Louisiana regulator disputes environmental group’s claims

(The Center Square) – Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy officials dispute claims made in a report recently published by an environmental advocacy group, which the agency says misrepresents the state’s regulation of carbon capture, storage and sequestration.

Carbon capture and sequestration is a fiercely contested issue in central and southwestern Louisiana with communities, parish governments, industry and advocacy groups in disagreement over the economic benefits and long-term risks and of large-scale CO2 storage.

The report released Feb. 11 by the Environmental Integrity Project found that companies have proposed at least 65 carbon capture and storage projects in Louisiana, the most of any state, along with 11 pipelines to carry carbon dioxide to waste disposal or drilling sites. According to the report, the projects would generate a combined 33 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year and at least 135 million tons could be injected into underground reservoirs.

Louisiana Departm...