Louisiana Farm Bureau Board Discusses Carbon Capture, Eminent Domain, and Private Property Rights at July Meeting

The Richland Parish Farm Bureau board met on July 7 to discuss growing concerns around carbon capture projects in Louisiana, including the use of eminent domain for pipelines that cross private property. Burch Pierce, second vice president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Board, noted that carbon capture first appeared in state legislation in 2009 but saw renewed interest after additional laws were passed in 2020. The Farm Bureau's Solar, Wind and Carbon Committee is actively working on policy recommendations to balance carbon storage and transport with landowner rights. Board members also covered local agricultural education programs, including the 'Ag in the Classroom' initiative and a planned agriculture exhibit at the Children's Museum in Monroe. Other updates included crop certification work by the Farm Service Agency, chip-seal road projects in Richland Parish, and a Membership Monday campaign that added 2,000 new members statewide. The meeting reflects how carbon capture policy is increasingly intersecting with rural land use and agricultural interests at the local level.