Resident urges Avoyelles Parish to resist carbon‑capture pipelines, cites eminent‑domain concerns

Nicole Doucet, a chemical engineer and parish resident, urged Avoyelles Parish jurors on March 10 to oppose carbon‑capture pipelines and storage projects she said would rely on eminent domain for private companies.

Doucet said companies developing carbon dioxide pipelines and storage are being paid federal 45Q tax credits and have been granted eminent‑domain authority under recent state legislation, and she questioned whether such powers should be used to transfer private land to corporations. “Why do they need eminent domain to give private corporations our land to private corporations for money? This is not for utility,” she said.

She raised technical and safety concerns about storage options the companies have described. Doucet said one proposed approach—injecting bio‑oil into abandoned wells—could allow migration into aquifers and contaminate groundwater because the contents are proprietary and not publicly disclosed. She also warned that pressurized carbon dioxide can be corrosive and, if released, can hover near the ground and displace oxygen, posing suffocation risks near schools and homes.

Doucet told jurors a statewide coalition is organizing legal challenges over eminent domain and limited liability provisions she cited in state law, and invited residents to an informational meeting at a fire station on March 25. She offered a brochure and contact information for follow-up.

The jury did not take action on the remarks; jurors thanked Doucet for sharing information and asked for contact details. The matter remains in the public‑comment record.