Heritage Environmental's Gulf Oil Spill Response
A message from Chris Maheu, vice president at Heritage Environmental Services and a native of Louisiana:
I am proud that our company is working around the clock to help protect and cleanup the state's shorelines from the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Growing up in the New Orleans area, I developed a deep appreciation for Louisiana's unique culture and environment and the state's role as a leading energy producer. I've experienced firsthand the effects that environmental catastrophes have had on the state. And I've seen the work that it takes to restore communities so that people can go on with their way of life.
Our role in the Gulf
Heritage is no stranger to Louisiana and the Gulf region. We routinely work with local industries to help them with their environmental needs. After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our rapid-response teams worked closely with our customers to get their facilities back online in a short amount of time.
In the current situation, we coordinated early on with unified command personnel to identify areas where oil would make landfall and to make the necessary preparations for cleanup operations. Today, more than 135 men and women working for Heritage and as subcontractors to Heritage have been deployed at nine staging areas throughout the southernmost parishes of Louisiana. Many of them volunteered for the job, taking leave from their usual assignments at other Heritage facilities throughout the country.
Working closely with environmental regulators, unified command officials and other responders, we have established operations for cleanup, transportation, disposal, and wherever possible, recycling. Our people are environmental professionals who follow industry standards and cleanup-specific plans for worker health and safety and for protection of the environment. These standards and plans have been developed and approved by federal and state government regulatory agencies.
Our pledge
The people of Louisiana look forward to the day when the waters, marshes and shorelines have been declared clean and all debris and waste material has been properly disposed or recycled. I pledge to them that the men and women of Heritage are doing their best to make that happen.- Chris Maheu,
Vice President