STP returns with a vengence
June 1, 2010
239 T’bonne school jobs to be cut
June 3, 2010
After President Barack Obama’s visit to the beaches of Fourchon and Grand Isle Friday, Lafourche Parish officials have expressed a greater sense of hope that help is on the way.
“Our level of confidence in this operation was raised today by the President’s visit,” said Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph Friday. “We feel that our requests will be answered in a timelier manner in order to provide a better response to this catastrophe.”
Matherne said the mood of Lafourche Parish Officials has improved greatly.
“We came away with the impression that resources aren’t going to be an issue for much longer if at all anymore,” said Matherne.
Although Matherne said resources had not yet been an issue for the parish, the fear of scarcity in the future is always apparent.
However, one byproduct of the President’s trip does not sit well with Randolph – the six-month oil-drilling moratorium.
“The tide has kind of turned. Obviously, our concern remains with all this oil but with our commercial fishing industry already suffering because of the oil, this six-month moratorium will now cause another big industry in Lafourche Parish to suffer – the oil and gas industry,” said Matherne. “And as many people are losing jobs and suffering in the commercial fishing industry, we fear that if he doesn’t change his mind we could potentially see job losses in that industry.”
Matherne said Randolph had an extensive conversation with Obama Friday regarding the moratorium without much success.
But even if Louisianans won’t be able to harvest oil for six months, as more and more of it continues to enter the Gulf, Matherne said oil reaching shore has subsided to some degree in the past few days.
“They had a couple of flyovers, and they couldn’t spot any in our immediate area,” said Matherne. “Despite the weather, the clean up crews have gotten a lot cleaned up in the last couple days. When you go to the beach, we don’t see any oil immediately. You have to go out far to see the tar balls. There is oil in those areas, but the amount hasn’t increased.”
He added clean up crews have been doing a great job fixing up Fourchon Beach – making it look good as new in some areas.
“Other than the fresh boom that they’re laying out across the beach as a sign that oil was there, when they’re done cleaning the beach you can’t tell that oil has been there,” said Matherne.
He said sorbent boom has been limiting oil intrusion into the marshes near Timbalier Bay on the west side of the bayou, while oil hasn’t been spotted in the mouth of Bayou Lafourche in a week.
“Skimming vessels have been working throughout this whole process,” said Matherne. “The last three or four days, we’ve had reports of zero oil being collected because its just not in the open water. It did come up on the shore and the marsh but in terms of new oil coming in, we’re not seeing that.”
Matherne said the riprap and vinyl sheet pilings on the east side of the bayou have remained successful and have kept oil out.
A masked fisherman statue in Larose bears a gas mask and sign asking God’s help. The statue, which is intended to serve as a tribute to the area’s fishermen, was outfitted last week prior to President Barack Obama’s visit to South Louisiana. * Photo by CASEY GISCLAIR
