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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana Bill Authorizes Parishes to Ban Carbon Dioxide Wells and Pipelines via Ordinance or Election
Last action · May 19, 2026: Involuntarily deferred in committee.Sponsors: Mike Johnson and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Louisiana House Bill 5 allows parish governing authorities and local voters to prohibit , , and carbon dioxide pipelines within their parish boundaries. Under the measure, local bans can be enacted either through a parish ordinance or by a majority vote in a parish-wide election, overriding state-level permitting by the Department of Conservation and Energy.
Gives local governments and residents direct authority to block carbon capture and storage infrastructure projects that would otherwise be approved exclusively by state regulators.
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.
parish governing authorities
Parish authorities gain the legal power to pass ordinances prohibiting carbon dioxide injection wells and pipelines and must handle local option election petitions and results.
qualified electors of Louisiana parishes
Citizens gain the right to petition for and vote in local option elections to determine whether carbon dioxide wells and pipelines are allowed in their parish.
Department of Conservation and Energy
The department's permitting authority is restricted, as it is barred from issuing orders or permits for Class VI wells or pipelines in parishes that enact local prohibitions.
Key Facts
- Parish governing authorities may ban Class VI injection wells, carbon dioxide sequestration, and related pipelines through a resolution or ordinance.
- A parish-wide election on whether to allow or ban carbon dioxide wells and pipelines must be called if requested by a written petition signed by at least 15% of the qualified electors of the parish.
- 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 they are locally prohibited.
- Local option elections cannot be held more than once in a five-year period within the same parish.
Show all 6 facts
- If a parish ordinance and a local election result conflict, the election results govern and cannot be superseded by the parish governing authority for five years.
- Local determinations made under this measure supersede and preempt any conflicting state or local law, regulation, order, permit, or certificate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a parish ban carbon dioxide injection wells or pipelines?
What triggers a local option election under this bill?
Can the state department override a local parish prohibition?
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.
- Jan 23, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 1/23/2026.
- Jan 12, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Jan 12, 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
Show 1 more sponsor
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Transfer of Siting Authority from State to Local Level
The measure shifts ultimate permitting power for certain carbon dioxide infrastructure away from the exclusive control of the Department of Conservation and Energy by establishing a local veto.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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