Journal Staff
A Pineville lawmaker is pushing legislation that would give Rapides Parish voters and governing authorities the power to decide whether carbon capture and sequestration projects and carbon dioxide pipelines can operate within the parish — part of a broader package of bills that would extend that same local authority to every parish in Louisiana.
House Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Johnson (R-Pineville) prefiled three bills on Jan. 12, the first day of the 2026 legislative prefiling period, targeting carbon capture and sequestration, a technology that captures carbon dioxide emissions from industrial facilities and stores them underground. The bills are now before the Louisiana Legislature in its active 2026 session.
The lead measure, House Bill 7 — dubbed the Louisiana Landowners Protection Act — would repeal existing statutes that grant private companies the power of eminent domain for carbon capture projects and CO2 pipelines. Under current Louisiana law, companies pursuing CCS infrastructure can seek to force landowners into court to acquire easements over their property. HB 7 would end that authority entirely, requiring companies to negotiate voluntary agreements with landowners.
House Bill 6 targets Rapides Parish directly, allowing the parish governing authority to determine whether CCS projects and CO2 pipelines may be permitted within its boundaries. House Bill 5 takes the same approach statewide, giving parish governing authorities and citizens across Louisiana the authority to vote on whether Class VI injection wells, carbon sequestration and CO2 pipelines may be permitted in their communities.
Johnson said the bills are a response to constituent concerns in Rapides Parish and are not intended to damage the carbon capture industry. “You won’t find a word in any of these bills I’ve sponsored that says kill the industry or discourage the industry,” Johnson said. “My basis is not a motivation to hurt industry.”
“I filed these bills because I listened to the people I represent, and I take their concerns seriously,” Johnson said in a statement. “Protecting private property and respecting local decision-making are core Louisiana values.”
Johnson’s bills are directly relevant to Rapides Parish because of the proposed SunGas Renewables plant in Pineville, which would rely on carbon capture and CO2 pipeline infrastructure. Johnson acknowledged that a vote against CCS in Rapides Parish could affect that project. “If my bill passes and Rapides Parish has a right to vote or to have some input on local governance as to whether or not CCS permits will be granted, then yeah, I’m afraid if they vote against it, that may affect SunGas and any other company that uses that entity,” he said. “But by the same token, it protects them if the people vote for it.”
Industry groups have pushed back against the proposals. Tommy Faucheux, president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, argued that parish-level fragmentation would undermine Louisiana’s ability to build a viable statewide CCS program. “I firmly believe that for us to have a thriving CCS program, you really do need that statewide program,” Faucheux said. “It’s hard to have that and to build out that infrastructure and network for success if you have communities opting out of it.”
Faucheux also cited a specific economic consequence already attributed to legislative uncertainty over CCS, noting that a state economic development official told lawmakers that a $2 billion project in Beauregard Parish fell through after a bioenergy company cited a “lack of confidence” that CO2 storage development would proceed in the parish.
Johnson’s bills carry co-sponsors including Reps. Gabe Firment, Jason DeWitt, Rhonda Butler, Rodney Schamerhorn and Charles “Chuck” Owen, all Republicans. Owen, who represents Vernon Parish, was the original author of similar legislation in prior sessions.
The 2026 legislative session is active and the bills remain pending before the Legislature.