Class VI wells are used in a process known as carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS. This permit would allow Hackberry to inject up to 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year underground for the next 20 years. The carbon would come from the Cameron LNG export terminal, and support Louisiana’s expanding—and deeply harmful—liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry.
Carbon Capture and Sequestration, or CCS, refers to processes designed to collect or “capture” carbon dioxide generated by industrial processes — such as electricity production or plastics manufacturing – and then transport those captured emissions to sites where they are used or stored underground.
CCS poses significant environmental, health and safety risks to our communities. CO2 is a dangerous asphyxiant and CCS can lead to disastrous pipeline leaks and ruptures, sinkholes, groundwater contamination, and earthquakes. The CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi in February 2020 forced the evacuation of 300 residents and caused 45 people to be hospitalized.
CCS projects have consistently overpromised and under-delivered. Even with profuse subsidies and massive tax breaks, the technology has shown not to be economically viable.
The bottom line: The technology is dangerous, expensive to implement, and has not been proven to work at scale.
LNG, or Liquified Natural Gas, is natural gas primarily composed of toxic methane that has been cooled to a low temperature (-260℉) to turn it into a liquid and make it easier to store and transport. The resulting cryogenic liquid is flammable, explosive, and hazardous.
The fossil fuel industry has been pushing to build dozens of massive terminals to export LNG overseas. These LNG terminals harm local communities and ecosystems through the degradation of essential wetlands and disproportionately target socioeconomically disadvantaged residents. An extensive gap in safety planning and underreporting of incidents emphasizes the need to prioritize proven energy solutions like solar and wind, reinvigorate the restoration of our disappearing coastline, and uplift storm-battered communities into the age of resilience.
More Resources:
Make your voice heard at the May 5 hearing! At the hearing, the Louisiana Office of Conservation will accept public comments —no decisions about the draft permit will be made at the meeting.
Can’t make it to the May 5 hearing? You can still make your voice heard by submitting written comments by Tuesday, May 6 at 4:30pm! You can either email your comments to info@la.gov or mail them to the Office of Conservation, Injection & Mining Division at the address below.
In your comments be sure to reference “Hackberry Carbon Sequestration – Class VI Permit – Docket No. IMD 2025-04”
Approving this permit would further harm residents in Cameron Parish who already face disproportionate environmental and health risks from fossil fuel infrastructure. There are 7 liquified methane gas (LNG) export terminals proposed, approved, or operating in the Calcasieu River area.
LNG exports drive up electricity costs here at home. In December 2024, the US DOE released a report indicating that as the supply of natural gas is liquified and shipped overseas, American gas costs go up, which in turn drives up electricity bills. The more we get electricity from gas, the more exposed we are as we compete for resources on a global scale, and Louisiana is one of the most vulnerable to price spikes in the country.
LNG facilities contribute to wetland and habitat loss, climate change, air pollution, and negatively impact local fishermen. Exposure to emissions from LNG production and fracking has been linked to asthma, cancer, birth defects, and even death. Many of these massive LNG facilities are located near Indigenous, Black, and low-income communities, perpetuating generations of environmental injustice.
A 2024 Sierra Club report found that LNG corporations create so few permanent jobs in exchange for massive tax breaks that every single job costs the local community millions of dollars in subsidies to already-wealthy developers. “For communities situated near LNG export projects, there are few facets of life that are not negatively impacted by these facilities. Yet, local and state officials forgo vast sums of public money in tax giveaways, sacrificing everything from public health to local fishing and tourism industries, in exchange for inadequate promises of jobs or investment,” said Alison Kirsch, Sierra Club senior analyst and report author.
LNG production and CCS both require enormous amounts of water, straining our state’s resources and increasing the risk of groundwater contamination. Louisiana already faces intense flooding, land loss, and heatwaves—we cannot afford to double down on false solutions that make these problems worse.
Last year, for the third year in a row, saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico crept up the Mississippi River, threatening drinking water for thousands in southeast Louisiana. This saltwater wedge appears when river water level is too low to hold back the Gulf, a growing problem linked to drought and climate change. With our state already facing water insecurity, adding more industrial stress only deepens the crisis.
CCS projects have consistently overpromised and under-delivered. Even with profuse subsidies and massive tax breaks, the technologies have shown not to be economically viable. What’s worse? CCS poses significant environmental, health and safety risks to our communities. CO2 is a dangerous asphyxiant and can lead to disastrous pipeline leaks and ruptures, sinkholes, groundwater contamination, and earthquakes. The CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi on February 22, 2020 forced the evacuation of 300 residents and caused 45 people to be hospitalized.
The bottom line: The technology is dangerous, significantly expensive to implement, and has not been proven to work at scale.
Instead of spending taxpayer dollars and time on a failing technology, we should invest in proven and equitable energy solutions like solar and wind and energy efficiency.
Fossil fuel companies are often the loudest in the room, but our regulators need to hear from real people—from Louisianans who care about clean air, safe water, and a livable future.
🗣 Show up at the May 5 public hearing.
📨 Submit a written comment before May 6.
🛑 Say NO to LNG expansion and dangerous false solutions like CCS
We can’t afford to waste any more time or resources on false solutions. Let’s demand our government put our communities—not polluters—at the center of Louisiana’s energy future.
