LSU Law Professor Keith Hall holds the Nesser Family Chair in Energy Law at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and also serves as director of both the LSU Mineral Law Institute and the LSU John P. Laborde Energy Law Center.
LSU Law Professor Keith Hall has been granted approximately $98,000 from the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation to study methods for compensating landowners, as well as state and local governments, for carbon capture and storage.
“LSU has a wealth of expertise in the legal, science, social science, and engineering fields, and what’s really exciting about this study is that it will involve an interdisciplinary team of LSU professors from across campus, as well as a graduate student studying economics,” said Hall, who holds the Nesser Family Chair in Energy Law at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and also serves as director of both the LSU Mineral Law Institute and the LSU John P. Laborde Energy Law Center. “This project is an example of interdisciplinary collaboration at its best.”
Hall will lead the study, assisted by Professor Greg Upton, interim executive director of the LSU Center for Energy Studies; Professor Joanna Walker of the LSU Center for Energy Studies; and Professor Daniel Keniston, who serves as director of graduate studies in the Department of Economics at the LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business.
“Carbon capture and storage is a promising technology that can support Louisiana’s existing oil and gas and petrochemical industries,” said Brad Ives, director of the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation. “We’re proud to support Professor Hall’s research into how to best compensate individuals and communities where carbon storage projects might be located. The LSU Institute for Energy Innovation was formed to ensure all Louisianans benefit from the energy transition, and that’s the goal of Professor Hall’s research.”
Hall and his colleagues will begin their work in the coming months by holding meetings with key stakeholders, including private landowners, government officials, and industry representatives. They’ll also review scholarly literature and the modest body of existing laws specific to carbon capture storage and compensation. A preliminary report will be completed by January and circulated to stakeholders, who will provide feedback that will be incorporated into the final report, which is expected a year from now.
“Louisiana is on the forefront of adopting carbon capture and storage technologies as a tool to mitigate climate change,” said Hall, noting Louisiana has granted six leases for carbon capture and storage projects that are currently in the planning stage. “This study will investigate important issues relating to compensation that will help inform landowners and assist local and state governments as they determine how they can be compensated sufficiently to pay for the regulatory apparatus that will be needed to oversee carbon capture and storage.”
Established with a $25 million grant from Shell in 2022, the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation supports and elevates research that fosters economic growth and environmentally responsible energy for all. The core mission of the institute is to bring together scientists, engineers, and public policy experts with industry, government, and communities in Louisiana to work on research, development, and demonstration projects and policy recommendations to secure the state’s energy future in alignment with LSU’s Scholarship First agenda.
The grant secured by Hall is part of $2.8 million in total funding awarded by the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation for 10 research projects led by LSU faculty.
