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One year after vetoing a similar bill, Governor Landry allows a bill to ban balloon releases to become law without his signature. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is grateful that Landry allowed Harahan Representative John Illg’s balloon release ban to become law this time around, saying it will save wildlife in the long run.
“Those balloons have killed baby cattle, and they get wrapped around birds’ necks; turtles have been tangled in them,” Illg said.
What was different about Illg’s bill this year is that it added balloon releases to the state’s existing anti-littering law, whereas last year, it was a standalone law. Nungesser says while balloon releases may look good when it’s happening, they cause problems when they come down.
“Many of the balloons have hit power outages. They end up in streams. It’s been responsible for flooding in areas where it has clogged up waterways or drains,” Nungesser noted.
Nungesser says when balloons end up in waterways, it’s not just the marine wildlife that could suffer.
“Also, we’ve had several boats get entangled up in their propellers out in the waterway,” Nungesser said.
In his veto last year, Landry stated that it would have been impossible to enforce.
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