The federal Inflation Reduction Act and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) most recent power plant rules are big wins for climate and the environment. However, they both have their shortcomings, and one of them is their reliance on carbon capture and storage technologies to reach ambitious climate emissions goals.
As a new Center for Progressive Reform report shows, carbon capture technologies are unproven and pose significant risks, especially to communities in states like Louisiana that are already overburdened by pollution. This runs counter to President Biden's stated environmental justice goals and potentially puts families and communities in harm's way.
The fossil fuel industry is working to take advantage of ambitious federal and state decarbonization goals and is pushing to enrich itself through the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. Louisiana is one of its current targets because it's home to a large concentration of oil and gas facilities.
The industry has backing from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) and state regulators, who are supporting plans for use of these unproven strategies to capture carbon emissions and store them underground for an indefinite period. The federal EPA is considering clearing the way for CCS in the state, as well.
Earlier this year, the EPA proposed to grant the state of Louisiana authority, also known as “primacy,” to regulate CCS technologies. If Louisiana were to gain this authority, the state’s Department of Natural Resources Office of Conservation (DNR-OC) would oversee the facilities. But DNR-OC lacks the necessary resources to provide proper oversight and ensure widespread compliance with its existing programs, calling into question its ability to provide the requisite level of oversight for these wells.
The DNR-OC also has a poor track record in regulating the same industries that would construct and use CCS technologies. Aside from the agency’s lack of capacity to provide proper oversight, there are still inherent risks with the carbon capture and storage process that need further study before the state invests in the deployment of this infrastructure.
So concludes our new report, Uncertainties and Gaps in Research on Carbon Capture and Storage in Louisiana, which examines the body of scientific literature on the subject. It finds that CCS is an unproven technology that carries risks to our environment and to low-wealth people and people of color. It’s also unclear whether the industry will profit from CCS without significant subsidies from taxpayers and whether the state can provide sufficient oversight to ensure health and safety.
This is especially troubling given the high concentration of overburdened and historically marginalized communities in states like Louisiana, especially in the industrial corridor known as "Cancer Alley." The oil, gas, and chemical industries have repeatedly subjected these communities to high levels of toxic air and water pollution, as well as the threat of chemical disasters.
Because these areas are already heavily industrialized, they'll be the focus of CCS installations and technologies in Louisiana, putting residents in danger of injury or even death should a carbon dioxide pipeline or storage facility catastrophically fail and further perpetuating environmental injustices throughout the region.
Before industry and regulators' plans to expand CCS go any further, research must be conducted to assess the feasibility, safety, and reliability of carbon capture systems at industrial facilities and plants, carbon dioxide pipelines, and storage options.
You can read the full report here on our website and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for shareable content. The EPA is also accepting comments from the public until July 3 on whether it should grant Louisiana authority to regulate carbon capture and storage technologies. You can learn more and comment via the Federal Register.
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Brian Gumm | June 28, 2023
The federal Inflation Reduction Act and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) most recent power plant rules are big wins for climate and the environment. However, they both have their shortcomings, and one of them is their reliance on carbon capture and storage technologies to reach ambitious climate emissions goals. As a new Center for Progressive Reform report shows, carbon capture technologies are unproven and pose significant risks, especially to communities in states like Louisiana that are already overburdened by pollution.
Daniel Farber | June 22, 2023
In the recent debt ceiling law, Congress extensively revamped the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the law governing environmental impact statements. An obscure White House agency, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), will have the first opportunity to shape the interpretation of the new language.
Daniel Farber | June 20, 2023
Shortly after President Joe Biden signed the new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rewrite as part of the debt ceiling law, I wrote a blog post about a major drafting glitch at the heart of the new provisions. Today, I’d like to follow up with more examples.
Faith Duggan | June 16, 2023
When pollution from a neighboring freeway was seeping into the playground and classrooms of her middle school, Adah Crandall said enough was enough. She founded an Environmental Justice Club at her school and began protesting the freeway's proposed expansion, citing health hazards to children and an unsustainable future.
James Goodwin | June 15, 2023
Following all the partisan rancor on the Hill lately, yesterday’s hearing before the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources of the House Natural Resources Committee was a breath of fresh air. It focused on two important bills that can help Appalachian communities transition to a post-carbon economy in a way that addresses the harmful environmental […]
Shelley Welton | June 12, 2023
The scientific concept of net-zero emissions has quickly become an organizing policy paradigm, enshrined in the Paris Agreement and manifested in thousands of “net-zero” pledges developed by countries, states, cities, and private companies. Collectively, these pledges now purport to cover more than 91 percent of the global economy. If this figure sounds too good to be true, that’s because it likely is. Net zero is anti-democratic, inequitable, and imperial. For related reasons that I focus on in this post, it is also unlikely to work as a strategy to achieve the collective global aim of net-zero carbon emissions.
Faith Duggan | June 9, 2023
Our first episode of Connect the Dots Season 7 — Climate Win: Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act— takes us to Maryland for a major legislative win and its key elements to success. Verchick spoke with the Center’s Katlyn Schmitt, a senior policy analyst who helped steer the Climate Solutions Now Act into law last year.
Daniel Farber | June 8, 2023
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was passed over 50 years ago. It created a new tool for environmental protection — the environmental impact statement. It also created the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), which issued guidelines for implementing NEPA in 1978. Lawyers will need to retool quickly because of recent changes. Here’s a roadmap to recent developments.
Robert L. Glicksman | May 30, 2023
The following post provides detailed analysis of the recent Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Supreme Court decision. It was originally posted to The George Washington Law Review and is cross-posted with permission. The current Supreme Court is not a friend of the administrative state. A majority of its members seem to take particular umbrage at administration of the regulatory programs […]