Louisiana
‘How are you going to stop that?’ Inside the rush for carbon capture in rural Louisiana
Keith Payne bought the perfect home for an avid hunter more than two decades ago, located in an isolated spot in the piney woods in this corner of Louisiana.
But the retired state highway supervisor began receiving calls about a year ago from a company prospecting for sites to store millions of tons of carbon dioxide permanently underground. They wanted a deal to access thousands of feet underneath his small spread in northeastern St. Helena Parish.
“What am I going to do, you know? Because I called (my neighbors) before I signed,” said the 63-year-old, whose house is surrounded by land owned by timber company Soterra.
“Everybody’s answer the same as mine: ‘Well, it’s going to be on Soterra property. How are you going to stop that?’”
The dilemma was a window on the emerging carbon capture and sequestration technology that Louisiana has embraced, opening the possibility of a major new industry while also addressing climate change. Companies have been looking throughout the cane fields and woods of rural Louisiana for storage sites, leaving residents with uncertainty and uneasy choices.
Payne said he knew Soterra had already cut a deal with Denbury Carbon Solutions for nearly 8,500 acres surrounding him, so he signed an agreement for a small upfront payment because he figured the project was coming whether he wanted it or not.
Denbury, owned by ExxonMobil, is one of three oil majors quietly looking at sites in St. Helena and northern Livingston parishes without the high-profile controversy that greeted Air Products’ plans to store CO2 under Lake Maurepas a couple years ago.
The other two are Shell and an Occidental Petroleum Corp. subsidiary, 1PointFive, according to the state Department of Energy and Natural Resources and company statements.
Carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS, compresses carbon dioxide nearly into a liquid and injects it thousands of feet down into formations that experts say can hold it permanently, keeping those heat-trapping emissions out of the atmosphere.
Advocates and industry officials point out that companies have been pumping CO2 underground for decades to push up oil from depleted fields. They say they know how to do it safely.
“We are confident in our ability to permanently sequester CO2 and adhere to the stringent regulations designed to prevent any leaks or impacts to drinking water,” said Margot Armentor, an ExxonMobil spokeswoman.
Soterra didn’t respond to a request for comment.
‘What is the future for that?’
One issue that concerns residents is the potential for underground leaks, particularly into shallower aquifers, where water can turn carbon dioxide into corrosive carbonic acid. For the northern Florida Parishes proposals, carbon would be stored thousands of feet under the region’s primary drinking water source, the Southern Hills Aquifer.
Industry officials say leaks are highly unlikely, especially those that could reach shallow aquifers, but some residents are skeptical.
Deb and Tim Leonard moved to Pine Grove in southern St. Helena Parish about 13 years ago and are about a mile from one of two Shell test wells also on Soterra land, records show.
Deb Leonard, 59, doesn’t trust that companies and state government can know what will happen in the decades ahead. She worries that future water well problems could affect their home’s long-term value.
“What is the future for that? Not just for my generation but for generations to come,” Leonard asked.
Cody and Chasity McCalmon with their five boys outside their home south of the site of a carbon sequestration test well for an Occidental Petroleum subsidiary on Thursday, October 31, 2024 in Holden, Louisiana. The young girl in the photo is a neighbor who was with the McCalmons as they prepared for Halloween. The subsidiary, 1PointFive, is proposing an underground storage hub in timberland owned by Weyerhaeuser off La. 442 and north of the McCalmons. Cody and Chasity said they weren’t sure what to make of the Occidental’s plans yet but called the idea of CO2 under the ground “eye-opening.”
Shell officials said they have a methodical process to look for safe sites to store CO2 and haven’t decided on St. Helena.
“The project will only move forward if we — and regulators — are convinced that the area is suitable for safe, permanent carbon storage, and pending a final investment decision by Shell,” spokeswoman Natalie Gunnell said.
Enticed by lucrative federal tax credits and facing pressure to lower their carbon footprint, oil, gas and petrochemical companies have been rushing to lock up storage sites.
Louisiana is primed for CCS. It has long expertise in oil and gas drilling, high demand from its industrial base, pipeline networks and suitable geology.
Susan Hovorka, a University of Texas at Austin professor who has spent 25 years working on Gulf Coast CCS, said Louisiana’s impermeable shale and porous sandstone can keep carbon dioxide sealed far underneath aquifers.
“In Louisiana, what you’ve got is almost all good,” she said.
Companies behind the three projects in the Florida Parishes have put or plan to put test wells on thousands of acres owned by timber companies, according to records and company statements.
‘What went wrong’
For Denbury, its St. Helena site not only offers the capacity to store 110 million tons of carbon dioxide, but also is near its CO2 line. The Green Line runs south near the Mississippi River industrial corridor, an area with high demand for CCS storage.
Industry officials and experts add that tax credits expanded under the Biden administration — known as “45Q” — have unlocked momentum, with the hope that the economics will improve before the credit program and its 12-year tax credits end. The program won’t offer credits for projects started after Dec. 31, 2032.
“There is no economics in this other than 45Q,” said Tracy Evans, chief executive officer of CapturePoint.
Livestock graze in a field on the McMorris farm near the site of a carbon sequestration test well on Thursday, October 31, 2024 in Holden, Louisiana. a carbon sequestration test well, as seen on Thursday, October 31, 2024 in Holden, Louisiana. An Occidental Petroleum subsidiary, 1PointFive, is proposing an underground storage hub in timberland owned by Weyerhaeuser off La. 442 west and north of the McMorris farm. Some family member says they might be fine with the project if there is testing for possible CO2 leaks on their property but don’t feel they know enough yet.
CapturePoint is planning the $750 million Cenla Hub sequestration pipeline and storage facility in rural Vernon and Rapides parishes.
The proposed line will run northwest, serving Haynesville Shale gas processing plants and a $1.2 billion methanol plant and direct air capture plants proposed in the Shreveport area. Eight-five percent of the more than 20,000-acre storage area is held by three timber companies and can contain more than 2 billion tons of CO2, Evans said.
But environmental groups question if CCS is ready for large-scale use.
In mid-September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland, owner of a model sequestration project in Decatur, Illinois, to remediate underground leaks.
Carbon dioxide escaped upward into an unauthorized layer 5,000 feet deep, but didn’t reach shallower drinking water aquifers, the EPA says.
Pam Richart, who leads the Eco-Justice Collaborative in Champagne, Illinois, said regulators are considering more than a dozen other Illinois wells when they should be slowing things down.
“It’s happening, I think, without a real hard look at what went wrong and what we need to do,” she said.
On Nov. 1, the EPA received modeling from ADM about the extent of the leak and is reviewing it, an agency spokeswoman said.
‘Highly improbable’
Given authority by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the industry, Louisiana’s DENR and its Office of Conservation have not yet authorized any carbon injection, though test wells are being allowed.
Louisiana officials say they are focused on ensuring CO2 injection is well away from aquifers and separated from them by “sufficient confining layers.”
Patrick Courreges, DENR spokesman, said the state’s underground injection program aims to “minimize the chances for leaks and maximize the ability to take corrective action if necessary.”
The general location, top right, of a proposed St. Charles Parish ammonia plant near the International-Matex Tank Terminals in St. Rose on Thursday, August 29, 2024. It is located next to the Davis Heights neighborhood, bottom. The new plant would rely on carbon sequestration to control its carbon emissions. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
The leaking well in Illinois had an impermeable layer around 500 feet thick and no major faults or fractures, according to an EPA filing. A corroded monitoring well drilled through that layer leaked after exposure to CO2 and brine, the EPA says.
The well had a metal casing made of a corrosion-resistant alloy that includes chrome, the EPA says. In a monitoring plan submitted last year, ADM told the EPA a leak from the monitoring well would be “highly improbable.”
Courreges said Louisiana is examining what happened in Illinois and is aware that the EPA is discussing more corrosion-resistant well casings.
It’s not clear to what degree injected CO2 will end up beneath homes, farms and woods in St. Helena and northern Livingston. State officials say the area can vary from a mile to several square miles, but actual distances are not yet public under EPA confidentiality rules.
They won’t be until a later public comment period, Courreges said.
Denbury offered a sense of the sweep of its plans in St. Helena land records. Though Denbury is seeking state permission just to test geology, the company reached nearly 60 underground injection deals by early October with landowners like Payne.
No residents interviewed near the Shell and Occidental wells said they had signed injection deals. Records searches didn’t turn up any either. Under state law, landowners own the minute spaces in deep sedimentary rock where CO2 is injected.
Carla Arnold, 49, remembers seeing the trucks and hearing the operations in the woods east of her house off La. 442, where Occidental’s test well was drilled north of Holden.
She suspected the activity might be similar to what happened in Lake Maurepas, but had “no idea” until she spoke to a reporter last month.
“I would just like to be informed,” she said.
Occidental officials say they are committed to transparency and have had community meetings about their carbon sequestration hub planned for 30,000 acres of Weyerhaeuser timber land. Weyerhaeuser did not respond to a request for comment.
“Our goal is to be a good long-term partner in Livingston Parish,” William Fitzgerald, an Occidental spokesman, said.
Darlene Hoover, 64, whose family has the 80-acre McMorris cattle ranch along La. 422, has been to the meetings but said she doesn’t have the full picture.
Hoover said she might be fine with CO2 storage as long as her family land is tested, but didn’t like the impression that the project was “a done deal.”
“They kept it hush-hush. They were already starting on this when we heard about it,” she said.
Occidental’s underground storage would have 1,000 feet of impermeable shale capping it and start more than 2,000 feet below the lowest drinking water aquifer, the company says.
Cody McCalmon, 33, remembers being curious about what was happening in the woods north of his Holden-area home and figuring it had to do with CO2. But he and his wife, Chasity, 32, who are raising five young boys, said they weren’t sure what to make of it.
“I don’t think they’re going to do something that’s going to kill us, but, I guess, you know, a harmful gas going down around us. … It’s eye-opening,” Cody said.
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U.S. News & World Report has released a database comprised of the top elementary and middle schools in 2025 in each state.
The rankings of schools can even be narrowed down by city and district levels.
Top 10 elementary schools in Louisiana
There are numerous Louisiana elementary and middle schools ranked within U.S. News’ database, and here are the top ten best ranked elementary schools statewide in Louisiana.
No. 1 T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School
According to U.S. News, T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School, located in Lake Charles, is ranked number one in Louisiana elementary schools and is a part of Calcasieu Parish Public Schools.
The student population of T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School is 300, and the school serves K-5.
No. 2 Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies
According to U.S. News, Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies is ranked number two in Louisiana Elementary School and is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools.
Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies enrollment is 368 students, and the school is kindergarten through fifth grade.
No. 3 Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies
U.S. News says that Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies is number three in Louisiana Elementary Schools and is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools.
The student enrollment at Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies is 357 and serves the grades pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 4 Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies
Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies in Metairie is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools and is ranked number four in Louisiana Elementary Schools, according to U.S. News.
Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies’ enrollment is 418 students and teaches pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 5 South Highlands Elementary Magnet School
South Highlands Elementary Magnet School in Shreveport is a part of Caddo Parish Public Schools and is ranked number five in Louisiana Elementary Schools, says U.S. News.
The student enrollment at South Highlands Elementary Magnet School is 517 and the school serves grades pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 6 Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School
Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School is part of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools and is ranked number six in Louisiana Elementary Schools, according to U.S. News.
Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School’s student enrollment is 464 and the school serves pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 7 Fairfield Magnet School
Fairfield Magnet School, located in Shreveport, is a part of Caddo Parish Public Schools and is ranked number seven on U.S. News’ list of the top Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Fairfield Magnet School has a student enrollment of 515 and teaches pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 8 Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies
Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies is located in Westwego, which is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools, and is ranked number eight in U.S. News’ list of Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies teaches pre-k through fifth grade and the enrollment is 336 students.
No. 9 Phoenix Magnet Elementary School
Phoenix Magnet Elementary School, located in Alexandria, is a part of Rapides Parish Public Schools and is ranked number nine in U.S. News’ list of the best Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Phoenix Magnet Elementary School serves pre-k through fifth grade and student enrollment is 351.
No. 10 B.R. Foreign Language Academy Immersion Magnet
B.R. Foreign Language Academy Immersion Magnet is a part of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools and is ranked number ten in U.S. News’ list of Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Immersion Magnet’s student enrollment is 548 and serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
Louisiana
Louisiana’s legislative leaders say they have a tax deal; final votes expected Friday • Louisiana Illuminator
State lawmakers have agreed to a pared-down version of Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax overhaul package but one that would still affect most people and businesses in Louisiana. The deal, hashed out in back-room negotiations Thursday, is expected to receive full approval Friday.
“A lot can change overnight, but as of right now, we’re comfortable with the number of votes we have…in the Senate,” said Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie.
“I believe we have the votes [in the Louisiana House],” Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Johnson, R-Pineville said.
The revised package calls for pushing the current sales tax rate of 4.45% to 5% for five years, starting July 1, 2025, when the state’s next fiscal year starts. It would drop to 4.75% in 2030 but still remain higher than the current 4.45% rate.
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In exchange for these higher, permanent sales taxes, most Louisiana residents would receive an income tax cut. The state would move from a three-tiered income tax system with a high rate of 4.25% to a flat rate of 3% accompanied by a significantly higher standard deduction threshold.
On the business side, the corporate franchise tax will be eliminated altogether, and the corporate income tax would move to a flat rate of 5.5% — right between the current lowest rate of 3.5% and highest rate of 7.5%.
The Legislature has also agreed to dissolve some government funds dedicated to special purposes and end some business and industry tax breaks to shore up state revenue. This includes ending the state’s many incentive programs such as the Quality Jobs and Enterprise Zone tax credits, among others..
A portion of the state inventory tax credit, which helps businesses cover their local parish tax bills, will be phased out for some employers in 2026. Money from the vehicle sales tax that was going to large transportation projects – such as the new Baton Rouge Interstate 10 bypass bridge and Interstate 49 expansions – will now be diverted for general government expenses.
In an interview Thursday night, Henry said he did not expect the current deal to leave Louisiana with a significant budget shortfall as some had feared. Still, lawmakers held off on taking votes on the tax package until Friday because they are waiting for the final revenue estimates to be finished by staff.
“Staff needs the time … . And we want time to read and digest the bills before we vote,” House Republican Caucus Chairman Mark Wright, R-Covington, said.
Landry was also throwing a political fundraiser Thursday night in Baton Rouge, and any tax votes taken before Friday would likely have coincided with the event.
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Legislative leaders are also combining the bill that cuts income taxes with the legislation to increase sales taxes in order to pin down conservative Republican votes. Once the proposals merge, lawmakers will no longer be able to vote for the tax break without the corresponding tax hike.
“It’s to lock people in. You can’t vote for the tax cuts without voting for the revenue, too,” said Sen. Gerald Boudreaux of Lafayette, chairman of his chamber’s Democratic Caucus.
Republicans have supermajorities in the Senate and House, but Democrats will be needed to reach the 70 votes required to pass the sales tax hike legislation. Certain conservative Republicans have refused to vote for any bill that included a tax hike, which means bipartisan support becomes even more important to get the package across the finish line.
Much of the negotiations over the past two days has taken place between Landry and Senate Democrats, who had reservations about raising Louisiana’s sales tax rate to pay for an income tax reduction.
Louisiana already has the highest average sales tax rate in the nation when local parish rates are included. High sales taxes are more of a burden for poor people, who end up spending more of their paycheck to cover their cost.
Boudreaux said Democrats were given some concessions for agreeing to support Landry’s tax package. They were assured certain health care services wouldn’t be cut, and funding for early childhood education and juvenile vocation programs would be prioritized, he said.
The state funding formula for higher education might also be reworked to direct more support to Louisiana historically Black colleges and universities, according to Boudreaux.
The votes appear to be on tight margins, however.
Wright, as the head of the House Republican Caucus, expressed concern that the Legislature would start “losing people” who would vote for the tax bills the longer they waited to vote on Friday. Some lawmakers have made it clear they don’t intend to push their holiday travel to support the tax overhaul.
The special session must end by 6 p.m. Monday.
“It’ll be interesting because I heard they may have more Republicans missing as the day goes on, especially around five o’clock,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Matthew Willard of New Orleans, who has opposed Landry’s proposal.
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Sixteen candidates have applied to become Nexus Louisiana’s new permanent leader.
Anita Tillman, co-chair of the selection committee overseeing the Nexus CEO search, provided an update at Thursday’s board of directors meeting.
Tillman says executive search firm Isaacson Miller presented 10 candidates to the committee on Oct. 31, and a second round of candidate presentations will be held on Dec. 5.
Semifinalist interviews will be conducted virtually on Jan. 14. The presentations serve as a way to discuss what the organization is looking for and give feedback to Isaacson, Miller about the type of candidates the firm should recruit.
Some prospective candidates have expressed interest but have yet to apply, according to Tillman.
“Once those interviews happen, and we drill it down to whatever the outcome is, then those candidates will be moved over to the full board to do rounds of in-person interviews and make their decision,” Tillman says.
The in-person interviews are tentatively scheduled for the week of Feb. 10 and the search is expected to be completed before the end of February.
Nexus Louisiana began accepting applications for the position on Nov. 1. Part of the job description says that the new president and CEO will be critical in providing internal and external leadership. The individual will assess and align the organization’s structures while advocating for Nexus Louisiana as a critical driver of entrepreneurship and innovation in the Baton Rouge region across the state and globally.
Nexus has been without a permanent leader for two years following longtime CEO Genevieve Silverman’s departure in June 2022 after 14 years. Nexus management consultant Calvin Mills has handled leadership responsibilities since 2022.
View a description of the position.
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