On the same day that central Louisiana residents sued Governor Jeff Landry for unconstitutional state laws permitting the use of eminent domain for pipelines to facilitate carbon capture and storage (CCS), residents of Ascension Parish and their supporters spoke out against a West Bank project that would use such pipelines in and around Ascension Parish. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ)  held an air permit hearing for CF Industry’s proposed Blue Point Project, an ammonia facility that would triple the production of ammonia in the parish to more than 14 million tons per year, and sequester carbon in the process.

A CF Industry manager began the evening with a presentation of the proposed facility, including what he called the “green energy” components, referring to the proposed use of carbon capture. Opponents from Modeste – where the facility would be located – were joined by residents from Lake Maurepas and scientists. Central to their opposition was the use of what the manager called “permanent storage” of carbon dioxide.

“We are here tonight to discuss the air permit, but it’s not only about CF, said Ashley Gaignard, President of Rural Roots Louisiana. “This is about industries coming to tap into carbon capture. Using carbon capture will not only affect Ascension Parish, it will affect many parishes that oppose CCS. If we open these doors in Ascension Parish, we’ll be putting other parishes at risk as well. CF has not addressed the issue of contaminants from carbon capture that could upset our groundwater, including the water in my own community and Lake Maurepas. These are unacceptable hazards.”

Twenty-three people spoke in opposition to the project, including residents from Modeste, the area slated to be destroyed by the project. Thirteen people spoke in favor, including the United Way and a local food bank. None of the supporters addressed pollution’s impact on poverty and illness.

Corinne Gibb, a chemist with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, noted the extreme pollution burden already borne by the parish. “CF in Donaldsonville currently has the largest ammonia production complex in the world. Long-term exposure to very low levels of ammonia can cause respiratory illnesses. Pollution  reported by facilities in Ascension Parish show that more than a thousand tons of particulate matter is emitted each year. The American Lung Association says there is no safe threshold to breathe in fine particles, but  CF Blue Point would add more particulate matter.”

While the LDEQ has a track record of approving nearly every permit submitted to the agency, leaders in the River Parishes have successfully protected their home in recent years from numerous oil, gas, and petrochemical schemes.

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