The draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment (DARP/EA) (PDF, 53 pages) for the Bayport Channel Collision Oil Spill is now available and members of the public are encouraged to provide comments via email or mail at the address below. 

Public participation during the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process is critical to fully capturing the impacts of spills. The draft plan proposes projects that will restore coastal wetland habitat at Gordy Marsh in Trinity Bay—which will help protect and improve water quality and support the recovery of species affected by the spill.

Public comments must be submitted before August 18, 2025.

What Happened

On May 10, 2019, the tanker VLGC Genesis River collided with the tugboat Voyager in the Houston Ship Channel near Bayport, Texas. As a result, approximately 600,000 gallons of reformate—a clear and refined petroleum product—spilled into the Channel and Galveston Bay. Trustees identified Kirby Inland Marine, L.P., as the Responsible Party for natural resource damages resulting from the spill. 

Spilled reformate was observed in upper Galveston Bay, and dead fish and invertebrates were found along the western shoreline between Red Bluff and Clifton Beach. A formal scientific assessment showed that the spill impacted:

• Fish, invertebrates, and oysters
• Shoreline and subtidal habitats 
• Water column

Gordy Marsh Wetlands Restoration

To help restore some of these impacted resources, the Trustees are proposing a project at Gordy Marsh—a large area of high-quality wetlands and coastal prairie on the eastern side of Galveston Bay. The project will:

• Build approximately 9,000 linear feet of breakwater which will protect the shoreline from erosion
• Plant native grasses behind the breakwater, creating up to 16 acres of new salt marsh

These actions will provide food, habitat, and benefits to water quality for fish and other aquatic life. 
Construction is expected to begin in 2026. The estimated cost is $6.5 million, with $1.25 million proposed to be provided from the Bayport Channel Collision Oil Spill case settlement funds.

Get Involved

The Trustees seek public input on the draft restoration plan. Feedback from the public about restoration projects like these is important as Trustees continue to address injury to resources.

Comments may be submitted to Kimberly Biba either by email at kimberly.biba@tpwd.texas.gov or by mail. If emailing, please include “Public Comment on Bayport Channel Collision Draft DARP/EA” in the subject line.

Mail comments to:

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Dickinson Marine Lab
Attn: Kimberly Biba
1502 FM 517 Rd East
Dickinson, TX 77539

Public comments, including any identifying information contained in the comments (such as addresses and phone numbers) will become part of the Trustees’ Administrative Record. Personal information is not required to submit comments.

Trustee Council

Trustees on this case include:

• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Texas General Land Office
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
• United States Department of Commerce, represented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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