The Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the Louisiana Chemical Association are praising a federal judge’s recent ruling that Livingston Parish cannot enforce a carbon capture and sequestration moratorium.
More than $20 billion in transitional energy projects have been announced since 2020 or are under consideration for the Capital Region, many of which involve carbon capture, according to the chamber.
“In an energy capital like the Baton Rouge Area, all the ingredients for a low-carbon, zero-emission future are already here, and the ruling will allow this industry to continue growing, providing high-paying jobs, and moving our region to more sustainable energy solutions,” Russell Richardson, BRAC’s senior vice president of business development, says by email.
U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick granted Air Products Blue Energy’s request for an injunction to stop the Livingston Parish Council from attempting to enforce the moratorium on seismic surveys, Class V injection wells and associated activities. In her ruling, Dick writes that the state, not the parish, has authority to regulate such wells.
Brian Landry, vice president of political affairs for LCA, also applauds the ruling, saying association members “are committed to getting to net-zero emissions and operating safely in the process.”
“Air Products adhered to every aspect of the permit application,” Landry says by text.
Critics have questioned the safety and effectiveness of carbon capture. Gov. John Bel Edwards defends the technology, but says companies could be doing more to explain the process to the public. You can read more about the debate in Business Report.
