‘Give the people… more time’ | Livingston Parish’s fight against carbon capture continues, council passes halt on data-collecting wells

“The right thing to do is support this moratorium and give us elected local officials time to do our job,” said Councilman Shane Mack, drawing applause from residents in the council chambers.

Carbon capture and storage is a process that involves taking carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial sites and permanently storing them deep underground. The practice – which advocates say will combat climate change but opponents say is unproven and potentially dangerous – has been the hot-button issue in Livingston Parish, with two sites being proposed on the north and south ends of the parish.

For its project, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures reached an agreement with Weyerhaeuser in March to lease 30,000 acres of land north of Holden. OLCV plans to use the land to permanently sequester industrial CO2 in underground geologic formations about 1.5 miles deep.

The other hub will be located on the south end of the parish underneath Lake Maurepas, one of three spots Pennsylvania-based company Air Products plans to store CO2 from an upcoming $4.5 billion “blue hydrogen” energy complex in Ascension Parish. CO2 from the plant would be injected in wells across Livingston, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and Tangipahoa parishes a mile underneath state-owned land that includes Lake Maurepas.

Neither project is expected to begin CO2 injection before 2025.

In September, the council approved a year-long moratorium on Class VI wells, which are used to inject carbon dioxide into deep rock formations, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These are the wells that contain CO2 emissions.

That same month, the council unanimously approved a resolution asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Louisiana Department of Natural Resources to halt issuing permits for “any activities associated with Class V and VI wells.”

Thursday’s approved moratorium centered on Class V wells, which the EPA defines as those used to inject non-hazardous fluids either into or above an underground source of drinking water. The moratorium focuses on wells “specific to geologic testing of rock formation, monitoring, drilling, or injecting of CO2 for long term storage.” It also included the parish’s waterways and the “detonation of charges for seismic testing, drilling or injecting of liquids.”

Companies seeking to store CO2 underground utilize Class V wells to gather information on the area’s geologic makeup to determine if it is suitable for sequestration. Representatives for Air Products said that a Class V permit does not allow them to begin injecting CO2 underground but said it is a necessary step for acquiring the EPA’s Class VI permit.

“These Class V wells will not be used for CO2 injection,” said Andrew Connolly, operations director for Air Products. “If the information shows the area is not suitable, we’re not going to inject.”

Connolly stressed the safety of the technology, saying Air Products has done this in Louisiana since the 1960s, with “18 facilities up and down the river.” He also welcomed leaders and residents to attend a demonstration.

“We want to be open and transparent,” he said.

Brian Landry, vice president of political affairs at the Louisiana Chemical Association, urged council members to avoid placing a moratorium on the Class V wells, saying it could put a “chilling effect” on the practice in the state.

“Louisiana is well positioned to become a leader in these types of projects,” Landry said. “Our economy is going to enjoy substantial benefits.”

But Landry and Connolly’s comments did little to alleviate concerns from residents who have been vehemently against the project since the beginning.

Kinion Bankston, one of the leading voices against carbon capture in the parish, asked councilmen to think of the crabbers and fishermen who make a living on the lake as well as those who use it for recreational purposes. He also mentioned popular events on the lake, such as poker runs, that draw thousands to Livingston Parish and provide a boost to the local economy.

“There’s nothing in it for Livingston Parish,” Bankston said. “We have everything to lose and nothing to gain from this project.”

Other residents echoed Bankston’s comments, expressing fears that the projects might jeopardize their communities and waterways. Like Bankston, they also voiced anger at the perceived lack of benefit for the parish.

“This lake has been sacred for all these years, all my life,” said resident Matthew Barnham. “Leave it alone.”

Rep. Sherman Mack, who has long voiced opposition to the projects, said he is working on "trigger legislation" that would provide benefits to the parish should the project push through. He then implored the parish to pass the moratorium to give all involved more time to gather information.

“Give the people of Holden and south Livingston [Parish] more time,” he said.

After the public hearing, council members debated among themselves about the best course of action. Garry Talbert, of District 2, referenced a letter from the parish attorney suggesting it would be “illegal” for the parish to impose a ruling for Lake Maurepas, which is under the state’s jurisdiction.

“Are we gonna try to put a ban on seismic activities in Lake Maurepas?” asked Talbert, who along with Councilman Tracy Girlinghouse voted against the pause. “Because basically this letter says it’s illegal to do that.”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take,” Delatte said later in response. “It’s a chance we as elected officials should take. I do feel like we have an obligation to not only protect the lake, but Livingston Parish.”