Oil Spill | Corpus Christi, TX | December 2022 

What Happened?

On December 24, 2022, a pipeline failure at the Ingleside crude oil terminal Dock #5 in Corpus Christi Bay (“Bay”) occurred. The terminal and pipeline are owned by Flint Hills Resources (“Responsible Party”). The pipeline failure released approximately 14,000 gallons of light crude oil into Corpus Christi Bay. The responsible party worked with local, state, and federal agencies to establish a command post in Corpus Christi, Texas from December 30, 2022, through January 5, 2023.

During this time emergency response teams from Flint Hills Resources and third parties, who have been trained in oil spill recovery, performed assessment of local shorelines, containment, and collection of oil.

What Were the Impacts?

NOAA worked with state and federal co-trustees to assess injury to marsh and sandy beach shorelines, birds, and turtles. Additionally, NOAA performed laboratory testing on turtle carcasses that were collected after the spill.

Impacted species include the green sea turtle and several avian species including: 

• Brown Boobies
• Mourning Doves
• Brown Pelicans
• Northern Mockingbirds
• Laughing Gulls
• White Winged
• Redhead Duck
• Greater Scaup Duck

What Were the Impacts?

On April 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice proposed a settlement to restore natural resources impacted by this oil spill. Per the consent decree, the responsible party will pay $427,000 for restoration and future costs, plus $162,213 of remaining trustee assessment costs, and a $400,000 Clean Water Act civil penalty. 

The trustees will work with the public to identify and select potential restoration projects, for example, restoration of marshes, sea turtles, and birds. A restoration plan will be drafted and released for public comment in the months after the settlement is finalized.