By Emily Burleigh

Leesville Mayor Rick Allen will be in Baton Rouge for several weeks for the upcoming legislative session.

As president of the Louisiana Municipal Association — a group of the state’s municipal governments that aim to represent local governments at the capital – he will be a voice for the organization during the 2025 regular session that convenes on Monday, April 14.

One of the “hot topics” will be carbon sequestration, he said at the Leesville City Council meeting on Monday.

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects have garnered attention over the past months. CCS captures carbon dioxide (CO2) after emission. The CO2 is then either stored or buried underground to keep emissions out of the atmosphere. CCS has been proposed in several parishes, including Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Vernon.

A total of 17 Class V wells – used to inject non-hazardous fluids into or above an underground source of drinking water – test wells have been permitted in Allen, Cameron and Vernon. Three Class V test wells in Allen and Vernon are currently under review.

In October, the council approved an official resolution opposing carbon capture drilling in Vernon Parish, a decision that was motivated by “growing evidence” of negative impacts on the local ecosystem’s health.

A piece of legislation regarding carbon sequestration called HB 4 is on the docket for the upcoming session. This bill – prefiled by Rep. Charles Ownen – would allow parishes to decide if CO2 wells would be permitted in their parish, either by the parish governing authority or an election. Currently, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources makes this decision.

Allen noted that Gov. Jeff Landry has yet to take an official stance on carbon sequestration.

“That time for being quiet is coming to an end. He’s going to have to take a side on that,” he said. “You never want to be on the opposite side of the man who carries the checkbook, but we also have to do what is right.”

He also highlighted legislation regarding 811 training, and permits and building codes. These pieces of legislation will affect rural municipalities without the framework to institute the changes they would bring, he said.

“Those items are going to be crucial to our small communities in Louisiana. As mayor of Leesville and LMA president, I’ll be there to represent us the best I can.”