Prohibits the ability of private companies to request or exercise expropriation for geologic storage of carbon dioxide

House Bill 671 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 30:1108(C) to establish a mandatory process for expropriation of property related to carbon dioxide storage operations. The legislation requires that any entity seeking to exercise eminent domain authority for geologic carbon dioxide storage must do so through an acquisition agent appointed by the Department of Conservation and Energy. The acquisition agent may be either a department employee or a private entity contracted by the department and must perform all pre-petition procedures required by law. The bill subjects acquisition agents to the same legal requirements applicable to the expropriating authority itself and prohibits them from holding any financial interest in the outcome of negotiations or proceedings. The expropriating authority bears full financial responsibility for the acquisition agent's compensation and all expenses incurred in completing the required procedures.

This legislation directly affects private companies and other entities seeking to acquire property for carbon dioxide storage through expropriation, as well as property owners whose land may be subject to such takings. Under the new framework, these entities lose direct control over the pre-petition acquisition process and must instead work through a state-appointed intermediary. Property owners benefit from the independence requirement imposed on acquisition agents, which theoretically reduces potential conflicts of interest in valuation and negotiation. The Department of Conservation and Energy gains administrative responsibility for managing these transactions, though the financial burden falls entirely on the expropriating authority, creating an incentive to settle disputes efficiently. Local parish courts retain jurisdiction over expropriation hearings conducted in the parish where the targeted property is located.

The legislation operates within Louisiana's existing eminent domain framework established in Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Articles 3421 through 3434, codified in R.S. 19:2, which sets forth standard procedures for all expropriations regardless of purpose. House Bill 671 does not eliminate or restrict the underlying authority for carbon dioxide storage expropriation granted under Chapter 1 of Title 30 but rather interjects a mandatory administrative layer into the pre-litigation process. The requirement that expropriation hearings occur in the parish where property is situated is consistent with Louisiana's general principle that expropriation proceedings be conducted in the territory of the expropriating authority. The independence requirements imposed on acquisition agents reflect constitutional concerns about due process and fair dealing in takings of private property, though this legislation operates entirely within the state's police power to regulate eminent domain procedures.