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Newly elected Texas General Land Office Commissioner visits Corpus Christi

Texas General Land Office Commissioner Dawn Buckingham told 3NEWS that she sees the industry potential that the Coastal Bend brings to the entire state.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Newly elected Texas General Land Office Commissioner Dawn Buckingham toured Corpus Christi's spill response warehouse on the city's westside. 

Buckingham viewed several watercrafts that have been dispatched to oil and hazmat spills throughout the Coastal Bend since Hurricane Harvey -- including the most recent spill this past Christmas Eve.

"Our Coastal Bend is an incredibly important part of Texas," she said. "To our economy, as well as just all the character it brings to our state. So we're glad to be here and know how important these recovery efforts are, especially when we've had a big spill."

Regional Director for South Texas Coastal Zone Oil Spill Prevention & Response Division of the Texas General Land Office Jimmy Martinez said their response crews have helped out on many incidents throughout the Coastal Bend.

"Here on Christmas Eve we were the on scene coordinator for the Flint Hills Resource Ingleside spill that we had," he said. "We've also been state on scene coordinator for a grounded vessel. It was a tugboat in Corpus Christi Bay. Happy to say again that that vessel has now been lifted and removed. And we were also the state on scene coordinator for a shrimp boat that caught on fire."  

Buckingham told 3NEWS that she sees the industry potential that the Coastal Bend brings to the entire state.

"We anticipate a great deal of growth in the oil and gas, and the refining potential in this part of the state, and we'll continue to work towards that," she said. 

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