Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Impacts in the Gulf South
PANEL DESCRIPTION
It’s Not Just Oil and Gas.
Louisiana’s oil and gas infrastructure and economy are well established in both physical buildout and law. New carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects are attempting to use existing oil and gas frameworks to expropriate land for pipelines, establish setbacks and safety standards, and lease public lands. Coastal scientist Scott Eustis of Healthy Gulf and environmental justice attorney Caitlion O. Hunter of RISE St. James will compare and contrast legal and scientific considerations of oil/gas production and CCS management, discuss recent litigation involving eminent domain for CCS pipelines, provide updates on hot topics in the legislative session, and present evidence from a compelling new modeling study of CO2 pipeline ruptures. This multidisciplinary session will highlight the panelists’ diverse work as members of the Louisiana Against False Solutions coalition.
Moderated by Lillie Bracken.
CAITLION HUNTER, RISE ST. JAMES
Caitlion Hunter is the Director of Research and Policy at RISE St. James Louisiana. Their legal practice is focused on environmental justice for fenceline communities in Cancer Alley, and their research involves air toxics, plastic additives, air monitoring, and pervasive heavy metals. RISE St. James, a faith-based fenceline group that works for a just transition as it opposes further petrochemical and industrial pollution for the River Parishes, is currently opposing at least 12 different polluting industrial projects proposed for Cancer Alley, including hydrogen, CCS, ethylene crackers, synthetic aviation fuel, ammonia, and carbon dioxide pipelines. Caitlion leads RISE's litigation efforts and serves as a mentor to law and undergraduate students seeking a career in public interest environmental law and science. Their popular "Chemical of the Month" series provides accessible, peer-reviewed information about the effects of industrial pollution on health and the environment.
Prior to joining RISE St. James, Caitlion worked as a Law and Policy Associate at the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, an Associate at Taproot Earth, and served as a law clerk at the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal. Caitlion earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Mexico, cum laude, and a JD with a certificate in environmental law from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, cum laude, where they served as president of the Environmental Law Society.
SCOTT EUSTIS, HEALTHY GULF
Scott Eustis is the Community Science Director at Healthy Gulf. With an extensive background in wetlands and fisheries research from his Master’s from the University of New Orleans, Scott supports Healthy Gulf’s Science and Water Policy team by analyzing wetlands restoration projects, providing scientific arguments in comments against bad developments and wetlands destruction, and by representing Healthy Gulf in many public forums. Scott has a bachelor’s of science in Ecology from UGA’s Odum School of Ecology, as well as a degree in English from UGA, and spends a lot of his time flying kites for Public Lab and learning about our natural world with the Louisiana Master Naturalists, GNO.