KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Surrounded by gas wells

Surrounded by gas wells

By Jeff Ferrell – bio|email

GRAND CANE, LA (KSLA) – Imagine spending your life savings on your dream home, only to discover you'll be surrounded by gas wells.  Members of one Ark-La-Tex neighborhood tell KSLA News 12, that’s exactly what’s happening to them.

Kate McIntosh and her neighbors live just off Highway 157 along a private road in Grand Cane, Louisiana, just down the road from the recent gas well blow-out and evacuation.  They fear that having 7-wells bordering their properties means they'll one day have to evacuate too. 

"We poured our life into buying this property," intimated McIntosh who now wishes she had known the whole truth sooner.  "Who would want to move into an area where they tell you, 'oh, you're going to have seven gas rigs all around you and by the way, several have exploded in the area and you'll have to be evacuated eventually?" rhetorically asked McIntosh. 

She walked us over to a newly-constructed gas well not far behind her property.  Kate's son then showed us where all those other gas wells might stand nearby.  Neighbors feel equally duped. 

Neighbor David Boogaerts explained, "in my opinion, we were pretty much lied to from the start about who owned the mineral rights, why we couldn't get them and we were told nothing was ever going to be done back here." 

Proving someone may have lied, or doing anything about it could prove very difficult, especially at this stage.  Boogaerts added, "I think money's the main issue."

All the property owners signed a neighborhood association contract, so they own the road that drilling crews need to use to access the site.  McIntosh told us, "no one can sign an easement without a two-thirds majority vote of the association.  We haven't voted." 

One expert told McIntosh they have two options:  One, hire a lawyer and spend lots of money; or two, move.  Boogaerts lamented, "we'd lose money.  I mean, in this, with the housing market the way it is I mean there's no way we would get even remotely what we put in, to have this place." 

It's especially tough for Boogaerts, who has a two-year old daughter.  "We were hoping to raise her in a rural area, nice area, and now it's going to be an industrialized area." 

McIntosh said she's getting the runaround from state agencies.  But, she 'does' hope to speak out on December 1st.  That's when natural gas company 'Exco Production' applies for a permit to drill seven more wells near McIntosh's home.

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