Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is asking Governor John Bel Edwards and Governor-elect Jeff Landry to support placing a massive, taxpayer- funded, clean-energy project in southwest Louisiana on State land, producing a windfall for Louisiana.
Campbell said developers of the proposed “Project Cypress” carbon- capture facility want to locate their injection well on land owned by Gray Stream, one of the wealthiest men in Louisiana and a member of Landry’s transition team.
“The Stream property is near State-owned land in Vermillion Parish,” Campbell said. “Why not build this project where all the people of Louisiana would benefit, rather than one landowner?”
An attempt to discuss the use of the Stateowned White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area for Project Cypress failed December 7 when a single member of the Wildlife & Fisheries Commission objected. Abbeville alligator farmer Kevin Sagrera defeated an attempt by commission member Joe McPherson to obtain unanimous board approval to discuss White Lake.
Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife & Fisheries manages the 75,000-acre White Lake area. Campbell said the department has already authorized three other carbon-capture projects on State wildlife-management areas.
“This is bigger than one person,” Campbell said. “Carbon Capture is very important to the economy of Louisiana and our environment, and it needs to be done right.
“It is also hugely expensive, which is why the federal government is putting up as much as $600 million to build and operate this facility.