Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards recently announced his plan to join the U.S. Climate Alliance, and late last year he signed an executive order setting a goal of making Louisiana carbon-neutral by 2050. This will be difficult – Louisiana is ranked 5th in the US by greenhouse gas emissions, in part due to heavy industrial emissions from chemicals and refining. Carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) can help achieve this goal, in part enabled by bipartisan Federal and state legislation introduced by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Malinda White (D-Bogalusa), Jean-Paul Loussan (R-Lafayette), and State executive orders. These and other actions have put Louisiana on the fast track to permit large-scale projects.
“Carbon Capture & Storage in Louisiana: Fast & Easy” was the third event in a series of panels convened as part of the Women In Energy CCUS Roadshow. These conversations highlight leading experts in the field of CCUS with a special focus on local policy and deployment. Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy’s Carbon Management Research Initiative and Women in Energy program, with support from the United States Energy Association, are pleased to host this panel series featuring exceptional leaders to discuss the vital role of carbon capture in greenhouse gas emissions reductions and carbon dioxide removal.
CCUS technologies and approaches are critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation, industrial, and power sectors, and a key ingredient to creating a more sustainable and equitable energy system. Implementing CCUS more broadly will require navigating technology, policy, and science issues at the state and national level and attention to a broad set of equity and environmental justice concerns.
This conversation focused on the status of carbon capture policy and technology in Louisiana, including the recently introduced bipartisan SCALE Act that could make Louisiana a national hub for carbon capture and sequestration, and the State’s request for primacy in permitting class VI injection wells. The speakers also discussed how CCUS can contribute to a more just energy transition and what impacts it would have on job creation and critical regional economic opportunities.
Opening Remarks:
- Sheila Hollis, Acting Executive Director, United States Energy Association
Moderator:
Panelists:
- Mary L. Landrieu, former U.S. Senator (D-LA)
- Malinda White, Member of Louisiana House of Representatives (D-Bogalusa)
- Brittany Tarufelli, Economist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Assistant Professor at Center for Energy Studies, Louisiana State University
- Marjorie Kiethen, Co-Chair of Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Industry Team at JonesWalker, LLC
—
