By KEVIN CHIRI

Editor and Publisher

LAPLACE – The matter of whether a tank farm will be built on the north side of the Garyville/Mt. Airy area is beginning to look more and more like a fight about a buffer zone, not a fight about whether the tank farm will eventually be built.

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) told L’Observateur this week that it appears permits for the tank farm could be issued as soon as the end of the year, as Safeland Storage moves forward with all the requirements to get approved.

Meanwhile, opponents of the tank farm now seem relegated to fight for a larger buffer zone around the property.

That fight got some support at the last St. John Parish Council meeting, when Councilman Dale Wolfe called for a town hall meeting in Garyville. Originally planned for this Thursday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m., at the Garyville Magnet School, the meeting was postponed on Monday for a future date that has not been set.

Carl Monica, who has led the fight for a group called Save Our Neighborhood, said he is still not completely satisfied with the town hall meeting, since he had been before the council two previous times asking for an official public hearing on the buffer zone.

“The town hall meeting is a positive step, but it’s still something where the council members don’t even have to be there if they don’t want to. And so far the parish president and the council just haven’t wanted to give us an opportunity to talk with them about this,” he said.

The tank farm is planned on the 400 acre piece of property that is bordered by Airline Highway and River Road. It has Garyville/Mt. Airy residential to the south side of it, and a large industry to the north side.

Monica’s group has been fighting against the tank farm from day one of news that Safeland Storage planned to build it. But with permits through DEQ continuing to proceed, Monica seems more focused now on ensuring there is the biggest buffer zone possible between the residential area and the tanks.

“We want the experts to tell us what a reasonable buffer zone is. If they say that 600 feet is good enough, then that’s fine, but we want to have a dialogue about what will make this as safe as possible for the residents of the area,” he said. “I still don’t know why the parish council wouldn’t give us a public hearing. That would have forced them all to come, and then they even could have voted on it if they wanted to increase the buffer.”

Danny Guidry, spokesman for Safeland Storage, said his group has sought permits and moved forward with plans all along expecting to have a 600 foot buffer, which is the parish requirement.

“Our stance is that we did extensive research to be sure what we were required to do, so we believe the 600 feet is sufficient,” he said. “If Mr. Monica wants a larger buffer, that is a fight between himself and the Parish Council, not us.”

Jean Kelly, spokeswoman for DEQ, said that Safeland Storage could have their permits finished by the end of December, after a public hearing was held locally, and a public comment period was finished.

DEQ got 11 written comments from the public on the site, and had 44 speakers at the hearing. That means each comment must be answered individually before the final permits are approved or not approved.

Another issue with the tank farm is a division canal that the federal government had proposed from the Mississippi River to the Hope Canal, which would improve the water flow into the swampland. The canal was proposed right through the tank farm property and Monica had originally said he thought Safeland did not include that in their plans.

However Guidry provided L’Observateur with documents showing a proposal from them to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, which puts the canal in the buffer zone area.

“We’re happy to see that Safeland has finally offered a plan for the Diversion Canal, but we’re still concerned if EPA will accept that land as the proper site, so that’s another issue that needs to answered. We’ve worked on getting this canal for 10 years,” he added.