Finally – Louisiana SUING Texas Brine & Oxy
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BATON ROUGE – Governor Bobby Jindal’s office announced Friday that the Attorney General’s Office is suing Texas Brine LLC for environmental damage caused by the Assumption Parish sinkhole.
Jindal said the suit was filed on behalf of the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Quality, and other responding state agencies. . . .
The Advocate - Louisiana suing Texas Brine over Assumption sinkhole <AND – BONUS! – Texas Brine is SUING OCCIDENTAL!
“Separately, Texas Brine filed suit on Friday against the Occidental subsidiary, Occidental Chemical Corp., and three other companiesover the actions that Texas Brine claims the companies took leading up to the cavern failure. The three others are Vulcan Materials Co., Adams Resources Exploration Co. and Browning Oil Co. Inc.”
AND -
“The state suit, however, does not allege that Texas Brine and Occidental should have known the cavern would fail by being mined too closely to the salt dome face but claims the company is liable for failure of a cavern in their control.
Office of Conservation officials have noted for months that the type of cavern failure and sinkhole that formed are “unprecedented” and could not be foreseen.
The other private suits have alleged that Texas Brine and Occidental, and in some cases Conservation, had warning signs and should have foreseen the failure.”
Office of Conservation officials have noted for months that the type of cavern failure and sinkhole that formed are “unprecedented” and could not be foreseen.
The other private suits have alleged that Texas Brine and Occidental, and in some cases Conservation, had warning signs and should have foreseen the failure.”
New Orleans Times-Picayune – Louisiana sues Texas Brine for damage caused by Bayou Corne sinkhole
4:15 p.m. Update
Texas Brine has reported to us that the Oxy 3 cavern hard tag was completed today and the cavern floor is currently at 4030', which is about 380' below the cavern roof. This is a 95' rise from last week's 4125' tag. We will update everyone as information becomes available.
serious situation getting worse!
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Contingency Plan for Collapse of 2nd Sinkhole
We found this item from March
but cannot verify it. We
will look for found secondary and original sources.
“Gov. Jindal warned Monday at a meeting in Baton Rouge with officials that deadly hydrogen sulfide could be released and another sinkhole could form if Texas Brine LLC’s second failing cavern collapses and he warned about increased instability in the Napoleonville Salt Dome, also collapsing.
A Contingency Plan has been enacted after learning that the company’s second failing cavern is “less than” 200 feet from the salt dome outer wall.” (more)
The official version from Jindal’s office.
Maybe the reason the Parish Blog has been so chatty lately is they are atYELLOW ALERT of the contingency plan (notifying the state agencies etc.). This must be what Crosstex had in mind when they decided to store lots and lots of EXTRA BUTANE(!) at their cavern:
3. Operators of nearby hydrocarbon storage caverns are ordered to undertake all necessary steps to secure their caverns and flow lines, implement H2S (hydrogen sulfide) monitoring protocols, and prepare for evacuation of their sites as soon as possible. Continuous high-frequency reporting to DNR-OC of well/cavern pressures to begin for these caverns.
http://www.bayoubuzz.com/buzz/latest-buzz/item/511815-honore-focus-on-bayou-corne-sinkhole-environment-not-just-business-tax-breaks
Honore: Focus on Bayou Corne sinkhole, environment, not just business tax breaks
On August 3, 2013 the community of Bayou Corne located near the Napoleonville Salt Dome will be observing the Commemoration of the day they were forced out of their homes due to the negligence and apathy of the company, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the public officials who have not loudly voiced an end to the devastation of our beautiful state.
We have to ask, what would the state and federal officials of Massachusetts do differently to get federal agencies such as the EPA to care about their state?
Our state government has done an excellent job of making Louisiana business friendly through tax breaks but when will they demand from his policy makers and agencies that our environment, wildlife and citizens must take precedence for economic success.
2003 nearby community of Grand Bayou also located near the Napoleonville Salt Dome natural gas cavern released natural gas into the water aquifer. Natural gas bubbling was observed at the surface near two natural storage caverns before families were permanently relocated resulting from drinking water contamination and subsidence. 25 families permanently relocated.
2012, nine years later the Bayou Corne nightmare began with a 9 acre sinkhole, groundwater contamination, and 150 families evacuated. Today the sinkhole has grown to 22 acres, at least 700 feet deep, failure of another cavern nearby as well as the risk of Hwy. 70.
Bayou Corne, Assumption Parish, sinkhole is an unprecedented environmental disaster. Geologists say they have never dealt with anything quite like it before, but the sinkhole has made few headlines beyond the local media.
Over 50 storage caverns in that area. One storage facility is still adding butane to their cavern. 19,284 barrels of butane from July 15 to July 22, 2013.
July 18, 2013 - Assumption Parish Police Jury - Incident at Chemical Facility in Grand Bayou.
July, 2013 – Department of Transportation and Development plan to provide broader observation, greater accuracy for monitoring La. 70 and La. 69. Immediate need for the implementation to increase the reliability of the information needed to ensure public’s safety.
1996 Weeks Island Salt Dome Strategic Petroleum Reserve was closed due to geologic failure and leakage.
Do you think this is NIMBY (not in my backyard)? Today, there are numerous communities around the state that are fighting to protect their drinking water and land. You don’t have to live on a salt dome to have your drinking water contaminated or have a sinkhole destroy your life.
Yesterday it was Grand Bayou, today is Bayou Corne, tomorrow it may be your community. YOU, can make a difference. If you are reading this you probably have the ability to write your state officials. One letter copied and faxed with your signature or an email is your voice.
Your water, your land, our Louisiana is in your hands.
