DR. DAWN BUCKINGHAM, M.D., Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office
In the heart of Galveston, tourists continue to whisper of pirate Jean Lafitte’s hidden treasure. Legend tells of his gold buried deep beneath the sandy shores, a fortune waiting to be found since he was forced out of Texas in the early 1800s. Yet, today, new treasure has been unearthed in a different way. Galveston’s beaches draw millions of visitors, generating a tourism industry worth billions. This tale mirrors a greater truth about Texas: while our land’s surface blooms with opportunity, the land’s subsurface mineral rights are a buried treasure, and just as important.
As the steward of 13 million acres on behalf of the schoolchildren of Texas, I am committed as Land Commissioner to protecting surface and subsurface rights to secure the financial future of our schoolchildren and taxpayers. Every action I take is focused on protecting and serving the people of Texas, ensuring their prosperity today and for generations to come. Protecting surface and subsurface rights ensures that we do not squander a legacy as old as the Lone Star State. The legacy was born when we joined the United States by treaty in 1845 and retained control over all public lands. They are a treasure we must fiercely protect.
The basis of the Permanent School Fund. Larry McMurtry, the author of the 1985 Western novel, “Lonesome Dove,” once wrote, “The land in Texas holds a promise, a sense of freedom and possibility that you can feel in the wide-open spaces.” This promise is not just poetic; it’s practical. Texas's unique ownership of both subsurface and surface rights to millions of acres, managed through entities like the Texas General Land Office for the benefit of the Permanent School Fund, helps fuel our state’s economic engine. The subsurface yields oil and gas royalties, directly funding public schools. The Permanent School Fund is one of Texas's most important resources, dedicated to ensuring the education of future generations. Meanwhile, surface rights generate revenue through ground leases, energy projects, and agriculture, easing the tax burden on everyday Texans. Retaining and building back our surface rights maintains a dual lifeline that ensures long-term prosperity.
The Permanent School Fund is a unique financial cornerstone established in 1854, established by the Texas constitution to fund K through 12 public education for generations to come. Its mineral-rich lands, primarily in West Texas, produce royalties that have grown the fund to over $56 billion. These earnings pay for textbooks and educational expenses without raising property taxes. The fund distributes nearly $2.2 billion annually to schools, a direct benefit to every Texas child and taxpayer. But the surface of these lands is no less vital. Grazing leases, energy projects, and commercial developments on state-owned surface rights added millions of dollars to the fund last year.
The analogy of Lafitte’s treasure holds here. If Galveston’s buried gold is the mineral wealth, the beach itself—vibrant with hotels, restaurants and visitors—is the surface value. One does not diminish the other; both are essential. Selling Galveston’s beaches would cripple its economy, just as selling Texas’ surface rights erodes the state’s ability to generate diverse income. Ground leases on state land, like the recently acquired ranch land in South Texas, allow private entities to develop land while the state retains ownership, ensuring steady revenue.
As Land Commissioner, I am committed to ensuring our investments are prudent and will benefit Texas taxpayers. Results matter. In fiscal year 2024, General Land Office-managed lands generated $1.4 billion in subsurface revenue. Surface leasing, easements, and coastal commercial leasing produced additional millions for public coffers. This is money that Texans don’t have to pay in property taxes.
A lasting legacy. Texas’ history underscores why we must preserve this legacy. The Texas General Land Office is the last remaining entity of the Republic of Texas (the Republic of Texas established the General Land Office on Dec. 22, 1836, making it nearly 189 years old) . Our forefathers saw the importance of retaining our state-owned lands. Texas kept its subsurface and surface rights, and now, only about 2% of Texas land is federally owned. This wasn’t just a legal quirk; it was a deliberate act to preserve sovereignty and wealth for future generations. Today, the Texas General Land Office stewards approximately 13 million acres, balancing economic growth with conservation. Selling surface rights, like in centuries past, fragmented this system. Once sold, these lands are gone forever, along with their revenue potential.
The University Lands example. Unfortunately, in the 1800s and early 1900s, the Permanent School Fund sold surface rights while retaining mineral rights on land, primarily in West Texas. This created a patchwork of ownership on the surface and underground. Conversely, University Lands, which manages an additional 2.1 million acres that financially support the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M System, retained ownership of both estates. The University Lands' financial performance proves this was a wise decision. Financial strength lies in unified control of both surface and mineral rights, ensuring seamless operations and maximum returns. Owning more surface rights also brings greater opportunities to secure critical groundwater supplies in addition to the revenue-generating benefits.
One such example is Texas Pacific Land, a defunct former railroad company that went bankrupt in 1888 but still owns 3.5 million acres. They have transformed into a top-performing stock in the oil sector by leveraging their extensive land holdings in the Permian basin. Using their more- than-a century-old land holdings, they have diversified revenue streams by selling water to fracing companies; providing wastewater disposal; leasing land for battery firms; and other energy projects. Additionally, Texas Pacific Land benefits from selling hunting and grazing rights.
A treasure for Texans. The “Lonesome Dove” author’s words remind us that Texas land is more than a commodity - it’s a promise and a gift for Texans. The wide-open plains where ranchers graze cattle, the coastal prairies where energy projects are hosted, and the schoolyards where children play, are all tied to a system that funds their future. Investing in Texas ensures this promise will last.
Like Lafitte’s treasure, Texas’s land holds riches both hidden and visible. The minerals below and the opportunities above are our inheritance, secured by our founders’ foresight. For our schoolchildren, our taxpayers, and the boundless spirit of Texas, protecting our surface and mineral rights help preserve this legacy. WO
DR. DAWN BUCKINGHAM is the Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, Chairwoman of the Texas Veterans Land Board and Chairwoman of the University Lands Board for Lease. As a ninth-generation Texan, she came from humble roots, growing up on a ranch near the Texas coast before moving to Central Texas. Wanting to attend college but lacking the money to do so, Dr. Buckingham lived at home and worked two jobs to pay her own way through the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and debt-free. It was during college that she met her husband of 31 years, Ed Buckingham. Both received their medical degrees from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Dr. Buckingham went on to become a successful Oculoplastic Surgeon. She was a member of the Lake Travis Independent School District board from 2014 to 2015 and also served as an appointee to the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission and as vice chair of the Texas State Board for Educator Certification. Dr. Buckingham served in the Texas Senate from January 2017 to January 2023, representing the 24th District, which covers counties in the Texas Hill Country and other areas of central Texas. In November 2022, she was elected the 29th Land Commissioner of Texas and took office on Jan. 10, 2023, succeeding George P. Bush.