Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson of Pineville has filed legislation calling for a local option on carbon capture wells.
His bills are this session’s first volley in the continuing battle over carbon capture and sequestration that is likely to take up a lot of time in the state Legislature’s natural resource committees. Johnson’s House Bill 5 sets up three possible avenues to prevent Class VI wells, carbon dioxide sequestration or pipelines transporting carbon dioxide to be permitted within a parish. Parish governing authorities would be allowed to make that call by resolution or ordinance.
They also would be authorized to call for a parishwide election on the topic. And residents would be able to force an election through a petition signed by at least 15% of qualified voters.
Johnson’s House Bill 6 is much more limited, and would simply allow the government of his home parish of Rapides to opt out. His House Bill 7 would repeal expropriation authority for carbon dioxide pipelines and storage facilities.
—The other Mike Johnson addresses Parliament: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport on Tuesday became the first sitting U.S. House speaker to address the British Parliament.
“We have always been able to work through our differences calmly as friends,” Johnson said in his speech. “We will continue to do that. I want to assure you this morning that that is still the case.” Johnson added that he wanted to “calm the waters” between Europe and America, especially as President Donald Trump makes moves to have a greater U.S. presence in Greenland and push tariffs across the globe.
—They said it: “I concede that some of the stories are bizarre; some of the stories may make you want to day drink; but all of the stories are true.” –U.S. Sen. John Kennedy on his bestselling book, How to Test Negative for Stupid: And Why Washington Never Will, in The New York Times
