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Bill

HB 6

ENERGY: Authorizes the governing authority of Rapides Parish to determine whether carbon dioxide sequestration and pipelines transporting carbon dioxide may be permitted within the parish (OR SEE FISC NOTE GF RV)

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Rhonda Butler and 1 co-sponsor

Grants Rapides Parish local authority to approve or prohibit carbon dioxide sequestration and CO2 transport pipelines within parish boundaries.

Involuntarily deferred in committee.
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Bill Summary · HB 6

Legislative bill overview

HB 6 grants Rapides Parish governing authority the power to locally decide whether carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration operations and CO2 transport pipelines can operate within parish boundaries. Currently, such decisions may be subject to state-level regulation; this bill shifts that authority to local government control.

Why is this important

CO2 sequestration (carbon capture and storage) is increasingly pursued as a climate change mitigation strategy, with pipelines needed to transport captured CO2 to storage sites. This bill determines whether Rapides Parish residents and local officials—rather than state regulators—will control whether this industrial infrastructure develops in their communities, affecting economic development, property rights, and environmental risk exposure locally.

Potential points of contention

  • Local vs. state authority: Whether local parish control undermines state energy policy coordination or creates regulatory fragmentation that discourages large-scale carbon capture projects requiring multi-parish infrastructure
  • Environmental and safety concerns: Communities may worry about pipeline rupture risks, induced seismic activity, or water contamination from sequestration operations, versus supporters viewing CO2 storage as essential climate infrastructure
  • Economic development trade-offs: Local control could attract or repel investment in carbon capture facilities and related industrial activity, with differing views on job creation versus community disruption

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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