News Release

Padre Island National Seashore’s Eleven Orphan Wells Plugged by Railroad Commission of Texas with Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Funding Awarded by the RESTORE Council

Date: April 16, 2021

Padre Island National Seashore’s Eleven Orphan Wells Plugged by Railroad Commission of Texas with Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Funding Awarded by the RESTORE Council  

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX. – In partnership with the RESTORE Council, Padre Island National Seashore and the Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas have successfully completed a project to plug ten orphan oil and gas wells and an associated groundwater well at the park.   

“As we approach National Park Week, we are glad to share that eleven wells at the park, which were abandoned in 2012 and orphaned in 2013, are now fully plugged. We thank the RESTORE Council for allocating the funding and the Railroad Commission for their expertise and action to complete this project for the benefit of this and future generations of park visitors,” said park superintendent Eric Brunnemann.   

Padre Island National Seashore’s enabling legislation stipulates mineral rights be retained by the property grantors and that the park provide access to these minerals. Mineral development and extraction are subject to regulations that ensure park lands are left unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.  

Modena Operating abandoned its operations and infrastructure within the park and left the United States in 2012. The park pursued legal remedies to hold the responsible party accountable for plugging the wells and reclaiming five well pads they left behind, collecting a $200,000 bond, the maximum allowable at the time. In 2015, the park proposed, through the Department of the Interior, well plugging and site reclamation to the RESTORE Council, and in 2018 just over $1.3 million was awarded to the park for the project from a fund created after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Funds were transferred to the RRC under a Master Cooperative Agreement between the park and RRC, which is the primary oil and gas regulator in Texas. Then, from mid-January to the end of March 2021, the RRC oversaw a contractor’s well-plugging operations in the park.  

“Protecting the Padre Island National Seashore’s natural habitat and providing pristine beaches to Texans is just one of many steps to ensure the future restoration of the Texas coast provided by RESTORE funds. This project will help protect this area for all residents and wildlife for years to come,” said Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Executive Director Toby Baker.   

To protect the integrity of the dunes at the National Seashore, the company built a mat road to allow the trucks to safely cross the dunes and get to the remote wells. Trucks carrying equipment traveled the beach road each day, providing access for crews to complete their work while protecting public safety and the environment.   

“This is a win for our state and all Texans,” said Wei Wang, RRC Executive Director. “These wells on federal land were not part of the state's well plugging program, but Padre Island National Seashore sought out the RRC because of our expertise in overseeing plugging projects. Our collaborative work with the park not only helps protect a natural treasure for future generations to enjoy, but it also helped provide jobs for some of our state’s oil and gas workers.” 

Please visit the Restore the Gulf web page for an in-depth look at the many other restoration projects upcoming, underway, and completed.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.