Lapis Carbon Solutions, a carbon capture and sequestration developer and operator, has filed a permit with the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The public comment period ends Sunday, April 13.
If the permit is approved, it would help pave the way for access roads, well pads and a 16-inch pipeline to receive, inject and store carbon dioxide on private property about six miles from Lake Salvador. This would impact about 10.5 acres of wetlands.
Residents can send comments online via the Corps’ website or in an email to Scott Kennedy at scott.n.kennedy@usace.army.mil. Residents can also mail comments to the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The permit is connected to Lapis’ larger LIBRA project, which would develop a 14,000-acre carbon storage site in the parish. Lapis argues that the project would help grow Louisiana’s economy, but residents have voiced their concerns online about long term health and environmental impacts of permanent carbon dioxide storage.
Michelle O’Daniels, who represents District V on the parish council, stressed that the decision-making process for Lapis’ permits are not local. She also said the state legislature paved the way for carbon-capture projects with recent legislation.
“Further, there are federal tax credits, 45Q [Carbon Capture Tax Credit] and 45V [Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit], that incentivize carbon capture projects,” she said.
She said she has posted information about the permits and the public comment period on her Facebook page.
“As always, I believe the residents should be informed of any opportunity to have their voice heard,” she said.
In December 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted Louisiana primary enforcement authority over Class VI underground injection wells, shifting authority for carbon dioxide sequestration permits from the EPA to the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the LIBRA project would occur in Lake Salvador. The proposed project area is 6 miles away from Lake Salvador on private property. We apologize for the error.
