AUSTIN – The Attorney General’s Office is pleased to announce a $15.3 million settlement of the Texas City Y Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage (NRDA) matter. The damages occurred on March 22, 2014, when a barge owned and operated by Kirby Inland Marine, LP (“Kirby”) collided with a cargo ship in Galveston Bay near Texas City. The barge spilled approximately 168,000 gallons of oil into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 160 miles of shoreline were contaminated as a result of the spill, including areas in Matagorda Island, Mustang Island State Park, and Padre Island National Seashore. Natural resources harmed or killed by the spill include birds, dolphins and other marine life, waters of the United States and the State, marshes, beaches, and subtidal habitats.
The Attorney General’s Office represented the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the General Land Office as the state trustees. Kirby will deposit the $15.3 million into a Texas City Y Oil Spill Restoration account to be jointly utilized by the federal and state trustee in implementing restoration projects designed to rehabilitate lost or injured natural resources and enhance recreational activities in areas affected by the spill.
Read complaint here.
Read consent decree here.