Contact: Matt Stout, NOAA For Immediate Release
Ron Gouguet, NOAA 3/6/97
Bruce Hammatt, LDEQ
Leslie Beckhoff, Conoco
Two agreements aimed at creating and enhancing habitat for fish and wildlife were announced today by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Conoco Inc. These restoration projects will compensate for natural resource injuries associated with a March 1994 chemical release (ethylene dichloride) into the Clooney Island Loop area of the Calcasieu Estuary.
State and federal trustees, on behalf of the public, worked cooperatively with Conoco to forge resource restoration and protection agreements under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, commonly known as the Superfund Act, and the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act. Together, the agreements result in creation and long-term protection of more than 200 acres of habitat on former farmland in the Hippolyte Coulee - Black Bayou area, located about seven miles south of Lake Charles in southwestern Louisiana.
Under the first agreement, 41 acres of neglected farmland are being restored to cypress swamp-brackish marsh habitat to compensate for natural resource injuries associated with the chemical release. The agreement will protect in perpetuity 4.5 acres of habitat for wildlife benefit and protect the surrounding 36.5 acres for 50 years.
"This agreement reflects the cooperative spirit that can be achieved between industry and state and federal natural resource trustees under laws designed to restore coastal resources affected by hazardous substances," said Acting NOAA Deputy Administrator Terry D. Garcia. "The agreements demonstrate a strong commitment to a healthy environment while avoiding lengthy and expensive studies and litigation."
The agreement was formalized through the filing of a complaint and consent decree by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the natural resource trustees in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, in Lake Charles.
Under the second agreement, Conoco is restoring 170 acres of similar habitat adjacent to the first restoration site in response to a compliance order issued by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
"The restoration is a culmination of a cooperative process among several state and federal agencies, and shows what industry and government can do when they work together for a common goal," said Dale Givens, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. "We are pleased to be a part of this effort and hope that in the future more companies like Conoco take the initiative to do a project of this magnitude."
Both projects are currently underway. More than 60,000 one-year-old native tree saplings have recently been planted, including species such as bald cypress, overcup oak, nuttal oak, green ash, bitter pecan, common persimmon, willow oak and water oak. The habitat will provide sanctuary to many indigenous animals and fish species.
"The restoration project will result in the creation of important habitats for birds, fish and mammals and will benefit the overall health of the Calcasieu Estuary," said Conoco's Rick Hamm, general manager of refining and marketing. "Independent of the agreements to provide more than 200 acres of habitat that will generate benefits for the environment and public for years to come, we have funded a Louisiana State University study to evaluate the success of the restoration project."
The agreements are the result of a cooperative effort led by government and industry scientists that focused on reaching a restoration-based solution. In addition to NOAA, an agency of the Commerce Department, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, federal and state trustees include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the Interior Department, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.