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Outreach urged for carbon capture
Firm in line for $150K special ed contract State leader put EBR school system under agency oversight
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
BKV Carbon Ventures project manager Spencer Crouch looks at a compression station where captured carbon dioxide is dehydrated and pressurized for storage in a nearby sequestration injection well on May 29 in Bridgeport, Texas. Dustin Davidson, the new secretary of Louisiana’s energy and natural resources agency, is urging carbon capture executives to make greater efforts at outreach to local leaders and the public.
Opposition builds in Louisiana to growing industry BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
A top state official is urging carbon capture executives to make greater efforts at outreach to local leaders and the public, as increasing opposition threatens to derail an industry that Louisiana has sought to embrace. Growing opposition in rural Louisiana has included attempts to pass parish-
wide moratoriums on carbon capture and demands that residents or local governments be allowed to vote on whether to permit the technology, among other grassroots initiatives. Those are “a direct result” of a lack of communication from companies, said Dustin Davidson, the new secretary of Louisiana’s energy and natural resources agency. “I can tell you that a lot of the morato-
riums we’re seeing from different parishes is a direct result of not knowing who these operators are and not knowing who the people are who are coming in and setting up their seismic surveys or their drilling rigs, not knowing what’s going on,” Davidson said on the final day of a three-day industry conference on carbon capture at LSU on Friday.
ä See OUTREACH, page 5A
Public school leaders in Baton Rouge are looking to pay a prominent Boston-based consulting firm up to $150,000 to help it figure out how to exit heightened state scrutiny of its special education services. In spring 2024, state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley designated the East Baton Rouge Parish school system as a “highrisk district,” triggering additional oversight from his agency, including regular on-site visits as opposed to just reviews of paperwork. And in an apparently first-of-its-kind move for Louisiana, Brumley hired Roxane West, a veteran north Louisiana educator, to serve as his “special master” to ride herd over East Baton Rouge’s special education division. Brumley pointed to a series of detailed complaints from parents outlining recurring problems, giving four examples: n Lack of prior written notice to parents about special education issues affecting their children n Failure to approve parents’ individual evaluation requests n Questionable alternate assessment decisions n Concerns with the provision of services. Brumley opted not to set an end date for this heightened scrutiny. About 10% of the school system’s 38,000-plus students have disabilities that qualify them for special services.
ä See CONTRACT, page 5A
Edwards’ staff leader getting new post Administration will look to fill CAO spot
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
Charlie Davis, who has held the top position on East Baton Rouge Parish MayorPresident Sid Edwards’ staff, will soon take on a new role in the office, Edwards’ office an-
nounced Monday. Davis has served as chief administrative officer for the first nine months of Edwards’ tenure. He will take on the title of chief efficiency officer, a new role in the Mayor-President’s Office. Davis was named Edwards’ top staffer in December before he was sworn in to office. In a statement Monday, Edwards said it became apparent that Davis’ skills were needed in a new role for the office.
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with the Metro Council and overseeing city-parish departments. The administration has begun a search to fill the vacancy at CAO. Davis will oversee the effort. Davis said Monday in a statement that Baton Rouge needs to change the way its government operates, and he looks forward to managing that shift in his new role.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Charlie Davis, chief administrative officer for East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ staff, will soon take on a new role in the office, ä See POST, page 5A officials said Monday.
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“Charlie has done a remarkable job as Interim CAO, moving the needle in East Baton Rouge Parish in a positive and profound manner,” Edwards said. “But given the scale of the challenges before us, it has become clear that his talents are needed at a big-picture level — radically reshaping how government operates for the future of our parish.” The CAO has historically been the top role in the office, managing relationships
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