These records constitute the general research and correspondence files compiled by the staff of the Texas Offshore Terminal Commission during the course of its existence, dating circa 1973 to 1975. Records consist mostly of incoming and outgoing correspondence. Other types of records that are interfiled with the correspondence include magazine articles, newsletters, newspaper clippings, speeches, transcripts of testimony before legislative committees, and copies of the Commission's plan for an offshore terminal. Much of the correspondence concerns the plan of the Offshore Terminal Commission for a deepwater facility for supertankers. The questions of site selection, engineering design, environmental controls, financing, and ownership resulted in many letters that the Commission considered in drafting its plan. After the plan had been submitted to the Legislature, its recommendations for public financing and ownership continued to draw attention. The correspondence reveals the amount of opposition and the strategies the Commission took in countering criticism and lobbying for its plan. A large amount of routine correspondence is also present and includes requests for copies of the plan and applications for employment with the Commission. Correspondents of note include private consultants; oil and gas companies; banks, stock brokerages and other potential investors; navigation districts and port authorities; local, state and federal agencies and elected officials; and universities. Records in the Supplemental files series are similar to these records and may duplicate some materials.

Records consist of individual correspondence files for each of the nine members of the Commission, dating from circa 1973 to 1975. Each file contains copies of internal correspondence and memos between the Commissioner and the staff, incoming correspondence to the Commissioner from the general public, and copies of outgoing correspondence from the Commissioner and staff to the public. Other types of records include speeches, press releases, resumes of the Commissioners, and newspaper clippings. Materials discuss the Commission's plan for developing a deepwater facility for supertankers. Photographs of the commissioners have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Collection 1975/173.

These records are the proceedings of the monthly meetings of the Texas Offshore Terminal Commission, dating 1973-1975. These records include public notices of the meetings, agendas, motions, resolutions, lists of witnesses, and reports on Commission finances and staff activities. Other types of records from some months include presentations by witnesses, statements issued by the Commission, and reports by Commission subcommittees. Minutes of the meetings are not present; they can be found in the Minutes series. Also included in this series are records of three public hearings held by the Commission to receive public response to the proposed offshore terminal. Records include copies of the Commission's draft plan, incoming and outgoing correspondence, press releases, registration cards of visitors, witness statements, and summaries of the hearings. Reel-to-reel tapes of these hearings can be found in the Recording tapes series.

Records consist exclusively of transcripts of proceedings from meetings of the Commissioners of the Texas Offshore Terminal Commission, dating from February 1973 through June 1975. Meetings were held once a month by the Commission, as required by statute, to conduct the official business of the Commission. The preparation of a plan for an offshore terminal, including debate over site selection, ownership, and financing for the terminal were discussed at these meetings. The Commission staff reported on their work including budget, travel, public relations, new employees, and research. The Commissioners also heard testimony from concerned speakers about different aspects of an offshore terminal at these meetings. Reel-to-reel tapes of the meetings can be found in the Recording tapes series.

This series consists of photocopies of clippings from local and national newspapers and magazines, dating from May 1973 to June 1975. The Commission staff collected items they thought might be of interest to the Commission. All of the clippings were photocopied onto standard 8 inch x 11 inch paper. The photocopies were then compiled weekly and filed into plastic binders. All aspects of the oil business and energy concerns are represented including Mideast politics, pollution control, oil spills, price of oil and gas, the energy crisis, the Arab oil embargo, offshore terminals and especially any articles involving the Texas Offshore Terminal Commission. Essays, editorials, cartoons, press releases, announcements of public hearings and any other printed mention of the activities of the Commission were collected. The Commission made key decisions on site selection, ownership and financing for the terminal and these subjects dominate the clippings concerning the Commission.

Records consist of motion picture films, 16 millimeter (mm) size with sound and in color, dating circa 1970-1975. The first film listed is only one minute long. The rest of the films are substantially longer with footage ranging from 836 ft. to 1125 ft. Subject matter of the films is uncertain since they have not been reviewed by Archives staff. The titles of the films give the only clue as to their contents; Bringing the Ports to the Ships, Oppama Shipyard, The Bulford, and IMODCO. One film is untitled and remains unidentified.

Records consist of 7 inch reel-to-reel recording tapes. Most of the tapes are of the monthly meetings of the Commissioners, dating June 1973 through June 1975. These tapes duplicate the typed minutes of the meetings found in the Minutes series. The Commissioners held monthly meetings to conduct their business, oversee the Commission staff and listen to testimony from various speakers. The dates of the meetings span from June 21, 1973 to June 26, 1975. Other tapes are of hearings before the Texas Senate Economic Development Committee in February and March of 1974 and before the Texas House Energy Crisis Committee in November 1974. There are three tapes of public hearings held in January 1974 by the Commission to receive public response to the proposed terminal. Also, there is one cassette tape of a news conference held on December 3, 1973. Additional materials from the public hearings can be found in the Commission meetings series. These tapes have not been listened to by the Archives staff. The description of the tapes is based on their labels and from the typed minutes, which they duplicate.

The photographic slides concern the activities of the Offshore Terminal Commission, dating circa 1973-1975.

These records consist of maps and an oversize drawing used by the Texas Offshore Terminal Commission in its research for a deepwater port facility, dating 1961-1974. Maps are geographically centered on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and the immediate offshore portions of the Gulf of Mexico. Maps were created under the auspices of federal governmental agencies, by oil and pipeline companies, and by other private businesses. Subject matter of the government maps is topography while the maps from the private sector center on functions of the oil and gas industry. Maps from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration include two large scale views of the entire Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts and eight smaller scale maps of this coastal region. Land use maps from the United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, show the topography of five sections of land in Texas and Louisiana. There is also a set of seven maps of the Texas Gulf Coast from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Maps from the United States Army Corps of Engineers include the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and water resource development projects in the Gulf area. Maps by oil and pipeline companies show offshore leases and oil drilling platforms, pipeline systems, and distribution patterns of petroleum liquids in the upper Texas Gulf Coast. Miscellaneous other records include city and county maps and an oversize blueprint drawing by a consulting engineer depicting a model of a bulk cargo facility for supertankers. A few additional maps can be found in the Supplemental files series.

This series consists of published and printed matter dating from 1958 to 1975 that the Texas Offshore Terminal Commission collected for use as a research library during the course of its existence. There are approximately 600 separately cataloged publications in the library. Materials in the research library are not limited solely to books but also include annual reports of corporations and companies, seminar proceedings, bond and stockholder reports, and responses to questionnaires from the Commission. There are ten boxes of catalog cards that provide access to the library. These catalog cards include a master shelflist and author, subject, title, and publisher/issuer indexes. Subjects covered in this extensive collection relative to the Commission's work on offshore terminals and deepwater ports for supertankers include construction, economics, energy, engineering, environment, feasibility, financing, geology, government, law, legislation, petroleum, pollution, ports, topography, and transportation. Authors of these works include oil companies, engineering firms, state and federal agencies, private consultants, banks and brokerage houses, universities, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Records consist of miscellaneous research and office files from the Texas Offshore Terminal Commission. Records include incoming and outgoing correspondence, working copies and final drafts of staff reports and plans, copies of legislative bills, newspaper clippings, maps, a mailing list, and visitor registration cards. Records are dated 1973-1975. Reports by Commission staff on the proposed deepwater facility include a financing brief, a draft environmental impact statement, and copies of the final version of the Commission's plan. Other subjects of these supplemental files include federal and state legislation, oil company facts, the Louisiana proposal for a deepwater port, and the energy crisis. These files were received after the bulk of the collection and were probably part of the General operating files series at one time. Some of these records may duplicate items in that series.