Date of publication of the press release: 14 August 2024
Contact: Kelly Taylor, Press Secretary, 361-949-1970
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Padre Island National Seashore has received a total of $7,115,165 under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to restore abandoned oil and gas wells within the park boundaries. BIL, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is the largest investment in environmental and infrastructure restoration and protection in American history.
In addition to the two oil and gas rigs restored in 2023 with BIL funds, three other rigs once operated by Modena Operating and a portion of an orphaned oil and gas access road will be restored, including the removal of abandoned infrastructure. These sites will be returned to their original condition. Modena Operating abandoned its operations and infrastructure in the park and left the United States in 2012. The park took legal action to hold them accountable for plugging the wells and reclaiming five rigs they left behind, collecting a $200,000 bond, the maximum allowed at the time.
This BIL-funded project will leverage previous investments to restore the natural landscape and ecological functions of coastal grasslands, prairie, and wetlands. The work builds on a 2021 project conducted in partnership with the Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas, which successfully capped ten orphaned oil and gas wells and an associated groundwater well in the park. The 2021 project was funded with $1.3 million from the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council), the organization responsible for managing a restoration fund established after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
About Padre Island National Seashore
Padre Island National Seashore preserves, protects, and interprets the outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the United States’ longest undeveloped barrier island beach and its surrounding waters for public benefit, inspiration, and scientific understanding. The park’s 130,000 acres and waters provide important habitat for marine and terrestrial plants and animals, including over 58 species of special interest.
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