Released by United States Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana – November 14, 2023
WASHINGTON DC – United States Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced the U.S. Department of Energy will grant $46,810,000.00 for two carbon capture and sequestration projects in Louisiana from his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). River Parish Sequestration, LLC will receive $25,634,345.00 to develop a CO2 transportation and storage solution for the Louisiana Chemical Corridor. Advanced Resources International, Inc will receive $21,175,655.00 to develop a commercial-scale geologic CO2 storage hub in state waters near Monkey Island, Louisiana.
“There is no better place in the world to sequester carbon than Louisiana,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This funding will not only allow Louisiana to continue to be a leader in this space, but generate jobs and future economic development for our state.”
The grants will be accompanied by significant private investment from the awardees.
Background
Cassidy has led a two-year push for the EPA to allow Louisiana to invest in carbon storage wells, meeting resistance from the Biden administration. He penned an op-ed in the American Press highlighting the need for Louisiana to secure the ability Class VI primacy—state-led enforcement for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide.
At a recent Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Cassidy pressed Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary David Turk on Louisiana’s stalled application for Class VI primacy. Cassidy asked what the Department of Energy can do to shake loose Louisiana’s Class VI primacy application—which was submitted in April 2021—from the federal government.
In April, EPA announced they intend to grant Louisiana the authority to permit, site, and provide oversight of carbon storage wells in the state. EPA then unnecessarily extended the public comment period an extra 30 days. The announcement came more than a month and a half after the public comment period closed on July 3, 2023. Of the 41,622 total comments submitted to the EPA in the initial comment period, the EPA has deemed just over 400 as substantial comments. The vast majority of public comments have been supportive of Class VI primacy in Louisiana.
