Texas Land Commissioner Buckingham Celebrates a Triumphant Year and Plans for Continued Success in 2025

Contact GLO Press Office
media@glo.texas.gov

Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. is proud to share the Texas General Land Office's (GLO) most impactful accomplishments during her second year leading this important state agency that touches the lives of Texans every single day.

"It is truly an honor to serve as Texas’ first female Land Commissioner. Ensuring Texas remains the best place to live, work and raise a family will always be my priority. This year at the GLO, we have seen continued success in education funding for Texas school children, Veteran support, border security, coastal resilience, energy independence, disaster recovery initiatives, restoring the Alamo and strategic land management," said Commissioner Buckingham. "The GLO will continue to serve as the tip of the spear for the biggest battles in Texas; and, in this New Year, we will keep diligently working for the people of Texas—serving who we are supposed to serve and doing it well.”

FUNDING EDUCATION

Commissioner Buckingham signed an agreement with ExxonMobil to lease over 271,000 acres of submerged state land located offshore in Jefferson, Chambers, and Galveston Counties. This is the largest Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) transportation and storage lease in the United States. It will provide millions of dollars in funding to Texas public school children.

Image
Commissioner Buckingham signs the largest CCS transportation and storage lease in the United States

Commissioner Buckingham signs the largest CCS transportation and storage lease in the United States

This historic signing comes a year after six other CCS leases were awarded. These leases are estimated to produce $10 billion over the next 30 years. Commissioner Buckingham is committed to utilizing state land to benefit Texas students and ensure Texas remains leading the nation in energy production. In total, these leases cover approximately half a million acres in state-owned waters along the coast

This year, the Texas PSF Corporation announced that the Permanent School Fund (PSF) would distribute a record high amount of funding to public education for the 2026-27 biennium. An astonishing $4.8 billion in education funding from the PSF will help support Texas school children.

RESTORING THE ALAMO

Commissioner Buckingham proud to let Texans know that restoration work on the Alamo Cenotaph will begin in January 2025. The Alamo Cenotaph will not be moved during, or after, construction, and all restoration work will remain on-site. The restoration of the over eighty-year-old monument will keep it fortified and standing tall for generations to come.

Image
commissioner center museum

Commissioner Buckingham speaks at the Construction Kickoff of the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum in San Antonio, Texas

In October, Commissioner Buckingham celebrated and spoke at the Construction Kickoff of the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum in San Antonio, Texas. The Alamo Visitor Center and Museum will be a world-class facility dedicated to preserving the Alamo's 300-year history and will spotlight the core of Texas' cultural identity.

The Texas Cavaliers Alamo Education Center is also well underway, a project Commissioner Buckingham is excited to unveil to the public in late 2025 which will redefine hands-on learning by merging historical preservation with contemporary educational requirements.

The famous Alamo Church renovations will begin in spring 2025, after the Alamo Trust was given permission by the Texas Historical Commission to take the first step in replacing the aging roof, a project Commissioner Buckingham is eager to begin.

HONORING OUR VETERANS

This year, Commissioner Buckingham was honored to celebrate the Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) for 78 years of serving Veterans, Military Members, and their families. During the 2024 fiscal year, the VLB helped these men and women and their families secure loans that allowed them to own their own land, purchase their first homes, and adapt their homes to their specific needs. The numbers speak for themselves:

  • 1,015 home loans closed totaling $396,933,264.87
  • 931 land loans closed totaling $101,052,242.70
  • 108 home improvement loans closed totaling $2,473,804.31

From the first Veterans land loans to the home loans, Texas State Veterans Homes and Cemeteries, and various additional benefits available today, the VLB goes above and beyond to care for our Veterans.

Image
VFW Color Guard at dedication ceremony of P-51 C Mustang Replica Aircraft

Commissioner Buckingham with VFW Color Guard and P-51 C Mustang Replica Aircraft

Commissioner Buckingham and the VLB have been working hard to complete and open the new Tuskegee Airmen Texas State Veterans Home (TSVH) in Fort Worth. She spearheaded the dedication of the P-51 C Mustang Replica Aircraft outside the facility this year. This 100,000-square-foot state-of-the-art long-term home will serve 120 Veterans, spouses, and Gold Star Parents. Tuskegee Airmen TSVH is the VLB's 10th long-term care home for eligible Veterans in Texas and is expected to open in 2025.

In September, Commissioner Buckingham visited the West Texas Veterans Cemetery in Lubbock to get an update on its construction, nearly a year after the GLO broke ground in November 2023. The project is 53% complete and is on schedule to be completed in the Fall of 2025.

Texas State Veterans Cemeteries received a customer satisfaction score of over 99% for the second year in a row in 2024. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 2024 National Cemetery Administration State and Tribal Veterans Cemeteries Satisfaction Survey revealed that 99.11% of all respondents questioned were satisfied with their overall experience at all four VLB cemeteries. This incredible metric reflects a steady upward trend, as Texas scored 98.12% in 2022 and 99.03% in 2023 in this area.

SECURING THE BORDER

In the fall of 2024, Commissioner Buckingham acquired a 1,402-acre ranch in Starr County, Texas, and within 24 hours of closing on the property, signed an easement with the Texas Facilities Commissioner (TFC) to construct a 1.5-mile border wall.

Commissioner Buckingham then offered the incoming Trump Administration this 1,402 acres of state land along the Rio Grande in Starr County for the construction of deportation facilities and staging areas to carry out their plans to deport illegal immigrants beginning in 2025.

Image
Commissioner Dawn Buckingham - wall - 2

Commissioner Buckingham with Jocelyn Nungaray's mother and grandmother at the border

The Jocelyn Initiative,” named in honor of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old Houston girl who was killed by illegal criminals, was launched this year at the GLO. This initiative extends Commissioner Buckingham’s initial offer to the incoming Trump Administration of 1,402 acres of state land to include state-owned land the GLO has identified in El Paso and elsewhere in Texas for the critical task of deporting violent, criminal illegal immigrants from our country.

Earlier in the year, GLO was proud to celebrate the success of Operation Flat Top on Fronton Island and a Right of Entry Agreement with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) that allows DPS to operate and maintain temporary fencing along the Rio Grande on GLO’s property. Fronton Island is a 170-acre GLO property that used to be a hot spot for Cartels to push guns, ammunition, drugs, bombs, and human trafficking victims unobstructed through our southern border.

Operation Flat Top was completed by DPS and the Texas Military Department (TMD), who cleared the island of all vegetation and leveled it, making it virtually impossible for cartel members to use this property to evade law enforcement. Since the beginning of the operation, there has been a 100% decrease in Cartel activity.

PROTECTING TEXAS' COAST

This summer, Commissioner Buckingham was proud to reintroduce the GLO's 2024 Texas Coastal Roundup to Texans. An incredible fifty-two booths from various coastal organizations, including the GLO, were set up at the Great Lawn at Waters Edge Park in Corpus Christi. Commissioner Buckingham addressed the crowd regarding the GLO's essential role in coastal preservation. The education and outreach event attracted over 1,500 attendees and offered the attendees a unique opportunity to learn firsthand how various groups protect Texas' beautiful coastline.

She also traveled to Galveston Beach to take part in the 2024 Adopt-A-Beach Fall Coastwide Cleanup. During this annual event, over 7,100 volunteers participated in the cleanup to help keep Texas beaches beautiful by removing 63,647 pounds of trash from the coast. During the 2024 Adopt-A-Beach Spring Coastwide Cleanup, over 5,400 volunteers picked up 59,040 pounds of trash.

Image
Commissioner Buckingham cleans the beach during Adopt-A-Beach Coastwide Cleanup

Commissioner Buckingham cleans the beach during Adopt-A-Beach Coastwide Cleanup

Commissioner Buckingham was proud to direct the GLO's Coastal Management Program to purchase mobility mats and beach wheelchairs for local governments that needed this equipment. These mobility aids help make Texas beaches easier and more accessible for all Texans to enjoy. 

This year, the Coastal Texas Project’s Coastwide Ecosystem Restoration measures and the Coastal Storm Risk Management measure on South Padre Island advanced. The GLO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for design work on these projects crucial to securing this coastal region’s resiliency to natural disasters. This step highlights the GLO as a non-federal sponsor committed to developing the Coastal Texas Project.

After Tropical Storm Alberto and Hurricane Beryl damaged the coastline in Nueces, Matagorda, Brazoria, and Galveston counties, the GLO adopted emergency rules that allowed local governments to expedite permits for property owners repairing and rebuilding protective dunes. This effort helped ensure communities could make beaches more structurally sound and minimize and prevent further damage to property.

The GLO's Coastal Resources Division has completed the largest beach nourishment project in Texas this year: The McFaddin Beach Nourishment and Dune Restoration Project Phase II, which encompasses 14.5 miles of restored dunes and beaches. The project was implemented by GLO’s Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CEPRA) project managers, who oversee various coastal restoration projects and studies and involved multiple partners from different divisions within the GLO.

The McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge is home to the Salt Bayou ecosystem, the largest contiguous estuarine marsh complex in Texas. Erosion is causing saltwater intrusion, transforming marsh into open water and loss of wetland habitats. This ecosystem is approximately 139,000 acres of freshwater to estuarine marsh, coastal grasslands, tidal flats, creeks, basins, and associated aquatic vegetation. 

Commissioner Buckingham deployed the GLO Oil Spill Division to Galveston Island after a barge collided with the Pelican Island Bridge. GLO’s Oil Spill Division worked around the clock as the state on-scene coordinator. It provided much-needed assistance and expertise in clean-up efforts while ensuring our wildlife and their unique ecosystems remained safe and strong. Shortly after the spill, the Commissioner traveled to the site to thank the first responders and was briefed about the ongoing cleanup efforts following the removal of the barge.

DISASTER RECOVERY AND MITIGATION 

This summer, the Homeowner Assistance Program in Southeast Texas was completed thanks to Commissioner Buckingham and the GLO's hard work. Through this program, the GLO helped more than 1,200 families have a safe and secure place to call home again. The GLO worked closely with local governments, builders, and community organizations to ensure eligible homeowners received help.

Image
Commissioner Buckingham hands keys to new home to Ms. Earnestine Henry

Commissioner Buckingham hands keys to new home to Ms. Earnestine Henry

Under Commissioner Buckingham’s leadership, the Texas General Land Office has made incredible strides in delivering critical disaster mitigation and recovery funding to rebuild and protect Texas homes, businesses, and communities. The GLO has deployed more than $8.6 billion in funding for disaster recovery and mitigation!

The GLO continues to make historic strides in administering federal infrastructure and mitigation grants to protect thousands of communities and millions of Texans in disaster impacted regions. The GLO has approved more than $2.6 billion in funding for mitigation projects to improve flood control and other protective infrastructure to keep Texans safe. The GLO is also helping Texas families get back on their feet and in their homes, rebuilding housing rapidly.

To date, the GLO has helped thousands of Texas communities and families with vital housing and mitigation assistance.

  • More than 9,200 homes rebuilt for Texas families
  • Nearly $1.2 billion to construct 137 rental developments to provide 12,581 affordable homes for Texas renters
  • 3,907 homeowners reimbursed for more than $126 million for disaster related home repairs

Overall, the GLO has helped more than 13,000 Texas families to receive assistance rebuilding or repairing their homes and their lives. Texas Back in Business, the GLO’s economic revitalization program, also helped 570 small, local businesses with more than $89 million to create or retain 1,780 jobs for Texans. 

Over the past year, the GLO has fostered a stronger, more communicative relationship with City of Houston and Harris County leaders. This productive partnership is helping more than $1 billion in mitigation and infrastructure projects achieve unprecedented progress towards benefiting residents and businesses in Houston and neighboring communities.

STATE LAND MANAGEMENT

Commissioner Buckingham continued her dedication to stewarding Texas’ precious, energy-rich state land. The well-being of Texans and their families will always serve as her top priority. The GLO deposited more than $1.4 billion in oil and natural gas revenues last fiscal year into the Permanent School Fund, which supports public education throughout the state.

Commissioner Buckingham threw down challenges to the Biden-Harris Administration when questionable federal actions threatened to affect Texas' land and prosperity. She enlisted the State of Texas and 15 other plaintiff states against the Biden Energy Department's freeze on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. She fought against this halt that could jeopardize revenue for the PSF.

She also enlisted the State of Texas to sue the Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over strict guidelines that sought to eliminate nearly all the United States natural gas and coal-fired power plant carbon emissions over the next two decades. Commissioner Buckingham is a fearless defender of the oil and gas industry, which supports more than 2.5 million jobs statewide and provides billions of dollars in education funding to Texas school children.

Image
Commissioner Buckingham signs agreement to correct longstanding boundary issue and redraw boundary lines under Lake Texoma

Commissioner Buckingham signs the Texas-Oklahoma Boundary Agreement

When the Biden-Harris Administration's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) attempted to classify the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (DSL) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, Commissioner Buckingham took legal action to protect the oil and gas industry from the fallout of this disastrous proposal.

She outlined inconsistencies with listing the DSL as endangered and how moving forward with this classification "could have a crippling impact on the oil and gas industry." This outcome would result in job losses across the state and decreased revenue for the PSF and Permanent University Fund (PUF), which provide massive support to public education in Texas.

In November, Commissioner Buckingham worked with the GLO's surveying team to redraw a portion of the Texas-Oklahoma boundary under Lake Texoma to ensure the security and availability of around 30 percent of the drinking water supply for more than 2 million people in that area. In signing the agreement to resolve the boundary issue, Commissioner Buckingham pointed out that surveying has been a vital part of the GLO since it was established in 1836.

During 2024, the GLO started exploring produced water treatment projects. Produced water, which is water that is extracted from the ground during oil and gas production, after being treated, can be used for various purposes such as reuse in oil and gas operations, irrigation, and power generation. Commissioner Buckingham advocates for innovative solutions that encourage Texas energy independence. She is looking forward to working with others in the year ahead to tackle the complex task of beneficial reuse of produced water.