the relatively low average cost of living, a favorable tax structure, an attractive climate 

 and the unique cultural/recreational annenities also contribute to the region's growth. A 

 recent source of land use competition Is associated with hydrocarbon development: oil 

 and natural gas wells, pipeline pumping stations, and natural gas processing plants. 

 Individually, these uses occupy relatively small plots of land. Together, although precise 

 estimates are not available, the total area Involved is substantial. Few farmers refuse to 

 sacrifice a portion of their cropland to gain the potential income from an oil or gas well 

 or the proceeds from a long-term oil lease. 



Suburban expansion is apparent also throughout the sugar region and the population 

 of the entire coastal zone is growing at an annual rate of approximately 5% (University 

 of New Orleans 1977). Competitive land uses associated with urbanization are often 

 directly linked to the petroleum Industry. 



Sailors exploring the coast of Louisiana and Texas in the I600's recorded seeing a 

 black slick floating on the sea. This seepage provided a small clue to the vast storehouse 

 of hydrocarbons trapped in a geosyncline stretching from Mississippi, through Louisiana 

 and into the coastal provinces of Texas. The resource was not drilled until 1901 when a 

 wildcatter completed the first producing well in south Louisiana (Postgate 1949). In 

 developing this resource more than 28,000 wells have been drilled in the coastal zone. 



In 1947 the search for recoverable hydrocarbons moved offshore and a new chapter 

 was added to the history of the petroleum industry (Londonburg 1972). Since the 

 successful completion of Kerr-McGee's, Phillips Petroleum's and Stanolind Oil's first 

 offshore well on the continental shelf, the oil Industry has drilled more than 20,000 wells 

 in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, more than 2,500 platforms are 

 pinned to the Gulf's floor. With the ever-increasing demand for hydrocarbons, oilmen are 

 drilling in areas previously considered economically unfavorable. Working in the coastal 

 marsh and then farther and farther offshore, drilling crews are now drilling on leases 

 more than 241 kilometers (150 miles) from logistic support bases In water greater than 

 304 meters (1,000 ft) deep. 



Largely as a result of this activity, Louisiana produces at least 35% of the Nation's 

 natural gas and 25% of its oil. As production has Increased, so have support Industries 

 such as storage yards, pipe suppliers, and pipeline contractors. The needs of the oil 

 Industry have spurred growth in ship-building and all kinds of marine supply businesses 

 that vend everything from diving equipment to fast-food, shore-to-ship, catering 

 services. 



The dynamic growth of oil and gas exploration during the last three decades has 

 placed an entirely different demand on the relatively few "chunks" of high-and-dry real 

 estate in the coastal zone; the demands for solid ground now include much more than 

 having a firm place to anchor a drilling platform. The need for onshore support bases, 

 platform fabricators, pipe supply yards, ship yards, and service facilities have Increased 

 exponentially. Today, virtually every community that borders the bayous of south 

 Louisiana serves as headquarters for one or more support services needed by the oil and 

 gas industry. Because land is at such a high premium, some firms have built extremely 

 compact facilities to handle the large and complex operations needed to build ships, 

 offshore platforms, and other complicated pieces of machinery. Refiners and 

 petrochemical manufacturers compete for the few large plots so they can install plants 

 as close as possible to the source of their required hydrocarbons. As a result, population 

 clustering has created a heterogeneous mixture of residential, commercial, industrial, 



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