photo by Marsanne Golsby
The Livingston Parish Council is saying “not so fast” to a proposal—backed by Governor John Bel Edwards—to inject captured greenhouse gases deep beneath Lake Maurepas.
Randy Delatte’s district includes part of the shores of Lake Maurepas.
“Two miles down means you’re going through all my drinking water, all my aquifers, you’ve got to drill through those. We don’t want to take any chances with our water tables,” Delatte said.
The company Air Products wants to store carbon dioxide under the lake instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Air Products is building a new clean hydrogen energy complex in Ascension Parish, next door to Livingston. The Livingston Council has passed a moratorium on injection wells. Delatte says he feels like their concerns are being ignored.
“We’ve got another pandemic down here, a pandemic of fear, and it just feels like no one’s listening to us, “Delatte said.
Delatte added that he is also worried about serious damage to Lake Maurepas if the well or any pipelines leading to it spring leaks.
“It’s a very important lake. It’s where the shrimp do their spawning. We have even have manatees, we have bald eagles, all kinds of things,” Delatte said.
The process of capturing and injecting greenhouse gases is becoming more popular. Last week Exxon Mobil and other companies announced a partnership to do the same thing—capturing gases from an ammonia plant—and injecting them deep beneath Vermillion Parish.
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