Governor Landry wants the EPA to pick up the pace in cleaning up the Tangipahoa River following last month’s explosion at Smitty’s Supply in Roseland. In a video posted to social media, Landry said he watched a video of what the river looks like more than 30 days after the explosion, and he was disgusted at the sight of all the oil in the water.
“Over those 30 days, contractors, contracted by EPA, were supposed to be cleaning that up and they’re not going fast enough,” Landry said.
Landry said immediately after watching the video, he got several people on the phone.
“I called the Region 6 Administrator Scott Mason, our Secretary of DEQ Courtney Burdette, our Secretary of Conservation Dustin Davidson. Collectively, we had a call. These things are getting ready to start changing on the cleaning up of that site,” Landry explained.
Landry said his commitment is to the people of Tangipahoa Parish, especially those who live near the site of the explosion and the river.
“Make sure that, that facility and the effects of that fire, are cleaned up and that, that area is restored to the same way it was before the fire,” Landry said.
The EPA says it’s already cleaned up almost seven million gallons of waste from the river and adjacent ponds, and four million gallons have been shipped for disposal. The EPA says it’s working around the clock, and they released video that shows crews deploying booms and barriers to contain and remove the oil from the waterways. The EPA says underflow dams have also been constructed to prevent further discharge of oily materials.
