From the Bayou to the Capitol: Kim Coates’ Unshakable Stand for Community Protection.
“When one woman stood up, a whole community found its voice.”
In a Capitol chamber often dominated by lobbyists and industry-aligned voices, State Representative Kim Coates has emerged as a powerful exception. As a member of the Louisiana House Natural Resources & Environment Committee, Coates has consistently stood out for putting her constituents before carbon capture corporations. Her unwavering defense of Lake Maurepas, and her votes that protect landowners, water, and local rights, mark her as one of the very few committee members who refuse to bow to industry PACs.
A Lone Advocate in a Committee of Compromise
The Natural Resources Committee has become ground zero for CCS legislation in Louisiana. It’s where bills are killed quietly, often after hours of testimony from worried citizens. While many members vote with industry, Coates votes with the people. She has:
- Voted against eminent domain expansions that would give pipeline companies power to seize private land.
- Supported parish-level control over CCS projects, backing bills that would require local approval before permits are issued.
- Stood for public safety, favoring stronger groundwater monitoring, emergency response plans, and transparency from CO₂ storage operators.
In hearings where her colleagues deferred or gutted pro-community bills, Coates asked hard questions and cast brave votes. She is a consistent voice reminding the committee that the decisions they make affect real people and real places back home.
The Face of Lake Maurepas Defense
While the Air Products carbon capture project loomed over Lake Maurepas, Coates became its most prominent defender. She didn’t just oppose the project from the sidelines—she challenged it in the room where it mattered most. Her push to block infrastructure on public lakes (HB 280) sent a clear message: Lake Maurepas is not for sale. That bill was quietly shelved, but her message wasn’t.
Coates also voted for a 10-year moratorium on carbon injection in the lakebed, and rejected fast-tracking projects without community input. Her every vote reflects the values of the thousands of people who live, fish, and raise families around the lake.
Fighting Against a Wall of Lobbyists
In 2023, as communities organized to fight carbon injection in Lake Maurepas, industry responded with overwhelming force. Air Products and its allies hired more than two dozen lobbyists to influence legislation and control the carbon capture narrative at the Capitol. This lobbying surge included firms like Bold Strategies, co-founded by Kyle Ruckert, who would later become Governor Jeff Landry’s chief of staff. The irony of a top industry lobbyist stepping into one of the most powerful unelected positions in state government wasn’t lost on the communities affected. Despite this coordinated effort and deep-pocketed influence campaign, Coates stood firm, refusing to be silenced or swayed.
A Model for What Leadership Should Look Like
Coates is proof that one principled legislator can make a difference—even in a committee stacked against her. She shows up informed, votes with integrity, and speaks plainly: If a community doesn’t want a CCS project, they should have the right to say no.
She has never been swayed by industry money, and she has never forgotten who she works for.
At a time when carbon capture companies are flooding Louisiana with lobbyists and campaign cash, Kim Coates has stood like a levee against the tide.
This is Part 2 of an 18-part series of Natural Resources Committee Members and their roles in the carbon capture debate.
