Exploration company looking to drill in Bayou Cane

Residents living in Bayou Cane neighborhoods are in for a bumpy ride. Currently, residents are facing planning and zoning issues, and may have to deal with possible mineral drilling in the near future.

The Terrebonne Parish Budget and Finance Committee authorized the parish president to enter into a lease agreement with Southbay Exploration, Inc., during Monday night’s committee meeting. Southbay would then be able to drill and extract oil, gas and other minerals at two different locations in the Bayou Cane area.

Two meetings will be open for public discussion, on Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. during the committee meeting and the Dec. 20 regular council meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Company representatives will attend and present project specifications.

Committee Chairwoman Kim Elfert of District 3 added the second Dec. 18 meeting to give residents another chance to gain more information and ask questions.

Potential drilling would occur at two sites: behind the St. Francis Cemetery and between Martin Luther King Drive and West Park Avenue.

Sybil Guidry, a resident of the Cypress Gardens subdivision, which is adjacent to the second drill site, expressed her concern with the prospective drilling at Monday night’s meeting.

“This is just one more thing I guess we will have to protest,” she said to the council.

Although the parish government owns the minerals being drilled, Elfert questioned whether or not the land used to drill is parish-owned property. Jamie J. Elfert, parish comptroller, affirmed the land is not government property but said she did not know if the ground above the deposits is privately owned.

Both meetings will be held at the Government Towers located on second floor meeting room of the Government Tower Building at the corner of Main Street and Barrow Street.