NextDecade: Wetlands restoration project at Miradores Mitigation Site now complete

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BROWNSVILLE, Texas – NextDecade Corporation has announced the completed construction of its wetlands restoration project at the Miradores Mitigation Site. 

This work was initiated in September 2023 and placed more than 1,500 acres under a conservation easement, protecting the acreage in perpetuity. 

Inside the easement, NextDecade’s efforts are creating 350 acres of wetlands and improving 21 acres of existing wetlands.

“As a longtime steward of this land, it’s incredibly meaningful to see it restored and protected for future generations,” said Ovi Atkinson, a Miradores landowner. “Working with NextDecade on this project allowed us to enhance vital wildlife habitat while preserving the natural character of the land. This is a legacy we’re proud to be part of.”

The Short-billed Dowitcher is a declining species found at the Miradores Mitigation Site. The site’s ecological features promote biodiversity of animals and plants that call these wetlands home. As the wetlands grow and flourish, the wildlife will as well, experts say. (Photo courtesy: NextDecade)

Susan Richardson, senior director of communications for NextDecade said these wetlands will play an important role in supporting several threatened and endangered species and is part of the company’s broader efforts to conserve and restore wetland and critical habitat in association with the Rio Grande LNG facility at the Port of Brownsville.

“Completing construction at the Miradores wetlands mitigation project and the start of its five years of functional monitoring reflects NextDecade’s long-term commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible development,” Richardson said. “Through meaningful collaboration with local stakeholders, we are proud to support the restoration and preservation of critical habitats in the Rio Grande Valley.”

Richardson said there were great contributions from local community leaders and NextDecade employees. Together, she said, they helped plant more than 28,000 plants to bolster the native thornscrub habitat within the 1,500 acre conservation easement. She said the plants were supplied by local nurseries.

The Miradores project is part of NextDecade’s broader efforts to conserve and restore wetland and critical habitat in the area, Richardson explained.

She said these efforts are being carried out in collaboration with The Conservation Fund, Ecosystem Investment Partners, Brownsville Navigation District, and other partners. 

As part of the overall mitigation plan, NextDecade has successfully conserved more than 4,000 acres, Richardson added.

The Miradores Mitigation Site plays host to a diverse array of local flora and fauna. NextDecade says its wetlands restoration project aims to encourage area wildlife to use the location as a habitat. (Photo courtesy: NextDecade)

NextDecade’s mitigation projects in Brownsville


In March, 2023, NextDecade announced plans to acquire from the Brownsville Navigation District (BND) 1,500 acres of the Las Lomas ecological preserve. The group said this was part of its ongoing sustainability and community commitments tied to the Rio Grande LNG (RGLNG) project. 

NextDecade said at the time that its commitments would include habitat mitigation, wetland restoration, emissions reductions, and community investments.

On March 15, 2023, BND unanimously voted to pass a resolution to preserve the Las Lomas area located within the 40,000 acres of the Port of Brownsville. Upon the announcement of a positive final investment decision on the RGLNG project, NextDecade would acquire 1,500 acres of the Las Lomas preserve and establish a permanent conservation easement, protecting the acreage in perpetuity.

As part of the RGLNG overall mitigation plan, NextDecade said it plans to conserve more than 4,000 acres including:

  • 1,500 acres at the Las Lomas preserve;
  • 1,531 acres of property known as the Miradores Mitigation Site, of which approximately 371 acres will be restored to wetlands and the remaining acreage will be restored to native thorn scrub habitat; and
  • 1,050 acres of land associated with the Dulaney Farms tract, which was protected in coordination with The Conservation Fund in 2021 to expand the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge ocelot habitat area.

NextDecade pointed out that the more than 4,000 acres included in the group’s mitigation plan were equivalent to five times the 761 acres of land directly impacted by the RGLNG export terminal.

About NextDecade Corporation

NextDecade Corporation is an energy company accelerating the path to a net-zero future. Leading innovation in more sustainable LNG and carbon capture solutions, NextDecade is committed to providing the world access to cleaner energy. Through our wholly owned subsidiaries Rio Grande LNG and NEXT Carbon Solutions, we are developing a 27 MTPA LNG export facility in South Texas along with one of the largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in North America. We are also working with third-party customers around the world to deploy our proprietary processes to lower the cost of carbon capture and storage and reduce CO2 emissions at their industrial-scale facilities. NextDecade’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “NEXT.” NextDecade is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.next-decade.com.

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