Save Lake Peigneur has Green Army support

When fighting for a cause, like the protection of our underground water, it is great to have an army behind you.
Vermilion Parish’s Nara Crowley and Gloria Conlin, who are fighting to stop AGL Resources from putting gas in underground caverns under Lake Peigneur, attended Wednesday afternoon’s Abbeville Rotary Club to hear the leader of their new army called the “Green Army.”
For eight years, Crowley and residents who live on Lake Peigneur have been fighting to stop AGL Resources from using storage salt caverns beneath the lake to store gas. The fight has been stressful and tough because of their small group.
Since the recent formation of the Green Army, their voice continues to get louder.
Russel Honoré, the retired Army lieutenant general, has joined in the statewide fight to save and protect the water in Louisiana. Honoré helped create the Green Army.
Honoré is on a mission throughout the state to try and get legislation passed through Baton Rouge in order to protect Louisiana’s drinking water. He spoke at the Abbeville Rotary meeting on Wednesday.
“All of our little groups are united now,” Crowley said about having Honoré in their corner. “We are all in communication with one another to keep water safe. Our groups are meeting, and we are going to legislators. He (Honore´) is our leader.”
Honoré told the Rotarians he enjoys having the oil and gas companies in Louisiana, but at the same time, he wants to keep oil in engines and gas in gas tanks and out of drinking water systems.
Louisiana is the fourth highest producing oil and gas state in the United States, but is also the second poorest, Honoré said.
There are 7 billion people in the world today and over the next 10 years, the population is expected to reach 10 billion. Because there will be more people, there is expected to be an increase in the search for oil and gas to meet the demand of the 10 billion people.
More drilling means more ground water being used.
Once the ground water is gone or contaminated because of the oil and gas companies, there is no way of getting the freshwater water back.
He explained to the Rotarians that his “Green Army” will be seeking legislation to limit industrial uses of ground use of ground water.
The Green Army is made up of environmental organization, non-profits and residents from across the state, is pushing for several water-related changes in the Legislature session.
One of the Green Army’s missions is to move the responsibility for water resources out of the jurisdiction of the state Department of Natural Resources. He said DNR’s focus is primarily on oil and gas issues, not water resource issues. Honoré added he wants to propose legislation to limit the industrial use of groundwater.
He explained under the existing law it is legal for industries, like AGL, to use millions of gallons of ground water and not pay for it. He wants to change that, which is golden to the ears of the group, Save Lake Peigneur.