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Oil and gas exploration (OGE) has impacted South Texas rangelands throughout the last century. While financially benefitting the region, and positively influencing ranching enterprises, OGE has had many negative impacts on rangelands. Historic exploration lacked appreciation of negative environmental consequences, and had little regulatory oversight. As a result, legacy effects of oil and gas exploration exist across South Texas. Non-native grasses proliferated in many OGE areas because of their use in reclamation activities and propensity to invade disturbed soils. Soil degradation was also commonplace, particularly in areas where salt water spills, on-site disposal of drilling waste, or open pit drilling occurred. Areas of South Texas were subsequently characterized by the Soil Conservation Service as "oil field wasteland range sites"- a testament to the prevalence and paucity of use of these sites for any other purpose. Historic pipeline infrastructure greatly fragmented rangelands and these rights of way have been shown to serve as corridors for non-native grass spread. In the early 2000s, horizontal drilling and increased use of hydraulic fracturing ushered in a period of unprecedented OGE in South Texas, especially in the Eagle Ford Shale (EFS). Tens of thousands of new wells have been drilled and thousands of miles new pipeline infrastructure has also been constructed. Impacts of EFS exploration on rangelands have manifested in numerous ways, including the continued spread and introduction of non-native grasses to new areas, soil degradation from pipeline construction, watershed impacts, and loss, disturbance, and fragmentation of rangelands. However, because of conservation efforts of private landowners, oil and gas operations increasingly incorporate substantial effort to minimize negative effects on rangelands, and to restore or even enhance disturbed sites using native seed sources. While oil price declines have slowed exploration substantially, managing impacts of OGE on South Texas rangelands will remain important for years to come.