Nearly five years after a pipeline spewed poison gas across a Mississippi town, federal regulators appeared ready in recent weeks to institute new safety rules aimed at preventing similar accidents across the U.S.’s fast-growing network of carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines.
But the proposed rules, unveiled five days before the end of Joe Biden’s presidency, were quietly derailed during the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term.
A federal pipeline safety official not authorized to speak publicly said the proposed rules were “withdrawn” in accordance with a Jan. 20 executive order that freezes all pending regulations and initiates a review process by Trump’s newly appointed agency leaders. Putting the pipeline rules in further doubt is a Feb. 19 executive order aimed at rooting out all regulations that are costly to “private parties” and impede economic development.
Trump’s choice to lead the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which proposed the rules, is Paul Roberti, an attorney strongly backed by pipeline and energy industry groups. Roberti, who is awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation, oversaw PHMSA’s safety enforcement during Trump’s first term, a time marked by fewer citations and smaller fines than the Obama and Biden administrations.
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Pipeline safety advocates still hope to push the Trump administration to approve the rules, which they say are critically important for reducing the risks of potentially deadly accidents across a growing number of states.
“It’s not dead yet,” said Paul Blackburn, an energy policy advisor for the Bold Alliance, an environmental group that tracks pipeline development. “It can be brought back by Trump, and I think the Trump administration should be pressured to do that.”
The more than 5,000 miles of CO2 pipelines in the U.S. are primarily used for enhanced oil recovery, a process that injects carbon dioxide into old oil reserves to squeeze out leftover deposits. Much of the current and predicted growth of the CO2 pipeline network is linked to the recent boom in carbon capture technologies, which allow industrial plants to store CO2 underground instead of releasing it into the air.
The CO2 pipeline network could top 66,000 miles – a thirteenfold increase – by 2050, according to a Princeton University-led study.
The Trump administration isn’t as supportive of carbon capture, but industry experts say growth will continue as companies try to meet state-level climate benchmarks.
While proponents say carbon capture will help address climate change, transporting pressurized CO2 comes with dangers, especially for rural stretches of the Midwest and Gulf Coast, where the network is concentrated.
CO2 can cause drowsiness, suffocation and sometimes death. Colorless, odorless, and heavier than air, carbon dioxide can travel undetected and at lethal concentrations over large distances.
The proposed rules would establish the first design, installation and maintenance requirements for CO2 pipelines. Companies operating pipelines would need to provide training to local police and fire departments on how to respond to CO2 leaks, and emergency communication with the public would need to be improved.
Operators would be required to plan for gas releases that could harm people within two miles of a pipeline. The proposed rules show that PHMSA finally recognizes that the threats from CO2 pipelines are different from oil and natural gas pipelines, which can spill, burn or explode, but don’t usually imperil people miles away, said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit watchdog group.
“These are relatively strong proposals,” he said. “Would these rules make CO2 pipelines completely safe? No. But it would modernize the pipelines.”
In April 2024, a Denbury carbon dioxide pipeline in Calcasieu Parish ruptured, causing a plume of CO2 to be released along the ground for two hours. Residents in the area were told to shelter in place. (Calcasieu Parish Police Jury)
PHMSA currently has no specific standards for transporting CO2. Rules governing the CO2 pipeline network haven’t undergone significant review since 1991, according to the trust.
The proposed rules apply “lessons learned” from a 2020 pipeline rupture in Sataria, Miss., PHMSA officials said in an announcement on Jan. 15.
The rupture in the small community 30 miles northwest of Jackson forced about 200 Satartia residents to evacuate. Emergency responders found people passed out, disoriented and struggling to breathe. At least 45 people were treated at nearby hospitals.
“I have learned first-hand from affected communities in Mississippi and across America why we need stronger CO2 pipeline safety standards,” then-PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown, a Biden appointee, said in a statement on Jan. 15. “These new requirements will be the strongest, most comprehensive standards for carbon dioxide transportation in the world and will set our nation on a safer path as we continue to address climate challenges.”
Accidental releases have occurred from CO2 pipelines 76 times since 2010, according to PHMSA data reviewed by Verite News. Of the more than 67,000 barrels of CO2 released over the past 15 years, the vast majority – about 54,000 barrels – came from pipelines owned by ExxonMobil subsidiary Denbury Inc.
Denbury operates the 925-mile pipeline network that failed in Satartia and more recently in southwest Louisiana. In April, a pipeline at a Denbury pump station near the Calcasieu Parish town of Sulphur ruptured, triggering road closures and a shelter-in-place advisory. Some residents reported feeling tired and light-headed, but local authorities reported no serious illnesses.
The pump station and pipeline weren’t equipped with alarms or other methods of alerting nearby residents when accidents occur.
Several Sulphur-area residents said they received no notice of the leak or became aware of it via Facebook posts more than an hour after the gas began to spread.
“There should have been alarms, and the whole community should have been notified,” Roishetta Ozane, a community organizer who lives near the station, told Verite in April. “I don’t trust the system we have at all.”
Unless the proposed rules are enacted, similar or worse accidents are likely, said Kenneth Clarkson, the trust’s communications director.
“In the absence of a rule, blatant regulatory shortfalls will remain, leaving the public fully exposed to the risks of CO2 pipelines,” he said.
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Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.
SUMMARY: Be prepared for severe storms later today, especially in San Antonio. Rain chances are low until after lunch but will rise by early afternoon with storms forming in the Hill Country. By late afternoon and evening, there’s about a 70% chance of rain, continuing through midnight. The storms are driven by fronts from the north, ample moisture, and upper-level energy, leading to potential strong to severe storms with gusty winds, hail, and localized flooding. Tornado risk is low but present. Tomorrow will be cooler with lingering clouds, dry conditions, and temperatures around 79°F. More storms are possible next week.
The best odds for rain will be between 7 and 10pm.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Emilee Calametti | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-02 07:00:00
(The Center Square) — Caddo Parish’s 2025 budget addresses a serious issue in the parish, a declining population, and its potential impact on criminal justice issues.
According to the 2025 budget, Caddo Parish population has decreased by 7% in the last 15 years. This decline is largely made up of younger individuals and families.
Due to the population decline, hiring struggles have become an issue, and fewer homes are being built with less business development. With a declining population, tax revenue is also being affected.
“Tax revenue is not growing at the same rate as expenditures, which indicates that, at some point, expenditures will exceed available revenues,” said the budget.
In 2023, the population of Caddo Parish was 233,000. Data USAsays this is a decline from the previous year of about 1.39%. The population dropped from 236,259 to 232,973 from 2022 to 2023. In a recent report from The Center Square, Caddo Parish saw a decrease of more than 11,000 people in the past three years.
Apart from the population dropping in the parish and affecting revenues, criminal justice plays a significant role in the 2025 budget as well.
According to the budget plan, criminal justice expenditures are around 25%. The parish report says that the budget includes a $4.7 million operating deficit in the Juvenile Justice Fund, a $1.5 million operating deficit in the Detention Facilities Fund, and a $4.8 million operating deficit in the General Fund. The deficits are due to cost increases for juvenile services, the Caddo Correctional Center, the district attorney’s Office, and the district court.
Despite a declining population and increase in juvenile costs, the budget accounts for a rise in property tax revenue from the previous year. Property tax revenue is estimated to increase from $51.7 million in 2024 to $58.7 million, a 13.45% increase.
Sales taxes were also budgeted to increase from $1.1 million to $16 million in 2025. The increase is reportedly due to inflation and increased construction.
The parish estimates expenditures for the year to be around $145.5 million.
Emilee Ruth Calametti currently serves as Staff Reporter for The Center Square covering the Northwestern Louisiana region. She holds her M.A. in English from Georgia State University and an additional M.A. in Journalism from New York University. Her articles have been featured in DIG Magazine, Houstonia Magazine, Bookstr, inRegister, EntertainmentNOW, AOL, MSN, and more. She is a Louisiana native with over seven years of journalism experience.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article appears to present a neutral, fact-based reporting style, offering an overview of the 2025 budget for Caddo Parish and its associated challenges. It reports on the population decline, its economic effects, and the budget’s allocation for criminal justice without explicitly endorsing any ideological position or providing commentary that could influence the reader’s opinion. The data presented is balanced and factual, discussing both fiscal deficits and revenue increases. No strong language or framing suggests a clear political bias or agenda, making the article a neutral, centrist account of local government issues.
SUMMARY: Hannah Landon was found guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of obstruction of justice for the death of 6-year-old Bella Fontenelle. Bella’s body was discovered in a bucket outside her mother’s home two years ago. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before reaching the verdict. During the trial, defense arguments questioned Landon’s mental state at the time of the crime, while a state psychologist testified she knew right from wrong. The judge decided not to pursue the death penalty, and Landon faces life in prison with no parole. Sentencing is scheduled for May 7th.
