Company Seeks OK From Residents For Monitoring Gear

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Permission slips being distributed to residents of the Bayou Corne area of Assumption Parish will allow a company to install equipment to mitigate any dangers that might be posed by underground methane gas

The Advocate reports that the forms are to be distributed Thursday.

The state Office of Conservation on Monday directed Texas Brine Co. to install methane monitors and ventilation systems to avoid an undetected accumulation of methane in enclosed spaces inside slab-foundation homes.

The moves come months after a large sinkhole opened up in the area, where Texas Brine extracted brine from an underground salt cavern for nearby petrochemical facilities. The sinkhole opened up after months of gas bubbles developed in waterways and land-based water wells.