Allen Police Jury rescinds ordinance regulating carbon capture injection wells

American Press

06-08-2025

Allen Parish police jurors rescinded an ordinance Monday regulating injection wells in the parish while tabling a separate measure opposing Class V and VI injection wells.
During the meeting, Police Juror Joe Perkins opposed rescinding the ordinance despite a federal lawsuit posing a significant financial risk to the parish. Perkins argued the ordinance, requiring parish permits for injection wells, was crucial for safeguarding local residents and should be maintained.
'I'm all for keeping this ordinance into place,' Perkins said. 'The Louisiana Legislature back in the 1800s formed police juries and gave them the privilege and the power to protect the health and safety of their parish. How can they sit there and take this away from us and that's what this ordinance was more or less put there for to protect our people of this parish.'
Despite Perkins' objections, police jurors voted 5-1 to rescind the ordinance, with Perkins casting the only dissenting vote. Police Jurors Roland Hollins and Allen Courville were not present.
The decision to rescind the measure follows a lawsuit filed last month by ExxonMobile Low Carbon Solutions Onshore Storage against the Allen Parish Police Jury and Sheriff Doug Hebert III. The lawsuit alleges the police jury overstepped its authority and that the ordinance is invalid and unenforceable because it conflicts with state regulations, which would delay state-permitted activities. ExxonMobil plans to install state-approved test wells at two sites in Allen Parish.
In an email to the American Press on Tuesday, a spokesperson for ExxonMobil thanked the police jury for rescinding the ordinance.
'We appreciate the Allen Parish Police Jury rescinding the ordinance so we can begin the careful, lengthy process of evaluating if this is the right geology for CCS (carbon capture and storage),' the email read. 'We've met with approximately 200 stakeholders across the parish – listening, learning, and showing up – and we'll continue to do so. CCS protects and grows industry jobs while providing real benefits that stay close to home. It's safe, it's proven, and it helps our communities grow – more tax dollars, more opportunity, and a chance for Louisiana to keep leading the way.'
Hollins said in a recent Facebook post that the police jury has been placed in a difficult position while striving to protect its citizens and children's future. He accused legislators and the governor of prioritizing industrial interests over the well-being of the community, stating they have shown a disregard for landowners' rights and have not acknowledged risks associated with massive CO2 injection wells and pipelines.
'The state officials' commitment to industry is so strong, that they will leave a parish out on an island by themselves to be sued by a major corporation for having to defend their citizens,' Hollins wrote.
He said the police jury took a bold stance to protect land, water, and citizens because state leaders have not. He said police jurors and members of the Louisiana CO2 Alliance will continue to fight against what he views as 'unconstitutional aggression against the citizens rights of Louisiana.'
Additionally, the police jurors chose to table a resolution opposing Class V and VI injection wells in the parish due to the ongoing litigation. The resolution asserts that the wells threaten the community's health, safety, natural resources, and long-term well-being.
Class V wells are primarily used for waste disposal into or above underground drinking water sources, while Class VI wells are used for injecting carbon dioxide into underground rock formations for long-term storage.
Parish Administrator Jacob Dillehay raised concerns about adopting the resolution during active legal proceedings, noting it contains harsh language and names individuals involved in the lawsuit.
'I'm not sure how good of an idea this resolution would be to adopt, given that we are still in midst of that litigation,'Dillehay said.
Police Juror Heath Ardoin supported Dillehay's view, urging the police jury to table the resolution until the lawsuit concludes.
District Attorney Joe Green also advised caution, stressing the need for the resolution to be factual and accurate, and not to overstate anything. He described the proposed resolution as 'very broad' and indicated that it referenced the recent litigation.
Green recommended deferring action until legislative action, or what the police jury wants to see done by the legislature as it affects the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources (LDENR), and until more specific details are available.