I am glad people from across the political spectrum are raising concerns about carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS. But this is not some “Democrat Green New Deal” scheme. In DC, CCS was pushed by oil and gas with Republican backing. In Louisiana, it came from the corporate lobby that runs the GOP.

Some environmental groups accepted CCS as part of the Inflation Reduction Act deal to secure historic clean energy investments. Now Republicans are gutting renewable programs while protecting CCS subsidies. Why? Because it is perfect for the industry. They can keep drilling, keep burning fossil fuels, and collect billions in taxpayer subsidies, burying carbon in states like Louisiana where they already pay no property or corporate taxes.

Some sites are planned near aquifers, which puts drinking water at risk. And we are already dealing with oil and gas’s mess: thousands of abandoned wells, wetlands destroyed, fishing spots poisoned, toxic plumes, spills.

I am not taking that on faith. My kids breathe this air and drink this water. They will inherit a hotter, stormier, more expensive Louisiana if we do not change course.

Oil companies knew in the 1970s that their emissions were heating the planet. Their own scientists proved it, and they buried the truth.

The next generation knows change is coming, and delay only makes it harder. Louisiana can lead in clean energy and climate protection. But first, we have to see CCS for what it is: not a real solution, but the oil industry’s latest scam to keep control.