OUR FUTURE
What these case studies prove (and what they don’t)
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Wetlands and bayous function as natural buffers for the Gulf Coast, but they are chemically sensitive. If leaked COâ‚‚ dissolves into these waters, it forms carbonic acid that lowers pH, dissolving calcium carbonate shells and reducing biodiversity.
Modeling by the NOAA Gulf Ecology Division (2022) found that even small COâ‚‚ inputs can shift pH by 0.3–0.5 units—enough to cut oyster-larvae survival by 50 percent.
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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries (2023) warns that salinity and acidity changes threaten $2.4 billion in annual fisheries production.
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Once acidified, marsh soils release iron and manganese oxides that create orange bacterial mats and degrade aquatic habitats used by amphibians, crawfish, and waterfowl.
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Ecosystem damage from CCS projects can extend across wetlands, rivers, and coastal estuaries:
• Wetland Acidification: Carbonic acid lowers water pH, dissolving calcium carbonate shells of crawfish, mussels, and oysters.
• Fish Mortality: Hypoxic zones from COâ‚‚ releases or acidified water can suffocate aquatic life.
• Metal Mobilization: Increased concentrations of manganese and iron stain sediment and disrupt aquatic plant photosynthesis.
• Food Chain Impacts: Toxic metals bioaccumulate, threatening higher trophic species such as herons, alligators, and humans consuming fish or shellfish.
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Louisiana’s coastal economy depends on $2.4 billion annually in seafood and fisheries, all of which depend on stable water chemistry. COâ‚‚ leakage into wetland systems could irreversibly alter salinity gradients and kill nursery habitats for shrimp, redfish, and blue crab.
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Sources: Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries (2023); Environmental Science & Technology (2017); NOAA Gulf Ecology Division (2022).
Oversight and Accountability Gaps
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Louisiana’s Class VI primacy means that state agencies—not the EPA—issue and enforce permits for COâ‚‚ injection wells. This creates structural risks due to limited staff, reduced transparency, and potential conflicts of interest.
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Identified Weaknesses:
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• Public Data Omission: Unlike EPA’s national UIC database, Louisiana’s Class VI applications often omit pressure data, modeling assumptions, and groundwater monitoring results from public access.
• Conflict of Interest: LDENR staff and consultants often have prior industry affiliations.
• Limited Inspection Capacity: As of mid-2025, LDENR had fewer than five dedicated inspectors for all active Class VI applications statewide.
• No Long-Term Liability Framework: After 10 years, liability for storage sites may transfer to the state, potentially burdening taxpayers with perpetual monitoring costs.
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Comparatively, EPA’s federal oversight model mandates independent modeling audits, public hearings, and long-term care funds. Without these safeguards, Louisiana risks becoming a COâ‚‚ waste sink for out-of-state emitters with minimal accountability.
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Louisiana law allows COâ‚‚ injection beneath private land without the owner’s consent once declared a ‘public utility purpose’ under La. R.S. 30:1108 and R.S. 19:2(12). This grants private corporations eminent-domain powers for CCS pipelines and wells. Parish governments—including Allen, Vernon, and Rapides—have adopted resolutions requesting a moratorium, citing lack of public consultation and environmental review.
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Without statutory reform and enforceable transparency requirements, Louisiana risks becoming a national repository for industrial COâ‚‚ waste with little protection for its citizens, aquifers, or wetlands.
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Sources: EPA Region 6 Class VI Program Comparison (2024); Environmental Defense Fund (2025); Allen Parish Police Jury COâ‚‚ Risk Assessment (2025).