"Abandoned and derelict vessels have long plagued the Texas coast, threatening public safety, navigation and our environment," said Land Commissioner George P. Bush. "Removing abandoned or sunken vessels can be hazardous and expensive for the State of Texas. The Vessel Turn-In Program provides local boat owners a voluntary method to dispose of their run-down vessels in a safe, environmentally-conscious manner and saves tax dollars on a net basis."

This Corpus Christi Vessel Turn-In Program was the 8th VTIP conducted along the Texas Coast since the program's inception March of 2015. There were 69 boats turned in totaling 1,175.5 feet. Also last week, the 7th VTIP took place in Brazoria County. There were 75 boats turned in totaling 1,327 feet in length, making it the most of any VTIP so far. The Brazoria County results left the VTIP running total just 952 feet short of the one-mile mark. After the completion of these two February VTIPs, the combined distance of the length of disposed boats is 5,503.5 feet, which is more than a mile of derelict boats! The total estimated cost savings to the state to remove these vessels if abandoned in coastal waters is approximately $1.1 million. 

Background - Texas GLO's Oil Spill Prevention and Response
The oldest state agency in Texas, the GLO was formed to determine who owned what and where after the Texians and Tejanos won independence. Today the General Land Office manages state lands, operates the Alamo, helps Texans recovering from natural disasters, helps fund Texas public education through the Permanent School Fund, provides benefits to Texas Veterans, and manages the vast Texas coast. 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.  

Working with petroleum and commercial fishing industries, U.S. Coast Guard and the general public, Oil Spill Prevention and Response staff support educational opportunities, daily water and shore patrols and 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.