oil
University of Louisiana at Lafayette studies solar farming despite pushback to renewable energy
LAFAYETTE — Just over a mile northwest of the Cajundome is a 5-acre plot of land flanked by neighborhoods of single-family homes and a commercial area to the north — not the type of zone one would normally expect to see a power plant — yet there one is, silently generating enough electricity to run […]
John Bel Edwards signs ‘orphan’ well tax exemption into law
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday signed into law a program to help fix “orphan” oil wells by offering a tax exemption on oil produced from abandoned wells that are reworked to produce again. Lawmakers passed the bill in hopes of resolving the ongoing problem of leaky unsealed oil wells across Louisiana, but one critic […]
Lawmakers hope ‘orphan’ well tax exemption will resolve ongoing problem in oil industry
Lawmakers on Wednesday approved legislation that would establish a program to help fix “orphan” oil wells by offering a tax exemption on oil produced from abandoned wells that are reworked to produce again. While it may resolve the ongoing problem of leaky unsealed wells across Louisiana, one critic pointed out that the legislation simply gives […]
Bill to make Louisiana a fossil fuel sanctuary state signals lawmakers’ discontent with Biden administration
An attorney for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday that a bill to make Louisiana a fossil fuel sanctuary state could jeopardize the state’s ability to enforce environmental programs. There are several federal environmental regulations — including the Clean Water Act and intrastate pipeline safety requirements — that the state is granted primary […]
Bill passes offering $48 million in tax breaks to oil and gas industry
The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would give an estimated $48 million in tax exemptions to the oil and gas industry. House Bill 29, introduced by Rep. Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, would suspend a 12.5 percent severance tax that companies pay on oil and gas extracted from abandoned orphan wells, newly-drilled wells, or old […]
How many burial sites are on the land where Formosa Plastics plans to build?
Rise St. James and Formosa Plastics don’t agree about what’s going to happen in the future. The environmental justice group says air, water and soil quality are already awful in St. James Parish, and, if Formosa Plastics is allowed to build a $9.4B manufacturing complex on the west bank, the environment will become even more […]
State board gives 5 companies $140 million off next year’s property taxes
The Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday approved tax breaks for multiple Louisiana companies worth more than $148 million next year alone under a program critics call “corporate welfare.” Wednesday’s meeting was the first time the board had met for a full agenda since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the state, and the members […]
Louisiana plants claim COVID-19 makes it impossible to monitor pollution
Across Louisiana, people who live in the communities surrounding industrial facilities have often complained that pollution from those plants is responsible for their elevated rates of cancer and respiratory illnesses. And people with weakened immune systems and trouble breathing are particularly vulnerable during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, oil refineries and other industrial facilities are […]