Sinkhole Buyouts
A Texas company will offer buyouts to Louisiana residents whose homes are under a nine-acre sinkhole created by the extraction of brine, the governor says.
Texas Brine will offer buyouts to Assumption Parish residents whose homes are in a swampy area under evacuation because of a nine-acre sinkhole, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Wednesday.
Scientists say the sinkhole formed after the collapse of an underground salt cavern operated by Houston-based Texas Brine Co. LLC, which extracted brine and piped it to nearby petrochemical facilities. The cavern failure released oil and natural gas from formations along the salt dome face.
"They caused the situation. They've got to make this right," Jindal said after a closed-door meeting with company leaders.
About 350 people living in the area have been under an evacuation order and many of them displaced for more than seven months, with no immediate end in sight.
Jindal said Texas Brine plans to send out appraisers beginning Monday to help determine residents' interest in the voluntary buyouts and to assess the value of homes in the area — or to discuss settlements with those who choose to stay.
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