A legislative push to rein in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) development in Louisiana hit a major roadblock this week when a House committee rejected the proposed Louisiana Landowners’ Protection Act, a bill that would have barred companies from using eminent domain to secure land for carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines and storage.
The decision comes as interest in CCS accelerates across the state, with regulators fielding dozens of project applications with scores of injection wells. At the same time, opposition has intensified among landowners and local officials wary of safety risks and property rights implications.
Louisiana was far and away the state with the most permit applications pending with the EPA before it was granted primacy over its Class VI injection wells in January 2024, a move it said would help speed project approvals. (Class VI wells are required for storing CO2 in deep geologic sequestration.) Dozens of additional permitting requests were submitted after the state gained control over permitting, increasing the state’s backlog and leading Governor Jeff Landry to impose a moratorium on new Class VI well permit applications in October 2025 (see In Spite of Ourselves), which remains in effect. (Parishes with proposed Class VI wells are shaded in blue in map below.)
The Louisiana Landowners’ Protection Act was one of more than a dozen proposals aimed at tightening oversight or expanding local control of CCS development. Supporters argue CCS is critical to lowering emissions and preserving industrial competitiveness, while critics contend the public benefit is too tenuous to justify eminent domain.
As we’ve noted previously, efforts to advance CCS projects have generated significant public pushback in several states. A North Dakota judge voided the storage permit for a Summit Carbon Solutions project in March, and Summit promised improved terms for Iowa landowners, including a new right-of-way proposal, in August 2025.
