Carbon Capture Capers

The state is rushing headlong into carbon capture despite many remaining questions as to the efficacy and safety of the process. It definitely feels like we're going to learn about the consequences the hard way.  Anyway, it doesn't inspire confidence that companies are limiting public scrutiny by doing everything in their power to keep the site locations secret for as long as possible.

Without information about where CO2 injection wells will be located, Eustis said it’s not possible to notify local landowners of the potential risks to their drinking water or assess if there are pathways for leaks, such as underground faults. In areas with underground salt domes, like Vermilion Parish, CO2 leakage and pressure can extend up to 12 miles away from the injection site, according to research by the University of Texas at Austin. A new report commissioned by the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project warns of the risks of proposing carbon disposal wells in areas dense with abandoned oil and gas wells.

“Class VI applicants cannot keep the locations of the underground plume secret, and also have a comment period,” Eustis said. He questioned how his organization could warn the public about the potential safety hazards of pollution in such a short time frame. Most projects in the state only require a 30-day commenting period. “The risks extend far from the injection site, and can affect hundreds to thousands of landowners, although we hope that will be unlikely,” he said.

Also in the above story, Exxon seems keen to place injection wells on state-owned land in order to limit liability. Also it looks like they're taking advantage of the state's "orphaned well" clean up fund in order to do their prep work for them.  Other shenanigans afoot.  Anyway, for now all we can do is hope it doesn't end in too many sinkholes or poisoned aquifers. But we won't know that until it's too late either.