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Save My Louisiana town hall on carbon capture: What the records show

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Save My Louisiana town hall on carbon capture: What the records show
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PLAQUEMINE — A December 2 town hall hosted by Save My Louisiana drew a crowd to Island Golf Course with claims about carbon capture legislation, corporate connections, and pipeline dangers. WBR Independent attended the meeting and spent the following weeks verifying claims made by speakers.

West Baton Rouge Parish President Jason Manola and Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle attended the town hall. The proposed Live Oak CCS Hub project spans both parishes.

The group's core legal arguments about Louisiana's carbon capture laws are accurate. Claims about corporate filings and political connections — initially unverified — have since been confirmed through Louisiana Secretary of State records.

The law is what they say it is

The town hall's central argument — that Louisiana law grants private and foreign corporations the power to take land for carbon capture projects — is correct.

Act 61 of 2020, sponsored by Senator Sharon Hewitt, amended Louisiana Revised Statutes to allow "any domestic or foreign corporation, limited liability company, or other legal entity" engaged in CO2 injection and storage to exercise eminent domain. The law is on the books at R.S. 19:2(12).

Acts 407 and 414, passed during the 2025 legislative session, do require the state Department of Conservation and Energy to give "substantial consideration" to local government comments on carbon capture permits. Governor Jeff Landry's Executive Order JML 25-119, issued October 15, explicitly references this language, calling it Louisiana's "Landowner Bill of Rights for Geologic Sequestration Projects."

The Save My Louisiana lawsuit is also real. The group filed suit November 20 in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge, naming Governor Landry and DCE Secretary Dustin Davidson as defendants. The nonprofit, led by President Gray Musgrove, challenges the constitutionality of six carbon capture laws passed between 2008 and 2024.

Satartia details check out

Speakers repeatedly cited the February 2020 CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi as evidence of the technology's dangers. Those claims are substantially accurate.

Denbury's Delta-Tinsley pipeline did rupture on February 22, 2020, sending 45 to 49 people to hospitals — consistent with the "40-50" figure cited at the meeting. Federal investigators found the company detected the pressure loss immediately but did not contact local emergency responders for more than 40 minutes. First responders were unaware a CO2 pipeline existed in their county. Denbury paid a $2.8 million penalty.

The claim that shelter-in-place was the wrong response is also supported by federal findings. CO2 is heavier than air and accumulates in low-lying areas, making evacuation — not sheltering — the appropriate response.

Other states have pushed back

Claims about actions in other states also held up.

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed HB 1052 on March 6, 2025, banning the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines. The bill passed the state House 49-19 and Senate 23-12.

The Illinois Senate did vote to ban carbon sequestration near the Mahomet Aquifer. It passed unanimously in the Senate on April 10, 2025, then cleared the House 91-19 on May 20. Governor JB Pritzker signed it into law.

One claim requires correction: speakers said CO2 at the ADM facility in Decatur migrated "2,000 feet." EPA findings indicate the migration was approximately 500 feet vertically — still a leak, but not the distance claimed.

Corporate filings verified

The town hall included a video presentation citing Louisiana Secretary of State filings to allege connections between carbon capture advocacy groups and political figures. WBR Independent verified the filings.

MAGA Energy Project Inc. was registered October 23, 2025 as a non-profit corporation. The registered agent is Stephen Gele, a partner at Smith & Fawer LLC in New Orleans. Gele has represented Governor Jeff Landry in prior legal matters, including a 2024 Louisiana Board of Ethics case.

The corporation's listed officers are Raymond Griffin Jr. (President), Amanda Maloy (Treasurer), and Annie Simon Perez (Secretary).

Governor Landry appointed Raymond Griffin Jr. to the Board of Commissioners of the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority on March 1, 2024.

Amanda Maloy is also listed as treasurer of the Louisiana Now Political Action Committee in Federal Election Commission records.

Annie Simon Perez, also known as Annie Perez, owns Perez Management Services LLC, which provides support services for energy projects.

Louisiana Citizens for Our Future was registered August 6, 2025 as a non-profit corporation. Its listed officers are Tanner Johnson (President), Jason Hebert (Vice-President), and Tim Johnson (Director).

Tanner Johnson is a partner at Van Ness Feldman LLP, a law and government relations firm specializing in energy and natural resources. According to the firm's website, Johnson was appointed to the Governor's Advisory Commission for Coastal Protection, Restoration and Conservation by both Governor Bobby Jindal and Governor John Bel Edwards.

Jason Hebert is a political strategist. According to his professional biography, he served as Chairman and Executive Director of the Super PAC supporting Governor Landry's election and has worked as senior political strategist for U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader campaigns.

Tim Johnson is founder and president of TJC Group, a Baton Rouge-based stakeholder engagement firm. The company's clients include ExxonMobil, Shell, BASF, and the Port of New Orleans.

Other claims verified

Dr. John Fleming, Louisiana State Treasurer, is running for U.S. Senate against Bill Cassidy. He announced his candidacy December 4, 2024, criticizing Cassidy's vote to convict President Trump during his second impeachment trial.

The claim that FERC does not regulate CO2 pipelines is accurate. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission explicitly disclaimed jurisdiction in 1979, determining CO2 is not "natural gas" under the Natural Gas Act. This creates a genuine regulatory gap — PHMSA sets safety standards, but no federal agency has siting authority over interstate CO2 pipelines.

The Haynesville Shale sale to JERA is also verified. On October 23, 2025, the Japanese power company announced a $1.5 billion acquisition of the South Mansfield asset in western Louisiana from Williams Companies and GEP Haynesville II.

The bottom line

Save My Louisiana's legal arguments about eminent domain and Louisiana's carbon capture framework are accurate and well-documented. The historical incidents they cite — Satartia, Illinois, South Dakota — are real and substantially as described.

The corporate filings cited in the town hall video are verified through Louisiana Secretary of State records. The individuals named hold the positions and have the affiliations described.

This is Part 2 of WBR Independent's coverage of carbon capture in West Baton Rouge Parish. Part 1 covered the December 4 Live Oak CCS Hub informational meeting hosted by Tenaska. Due to the complexity of verifying claims across multiple states and agencies, the holidays, and illness, this fact-check took longer than anticipated to complete.

WBR Independent attended both meetings to provide residents with coverage of all perspectives on this issue.

Full video of the December 2, 2025 Save My Louisiana town hall is available below.

Sources

Louisiana Secretary of State Corporate Filings

  • MAGA Energy Project Inc., Charter #46715639N, filed 10/23/2025
  • Louisiana Citizens for Our Future, Charter #46605554N, filed 8/6/2025

Governor's Appointments

  • Ray Griffin Jr. appointment to Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority, March 1, 2024

Federal Election Commission

  • Louisiana Now Political Action Committee, FEC ID C00690529

Professional Biographies

  • Van Ness Feldman LLP, Tanner A. Johnson partner profile
  • Jason Hebert partner biography
  • TJC Group, Tim Johnson founder/president
  • Perez Management Services LLC

Louisiana Legislation

Court Records

  • Save My Louisiana v. Landry, 19th Judicial District Court, East Baton Rouge Parish, filed November 20, 2025

Satartia Pipeline Rupture

  • Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) investigation
  • Denbury Inc. penalty: $2.8 million

Illinois Carbon Sequestration

  • Illinois Senate vote, April 10, 2025
  • Illinois House vote, May 20, 2025
  • EPA findings on ADM Decatur CO2 migration

South Dakota Eminent Domain Ban

Exxon/CF Industries/EnLink Louisiana Project

Other Verified Claims

  • Dr. John Fleming Senate candidacy announcement, December 4, 2024
  • FERC disclaimer of CO2 pipeline jurisdiction, Cortez Pipeline Co., 7 FERC ¶ 61,024 (1979)
  • JERA Haynesville Shale acquisition, $1.5 billion, October 23, 2025

Plaquemine Save my Louisiana CCS information Meeting December 2nd Rough Video.

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