An oil injection well is being proposed for a small community in St. Landry Parish, and not everyone is thrilled about it.
Eagle Oil wants to put that injection well in Beggs, but some are worried it could pollute their air and water. The Department of Conservation must approve the project before it goes forward, and on Thursday night, they hosted a hearing so the community and others could voice their opinion.
“I hold the keys to this building as parish president, so until everyone gets their chance to speak, I’m not locking the door,” said Bill Fontenot.
It was a room full of more than 100 people; one by one, the residents voiced their opposition.
“I am opposing an application filed by Eagle Oil,” one resident expressed.
Some in the crowd said the well would tear up their roads with dozens of trucks coming in and out, put harmful toxins in the air, and harm the endangered species that live there.
“We have owned property in the area for over 100 years, and we are less than a mile from where the proposed site is. We are opposing the installation and the operation of such facility in our community,” Mary Smith Ellis said.
St. Landry Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said he stands with his constituents.
“Everybody in here is convinced that y’all are going to approve this. Everybody. We are here to convince you otherwise. We don’t want this,” Guidroz said.
“I’m totally opposed to it. I own land a mile and a half from the site and another tract of land about six miles from the site. To have this much traffic going through a rural community is just devastating to us,” Dwight Landreneau said.
No one from Eagle Oil spoke at the hearing; however, residents are hopeful their concerns were heard.
