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During a fiscal-focused session, like the one lawmakers will convene April 14, the committees that don’t directly control taxing and spending rarely get much attention.
But this year, lawmakers on committees that oversee the state’s natural resources will be in the spotlight as they take on controversial issues that could shape the future of energy policy.
As they have in the past, Senate Natural Resources Chair Bob Hensgens and House Natural Resources and Environment Chair Brett Geymann will take on those challenges as a team. The two have been close friends for 15 years, Hensgens says, and they even held a joint fundraiser this month.
Hensgens says they often play devil’s advocate with each other into the night, tearing down bills until they come up with something they think can pass.
“By the time we get to session, we might not be singing the same song, but we’re singing from the same hymnal,” Hensgens says.
In the lead-up to the session’s kickoff, you can expect to see at least one joint meeting with the two committees along with additional gatherings on the House side.
“We have a lot of new types of energy coming, and they’re coming fast,” Geymann says. “We are trying to stay in front of it.”
Carbon capture
Last year, the Legislature created the basic framework to regulate carbon capture and sequestration.
But that hasn’t quieted critics who are worried about possible environmental risks of CCS. In a House Natural Resources meeting held this week, local officials argued that their budgets ought to see more upside from this new technology.
“We’re trying to generate revenue for the local governments, because they are taking the risk,” Geymann says, adding that additional revenue could have the side effect of quelling some of the opposition.
Another potential issue for legislative action involves what Geymann calls “stranded minerals,” which refers to oil and gas that might be underneath the stored carbon, which makes the oil more difficult and expensive to extract. There is also talk of bills to mandate additional safety requirements or allow parishes to opt out of CCS altogether.
Solar farms
A large working group is working on drafting bills to regulate commercial-scale solar projects. Much of that work involves trying to strike a balance between the rights of property owners where the project is located and the rights of nearby owners and residents who fear their properties could be devalued.
Should nearby owners be compensated? Should the state require bigger setbacks? What about the impact on wildlife habitats?
“Some people don’t want any change, some people want a whole lot of change, and there’s a whole bunch of people in between,” Geymann says. “We really want to have a final product that is the model for the whole nation.”
DENR reorg
Last year, Geymann authored a bill to set in motion a reorganization plan for the Department of Energy and Natural Resources. While DENR Secretary Tyler Gray was not available for an interview this week to talk about the next steps, Hensgens and Geymann expect to revisit that process.
Geymann says he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to discuss it with Gray, but he expects to hear and work to move “some pretty far-reaching” reorganization legislation.
Nuclear power
While a few high-profile disasters have raised serious safety concerns, and critics warn about nuclear waste, proponents have long argued that nuclear power is generally safe and more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels.
The next wave of nuclear power could be small, modular reactors, which require a much smaller footprint and less capital investment. What that might look like in Louisiana could be a topic of discussion at a joint committee meeting next month, Hensgens says, which could lead to proposed legislation.
“It’s just making sure we have the right infrastructure, rules and statutes in place so that they can come, be profitable, be successful, but yet we’re overseeing them correctly,” he says.
Hydrogen
Rep. Joseph Orgeron, who is vice chair for Natural Resources, has launched a Clean Hydrogen Task Force that began meeting last summer, in hopes that Louisiana could be a leader in hydrogen production for energy. While this year may prove to be a little soon for major legislation in that area, the conversation officially has begun.
The regular session is scheduled to run for roughly two months this spring, concluding on June 12.
