Hebert's bill would close landfill near ARA

As the enclosure of Gordon Doerle’s pickup station nears completion and his landfill site continues through the state permitting process, state Sen. Troy Hebert has again filed legislation to try and stop the landfill from operating.

Senate Bill 317 would prohibit construction and debris landfills from being located within 5,000 feet of an airport serving piston-powered aircrafts, thus applying to Doerle’s landfill and its proximity to the Acadiana Regional Airport.

“I don’t want to go through this again,” Doerle said. “I’ve spent $1 million to put this building up, and when it’ll be done in two weeks, then they put up a bill to stop it.”

The bill is similar to the one Hebert filed during the 2008 regular legislative session, but excludes the 70,000-75,000 population clause and allows for a garbage pickup and processing station like the one Doerle is building.

“As a senator, I cannot just sit back and allow one person’s greed to destroy one of the best economic engines that our area has,” said Hebert, D-Jeanerette. “Anyone with common sense can see that a landfill located directly at the end of a runway will severely restrict the Acadiana Regional Airport’s ability to reach its full economic potential.”

Last year’s bill passed in the Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal. But the law was ruled unconstitutional by a 19th Judicial District judge who said the population clause made it a local law that only applies to Doerle’s landfill and Iberia Parish.

When Doerle started operating a pickup station  and made plans to expand his landfill into Iberia Parish, the Iberia Parish Council initially denied local permits to Doerle because of existing parish solid waste laws and airport ordinances.

Doerle sued the parish and the parish sued back, but the two parties have since reached a settlement allowing Doerle to operate his pickup station as long as he encloses it. The settlement also allows him to expand his landfill into the parish.

Doerle granted servitude to the parish as part of the settlement, and the agreement also states that no local official or local government entity may try to undermine the landfill operations.

“I want to know who’s pushing for this,” Doerle said. “Is it the airport or the Parish Council? If so, they’re breaching the settlement. Either someone’s pushing his buttons or it’s back to a personal vendetta.”

Hebert said he refiled the bill because he received an “overwhelming” amount of responses to a questionnaire he ran in The Daily Iberian in December of last year. Many who responded said they wanted Hebert to attempt to stop the landfill from opening, he said.

“Nobody has yet to explain to me why anything has changed on why a landfill being located at the end of a runway is OK now when there were so many questions on safety and marketability,” Hebert said. “One thing that’s changed is a lot of people have their hands tied and their mouths taped because of the agreements, but mine’s not and I’ll continue to fight for the airport.”

Assistant District Attorney Eric Duplantis, the Parish Council’s legal adviser, said there have been no resolutions passed through the Parish Council or the Airport Authority since the settlement asking Hebert to file the bill.

“Gordon has done everything we’ve asked him to do as far as the settlement,” Duplantis said. “This was something that was litigated, and it wasn’t something that was done lightly. We hammered out an agreement and he’s lived up to his end of the bargain.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the enclosed pickup station, and though Hebert said the FAA does not yet approve of the landfill, Airport Director Jason Devillier said he believes the FAA will approve of the landfill as long as the pickup station is enclosed.

Hebert has invited the FAA to visit the airport to examine the situation, he said, adding companies located at the airport have spoken with him at length about the negative impact the landfill would have on airport operations.

Doerle said he will file lawsuits against the state, the state Department of Environmental Quality, the parish and the airport if the bill passes.

“I’ve more than lived up to my side of the agreement,” Doerle said. “I’ve invested too much into this for them to start playing games.”