Gibson resident takes aim at storage tank site

Gibson resident Doug Daigle called on the Terrebonne Parish Council to either prohibit or regulate companies from placing storage tanks in residential areas.

The 73-year-old left the council with one question, “How are we going to stop this?”

Gibson, who lives on Bayou Black Drive, said his street should be renamed “Tank Alley Drive” because of all of the storage tanks located there and throughout his neighborhood.

He presented a petition with 200 signatures from his neighborhood to the council at its meeting last Wednesday.

The petition, which was addressed to the Terrebonne Parish Council and parish’s planning department, takes aim against Plains All American Pipeline, a Houston-based oilfield company, that plans to store tanks containing sour crude oil at a site in Gibson.

Originally, the site was to be located near Greenwood Middle School is Gibson, but after an outcry by the school system and several community members, the company withdrew its request to subdivide the property. It opted instead to move the site a mile up from the school on Bayou Black Drive.

According to Daigle’s petition, residents believe storing the tanks in the residential neighborhood would be “inappropriate and undesirable.”

The petition states that such a site would lower the value of residential property; increase health hazards because of the high levels of hydrogen sulfide in the tanks; create a oil spill threat in the event of a hurricane or tornado; draw terrorists to the oil supply; cause insurance rates to increase; and create hazards because of the sandblasting and painting required to maintain the tanks.

“These oil tanks have no place in a residential area and we urge the Terrebonne Parish Council and Planning Board to deny any permits for the installation of these tanks,” the petition concludes.

Daigle said Plains All American Pipeline plan to locate two storage tanks in the neighborhood caused him to address the council “once and for all” on the subject.

“I’ve been here before… why can’t you find a way to settle this matter once and for all?” he asked the council. Because zoning does not exist outside the city limits, does that mean these guys have permission to do what they want?

“How are we going to stop this? There are pipelines running from every piece of property in the back of Gibson, into Houma,” Daigle said.

Daigle insisted the tanks are dangerous, and presented photographs of tanks belonging to another company, which he claims show leaks and dead grass surrounding the area where the tanks are located.

Parish Planning Director Pat Gordon said his hands were tied because there’s no regulation on the books for preventing Plains All American from continuing with its plan to build two storage tanks at the site.

“What can we do? I believe Plains wants to store crude oil, and there are no regulations for storing crude oil in tanks. In fact, there are crude oil tanks being stored all over the parish, and, so frankly, I don’t have any reason to deny Plains’ permit at this time.”

However, Councilwoman Arlanda Williams, after accepting the petition, offered a motion to hold future permits from oil companies interested in placing storage tanks in the parish until the parish sought an opinion from legal advisers.

The measure was approved.

Councilwoman Kim Elfert told Daigle the council is reviewing the zoning of two areas outside of the parish, and that although Bayou Black isn’t included in that discussion, she suggested persons who live in that area come before the council to request that their area be zoned.

“Some people want it, some people don’t n so we need to hear from a majority of you,” Elfert said.