NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has dealt a setback to opponents of a proposed St. Tammany Parish oil well when it denied a request for a public hearing on the oil company's application for a wetlands permit.
Attorneys for the group Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany and the town of Abita Springs originally requested a public hearing in the fall but received no response from the Corps.
In December, the Corps and the Environmental Protection Agency requested more information on the project than was provided in Helis Oil and Gas Co.'s October application.
Regulatory officials tell The New Orleans Advocate’s Faimon A. Roberts III if Helis submits an application to install fracking production wells, the Corps will publish a public notice and those opposed will have an opportunity to submit a public hearing request.
