[StBernard] St. Bernard Council gives conditional approval for oil exploration

[Westley Annis]

By Karen Turni Bazile 
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau

The St. Bernard Parish Council on Tuesday approved a developer's request to
drill for oil and gas in an open field in the heart of hurricane-ravaged
Chalmette - but with the caveat that it needs the approval of the parish's
Planning Commission. 

The council's conditional approval came over the objections of Parish
President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez, who told the council before the vote
that the issue must first go before the Planning Commission because the land
is not zoned for an oil well. Under the zoning code, the commission must
hold a public hearing, make a recommendation and then the council must vote
on it, Rodriguez said. 

The field sits on land across West Judge Perez Drive from the St. Bernard
Parish government complex, and is between two residential neighborhoods and
a FEMA trailer park. 

The undeveloped land owned by the J & A Meraux Inc. Michael Hunnicutt, who
recently resigned his post as the parish's director of community
development, said the land is zoned C-2, general commercial, and must be
rezoned to I-1, light industrial, before the landowner can request a
conditional use permit to drill in that zone. 

The permit request by Martin-Marks Operating Co. is a variation of the one
the council shot down in 1992. 

Hunnicut said the adjacent landowners must be notified even if the work is
in the middle of the plot of land, and industrial zoning must be established
before any drilling can even be permitted. 

Council Vice Chairman Joey DiFatta said he thought Rodriguez's
administration failed the developers because no one told them there were any
questions about zoning when they filed for a drilling permit from the
parish's Coastal Zone Management Advisory Committee. 

DiFatta said his interpretation of the zoning laws was that it was
appropriate for the council to approve the coastal use permit with the
condition the project get approved by the Planning Commission. Acting Chief
Administrative Officer Dave Peralta agreed, although Rodriguez argued that
his own top manager was wrong as well. 

Councilman Mark Madary, who represents the Arabi-Chalmette area, said he
believed the matter would be researched and his main concern was that there
was formal notice and a public hearing so displaced residents could give
their input and have their questions answered. After a lengthy debate about
proper procedure, the council unanimously approved the measure. 

Clovelly Oil Co. and Martin Marks Operating Co. are trying to drill for oil
and gas on one to two acres of land on West Judge Perez Drive between
Buccaneer Villa South in Chalmette and Carolyn Park subdivision in Arabi. 

Harald T. Werner, president of Clovelly, said subsequent wells could be
drilled seeking oil beneath homes in Buccaneer Villa South if the first is
successful. That would require mineral rights agreements with residents. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Great!  So they want to slant-drill under someone's house?
Lovely...