Healthy Gulf, an environmental advocacy group based in New Orleans, has filed a lawsuit against Louisiana, claiming that state agencies overstepped their legal bounds when they approved Air Products Blue Energy’s proposal to build a CO2 pipeline through the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area.
Air Products, an international chemical manufacturer, plans to establish a $4.5 billion blue ammonia and blue hydrogen facility in Ascension Parish, along with a carbon capture and storage project. The facility is projected to be operational by 2028.
The lawsuit centers on a pipeline that would begin in Ascension Parish, passing through the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area, and eventually connect to a carbon storage site that Air Products intends to develop beneath Lake Maurepas, located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
The state acquired several parcels of land between 2001 and 2011 to form the wildlife management area. Healthy Gulf argues that this land, which is considered of significant ecological importance, was specifically set aside for conservation, with restrictions placed on its use.
However, in 2021, state agencies entered into an agreement with Air Products for CO2 storage, which included provisions for the construction of a pipeline running through the wildlife area.
In 2024, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) approved the pipeline, granting Air Products a letter of approval for the project.
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The lawsuit, filed in the 19th Judicial District Court on Tuesday, asserts that when the state of Louisiana acquired the land, it entered into agreements that included strict commitments to preserve the land’s natural state and prohibited its use for any commercial projects, including the construction of a CO2 pipeline.
Healthy Gulf argues that although the LDWF’s approval was based on a state law allowing the leasing of land for CO2 storage, the wildlife management area is subject to a separate law that prohibits altering any terms or conditions of land donations made for wildlife management purposes.
The environmental group, represented by Earthjustice, contends that the approval of the pipeline exceeds the state’s authority and violates state law.
They also warn that constructing the pipeline would cause irreparable damage to the wildlife area. Healthy Gulf is seeking a permanent injunction to block the pipeline’s construction through this protected land.
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