The $4 Billion Secret Buried Beneath Louisiana

How Carbon Capture is Quietly Rewriting Land Rights, Water Laws, and Democracy Itself

Published by CO₂ Chronicles, August 2025

💰 Billions in Federal Tax Credits. No Local Vote.

Louisiana is being sold off—acre by acre, aquifer by aquifer.

Behind the greenwashed marketing of “net-zero” and “clean energy,” a dangerous scheme is unfolding. Corporations are pocketing $4 billion in federal tax credits for carbon capture and underground injection—without the consent of the communities they’re targeting.

This industry is called Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). But while state officials and oil companies profit, local families bear the risk—and lose their rights.

🏛️ SB244: The Quiet Coup Over Local Control

In 2025, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 244, a sweeping restructuring of the Department of Natural Resources. Buried within it were new powers that threaten local governance over land and water.

The bill gives a new state-controlled board authority to approve subsurface CO₂ storage and water sales—even if local parishes object. On paper, all six parishes impacted by Toledo Bend Reservoir are “consulted.” In practice, the Governor, legislative committees, and DENR can override parish opposition.

This is how democracy dies—quietly, buried in fine print.

🔒 Public Lands. Private Profits. Zero Transparency.

Our team has uncovered documents showing thousands of acres of public and private land are already under lease or being targeted for carbon injection.

What we’re seeing:

• The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries has approved leases on public lands without meaningful public input.
• The State Mineral Board is fast-tracking CCS zones across parish lines.
• Revenue from these deals isn’t going back to affected parishes or landowners.

When we requested financial records and lease agreements, responses were delayed—or ignored entirely.

🧨 What Happens When CO₂ Leaks?

Under Louisiana’s SB 244, the state assumes full control and liability for CCS sites—for up to 50 years after operations end.

But here’s the fine print:

🛑 The state has declared itself “held harmless.”That means if something goes wrong—

• Your groundwater is poisoned
• A CO₂ pipeline ruptures near your child’s school
• Injection pressure cracks the foundation of your home

You can’t sue the state.
You can’t sue the Department of Energy and Natural Resources.
And the companies that caused the damage? They’ve already handed off responsibility.

Instead, they’re required to pay into a state-controlled trust fund—but the cap is only $5 million per site.

💰 Five million.

That’s all that’s set aside to protect public health, landowners, drinking water, and long-term monitoring—for half a century.

One toxic leak into the Chicot Aquifer, and that money vanishes in a heartbeat. Then what?

We’ve essentially traded billions in corporate profits for a state-run liability scheme with no meaningful accountability.

🚨 Allen Parish Tried to Fight Back. ExxonMobil Sued Them.

In early 2025, Allen Parish passed an ordinance requiring public input and parish approval before any CO₂ injection projects moved forward.

ExxonMobil responded with a lawsuit.

Let that sink in: a rural parish tried to protect its citizens—and got sued by one of the most powerful corporations on Earth.

Allen Parish is the first. But they won’t be the last.

🛑 This Isn’t About Climate. It’s About Control.

Let’s be clear—carbon capture isn’t being done to save the environment. It’s being used to extend the life of oil and gas through taxpayer subsidies and regulatory loopholes.

It’s a corporate land-and-water grab, backed by:

• Industry-written laws
• University partnerships
• State agencies shielding the truth from the public

What’s green about that?

📍 Check our CCS Risk Map to see what’s happening in your parish. (Coming soon)

🗺️ Don’t wait for the lawsuits. Don’t wait for the pipelines. Get informed now.

✊ Join the Fight. Stay Alert. Spread the Truth.

The Louisiana CO₂ Alliance is fighting back—parish by parish, ordinance by ordinance.

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