Oil & Gas Extraction

Saratoga Oilfield in 1908

H.P. Meissner / Library of Congress

Environmental Considerations

Continued oil and gas exploration and production within the preserve today carries its own environmental considerations. Spills can contaminate waters and soils; air quality can be affected by accidental releases of volatile chemicals; vehicle traffic and new roads can compact soils and change natural drainage patterns; wildlife movements and feeding and nesting activities can be disrupted; and vegetation must be cut or cleared along seismic survey lines and pipelines and where drilling pads are placed. Visitor experience and natural quiet can also be negatively affected by oil and gas activities within the preserve. All of this must be considered as National Park Service (NPS) staff work diligently to protect the resources, visitor uses, and human health and safety so that the preserve lands can be enjoyed now and by future generations.

With nearly all the oil and gas resources under the preserve being "owned" by non-federal mineral rights, Big Thicket continues to get requests for drilling down to and accessing those oil and gas resources. The use of best management practices like horizontal directional drilling from lands outside the preserve for both well development and pipeline placement is one tool used to minimize the impacts to the preserve. Per 36 CFR Part 9, Subpart B, all oil and gas activities in the preserve require a permit.

 

Land Use in National Preserves

National preserves are unique in the National Park System: Oil and gas extraction, hunting, and mining are permitted in national preserves as long as those activities do not jeopardize the preserve's natural values. The NPS manages permits for fuel extraction and encourages public comment on proposed plans.

 

Oil & Gas Remediation

Work is ongoing to clean up legacy pollution at abandoned oil and gas sites in Big Thicket National Preserve with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Signed on November 15, 2021, the BIL authorizes $250 million for plugging, reclaiming, and remediating orphaned oil and gas wells on federal lands.

Big Thicket National Preserve received funding under the BIL for fiscal year 2022 to plug three wells and remediate six oil and gas sites throughout the preserve. As of April 2024, all but one 2022 projects have been completed. In addition, the preserve received fiscal year 2023 funding to plug and remediate two more oil and gas sites. Work will commence on these sites in the coming months as project details are finalized and environmental compliance is completed.

Through partnership with the Railroad Commission of Texas and the National Park Service, often overlooked yet vitally important project work removed equipment, hazardous materials and contaminates that affect not only staff and visitor safety but greatly impacts the health of park resources.

Before and After

The photos below show abandoned oil and gas sites in the Jack Gore Baygall Unit before and after clean-up in early 2024.

 

Left image
Before: Abandoned equipment in the Jack Gore Baygall Unit
Credit: NPS Photo / Andrew Bennett

Right image
After removal in 2024
Credit: NPS Photo / Andrew Bennett

 

Left image
Before: Abandoned oil tanks in the Jack Gore Baygall Unit
Credit: NPS Photo / Andrew Bennett

Right image
After removal in 2024
Credit: NPS Photo / Andrew Bennett

 

Left image
Before: Abandoned equipment in the Jack Gore Baygall Unit
Credit: NPS Photo / Andrew Bennett

Right image
After removal in 2024
Credit: NPS Photo / Andrew Bennett

 

 

Oil worker

Lamar University Archives and Special Collections

Oil & Gas Industry History

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