The total number of vessels turned in from Aransas County, Texas tallied 31 vessels and 12 boat trailers bringing a total of 130 gallons of fuel/oil collected. The fuel/oil was properly disposed. To date, the General Land Office has collected 742 vessels, 1236 gallons of fuel/oil waste, and 73 boat trailers coastwide since the program’s inception. The footage for the Aransas County event totaled 497 feet of vessels turned in - this is almost as tall as the Washington Monument! The recent Aransas County event brings us to a cumulative program total of 12,216.50 feet. If laid side by side, the vessels collected would stretch across the entire National Mall in Washington D.C. The Aransas County Vessel Turn-In Program was a huge success in our efforts to help citizens maintain a clean and pollution free Texas coastline.

“Ensuring there are no large scale oil spills is critical to supporting our coast,” said Commissioner Bush. “Vessels, when left behind in coastal waters, can inflict a severe negative impact on our communities and environment. The General Land Office is proud to roll up our sleeves and get to work, providing opportunities such as the Vessel Turn-In Program, to help protect our state’s environment.”

Working with petroleum and commercial fishing industries, U.S. Coast Guard and the public, the GLO Oil Spill Prevention and Response team supports educational opportunities, daily water and shore patrols and provides firehouse-ready response teams to prevent and immediately address environmental problems - because even the smallest spill can endanger Texas' precious natural resources. Abandoned vessels can leak fluids into coastal waters that can be harmful for the wetland environment, wildlife and humans. With hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil and petroleum products passing through ports, bays and beaches along the Texas Gulf annually, the Texas General Land Office Oil Spill Prevention and Response team is on call 24/7, ensuring oil stays out of Texas coastal waters.