of extra-heavy crude entering the U.S. refining system would be an extraordinarily positive development,” Brito said. “It would allow refiners to operate more efficiently, something they haven’t been able to do for years and could help keep gasoline and diesel prices at better levels because refiners would have access to cheaper crude and more optimal operations.”

‘WE BUILT VENEZUELA’S OIL INDUSTRY:’ TRUMP VOWS US ENERGY RETURN AFTER MADURO CAPTURE

He added that tankers could arrive within five to six days if they leave Venezuelan waters on Thursday.

Because Gulf Coast refineries supply a large share of the nation’s fuel, shifts in how efficiently they operate can ultimately ripple through to prices paid by U.S. consumers.

The arrival of 15 to 25 oil tankers carrying up to 50 million barrels of crude is only a fraction of what Venezuela could ultimately supply.

With more than 300 billion barrels of proven reserves, it holds the world’s largest oil endowment — eclipsing long-standing energy heavyweights like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait.

Despite its vast reserves, U.S. sanctions have effectively blocked most Venezuelan crude from reaching the U.S. Gulf Coast, leaving Chevron — operating under a special authorization — as the sole exporter of limited volumes.

US NOW IN CONTROL OF VENEZUELA’S OIL RESERVES, THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD

That disruption has been felt most acutely in Texas, which anchors the nation’s refining hub and hosts several of the country’s largest heavy-crude refineries.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A renewed flow of Venezuelan barrels could also intensify competition in the heavy-crude market, particularly between Venezuela and Canada, Brito said.

“You’re going to have fierce competition between Canada and Venezuela, which benefits American refiners and gives them more flexibility to potentially lower fuel prices,” he said, adding that he was speaking strictly from an oil-market perspective.

A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said.

The shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. outside Connie’s Seafood Market Restaurant, the Houston Police Department said.

Police told reporters that the security guard, who was working for the restaurant, was standing in the parking lot when a fight broke out between him and another man, FOX26 Houston reported.

Police said the security guard was shot at least once. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died.

OFF-DUTY DEPUTY SHOT AND KILLED WHILE WORKING SECURITY JOB IN TEXAS, SUSPECT REMAINS AT LARGE

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the victim.

The suspect was last seen running away from the parking lot after the shooting.

BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTER CONFESSED IN VIDEOS TO PLANNING ATTACK FOR LONG TIME, SHOWED NO REMORSE: DOJ

No details about the suspect or the circumstances that led to the altercation have been released as of Thursday morning.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Officials said investigators were reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses to get a description of the suspect.

The Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced on Tuesday that it plans to sue the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over what it called “unlawful investigations” into school officials over social media posts made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

In September, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath sent out a letter to state school superintendents announcing that he was launching investigations into school officials that he said “posted and/or shared reprehensible and inappropriate content on social media” regarding the Turning Point USA founder’s death.

“Such posts could constitute a violation of the Educators’ Code of Ethics and each instance will be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether sanctionable conduct has occurred and staff will investigate accordingly,” Morath wrote. “While the exercise of free speech is a fundamental right we are all blessed to share, it does not give carte blanche authority to celebrate or sow violence against those that share different beliefs and perspectives.”

TEXAS TECH STUDENT ARRESTED, EXPELLED AFTER VIDEO SHOWS HER ‘MOCKING’ CHARLIE KIRK VIGIL: OFFICIALS

The lawsuit alleges that since the letter was issued, several Texas AFT members have been placed on administrative leave, reprimanded or terminated over their social media posts, which the organization claims is a First Amendment violation.

“Somewhere and somehow, our state’s leaders lost their way,” Texas AFT President Zeph Capo said in a statement. “A few well-placed Texas politicians and bureaucrats think it is good for their careers to trample on educators’ free speech rights. They decided scoring a few cheap points was worth the unfair discipline, the doxxing, and the death threats targeted at Texas teachers. Meanwhile, educators and their families are afraid that they’ll lose everything: their livelihoods, their reputations, and their very purpose for being, which is to impart critical thinking.”

GREG ABBOTT MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT TURNING POINT USA IN TEXAS

National AFT President Randi Weingarten also released a statement condemning the TEA.

“Sadly, Texas officials, unlike their colleagues in Utah, decided to exploit the tragedy of Mr. Kirk’s senseless murder, rather than deescalate,” Weingarten said. “Their actions are a transparent effort to smear and shame educators, divide our communities, and deny our kids opportunities to learn and thrive. They are a state-sponsored attack on teachers because of what they thought were private comments to friends and family. And even if we think some of this speech is noxious, defending one’s right to speak is the essence of our democracy.”

She added, “You don’t lose your constitutional rights when you decide to become a teacher—the Constitution, for it to have any meaning at all, has to work for all Americans, not just some.”

PROFESSOR FIGHTING DISMISSAL FOR CALLING CHARLIE KIRK A ‘NAZI’ HANDED LEGAL WIN, FUELING FREE SPEECH DEBATE

The AFT is seeking a permanent injunction of the TEA policy and investigations. The TEA declined to comment to Fox News Digital.

In the weeks following Kirk’s assassination, several public school teachers across the nation were reprimanded or fired after going viral with controversial social media posts that appeared to celebrate his death.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott previously announced that more than 100 teachers in the state would have their teaching certifications suspended after investigators found they had called for or encouraged violence following Kirk’s assassination.

Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.