A few months back, I penned what I believed was a thoughtful article on what we need to be talking about in terms of our nation and ESPECIALLY Louisiana’s embrace of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). I tried reason and statesmanship in this article, hoping to have a conversation, but my words are falling on deaf ears.

Events in recent weeks have convinced me NOT TO GO BACK down that road—it’s time to simply speak a little more forcefully:   CCS is a FRAUD BASED ON FAKE SCIENCE AND IT IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO PERSONAL PROPERTY RIGHTS SINCE WE DECLARED OUR INDEPENDENCE IN 1776.

Common sense ALSO seems to indicate it might be A THREAT TO OUR ENVIRONMENT.  We need to educate our public of this potential scam and change course from this potentially dangerous path.

Some so-called scientists and radical environmentalists who think we need to capture carbon exhaust from oil and gas wells and then “sequester” it underground and that this act will have an impact on the earth’s weather are either misinformed (ignorant) or are belligerently lying.  There are no other reasons for this narrative.

As humans, we breathe in oxygen.   Our bodies use that oxygen, then we exhale Carbon Dioxide (CO2).   Trees consume CO2 and turn it into oxygen.  We turn around and breathe it in.   Some CO2 exhaust comes out of oil and gas wells and there is a belief that this fairly clean exhaust goes into the atmosphere and is now causing what the same supposed scientists and environmentalists call climate change.

A group of “scientists” came along some time ago and started convincing political leaders that we need to capture CO2 in order to change the weather we are now living through.   The fact that they believe we can actually change weather is a topic all unto itself and we’ll get back to that another time.

CCS has been an allowable process in Louisiana since 2009.   Act 517 (Rep. Jim Morris) enacted the “Louisiana Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Act” to create a regulatory framework for CCS.  Not a whole lot happened with CCS in Louisiana until 2020, until Sen. Sharon Hewitt proposed a framework that was purportedly designed to help the oil and gas industry (which was under excruciating pressure from our anti-oil-and-gas Governor-at-the-time) and assist in economic development.    The law spoke of storage facilities and provided a new framework for how pipelines would be used to move captured carbon.   In full disclosure, I had never heard of CCS before this time.   Like every Senator and Legislator, I voted to ostensibly help the oil and gas industry.  No specific parish was ever discussed.    We all thought we were helping our oil and gas industry.

If I had known then what I know now, I would not have voted for it.  I would have screamed loudly.   I have raised my voice in the Capitol and am not afraid to do so.

About two years later, the cover came off a trojan horse when citizens started seeing weird activity in Lake Maurepas in Livingston Parish.   People started finding out what was coming and analysis began of the plans for sequestering carbon.   Small groups of us started asking questions about things like personal property rights, plumes and the ability of government to seize property.

In 2023, the former Speaker of the House shoved through a much-expanded framework that empowered all sorts of things related to CCS.   I was one of only nine who voted against this mess.    My district was punished for standing up against the sham.

Also in 2023, I heard about a plan to bring CCS storage sites into my home parish of Vernon.  I started getting calls from firms who told me they had plans for bringing sites to our parish.   In one of the meetings with one of the companies, they basically told me “we don’t want to, but we are prepared to” take property under the guise of eminent domain in the name of being able to create a carbon storage site.

While we’re on that topic, let’s be clear:  Carbon storage sites are dump locations.  The carbon “captured” from oil and gas wells is turned into a toxic liquid and then stuffed into the ground all with the altruistic end purpose of helping the environment.   Yes, that’s what I said.    These are sites where toxic fluids are going to be stored below ground.   Proponents say they will store it below our water table.    Some are trying to sell the notion that it might be of economic value “some day.”

Traditionally, eminent domain is for projects that are of the public good.   For roads, schools, bridges, water systems, etc.  I can imagine NO public good in a toxic waste site.

Running in tandem to all of this has been and is continuing to be companies approaching landowners and trying to get landowners to “lease” their land for the purpose of either allowing a pipeline or a dump site (called well site).  Several attorneys have read these leases and have told me the “leases” are most closely related to a bill of sale, because some of them prevent you from doing what you want to do with your property once they have your ink on their contract.   In short, if a citizen signs one of these leases, they are, in effect selling their land to the company moving or storing the toxic waste.  I’m not a lawyer, but I recommend people consult with one before they sign these things.

In 2023 and 2024, there were several efforts to slow down or thwart the actions of our state in supporting this fraud.   We lost nearly all of them but one:  In 2024, we did codify in law that eminent domain cannot be used to take your property for a carbon storage site (dump site).  Chairman Brett Geyman got this done and I am grateful for his fortitude in ensuring there would be no seizure of land for waste sites (carbon capture wells).    I stood with the people of Livingston Parish trying to roll back what they were doing in Lake Maurepas. I stood with a Democrat in St. Helena Parish who was trying to codify the rights of property owners who are adjacent to these dump sites.   We lost, but our votes are on record.

I support the oil and gas industry.   We need to extract oil and gas from our ground and from offshore and sell that oil and gas on the open market for the public good. As a rule, when I hear something is good for the oil and gas industry, I’m on board. While CCS may be good for the oil and gas industry, it is in NO WAY good for landowners. My dad used to tell me a half-truth was essentially a lie. The half-truth told in 2020 and 2023 was that this would be good for oil and gas.  The rest of the story that we would be dumping toxic waste below the feet of citizens was not relayed to us.

I understand some very powerful people are FOR CCS.    If that’s true, let them come here and explain it to our people.   Further, if they think this is a good thing, then why don’t we send the pipes out to the Gulf of Mexico and sequester these materials below the ocean’s floor?  While I don’t care one bit about making the environmental crazies happy, I care VERY MUCH about the soil under our feet and our drinking water.  If our nation is foolish enough to actually do CCS, then send it somewhere where it won’t do harm and where it won’t result in the theft of personal property rights.

PS  I’m not putting any gloves back on.  This fight has been enjoined.

Charles Owen is a member of the Rural Caucus, The Louisiana Freedom Caucus, the Republican Delegation, and the Central Louisiana Delegation