Senate committee requires greater weight for local government comments in carbon sequestration permits

At an April meeting of the Louisiana Senate Committee on Natural Resources, the committee approved Senate Bill 73 and amended Senate Bill 36 to require that comments from local governments receive substantive weight in public hearings and public comment periods for carbon sequestration projects.

Sponsor Senator Mike Rees said the bills adopt language similar to long-established coastal permitting rules to ensure local concerns receive ‘‘proper weight and attention’’ because carbon-sequestration projects can affect communities beyond a project's immediate footprint. ‘‘This is a pretty simple bill today... it gives proper weight and attention to the comments from local government,’’ Rees said.

The committee considered amendment 538 to SB 73, which moved the proposed new language into its own subsection and clarified that the local-comment weight applies to all public hearings dealing with carbon sequestration. The committee approved that amendment by voice without recorded objection and later reported SB 73 favorably as amended.

The committee then amended Senate Bill 36 with amendment 555 so the placeholder bill ‘‘looks just like Senator Rees's bill,’’ according to the committee chair. Amendment 555 was adopted without objection; the amendment became the bill, and the committee passed SB 36 over to remain on the calendar.

Members of industry and advocacy groups were registered on SB 73. The committee received a public comment from Travis London of Step Up Action, who described safety and ecological concerns about carbon pipelines and urged caution. Brian Landry of the Chemical Association and representatives from several business and industry groups were present to provide information or register opposition on the record but did not all speak on the floor.

Chairman Henskins and staff ensured the amendments clarified that local-government comment weight applies specifically to public hearings and comment periods related to carbon sequestration projects. No formal roll-call votes were recorded on the final motions; amendments and final report motions passed by voice with no objections.

The actions change permitting guidance to require ‘‘substantial consideration’’ of local government comments in the administrative process for carbon sequestration public hearings and comment periods. The bills do not in themselves set technical permitting standards or site approvals; they alter the administrative weight assigned to local-government input within the permitting process.

The committee moved both measures forward; SB 73 was reported favorably as amended and SB 36 was amended to mirror SB 73 and retained on the calendar for further action.