Despite a carbon sequestration moratorium issued by Governor Jeff Landry following rural constituent pushback, carbon capture infrastructure in Southwest Louisiana continues to move forward through executive exceptions.
Gulf Coast Sequestration (GCS) is pursuing a coastal use permit from the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy to construct a base for two Class V testing wells and one drinking water monitoring well at its Project Goose Lake site in Calcasieu Parish. The proposed location sits near the Intracoastal Canal and the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.
Class V wells allow developers to inject non-hazardous fluids to collect core rock samples and run injectivity tests. Once testing concludes, these sites can be converted into Class VI injection wells for permanent underground carbon dioxide storage.
GCS has already applied for a Class VI permit for Project Goose Lake. The development is one of two GCS projects granted priority exemption under Landry’s executive order, alongside Project Minerva in neighboring Cameron Parish.
Public Outcry Focuses on Chicot Aquifer Contamination
The project faced significant local pushback earlier this month during a public hearing, where area residents raised alarms over potential environmental impacts on the Chicot Aquifer, the primary drinking water source across 15 Louisiana parishes.
While state-level debate around CCS has often centered on land rights, opponents of Project Goose Lake argued that subsurface carbon injection poses an unmitigated threat to regional groundwater reserves.
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“The people that are born and raised here know for a fact that what we’re talking about is the complete destruction of the south half of Louisiana,” Sulphur resident Charlie Atherton said at the hearing. “What few risk assessments I’ve seen say it’s not a matter if but when all of our sole source drinking water will be contaminated.”
GCS defended its site choice, citing private land ownership and favorable geological formations. “We are confident that this project represents a responsible and beneficial use of our coastal resources,” said Ryan Furby, Head of External Affairs at GCS.
State regulators are now reviewing written public comments before issuing a final permit decision.
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