For years, Lake Peigneur has been caught in a struggle between business interests and those of the people who live near it — and the struggle continues.

On Wednesday, the Iberia Parish Council passed a motion requesting the Iberia Parish legislative delegation to consider the introduction of legislation regarding the Jefferson Island salt dome located at Lake Peigneur “prohibiting any future development of new storage caverns, prohibiting expansion of existing caverns, and prohibiting conversion of existing storage caverns for alternate use in the Jefferson Island Salt Dome at Lake Peigneur for the protection of the residents and the environment.”

This is in support of a proposed bill that will be introduced by state Sen. Troy Hebert, D-Jeanerette.

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In 1994, Louisiana approved a permit for natural gas to be stored in the salt dome caves. In October 2005, AGL Resources, an Atlanta, Ga.-based natural gas provider which operates a Jefferson Island Storage facility near Lake Peigneur, announced its intention to triple its storage capacity.  

Around this same time, area residents came together to form a community action group called Save Lake Peigneur.

Nara Crowley is a resident of the Lake Peigneur area and is vice-president of Save Lake Peigneur, a community organization dedicated to its preservation.

Crowley described the issue as both “very distinctive” and “extremely serious,” and claims her organization has  information that contradicts that of AGL, with respect to the withdrawal of drinking water which would likely result from the proposed expansion.

“We have ongoing research that disputes the comparison of local withdrawal versus the proposed withdrawal that AGL claims,” she said.

She also cited a Jan. 29 release of natural gas that she said sounded like a “jet crashing” and that AGL maintains lasted for three minutes.

“More than three minutes lapsed during the period of the very loud noise which sounded like a jet crashing,” she said. “We are talking a minimum of 15 minutes. That is a big difference. We have documented proof of this not just from testimonials but 911 call documentation. We also know for a fact, backed again with documentation, that AGL did not  immediately contact the authorities.”

Paulette Graciana is also a resident of the Lake Peigneur area. Following the Jan. 29 incident, she went around to neighbors and collected written testimonials about the gas leak, which reportedly alarmed a number of local residents.

When one neighbor was writing hers, the neighbor’s young child reportedly approached Graciana and asked “Am I going to die?” reflecting her fears about what she had experienced.

“No child should ever have to worry about that,” she said.

To Crowley, the lives and well-being of the Lake Peigneur area’s residents are paramount.

“AGL has continued for the past two years to create spin on the facts that we present, and what is that about?” she said.  

“Their objective is profit, ours is saving lives. They can accomplish their goal by developing the caverns at Henry Hub; it’s just economically convenient to do it at Lake Peigneur. They have stated that. Our goals are to save our lives and our environment. That should never be debatable.”

Keith Poston is managing director of corporate communications at AGL Resources. In his assessment, his company’s activities at its Jefferson Island facility are not only safe but also benefit the local economy.

“The local and state economy benefits from the proposed expansion of the facility, including the creation of new jobs, which are estimated to total $30 million over 20 years,” he said. “Saltdome storage is considered the safest means of storing natural gas by the U.S. Department of Energy. The two existing caverns have been operating safely since 1994 and there are more than 60 similar facilities along the Gulf Coast.”

Poston also addressed concerns with the Jan. 29 incident.

“The recent release of gas from some piping at the facility after a local power outage was nothing more than a safety system operating exactly as it was supposed to work,” he said. “The minimal amount of gas that was vented up into the air, no matter how loud it sounded or how long it lasted, was completely safe.”