Congratulations, St. Tammany Parish residents

You aren't going to be fracked by Helis Oil.  That's great. But let's take a look at what it was that saved you, exactly. 

Was it the vehement organized citizen opposition?  No, that didn't work.

Was it Bobby Jindal's state Department of Natural Resources? Don't make me laugh.

Was it the lawsuit brought to stop DNR issuing a permit? Nope.


Was it a federal environmental impact review by the Corps of Engineers? No, they let it slide too.

So what was it?  At the end of the day, the only thing that Northshore residents have to thank for saving their aquifer from possible contamination is the unprofitable barrenness of their own land.

ST. TAMMANY PARISH -- Helis Oil and Gas sent out a news release Tuesday saying that "following a lengthy review of the geologic, engineering and other data from its exploratory well in rural St. Tammany Parish, Helis Oil & Gas has concluded that it will not proceed with further operations."

The move would bring to an end the controversial project on the Northshore that met with a lot of citizen opposition.

Helis overcame that opposition to get the approval to move forward on the project, however, a few months in, the results were not what the company was hoping to achieve.

"Helis has determined that the prospect lacks appropriate commercial viability so the company will not pursue the project any further. Helis intends to permanently abandon the well and secure the site in accordance with regulatory requirements and its leases," said Greg Beuerman, spokesperson for Helis Oil & Gas.

The lesson is, whatever you do, first make sure you are not commercially viable.