Bill would change rule for carbon capture projects

Greater compensation for many property owners whose land is taken through eminent domain for carbon capture and sequestration projects is in a proposal at the Louisiana House of Representatives.
House Bill 783 would require landowners be compensated per acre to “no less than the maximum amount paid to any other landowner in that project.”
The bill is applicable for carbon sequestration projects where the gas is put into pores underground, which is the empty space between grains in a sand layer. Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, sponsor of the legislation, told the committee some of these CO2 storage plumes can be up to 20,000 acres. 
The bill is on the House calendar, but a time for debate on it has not been scheduled.
During debate on Monday at the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure, McCormick told the committee that instead of having unelected officials from the state’s Department of Natural Resources writing rules determining compensation for landowners under these projects, his bill would allow lawmakers to provide guidelines for the agency. 
“This is a precedent that needs to be set,” McCormick said. “There’s no doubt some of these plumes are going to be under a small landowner, under subdivisions. What this bill does is protect small individuals."