CCS Update: Hackberry Carbon Sequestration, LLC Receives Draft Permit for Class VI Well in Cameron Parish

On April 3, 2025, the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (LDENR), Office of Conservation, issued a Draft Permit prepared by the Injection and Mining Division for Hackberry Carbon Sequestration, LLC (HCS) to drill, construct, and operate a Class VI injection well for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide in Cameron Parish, Louisiana (See ORDER NO. IMD 2025-04 GS). The draft permit is the first issued by LDENR since the agency was granted primacy over the Class VI permitting program.

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HCS submitted its application to the LDENR on February 5, 2024, for the drilling and operation of one Class VI injection well in Section 12, Township 12 South, Range 11 West, of Cameron Parish, with a total proposed depth of approximately 10,100 feet below ground level. The base of the lowermost underground source of drinking water at this location occurs at approximately 1,090 feet below ground level, and there are no registered water wells within one mile. In its application, HCS proposes to inject and permanently sequester approximately 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year for an estimated 20 years sourced from Cameron LNG, LLC’s liquified natural gas export facility.

Pursuant to a public notice issued in conjunction with the Draft Permit, the comment period—a timeframe during which interested parties may submit written feedback to the LDENR regarding the Draft Permit—extends from April 3, 2025, to May 6, 2025. After the conclusion of this public comment period, the Office of Conservation will then respond to all relevant comments in a written report. Additionally, the Office of Conservation will hold a public hearing on May 5, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Hackberry Community Center to hear testimony, facts, and oral and written comments related to the Draft Permit.

If issued, the HCS permit will be the first Class VI well permitted in Louisiana since primacy was granted to the state by the EPA in December of 2023. It is important to note, however, that the EPA’s decision to grant Louisiana primacy over the permitting of Class VI wells is the subject of ongoing litigation in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, where environmental groups have asked the court to vacate the delegation of the program. The outcome of this litigation could affect the LDENR’s authority to issue a final permit for HCS to drill, construct, and operate its proposed Class VI injection well.