Members of the genus Mycobacterium have been proposed for use in the application of bioremediation processes since they can degrade a wide range of environmentally toxic chemicals, including high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1 was the first bacterium isolated by virtue of its ability to metabolize the PAH pyrene. M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 was isolated from well characterized site near the Harbor Island oil tank farm in the watershed of Redfish Bay near Port Aransas, TX for its ability to degrade pyrene as a sole source of carbon and energy.   The genome sequence of M. vanbaalenii PYR-1 will allow us to begin to understand the PAH degradation pathway.