HOUSE floor amendment [LINK] requires notifications prior to completion of permit and require the Department of Natural Resources to publish online notice of all Class V and Class VI permit applications related to carbon dioxide sequestration projects.

Prohibits carbon dioxide sequestration activities or permitting without advance notice to affected property owners. Expands and clarifies notice requirements for Class V and Class VI well permits.

Key Provisions: 

- Requires applicants for Class V and Class VI CO₂ well permits to provide advance written notice via certified mail. 

- Notice must be given to all of the following within the area of review (Class VI) or within 500 feet (Class V): 

 - The last operator of record for any oil or gas well 

 - All mineral interest owners (including mineral servitude owners, lessees, and their operators) 

 - All surface owners 

- Defines acceptable notice to surface owners as notice to individuals listed in the parish assessor’s rolls. 

- Prohibits the permitting or performance of CO₂ sequestration activities without this notice.

Seeks to make carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) illegal in Louisiana. The bill proposes adding Section 2.2 to Title 30 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, stating that "carbon capture and sequestration in Louisiana is illegal." This legislation would prohibit the process of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources and storing them underground.

Talking points

·       Carbon storage involves injecting concentrated carbon dioxide deep underground, creating serious safety risks. Any leaks can displace breathable air at ground level, causing suffocation and death, as has tragically occurred elsewhere.

·       Carbon dioxide injection threatens Louisiana's precious groundwater and aquifers. Leakage could permanently contaminate drinking water sources, harming communities and ecosystems.

·       CCS projects are extraordinarily expensive, requiring significant taxpayer subsidies. These costly projects divert precious taxpayer dollars away from essential services, infrastructure improvements, agriculture, education, and flood protection.

·       Unlike roads, hospitals, or schools, carbon storage provides no tangible product or meaningful improvement in the daily lives of Louisiana's citizens. Quite the contrary.

·       Carbon storage facilities and pipelines unjustly infringe on property rights through eminent domain, forcing landowners to surrender their property for private, speculative ventures, funded by taxpayer money, offering them no genuine benefit.

·       Given these clear dangers, expenses, the unjust use of eminent domain, and lack of genuine public benefit, Louisiana should strongly support House Bill 380, ending eminent domain for carbon dioxide storage, protecting citizens' safety, property rights, and financial interests.

Adding info on carbon leaks, injuries and deaths:

In February 2020, a significant incident occurred in Satartia, Mississippi, involving a carbon dioxide (CO₂) pipeline rupture. The pipeline, owned by Denbury Resources, ruptured and released over 31,000 barrels of CO₂. This event led to the evacuation of more than 300 residents, and over 40 individuals were hospitalized with symptoms of CO₂ poisoning and oxygen deprivation.

The health impacts on the affected individuals were significant. Exposure to high concentrations of CO₂ can displace oxygen in the air, leading to suffocation, loss of consciousness, and other serious health effects. The Satartia incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with CO₂ pipeline leaks, highlighting the need for stringent safety measures and regulations to protect communities near such infrastructure.

Historically, natural CO₂ seeps have been associated with fatalities. A study examining death records over a 50-year period identified 19 deaths likely caused by CO₂ leakage, particularly in regions with significant natural emissions, such as certain areas in Italy.

Places a temporary moratorium on carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration activities in Louisiana to allow time to study potential risks.

Key Provisions: 

- Bans geologic storage or sequestration of CO2. 

- Bans transportation of CO2 for the purpose of sequestration. 

- Suspends issuance of permits, certificates, or orders related to these activities. 

- Moratorium is in effect until July 1, 2026. 

- Becomes effective upon governor’s signature or as otherwise provided by law. 

- The law is repealed automatically on July 1, 2026.

Community Leaders and Local Officials 

-Local officials in parishes like Allen, Jefferson Davis, and Beauregard have raised safety and environmental concerns about nearby sequestration projects. They often cite a lack of community input and fear for local water sources and land use.

Physicians and Public Health Experts 

-Doctors such as Dr. Cade Burns in Allen Parish have warned about health risks from CO2 leaks, including respiratory issues, headaches, confusion, and in high doses, even death.

Landowners and Farmers 

-Property owners express fears about loss of land through eminent domain for pipelines, potential damage to their property, and liability if CO2 escapes underground storage from neighboring properties.

Risks and Dangers of Carbon Sequestration:

- Leakage: Stored CO2 could escape from underground, harming the environment and human health.

- Pipeline Ruptures: CO2 pipeline breaks can cause dangerous, oxygen-displacing gas clouds that may lead to suffocation.

- Water Contamination: CO2 could migrate into aquifers, potentially acidifying drinking water supplies.

- Induced Seismicity: Injecting CO2 underground may trigger small earthquakes, risking storage site integrity.

- Long-Term Costs: Sequestration sites need decades of monitoring; it's unclear who will be responsible over time.

- Regulatory Gaps: Critics say current laws don't adequately protect communities or hold companies accountable.

Carbon sequestration is risky with potential for catastrophic incidence of loss of life and contamination of Louisiana's underground water supplies.

Proposes extending the current state sales and use tax exemption on specific food and beverage items to include local sales and use taxes. Currently, under R.S. 47:305(C)(1), the state exempts the following items from sales and use tax:

• Food sold for home preparation and consumption, including bakery products.
• Dairy products.
• Soft drinks.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Packaged foods requiring further preparation by the purchaser.

The proposed bill seeks to amend R.S. 47:305(C)(1) and enact R.S. 47:337.9(C)(5.1), thereby mandating that these exemptions also apply to local sales and use taxes imposed by any taxing authority. This change would ensure that purchases of the specified food and beverage items are exempt from both state and local sales and use taxes.

Given the new USGS find of potentially 35.8 TRILLION cubic feet of natural gas in Louisiana, this bill is now a VITAL must pass. We cannot trap this BOON to Louisiana's economy under a carbon capture waste disposal green new deal boondoggle. https://kpel965.com/usgs-oil-gas-louisiana-acadiana-impact/

HOUSE committee amendment [LINK] ensures that non-consenting mineral owners in a CO₂ storage unit are paid no less per acre than the average paid to others. It also allows mineral owners to drill through the storage unit if they follow state safety rules, and requires the storage operator to either compensate them for lost minerals or cover any extra drilling costs.

Amends rules for compensating landowners in geologic storage projects. All owners must receive fair and equal benefits, with no one paid less per acre than others in the same unit. The state can consider various technical and financial factors when deciding compensation but cannot change existing contracts. Owners can still challenge the fairness or necessity of the project in court, and courts can request needed information and hold jury trials if asked. The bill aims to guarantee fair pay and improve legal oversight.