Real Environmental Dangers​

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Decatur, Illinois: EPA Enforcement Division confirmed unauthorized CO₂ migration beyond modeled limits in 2024–2025 at the ADM site, proving containment failures even under federal oversight.
 

Satartia, Mississippi: The 2020 Denbury pipeline rupture caused hospitalizations and widespread evacuations. PHMSA’s investigation exposed serious gaps in CO₂ transport safety and emergency planning.

 

Potential Impact on the Chicot Aquifer
If these Louisiana projects proceed, expected consequences include:
Permanent loss of potable water through acidification and salinity increase.
Contamination migration through interconnected sand lenses, impacting municipal and agricultural wells.
Infrastructure corrosion due to altered groundwater chemistry.
Subsidence and wetland collapse from subsurface pressure changes.
Ecological harm to bayous, lakes, and estuaries fed by Chicot discharge, threatening fisheries and wildlife.

 

Legacy Wells and Subsurface Leakage Pathways
The state contains over 250,000 recorded oil and gas wells, including more than 4,600 orphaned wells and tens of thousands that were abandoned before modern plugging standards. Many intersect the same geologic formations now targeted for CO₂ storage. Corroded casings, poor cement bonds, and incomplete records make them potential conduits for vertical migration of injected CO₂ or brine.

The Environmental Integrity Project (2023) documented dense clusters of legacy wells around planned injection hubs in Allen, Rapides, and Calcasieu Parishes.

The Louisiana Illuminator (2024) confirmed that many wells near proposed storage sites were plugged before 1950 and lack depth verification.

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Well Database (2024) lists thousands of inactive wells within 10 miles of CCS project footprints.

Any of these wells could act as leakage conduits, carrying CO₂ or brine upward into freshwater zones or releasing gas at the surface decades after injection ends.

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CO₂ Transport Corridors and Wetland Crossings
More than 700 miles of new CO₂ pipelines are planned or permitted in Louisiana, primarily operated by Denbury Inc., EnLink Midstream, CapturePoint Solutions, and Air Products. These lines would cross the Atchafalaya Basin, the Mermentau River, and dozens of bayous and wetlands.

The PHMSA Pipeline Incident Database (2003–2024) lists multiple CO₂ ruptures nationwide, confirming the potential for lethal ground-level gas clouds.

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These factors—aging well infrastructure, pipeline hazards, fragile wetlands, and environmental-justice inequities—create an unprecedented convergence of risk. Each amplifies the others, meaning even a minor leak or policy failure could have cascading, statewide consequences.

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