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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana Bill Grants Sabine Parish Authority to Ban Carbon Dioxide Wells and Pipelines
Last action · May 19, 2026: Involuntarily deferred in committee.Sponsors: Rodney Schamerhorn and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
HB 504 authorizes the governing authority of Sabine Parish to prohibit or permit , , and carbon dioxide pipelines within the parish by passing a resolution or ordinance. Under the measure, any local prohibition supersedes conflicting state or local laws and prevents the state Department of Conservation and Energy from issuing related permits.
Residents and landowners in Sabine Parish face potential restrictions or bans on carbon dioxide storage and pipeline projects, as local ordinances would override state permitting authority and invalidate prior site agreements.
- Class VI injection wells are federally and state-regulated wells specifically designated for the long-term underground storage of carbon dioxide. context
- Sabine Parish is located in western Louisiana, and its police jury previously expressed local opposition to carbon dioxide sequestration activities. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Sabine Parish residents
Residents gain local regulatory control over whether carbon dioxide sequestration and pipelines are permitted within their parish borders.
Energy companies and project developers
Developers face potential local bans on carbon dioxide injection wells and pipelines that can supersede previously submitted state permit applications.
Department of Conservation and Energy
The department is restricted from issuing permits or certificates for carbon dioxide sequestration or pipelines in parishes that enact local prohibitions.
Key Facts
- Sabine Parish governing authority is authorized to determine via resolution or ordinance whether Class VI injection wells, carbon dioxide sequestration, and carbon dioxide pipelines may be located within the parish.
- The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy is prohibited from issuing any order, permit, or certificate for Class VI wells, carbon dioxide sequestration, or pipelines in any parish where prohibited by local option.
- Local prohibitions adopted by Sabine Parish become effective immediately upon adoption of the resolution or ordinance.
- Any local determination made by Sabine Parish supersedes and preempts conflicting state or local laws, regulations, orders, permits, or certificates.
Show all 6 facts
- No application, option agreement, site control agreement, or preliminary approval confers vested rights or grandfathered authority inconsistent with a parish prohibition.
- The Sabine Parish Police Jury previously adopted a resolution on March 19, 2025, opposing carbon dioxide sequestration activities within the parish.
Frequently Asked Questions
What power does HB 504 give to Sabine Parish?
Can the state override a local prohibition enacted by Sabine Parish?
Do existing site agreements or pending applications protect a carbon dioxide project from a local ban?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
5 actions- May 19, 2026HouseInvoluntarily deferred in committee.
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
- Feb 26, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 26, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Local Veto Power over State Energy Permitting
The bill establishes a localized opt-out mechanism that overrides the typical centralization of Class VI well and pipeline permitting under the state Department of Conservation and Energy.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 55)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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