Plains All-American gets go-ahead for crude oil tank storage center

Based on the project’s design, Plains All-American Pipeline, L.P doesn’t need a land permit and is set to follow its original Gibson Terminal construction plans.

In October, members of the community along with the Terrebonne Parish School Board voiced their opposition to allowing Plains All-American to store two crude oil tanks in the Gibson area near Greenwood Middle School and the Greenwood Plantation Estates subdivision.

The U.S Corps of Engineering had a public notice period where concern residents and city officials could voice their oppositions. The school board sent certified resolutions to the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the Houma-Terrebonne Regional Planning Commission and the Department of Environmental Quality opposing the construction work.

Despite the board and the communities’ efforts to severe community ties with the company, the Houston-based organization found out last week that it doesn’t need a permit for construction work at the facility.

“The Corps is returning the application to Plains All-American because, we are not taking jurisdiction over the area where the construction activity will be done,” said Kenny Blanke, a U.S. Corps of Engineers project manager.

According to Blanke, the Corps was waiting on final jurisdictional determination from its surveillance enforcement branch. The branch’s evidence showed that none of the work being done by Plains All-American would harm the areas under the Corps’ jurisdiction.

Although there are jurisdictional wetlands on the property, none of them will be impacted by the project’s construction. “What the Corp takes jurisdiction over are other waters of the U.S., the navigational waters and wetlands. The property in question were the terminal is proposed to go has non-wetlands and man-made soil ditches that were dug to drain the agricultural fields,” Blanke explained.

Basically, the Corps has made a determination that they are not going to take jurisdiction over those ditches. In other words, Plains All-American is not required to have a permit for the construction activity n based on where the project designed is going, the project manager said.

“The project is not going to result in the filling of wetlands or any other lands on the property, which are under the Corps’ jurisdiction,” he said.

However in early January, according to Terrebonne Parish School Board member L.P. Bordelon, Plains received a minor violation/infraction warning for some unauthorized work.

“Residents complained about the company collecting soil samples and clearing trees in the area. They contacted the Corps, and the Corps ordered them to stop work,” Bordelon said. “As of right now, there hasn’t been any work done at the site. I don’t know what their next move is.”

Agreeing with the allegations, Blanke said the area was very small and that the Corps ordered the company to stop work. They were allowed to continue work in other areas, but the company stopped work all together.

In coming months, work will resume at the Gibson facility and the tanks will still be constructed. When asked about the official application withdrawal, Blanke said a hard copy would be mailed out to concerned parties this week.