The Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury is appealing to officials in Washington, D.C., advocating for the elimination of the carbon capture industry’s primary tax incentive.

In a letter presented by the police jury on Wednesday, jurors urged leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the local congressional delegation to abolish subsidies for carbon capture and sequestration projects. citing potential risks to communities and drinking water.

The subsidies, known as the 45Q tax credit, serve as a federal incentive program aimed at promoting carbon capture and storage by offering monetary value ranging from $60 to $180 per meter ton, contingent on the specifics of the project.

The letter describes the subsidies as “wasteful and dangerous,” arguing that public funds should not enable private corporations to profit at the cost of the environment and the community.  It asserts that the known risks of carbon capture and sequestration far exceed any potential benefits.

“We want them to withhold subsidies to these companies because we know it can be a scary thing,” Police Jury President Steve Eastman said. “If we have a leak, it is going to be a problem, and how many people will it affect? We just don’t know.”

Opponents of the CO2 projects argue that these initiatives threaten the Chicot Aquifer, which is the sole freshwater source for southwest Louisiana, providing water to 15 parishes in the region.

Police Juror Byron Buller hopes the letter will send the right message to Washington, D.C.

“We want them to drop the tax breaks they are giving these companies to protect our environment,” Buller said. “We hope (President) Trump will do away with these funds because if they run out of money, they’re going to leave it alone.”

Police Jury Bill Labouve said the federal subsidies are the primary incentive for companies to engage in CO2 projects.

Labouve has raised concerns regarding the potential corrosive effects of CO2 when mixed with water and other chemicals underground, noting that CO2 can form carbonic acid when mixed with water, which is known to corrode steel and concrete.

“That stuff mixed with all the other junk they are putting in the wells causes acid and that eats through the concrete and pipes, leading to leaks and ruptures,” he said. “When it gets in the water we are going to look like Ethiopia and nothing will grow.”

They further added that the severe lack of first responders, emergency personnel, and specialized equipment, is compounded by the absence of corporate responsibility and accountability for reported incidents, which places communities at extreme risk.

The movement to repeal 45Q has received backing from a broad coalition of groups, including the We The People: United On All Fronts; The People Against Carbon Capture and Storage in Louisiana; The Louisiana CO2 Alliance; The Four Winds Tribe Louisiana; The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana; Vernon Parish Cattlemen’s Association and Beauregard Cattlemen’s Association.