Louisiana
Louisiana lawmakers kill a bill to provide for a local vote on carbon capture projects
A state House panel Tuesday rejected a bill to let parish officials or voters decide whether controversial “carbon capture” projects can be built in their communities.
But the panel did give the feelings of local officials extra weight in the permitting process through the state Department of Energy and Natural Resources. That bill was seen by some legislators as a compromise to meet demands to let residents weigh in on the rush to bring the technology to Louisiana.
Carbon capture and sequestration technology permanently stores carbon dioxide from industrial processes deep underground to cut greenhouse emissions but has sparked environmental and property rights concerns.
Both bills faced objections from trade associations for the oil and gas industry, the chemical industry and other business and economic development groups fearful that more regulatory uncertainty could steer the billions of dollars in industrial projects counting on carbon capture away from Louisiana.
They argue the technology could make Louisiana an economic leader — and the two bills and others considered Tuesday by the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment risked killing that opportunity.
“These proposals are decidedly anti-industry and would cripple Louisiana’s ability to deliver on these historic projects or compete for future ones,” said David Cresson, the new president and CEO of the Louisiana Chemical Association.
The bill that passed, Senate Bill 73 by Sen. Mike Reese, R-Leesville, would require the state conservation commissioner to give “substantial consideration to local government comments” on carbon injection well permits. The language is borrowed from the state’s coastal use permitting process.
Reese said that if the state office denied a carbon-capture permit based at least in part on objections by local officials, the decision would be on stronger footing to withstand a legal challenge.
“That is defensible action that agency has taken, so I think it is an important tool. That tool has worked in the coastal permitting process. There have been multiple permits just in the last couple years that have been denied in the coastal permitting process under this provision,” Reese told the committee.
While the bill, already passed by the Senate, would require state regulators to consider input from local officials, they could reject it when making their permitting decisions.
Reese’s bill passed without committee opposition. It was a prelude to a lengthy discussion on the local-option bill, House Bill 4 by Rep. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, that went on for roughly five hours. That bill would have mandated one of two local-option procedures — police juries could either decide themselves whether to approve carbon capture in their parish or put the issue before voters in an election.
The marathon discussion drew commenters from southwest Louisiana, including members of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, people who live in the industrial corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, business and industry groups and state officials.
Proponents of the local-option bill were a cross-section of groups who generally opposed carbon capture, both traditional environmental and community activists but also residents and officials from southwestern Louisiana who said they normally favored the oil and gas industry but didn’t see carbon capture as part of it.
Many argued that the people should have the final say on the technology, which some cast as a threat to their property rights and others saw as a continuation of Louisiana’s traditionally poor treatment of the environment when big dollars are at stake.
“This allows for the people, who are most important in this country and in this state, to have a say,” said James Hiatt, a Lake Charles-area environmental activist who formerly worked for an oil refinery.
Owen’s bill failed in a 6-10 vote.
Opponents on the committee had questions about how the bill would be applied to projects that have injection wells in one parish but would send underground carbon dioxide plumes into multiple parishes.
Blake Canfield, executive counsel for the state natural resources department, said that as written, the bill would have only blocked projects if police jurors or voters voted against a project in the parish where a carbon injection well is drilled.
Owen pointed out that his bill wouldn’t have blocked carbon capture — it would simply give local officials and residents a say in their community and chance for industry proponents of carbon capture to make their case directly to them.
After the bill’s defeat, Owen said he hoped to win over the oil and gas industry by promising to help them with the impact of coastal lawsuits that have forced them “to prostitute” themselves for the dollars behind carbon capture.
Trump says he has ‘no problem’ informing Congress of Venezuela attacks
President Donald Trump said he has ‘no problem’ informing Congress of future attacks regarding Venezuela.
President Donald Trump announced Sunday he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as the special envoy to Greenland.
In a Truth Social post on Dec. 21, Trump said “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,”
It was not clear whether Landry, who became governor in January 2024, would need to step down to assume this role.
Louisiana authorities captured the third and final inmate who escaped from St. Landry Parish Jail following a weeks-long manhunt.
In early December, three inmates — all 20-somethings jailed on “charges of a violent nature” — removed the mortar and concrete blocks of a deteriorating part of a jail wall, then used sheets and other materials to scale the side of the building, dropped to the first-floor roof, and escaped, the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office has said.
The last remaining escapee, 24-year-old Keith Eli, was apprehended Friday without incident in Opelousas by narcotics detectives and SWAT, the sheriff’s office said. Eli faces one count of attempted second-degree murder.
Eli’s capture comes weeks after authorities apprehended Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, on December 8. Joseph had been jailed on charges of principal to first-degree rape, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, among other counts. “Numerous tips” and “intelligence gathering” led authorities to find the escapee, the sheriff’s office said.
Days earlier, Joseph Allen Harrington, a 26-year-old in custody on numerous felony counts, including home invasion and cruelty to juveniles, died by suicide after authorities found him, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux told the Associated Press.
A tipster had recognized Harrington, who was pushing an e-bike. Authorities found the e-bike at the home and then used a loudspeaker to urge the individual to come out of the house. They later heard a gunshot and authorities found his body inside with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.
Authorities announced the inmates had escaped on December 3.
Maj. Mark LeBlanc, of the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, told the AP that he hadn’t heard of anyone escaping from the jail in this manner before.
“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he told the outlet.
However, the three men’s jailbreak came months after 10 inmates at another Louisiana jail — the Orleans Justice Center — in May.
The group was able to open a faulty cell door inside the New Orleans-area jail, squeeze through a hole behind a toilet, and then scale a barbed-wire fence to freedom. They escaped in the early hours of May 16.
Authorities found a message drawn around the hole: an arrow pointing at the gap and the words “To Easy LoL.”
While nine of the escapees were captured within six weeks of their jailbreak, the final inmate — who had the most violent criminal record of the group — wasn’t found until October.
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
6-8-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
7-2-9-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
0-7-9-8-1
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Easy 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
07-17-20-28-33
Check Easy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto numbers from Dec. 20 drawing
10-11-15-16-26-28
Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
- Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
- Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
- Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
- Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
- Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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