I read with great disappointment and shame this morning the letter written by Mrs. GladysMae Gunter-Carmouche regarding Carbon Capture and Sequestration. Mrs. Gunter-Carmouche leveled some serious accusations, accented with name calling and trigger words like “foreign interest,” “environmental catastrophe,” and “treasonous act,” to make Journal readers shake in their shoes, with little documentation or support for her allegations. I also find it curious that it has been published just days before the CO2 “public meeting” scheduled in Rapides Parish.
It is important that these accusations are addressed.
I will begin with some science on Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is made of one carbon atom, and two oxygen atoms. CO2 is an essential element of life and is one of the most common gases in the atmosphere. Mother Nature uses CO2 to regulate the earth’s temperature; CO2 is the gas we are breathing out of our own mouths every time we exhale. Have you ever wondered why talking to your plants makes them grow? It is not our charming personalities, it is the CO2 we breathe on them as we talk; CO2 is not flammable or explosive, in fact, quite the opposite, CO2 is used in fire extinguishers to put fires out.
Mrs. Gunter-Carmouche claims that Eminent Domain, also known as Expropriation, is unconstitutional and being used by “big companies” to steal your property. It is important to note that the State of Louisiana must grant status to companies before any eminent domain authority can be used, and if a company must exercise eminent domain, it must first go to a court of law where the court will decide if it is indeed necessary. Eminent Domain authority is granted by the State when a pipeline is deemed to be in the public interest. “Big companies” cannot arbitrarily take anyone’s land.
So, what is deemed public interest? Electricity? Energy? Much of today’s electricity generation is by natural gas, burning natural gas creates CO2, creating new fuels to provide transportation are made by burning and using natural gas as both a fuel and a feedstock. Natural gas is also used to power the chemical plants that make the molecules that go into making plastics. Plastics that are used in medical devices, blood bags, heart catheters, oxygen tubes, incubators, the list is endless. Is electricity to your home or business a necessity? Do you need fuel to move things? Do you depend on healthcare to keep you alive and well?
Another accusation levied was about a property owner’s minerals. Louisiana’s mineral laws will always trump any right of way or eminent domain laws. A landowner does not lose land or access to mineral rights. This accusation is easily refuted by a brief read of Louisiana law. And there is no documented loss of value to property that has pipelines running beneath it. As a matter of fact, there have been CO2 pipelines spanning the State of Louisiana for over 50 years now, with no recorded safety incidents and no loss of property values. CO2 pipelines, ALL pipelines for that matter, have stellar safety records. Pipelines are the safest and most efficient way to transport anything, whether it is CO2, natural gas or water.
Mrs. Gunter-Carmouche goes on to claim that CO2 capture and sequestration will lead to more pollution. It’s the opposite: sequestration removes excessive molecules from the air and puts them back where they came from. Carbon Capture is not the only tool being used to reduce emissions in Louisiana and the US. Companies are also engaging in small nuclear reactors, solar generated electricity and more bio-fuel technology to help reduce emissions without causing a slowdown in production which leads to supply chain issues globally. All these industries will create good jobs and help the Louisiana economy continue to be the largest exporter of products in the US.
Louisiana and US companies have invested billions of their own money into Carbon Capture and are assisted by a tax credit to spur growth. Mrs. Gunter-Carmouche is correct; however, the increase industry is asking for is $150 per ton, not $250 per ton, just trying to keep everything on the up and up here for your readers. The technology is specific, all-encompassing and expensive. Industry will continue to invest its own dollars to expand this technology to maintain the thousands of good paying jobs here in Louisiana and to add more jobs, as the $50+ billion dollars of potential investment in Louisiana all have a carbon capture component.
Lastly, I would like to address Mrs. Gunter-Carmouche’s claims of poison and other incidents she sited through her “google search,” as well as her accusations against LDENR. The most important thing your readers need to know is that the Lake Nyos incident of 1986 was a volcanic eruption. It was not due to a pipeline rupture or sequestration activities, as she would have you believe. The Archer Daniels Midland incident Mrs. Gunter-Carmouche refers to is a perfect example of a CCS Class V monitoring well doing what it was supposed to do-monitor for leaks. In Illinois, the Class V monitoring well picked up the leak and shut the system down immediately before any CO2 was released. It is also useful to know that before any CO2 is put into a specialized alloy pipe, it is completely dehydrated from water to avoid corrosion.
Mrs. Gunter-Carmouche is correct in saying that LDENR Secretary, Tyler Gray, is the former head of LMOGA. What she fails to reveal is that Mr. Gray previously served as Director of Corporate and Government Affairs for Placid Refining Company, before that Mr. Gray worked as counsel for the Louisiana House Natural Resources Committee, and Mr. Gray holds a B.A. in Economics from James Madison University, a J.D. from Loyola University, and an M.B.A. from Louisiana State University, with a specialization in economics. There is no one more qualified to hold this position. Mr. Gray surrounds himself with qualified scientists, technicians, biologists, and engineers. This is why the Environmental Protection Agency was satisfied that Louisiana was well equipped to handle Primacy. Primacy is when the EPA gives the states the right to permit what is going on their lands.
Mrs. Gunter-Carmouche, I too hope you and your family can continue to enjoy your property as you do today. Carbon Capture will not change that.
Respectfully,
Desiree Lemoine, Campaign Manager
Industry Makes
desiree@industrymakes.org