HR 144

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 144
BY REPRESENTATIVE OWEN
  A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Board of Regents to take all such actions as are necessary to provide
  for a rigorous, peer-reviewed study on the potential direct and indirect effects of
  mixing various streams of carbon captured from industrial sites and directly from the
  air on Louisiana's water supply and ecological environment and to submit a series
  of written reports to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
  WHEREAS, the Legislature of Louisiana has enacted laws permitting certain
activities involving the permanent subsurface injection of carbon dioxide; and
  WHEREAS, there is a need for comprehensive risk analysis in complex geological
settings across Louisiana, especially in high priority areas under consideration for permanent
injection sites, such as in southeastern, southwestern, western, and northeastern Louisiana;
and
  WHEREAS, some have raised questions about the potential effects of these activities
in terms of public health, groundwater protection, and ecological harm; and
  WHEREAS, it is imperative to prioritize academic research on these potential
effects.
  THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Board of Regents to take all such
actions as are necessary to provide for a rigorous, peer-reviewed study on the potential direct
and indirect effects of mixing various streams of carbon captured from industrial sites and
directly from the air on Louisiana's water supply and ecological environment.
  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study shall provide for, at a minimum, the
following:
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HR NO. 144  ENROLLED
       (1) Analysis of whether there should be concern over the mixing of multiple carbon
dioxide streams from disparate industrial sources in the same or communicating subsurface
geological zones, including potential physical, chemical, and rock-matrix interactions,
pressure effects, and risks of unintended communication via faults, fractures, or stratigraphic
and hydrologic pathways.
       (2)     Analysis of whether the current structural and regulatory framework for
oversight of these injection activities in Louisiana is sufficient to protect underground
sources of drinking water and the broader ecological environment, and, if not, the study
should include specific, actionable recommendations for optimization or improvement,
including any needed coordination among the Department of Environmental Quality, the
Department of Conservation and Energy, federal agencies, and other entities.
       (3) Analysis grounded in the actual purity levels, impurity profiles, and stream
compositions contained in Class VI well permit applications already submitted by project
applicants to the state, rather than any notional, generic, or hypothetical carbon dioxide
stream data.
       (4)     Coordination, as appropriate, with the Louisiana Geological Survey, the
Louisiana state geologist, the United States Geological Survey, and the United States
Environmental Protection Agency for data access and technical input, while maintaining full
independence in findings and conclusions.
       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Regents shall submit the following
to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment:
       (1) An initial report summarizing preliminary findings and data-gathering status no
later than January 1, 2027.
       (2) An interim report with substantive analysis and preliminary recommendations
no later than June 1, 2027.
       (3) A final, comprehensive, peer-reviewed research report with complete findings,
hazard rankings, recommendations, and any supporting modeling no later than June 1, 2028.
       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Regents shall notify the House
Committee on Natural Resources and Environment of any participating institutions and a
plan for the completion of the study no later than forty-five days after the adoption of this
Resolution.
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HR NO. 144  ENROLLED
       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
chairman of the Board of Regents, the commissioner of higher education, the secretary of
the Department of Environmental Quality, and the secretary of the Department of
Conservation and Energy.
  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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