As Louisiana embraces carbon capture, state lawmakers seek to regulate industry
As Louisiana embraces carbon capture, state lawmakers seek to regulate industry NOLA.com
sdgtalks
Louisiana Lawmakers Advance Bills to Protect Landowners and Address Safety Concerns in Carbon Capture Industry
As Louisiana embraces the burgeoning and controversial carbon capture industry, state lawmakers are advancing bills that would protect impacted landowners, require emergency response plans for carbon sequestration facilities, and allocate more funding to parishes that house carbon wells.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 15: Life on Land
Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Carbon capture and sequestration allows companies to capture their carbon dioxide emissions and inject them underground for storage. The Biden administration and petrochemical companies have praised the technology as a fix for greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to a warming climate. However, many environmental groups have criticized it as untested and unsafe. Additionally, Louisiana residents are wary of having these projects near their communities.
With at least two dozen projects proposed in Louisiana, lawmakers such as Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, aim to shape the carbon well permitting process with safeguards for impacted residents.
Rep. Geymann has introduced a package of three bills that primarily focus on landowners. The most comprehensive of these bills, House Bill 966, would overhaul the process by which companies access land for carbon capture projects.
Landowner Consent and Protection
- If HB 966 becomes law, landowners of at least 75% of the acreage that would house a proposed carbon storage facility would have to consent, in writing, to the project.
- This bill aims to avoid the use of eminent domain and ensure a clear and transparent process for land access.
HB 966 has passed the full House and is up for discussion in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. Two other bills by Rep. Geymann, House Bill 937 and House Bill 492, are also being considered in the same committee.
House Bill 937 would protect landowners from liability if a well operator using their property gets sued for damages. House Bill 492 would prohibit eminent domain from being used for carbon injection and storage, although companies could still use eminent domain to install pipelines that transfer carbon dioxide.
Environmental Concerns and Risks
Environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential risks associated with carbon capture projects, particularly the possibility of pipeline leaks.
Recent incidents, such as the rupture of a pipe containing carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide in Mississippi and a carbon dioxide leak from an ExxonMobil pipeline in Louisiana, have highlighted the risks associated with carbon sequestration.
Environmentalists and anti-carbon capture groups argue that these incidents demonstrate the dangers of carbon sequestration and urge the state to reconsider its support for the industry.
Regulations and Safety Measures
The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources, which regulates carbon capture projects, has adopted regulations that are more stringent than those of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. These regulations include design and construction rules to ensure equipment is built to proper specifications and monitoring of operators’ maintenance practices.
The EPA has granted the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources the power to approve carbon capture applications, which is expected to expedite the process. However, no applications have been approved yet.
While carbon dioxide pipelines already exist in Louisiana for oil extraction purposes, additional pipelines would be needed to support the growing carbon capture industry.
Bills Addressing Safety and Local Funding
House Bill 516 by Rep. Shane Mack, R-Livingston, aims to protect the public as the carbon capture industry expands. It would require owners of carbon sequestration facilities to provide emergency response plans to local authorities and conduct emergency response drills before beginning operations.
House Bill 73, also proposed by Rep. Mack, would allow parishes to tax sequestered carbon. However, this bill is being revised into a resolution to study funding mechanisms for local governments affected by carbon capture projects.
Another bill, House Bill 934 by Rep. Jeremy LaCombe, R-Livonia, would ensure that parishes housing carbon wells receive 30% of proceeds from leases of land by the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. This is already the case for lands leased by other state agencies.
Additionally, House Bill 169 by Rep. Robby Carter, D-Amite, would allow individuals harmed by operators of carbon dioxide pipelines or storage facilities to seek damages per person, rather than per occurrence.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
- Indicator: Proportion of total final energy consumption from renewable sources
- Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
- Indicator: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
- Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
- Indicator: Number of countries that have communicated the establishment or operationalization of an integrated policy/strategy/plan which increases their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development in a manner that does not threaten food production
- Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
- Indicator: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula
Analysis
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
The SDGs that are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG 13: Climate Action.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
Based on the article’s content, the specific targets under SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy that can be identified are Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. Under SDG 13: Climate Action, the specific targets that can be identified are Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters, Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning, and Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
The article does not explicitly mention any indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. However, potential indicators that can be used to measure progress towards these targets include the proportion of total final energy consumption from renewable sources (Indicator for Target 7.2), the number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population (Indicator for Target 13.1), the number of countries that have communicated the establishment or operationalization of an integrated policy/strategy/plan which increases their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change (Indicator for Target 13.2), and the number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula (Indicator for Target 13.3).
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix | Proportion of total final energy consumption from renewable sources |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters | Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population |
| Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning | Number of countries that have communicated the establishment or operationalization of an integrated policy/strategy/plan which increases their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development in a manner that does not threaten food production | |
| Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning | Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula |
Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.
Fuente: nola.com
Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.
