Bill targets drilling near major roads

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Mar 29, 2008 - Page: 12A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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A natural gas well blowout that shut down a portion of Interstate 10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge last year is spurring legislation aimed at banning drilling along major highways.

Sen. Rob Marionneaux, D-Grosse Tete, would give the state’s commissioner of conservation the authority to adopt rules to prohibit oil and gas exploration, production and drilling within 1,000 feet of an interstate highway.

In the wake of the gas well blowout, the commissioner implemented a 120-day moratorium on new drilling permits within a quarter mile of interstates. That moratorium expires Sunday.

But Commissioner of Conservation James Welsh issued an order Friday continuing suspension of new oil and gas drilling permits for another 60 days.

The gas well, located near Ramah, blew out and caught fire Nov. 15.

A 55-mile stretch of the interstate section was closed for ten days while the well, owned by Bridas Energy, was being capped. There also was testing of the air and the highway structure before the stretch was reopened.

The interstate closure created traffic headaches on U.S. 190 and other roads as motorists sought alternative routes. The shutdown was during the peak Thanksgiving holiday travel time.

Costs piled up for law enforcement needed to monitor the traffic situation. The diversion also dried up business along the stretch of interstate.

“It caused a lot of hardship on a lot of people,” Marionneaux said. “I want to make sure we don’t have the same mishap again.”

Marionneaux’s Senate Bill 442 only deals with interstate highways.

“With state roads there are usually other alternatives, a different way around,” Marionneaux said.

Welsh said he is aware of Marionneaux’s bill and has questions about it. The legislation seeks a more extensive ban than that in effect with the conservation agency order.

The agency order only affects drilling permits while Marionneaux’s legislation would involve production and explorations as well, Welsh said.