Environmental interests react to EPA giving CO2 storage permit power
8th January 2024 · 0 Comments
By Greg LaRose
Contributing Writer
(lailluminator.com) — State leaders rejoiced as 2023 came to an end over the federal government’s decision to give Louisiana authority to permit and regulate the wells needed to store industrial carbon dioxide emissions underground, labeling it an important economic development milestone.
Environmental groups have taken a notably different view and vow to remain vigilant against what they feel is an unsafe process. They snub proponents’ claims that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects will allow Louisiana to make major strides toward achieving a green economy.
“This recent news does not end our fight against this unproven and dangerous technology,” Beverly Wright with the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice said in a statement. “CCS is one of the biggest threats to communities of color being harmed by the polluting industries that exacerbate our climate crisis and by the regulatory agencies that are supposed to be protecting them.”
Most of the roughly 30 proposed for Louisiana have backing from the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. The companies insist carbon can be safely contained underground using time-tested methods.
“I commend EPA for granting primacy to Louisiana to expand carbon capture projects,” American Petroleum Institute Gulf Coast Region Director Gifford Briggs said in an email to the Illuminator. “Today’s decision will empower the state to continue to be a leader in energy production, community engagement and environmental progress while boosting the local economy. By enabling Louisiana to take advantage of its unique geology and expertise, this will help accelerate lower-carbon solutions through streamlined permitting and oversight.”
Louisiana became the third state to receive what’s called primacy over permits for Class VI wells, the type used for carbon storage, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In order to earn it, the state had to put in place regulations that meet or exceed EPA standards.
With that approval power in hand, Louisiana officials will next reach out to the federal agency to take over the permitting process for more than 20 CCS projects that have already begun the approval process.
Critics say the EPA has mishandled carbon storage regulation from the onset, doing more to ensure its quick adoption than shield neighbors from the unknown impacts of the projects. Even with supposedly tougher rules in place in Louisiana, they aren’t convinced the state is equipped to handle the anticipated surge in CCS sites.
“The injection of carbon under the ground is unnecessary and dangerous. No agency should be issuing carbon injection well permits, but especially not overwhelmed and understaffed agencies in fossil fuel states like Louisiana,” said Jane Patton, a Louisiana resident and U.S. Fossil Economy campaign manager for Center for International Environmental Law.
North Dakota and Wyoming are the other two states with the authority to permit and regulate Class VI carbon sequestration wells.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has long-championed CCS technology and part of his mission to help Louisiana reach carbon-neutral status by 2050. Opponents have sought to poke holes in his logic, noting some energy-needy methods used to capture or scrub industrial smokestack emissions exacerbate the polluter’s carbon footprint rather than improve it.
“While CO2 sequestration is not the only strategy available for carbon management, it is the most mature and market-ready tool available in the near term,” Edwards said Thursday in a statement.
Louisiana Commissioner of Conservation Monique Edwards, no relation to the governor, said she will reach out to the EPA to begin the permit transfer process. Her office is part of the state Department of Natural Resources, whose secretary holds a cabinet-level position in the administration.
Gov.-elect Jeff Landry, who takes office Jan. 8, has yet to name who will run the department. He also welcomed news of the state being granted primacy over Class VI wells.
“This approval has positioned Louisiana to become the nation’s leader in safely storing carbon dioxide, contributing to nationwide emissions reduction and bringing new jobs and innovation to our state,” Landry said on social media.
This article originally published in the January 8, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
