In response to a Louisiana Legislative bill that would prohibit drilling and prevent any expansion of current operations at Lake Peigneur, an AGL Resources spokesman said Tuesday the company is committed to putting in two new underground storage caverns.

“We’re going to work with the sponsor to come to a solution,” Jack Holt said. “The bill, as written, would prevent any further expansion at Lake Peigneur, and we are committed to this project — the two caverns.”

The sponsor is state Rep. Sydnie Mae Durand, D-St. Martinville, though the language was written by “Save Lake Peigneur” residents who allege AGL could be responsible for the mysterious bubbling that occurs every few weeks at the 1,300-acre lake, although no source of the bubbling has been determined.

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Another bubbling incident took place Friday.

“We didn’t even know about it,” Holt said of the bubbling incident.

The company already has two underground caverns beneath the lake’s surface for storing natural gas, but wanted to install two more. The state stopped that project and AGL has sued.

House Bill 617 would prohibit drilling for purposes of exploration, production, storage, disposal or leaching. It would provide an exception for directional drilling that originates outside the lake and salt dome for oil and gas exploration. The allowance for directional drilling means the oil industry won’t be affected for exploration purposes.

But Holt said he’s seeking a solution to the language of the bill.

“We’ll be working with Sydnie Mae Durand,” he said. “We have some folks down there to see what the solution might be.”

As far as a specific solution, he said, “that’s what we’re evaluating.”

Durand said this morning that she received a call from an AGL lobbyist Tuesday. She called him back, but he has not returned the call.

“I wish there was a solution,” Durand said. “I really think there was some damage done in the 1980s (that caused the bubbling). It’s probably a fracture somewhere. That’s all I can figure. But we filed this bill and, hopefully, I’ll have some support for it in the Legislature. I don’t want to stop the drilling, but we have to protect what we have. If there is a solution, we ought to meet on that, but I still think we can’t compromise the lake any longer.”

Lake Peigneur resident Nara Crowley said the oil industry would not be affected for exploration purposes and the group doesn’t expect any opposition from the oil industry.

The group “absolutely” filed the bill because of AGL’s plans to expand, Crowley said. She said they will be holding a press conference at 9 a.m. Friday at Jefferson Island.