How Louisiana became the carbon capture capital of the South

Louisiana has turn out to be the carbon seize capital of the South, propelled by federal funding selling carbon dioxide sequestration know-how, a governor centered on lowering climate-changing emissions and the geological formations to make all of it attainable.

Throughout the previous yr the mixture of these components has led to $6.1 billion in introduced carbon seize tasks promising a whole bunch of recent everlasting jobs and 1000’s of building jobs in Louisiana.

“We’re a pure match for it,” Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards stated this week in an interview with USA In the present day Community. “That is the place capital funding goes to proceed to movement.”

On Monday the electrical utility Cleco introduced the most recent such venture in Louisiana, a $900 million plan to seize and retailer underground 95% of the carbon launched from its coal-fueled plan close to Boyce.

Extra:Louisiana changing into world hub for carbon seize as Cleco proclaims $900 million venture

That follows the April 2021 announcement of Louisiana Inexperienced Fuels’ $700 million biodiesel and carbon seize venture on the Port of Columbia and the October 2021 announcement of Air Merchandise’ $4.5 billion “blue hydrogen” carbon seize complicated in Ascension Parish.

Louisiana Inexperienced Fuels stated its plan is the primary renewable diesel venture in North America to attain “adverse” carbon emissions, whereas the Air Merchandise complicated would be the largest carbon seize venture on the earth.

Final summer season Republican U.S. Sen. Invoice Cassidy stated he insisted on $8.6 billion for carbon seize know-how and hubs be included within the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Act of which he was a major architect.

“If a (firm) needs to decrease its carbon profile, hopefully it could broaden in Louisiana,” he stated then of the federal incentives selling the business.

Learn this:Louisiana lands largest carbon seize power venture on the earth

This week Cassidy was in Rapides Parish for Cleco’s announcement, the place website choice specialist Bob Hess advised the viewers Cleco’s venture will seize the eye of a worldwide viewers.

“You simply heard that in company statements throughout the nation firms are dedicated to addressing sustainability,” Cassidy stated in an interview with USA In the present day Community. “They’re consciously looking out and choosing websites the place that’s attainable and worthwhile.

“That’s occurring already occurring right here in Louisiana.”

Edwards stated his insurance policies designed to scale back carbon emission and aggressively market the state as a super vacation spot for sequestration tasks is paying off.

He signed an government order in 2020 committing Louisiana to scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions to web zero by 2050.

Edwards additionally launched a Local weather Initiatives Process Pressure and final spring joined the U.S. Local weather Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors dedicated to state-led motion to scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions.

Louisiana additionally joined the United Nations Framework Conference on Local weather Change’s “Race to Zero” marketing campaign, a worldwide effort to scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions to mitigate local weather change.

“We have the one local weather motion plan within the Gulf South,” Edwards stated. “Firms want to make important investments and Louisiana is the right place to be.”

Whereas the rising financial impression of carbon sequestration tasks is evident, opponents argue the precise effectiveness of the know-how will not be.

Skeptics of carbon sequestration say the know-how is experimental, untested and only a technique to permit the continued use of fossil fuels.

Sierra Membership officers have been crucial of each the Cleco and Air Merchandise tasks.

“Spending practically $1 billion {dollars} of ratepayer and taxpayer cash to sequester carbon dioxide underground for as much as 1,000 years, utilizing unproven know-how, doesn’t take away the environmental injury brought on by coal mining or the poisonous menace that coal ash poses to our waterways in Louisiana,” stated Darryl Malek-Wiley of Cleco’s plan.

The Sierra Membership additionally referred to as Air Merchandise’ Louisiana venture “greenwashing that can create extra air pollution.”

Within the newest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change, the world’s high scientists stated carbon seize and storage know-how needs to be a part of the vary of options to decarbonize and mitigate local weather change.

However they stated photo voltaic and wind power and electrical energy storage are enhancing sooner than carbon seize and storage in an Related Press report.

Nonetheless, Cassidy stated carbon seize pipelines and tasks can hold Louisiana’s current workforce on the job.

“(The pipelines) meet the administration’s purpose of lowering carbon emissions, but additionally creates a whole lot of jobs for pipefitters and different building employees to construct and preserve these pipelines,” he stated.

“There’s an power transition underway and we’re powerless to cease it,” Edwards has stated. “We’re both going to benefit from these alternatives or we will lose. No state is extra impacted by local weather change than Louisiana.”

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Community of Louisiana. Comply with him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.