This bill amends and reenacts specific sections of Louisiana law regarding landowner liability in relation to carbon dioxide sequestration. It introduces a new definition of "landowner," specifying that it refers to individuals who own land used for geologic storage, injection, or transportation of carbon dioxide, excluding the state and those who operate the storage facilities or generate the carbon dioxide. Additionally, the bill clarifies the responsibilities of storage operators, requiring them to install approved monitoring equipment at storage facilities and establishes that they, along with landowners and other stakeholders, will be released from future liabilities once a certificate of completion for injection operations is issued, except in cases of noncompliance with regulations prior to that issuance.

Furthermore, the bill enacts a new section that limits the liability of landowners, stating that they will not be held liable for any issues related to carbon dioxide simply by virtue of owning the land or entering into contracts for its use in sequestration activities. It also clarifies that this limitation does not affect any existing contractual agreements between landowners and operators of storage facilities or carbon dioxide pipelines. The Louisiana State Law Institute is tasked with making necessary technical changes to the definitions and cross-references in the law.

Statutes affected:
HB937 Original: 30:1104(A)(10)
HB937 Engrossed: 30:1104(A)(10), 30:1109(A)(3)
HB937 Enrolled: 30:1104(A)(10), 30:1109(A)(3)
HB937 Act : 30:1104(A)(10), 30:1109(A)(3)