Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet announced Thursday (Oct. 4) that an agreement to essentially lease land to the Grand Isle Independent Levee District for the development of an airstrip on Elmer’s Island has been terminated. The announcement came during the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission monthly meeting in Baton Rouge on Thursday.
The proposal had stirred criticism from conservation groups and others. Secretary Montoucet addressed the commissioner’s and provided the department’s rationale for entering the agreement and offered assurances that any future discussion on this topic would be vetted by the full commission. During Secretary Montoucet’s prepared remarks he stated, “I am surely not too proud to recognize and understand the criticism and concerns that have been raised, both in regards to the environmental concerns with the project, but also as it relates to the desires for the public to have involvement beyond the permitting process for this proposal.”
Grand Isle mayor David Camardelle appeared at Thursday’s meeting and supported Montoucet’s decision to end the agreement.
A full transcript of Secretary Jack Montoucet’s remarks can be found below.
"Mr. Chairman and members of the Commission:
I come before you today to inform you that the agreement to allow the Grand Isle Levee District the opportunity to pursue permitting and construction of an airport on Elmer’s Island will be cancelled and terminated upon mutual agreement.
Judging from the volume of communications my office has received on this topic, I believe that this news will be well received by many of the folks here today and the people they represent. However, I do feel the need to briefly explain the thought process behind the decision to execute an agreement in the first place.
Allow me to state, for the record, that many of the environmental concerns that I’ve heard are absolutely valid. In fact, we as a conservation agency, share many of those same concerns and we expressed those concerns to Mayor Camardelle when he requested to use the old airstrip property.
However, Mayor Camardelle indicated that he could propose a project that would have minimal impact on fish and wildlife resources and provide recreational access and economic development to the area, all at no cost to the state. He simply asked for an opportunity to try. Knowing the many state and federal permits that such a project would require before it could even begin to be implemented, and trusting that those permitting processes would both identify and address any potential impacts to wildlife resources or habitat, we decided to see what he could propose.
I am confident that I speak for myself and the Governor when I say that this administration never absolutely supported the construction of an airport on Elmer’s Island, ignoring all consequences. Rather, we endorsed the Mayor’s effort to develop a preliminary plan – a proposal – to be properly evaluated and vetted.
With that said, I am surely not too proud to recognize and understand the criticism and concerns that have been raised, both in regards to the environmental concerns with the project, but also as it relates to the desires for the public to have involvement beyond the permitting process for this proposal.
I assure you that I value open and transparent government and that it was NOT my intention to create an appearance of operating outside of the public eye. However, it is evident from the number of people here today and from the communications I’ve received that folks would like a greater opportunity for public discourse in this matter.
For that reason, I’m glad that Mayor Camardelle was gracious enough and willing to agree to mutually cancel and terminate the current intergovernmental agreement. You have my word that if this proposal is ever considered in the future, it will be done through the Commission and would initially be limited to a feasibility study to allow for appropriate and public evaluation.
Mayor Camardelle is present here today. He has been a passionate advocate for his town, a fair representative of the Grand Isle Independent Levee District, and a longtime supporter of this agency. I’d like to publicly thank him for his cooperation in this endeavor and offer an opportunity to address the Commission."