Vernon Parish to Rescind CCS Support, Fast-Track Carbon Project in Question

Parish Reverses Course on Carbon Capture and Storage

Vernon Parish is poised to reverse its stance on carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects, just two months after controversially endorsing them. On September 15, 2025, the Vernon Parish Police Jury voted to rescind two ordinances that had opposed CCS and instead passed a resolution supporting “industries that provide economic development to Vernon Parish, whether or not they require CCS”. The move outraged many locals, as parish officials had originally joined a regional alliance to halt unapproved CO₂ storage projects until more was understood. Now, facing intense public backlash and “displeasure” voiced across social media, the police jury is expected to formally repeal its pro-CCS resolution on November 17, 2025, effectively restoring the parish’s opposition to carbon injection wells.

Local leaders acknowledge the community’s overwhelming distrust of CCS. Nearly 90% of Vernon Parish residents were against CO₂ injection projects when the jury initially shifted to support them, according to local accounts. In the wake of the September vote, residents packed meetings and flooded Facebook with concerns about groundwater contamination and property rights. “When you can’t breathe and you can’t drink clean water, you’re going to die,” one resident implored jurors at the Sept. 15 meeting. Another resident condemned the jury’s reversal as a betrayal of future generations: “I hope all of you are happy because our kids and grandkids will be the ones paying the price of sickness”. This near-unanimous public opposition is driving the police jury’s course correction scheduled for Nov. 17.

Fast-Tracked CCS Project Faces Uncertainty

The timing of Vernon’s about-face raises urgent questions about a state fast-track program for CCS permits. In mid-October, Governor Jeff Landry signed Executive Order JML 25-119, which paused new Class VI CO₂ well applications but prioritized a handful already in progress. Vernon Parish’s proposed CO₂ storage site – identified as “CCS 2 – Wilcox2” – was one of six projects fast-tracked under the order, alongside sites in Pointe Coupee, Calcasieu, Cameron, Caldwell, and Ascension parishes. Those projects were slated for expedited permit review under the new Department Guidance No. B-2025-01-A, which directs regulators to concentrate on the priority applications once the first (in Cameron Parish) is approved.

With Vernon Parish now withdrawing its support, it’s unclear if the state can or will remove Vernon’s project from the fast-track list. The executive order did not outline a procedure for parishes to opt out after being included. Louisiana’s Department of Energy and Natural Resources (LDENR) is obligated to continue processing the prioritized applications – a review already underway – unless directed otherwise. Parish officials and residents are anxiously asking whether Vernon’s late reversal is “too little, too late” to stop the project from advancing. Some note that the executive order’s 45-day review of pending permits has lapsed, meaning Vernon’s CCS well could proceed in the queue despite local objections. The situation tests how much practical power parishes have to say no: Can a fast-tracked project be halted if a host community rescinds its support? State leaders have yet to provide a clear answer.

Governor Promises Local Veto: “If You Don’t Want It, You Ain’t Getten It”

Governor Landry has publicly signaled sympathy for local control over carbon storage – at least in words. In a closed-door meeting in September 2025, Landry reportedly assured rural officials that “if we did not want these CO₂ injections in our parish, then we would not have one”, according to an Allen Parish police juror who met with him. “If you don’t want it, you ain’t getten it,” was the plain-spoken promise attributed to the Governor in that gathering. Vernon Parish’s leadership is now eager to hold Landry to his word. The parish’s upcoming resolution explicitly cites the Governor’s pledge, essentially asking him to “honor his word” and block any Class VI injection permits in Vernon.

This stance aligns Vernon with at least eight Louisiana parishes that have passed resolutions or ordinances formally opposing CO₂ sequestration projects. Many of these are rural communities sitting atop the Chicot Aquifer – the state’s largest underground water source – where Class VI wells are proposed. They fear that injecting millions of tons of carbon dioxide could contaminate drinking water or trigger other hazards. In late 2024, Vernon, Allen, Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis Parishes teamed up to form the Louisiana CO₂ Alliance, a coalition to “protect Louisiana’s water, land, and communities from the risks of CO₂ injection”.“We need to give our people an opportunity to have their voice heard… we now will be facing [these risks],” explained Allen Parish Police Juror Roland Hollins when the alliance launched Since then, a total of eight parish police juries – spanning from southwest Louisiana to the Florida Parishes – have adopted measures urging state and industry officials to stay out unless local citizens approve. Notably, some of those parishes were offered more favorable deals to accept CCS but still refused. For example, industry proponents dangled promises of local jobs or revenue-sharing in communities near proposed storage sites, yet local officials held firm against carbon storage without voter consent. Their resistance contrasts with Vernon Parish’s brief acquiescence, which came with the prospect of economic aid.

Lucrative Deals and Local Backlash

Vernon Parish’s short-lived pro-CCS stance in September was influenced in part by economic incentive deals. At that meeting, representatives of an Arkansas-based manufacturer, Highland Pellets, told Vernon officials that a new wood pellet plant – and up to 200 jobs – would only be “fiscally viable” if carbon capture infrastructure were available for their emissions. At the same time, a CO₂ storage developer called CapturePoint pitched a lucrative community benefits package. The police jury approved a memorandum of understanding for a “CapturePoint Community Investment Fund” that would funnel an estimated $10 million per year to parish entities if an injection well were built in Vernon. That payout, tied to the volume of CO₂ sequestered (approximately $1.30 per ton of CO₂ stored), was described by Jury President James “Jim” Tuck as a deliberately “dropped” price meant to attract carbon projects to the economically struggling parish. “We have nothing here,” Tuck said, noting Vernon’s dependence on a declining timber industry and the nearby Fort Polk Army base.

Other parishes, however, have been far less swayed by such offers. Allen Parish, for instance, hosts a CO₂ test well but continues to fight any full-scale storage site. Its police jury unanimously reasserted opposition to CCS in October, even after hearing the Governor’s pledge of deference. “We want to make it very clear to the Governor and legislators where our parish stands,” an Allen juror said as they passed a fresh resolution against Class VI permits. The resolution claims carbon storage companies “failed to adequately address local emergency concerns” or provide a credible safety plan. Similarly, police juries in Beauregard and Jeff Davis parishes report overwhelming public resistance despite being offered tax revenue splits or community development funds. In short, many local governments prefer to forego potential CCS dollars rather than risk their water and land – a dynamic now forcing Vernon’s leadership to reconsider whether its deal with CapturePoint is worth the political cost.

State Policies Place Onus on Industry to Gain Local Support

Louisiana’s state government has begun responding to the chorus of local concerns with new rules and legislation – albeit in incremental ways. Governor Landry’s October executive order explicitly established a “Landowner Bill of Rights” for carbon sequestration, aimed at assuring communities that their voices will be heard. The order, echoing two new laws from the 2025 legislative session, requires state regulators to give “substantial consideration” to any comments or objections from local governments when deciding on CO₂ storage permits. LDENR must document all local concerns in writing and show how each was taken into account in the final permit decision. In effect, the burden is shifted onto project developers to win local support: if a parish government is firmly against a CCS project, the state now has a mandate to factor that into its permit review. This policy change codifies what Governor Landry has indicated informally – that local acceptance is a prerequisite for CCS projects – but it stops short of giving parishes an absolute veto. Companies seeking Class VI well permits will now be expected to conduct robust “public engagement plans” and address community fears upfront, according to the new guidance, or risk having their applications delayed or denied.

At the same time, the Louisiana Legislature has bolstered landowner rights and local influence in the CCS approval process. In June, Senate Bill 73 by Sen. Mike Reese was signed into law (Act 414 of 2025), introducing significant protections. The law raises the threshold of landowner consent for carbon storage unitization from 75% to 85% – meaning a storage operator must secure the written agreement of owners controlling at least 85% of the property interests in a proposed CO₂ storage reservoir before state officials can declare it a unit. This higher bar empowers holdout landowners and makes it harder for companies to force a project through without broad buy-in. SB 73 also tightens the eminent domain process for CCS projects: before any expropriation of private land can occur, a storage operator must negotiate in good faith with the landowner, extend a written offer, and allow at least 10 days for the owner to respond. Only after those steps (and if an agreement still can’t be reached) can the company proceed to court for expropriation. These provisions aim to ensure that eminent domain is truly a last resort and that landowners are treated fairly – a response to fierce criticism that prior CCS laws trampled property rights. “Significant changes were made in 2024 and 2025 to restrict government and company powers of land expropriation,” State Rep. Charles Owen (R-Rosepine) noted in a recent update to constituents. Indeed, Rep. Owen, who represents much of Vernon Parish, co-authored SB 73 and has filed separate proposals to give parish governments direct approval authority over CCS sites. Those measures, still pending further debate, would effectively grant local veto power by requiring a parish referendum if officials approve a carbon storage project against public wishes.

Political Showdown Looms: Will Local Will Prevail?

The Vernon Parish saga has become a flashpoint in the broader conflict over carbon capture in Louisiana. Rep. Charles “Chuck” Owen and Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn (R-Hornbeck) have been two of the most vocal CCS opponents in the state legislature, aligning themselves with their constituents’ skepticism. Both lawmakers lent support to Vernon’s earlier resistance, and both faced pushback from anti-CCS interest groups in recent months. Industry groups and some state officials argue that Louisiana must embrace carbon capture to remain an “energy state” and reap economic rewards. After Allen Parish re-upped its CCS ban, the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association publicly lamented the move as “disappointing”, insisting that carbon projects “have the potential to breathe new economic life into our communities”. Such statements, along with lobbying from oil, gas, and petrochemical companies, amount to pressure on legislators like Owen and Schamerhorn to relent on their hardline stance. Thus far, however, these representatives have not wavered. Schamerhorn, whose district includes part of Vernon, bluntly called carbon capture deals a “scam” at the September jury meeting and vowed to introduce new bills tightening CCS oversight. Owen, for his part, has characterized CO₂ sequestration sites as “dangerous dumps” and regrets ever voting for earlier carbon capture incentives. Both will likely applaud Vernon Parish’s decision to break ties with the CCS project and could use it as ammunition in the Capitol to demand more local say.

As the November 17 reversal vote approaches, open questions hang in the air for Vernon Parish and Louisiana at large. Can Vernon still be removed from the fast-track list? Governor Landry’s executive order does not explicitly allow parishes to be taken off the priority roster once designated. Doing so might require a new executive action or an amendment to the guidance – an open possibility if the Governor chooses to make Vernon a test case for his “you ain’t getten it” pledge. Do parishes truly have the power to say no? Legally, Louisiana’s conservation commissioner retains final permitting authority, and local resolutions have no binding force under current law. Parishes like Vernon are effectively drawing a line in the sand, betting that political pressure will deter the state and industry from crossing it. Whether that bet pays off remains uncertain. What happens if they do say no? Thus far, no carbon storage developer has tried to proceed in Louisiana against an unwilling parish’s objections – but that could change. If Vernon Parish’s refusal holds, will the project simply shift to a more welcoming locale, or will it prompt a legal showdown over state preemption of local government? These unanswered questions now take center stage. The outcome will not only determine Vernon’s own fate with carbon capture but also set a precedent for the other parishes fighting to keep CCS out of their backyards. The eyes of communities across Louisiana – from Allen Parish to Ascension – are watching closely to see if “no” truly means no when it comes to carbon sequestration.