New Report: Air Products’ Carbon Dioxide Pipeline is Dangerously Close to a School and Neighborhood

Air Products’ proposal for a 38-mile carbon dioxide pipeline—running from Ascension Parish to Lake Maurepas—is coming under new scrutiny for its proximity to Sorrento Primary School and the Orange Grove subdivision situated within ½ mile of the proposed pipeline. 

A new report with modeling simulations shows the school and nearby homes could be blanketed by dangerous levels of carbon dioxide within minutes in the event of a CO₂ pipeline rupture. This conservative simulation assumes that the pipeline leaks CO₂ for only 5 minutes before the shut-off valve completely stops the release. 

A complex computer model was built to simulate a sudden CO₂ pipeline rupture near the school under typical operating and weather conditions for the area. Model simulations are helpful in identifying potential risks, but the exact impacts and where and how long they occur would depend on the specific weather conditions at the time of an actual rupture. Air Products did not provide any modeling for potential breaks in the pipeline, so a pipeline modeling expert was hired by Earthjustice to predict what might happen in the event of a pipeline rupture near the school.

Sorrento Primary School serves more than 600 students Pre-K through 5th grade, and the Orange Grove subdivision encompasses over 30 homes.

“Carbon capture is a dangerous gamble no community should be forced to take. This report should be a wake up call to anyone who wasn’t already concerned about building a carbon dioxide pipeline so close to young children and neighborhoods,” said  Kaitlyn Joshua, an Ascension parish organizer with Earthworks who works to engage parents and residents in the Sorrento area. 

Estefania Aultman, parent of a Sorrento Primary School student had the following to say about how this impacts her and her son: “This project is frightening for our children and our families. No one should have to worry about having these chemicals on their kids’ playground. We deserve clean air and a safe environment for our kids to live and learn!” 

At high concentrations, carbon dioxide displaces oxygen which can lead to health impacts. Health effects associated with the concentration and length of exposure shown in the simulation include shortness of breath, dizziness, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. 

According to Dr. Kimberly Terrell, a Research Scientist with the Environmental Integrity Project, the pipeline location presents an unreasonable risk. “Putting a CO₂ pipeline this close to a primary school is like sending those kids on a plane ride every day with no oxygen masks,” she says. “In an emergency situation, the kids could struggle to breathe.” 

The expert modeler and author of the Air Products’ pipeline rupture report, John Gorman, PhD, also co-authored a peer reviewed simulation-based paper of the 2020 Denbury CO₂ pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi. The rupture sent 45 people to the hospital and over 200 people evacuated. Unconscious people were reported over a mile from the site. Cars stalled without oxygen for combustion, making evacuation and rescue difficult. 

“As a teacher of 38 years, I spent my life in classrooms with children who needed constant care, students with special needs who depended on us to keep them safe every single day,” stated Sharon C. Lavigne, Founder & Director of RISE St. James. “Our students at Sorrento Primary School and River Parishes Community College should never be exposed to this kind of danger from a CO₂ pipeline. The modeling shows how quickly a rupture could threaten their lives. The safety and health of our communities should not be for sale.”   

A public hearing on Air Products’ Clean Water Act and Coastal Use permits will be held today, Tuesday, November 4, at 5pm in LaPlace, Louisiana, at the New Wine Christian Fellowship Church. 

“CO₂ pipelines leak more across the Gulf Coast than other places in the country,” says Scott Eustis, Community Science Director, Healthy Gulf. “The existing system of transporting this highly corrosive material has a major leak every other year. We owe our children so much more than to place a high-pressure pipeline so close to where they learn and play. Louisiana, nationally, is where children are placed close to CO₂ pipelines most often. This must stop now.”  

“Just last week, we were visiting our family’s cemetery, as many Louisianans do this time of year. While there, a chemical leak at a nearby plant forced employees to evacuate and sent members of our group to seek medical care. No parent should have to wonder if the air around their child’s school is safe to breathe,” says Robert Taylor, Founder & Director of Concerned Citizens of St. John. “This report confirms our fears that Air Products’ CO₂ pipeline puts families, teachers, and children in harm’s way.” 

About the expert modeler & model 

John Gorman, PhD, is currently an independent consultant in the mechanical engineering field. Dr. Gorman co-authored a peer reviewed simulation-based paper of the 2020 Denbury CO₂ pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi – the results of which closely matched observations reported in the on-the-ground investigation conducted by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. John has over 60 peer-reviewed published papers, and his research expertise includes, but is not limited to, multidisciplinary mechanical engineering, thermal sciences, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and atmospheric modeling of pollution transport in urban environments. 

Dr. Gorman created a model to simulate a sudden rupture of a high-pressure 24-inch CO₂ pipeline near the Sorrento Primary School and Orange Grove Subdivision using the same pipeline route and basic construction parameters (e.g., pipeline dimensions, pipeline depth, shutoff valve locations, etc.) as that proposed by Air Products. Where there were gaps in data needed for the model, Dr. John Gorman made educated estimates based on his expertise due to the lack of specific pipeline parameter information in Air Products’ permit application materials. In fact, Air Products has provided no information to the school or homeowners about these risks, nor to communities in other populated areas along that 38 miles stretch of pipeline. 

This model simulation assumes valves are shut off 5 minutes after the rupture. PHMSA regulations currently allow up to 30 minutes for valve shutoff time. The longer it takes for the valves to be shut off, the more CO₂ escapes the pipeline into the surrounding air, the higher its concentrations, and the longer people could be exposed to these concentrations. 

The length of time that a person is exposed to high concentrations of CO₂ is important and determines the severity of health impacts. According to the simulation, an individual located at the school could experience concentrations of 50,000 ppm (or 5 percent) for about 10 minutes and concentrations of 30,000 ppm (or 3 percent) for about 20 minutes. These alarming levels exceed the short-term exposure limit of 30,000 ppm for 10 minutes recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH); it is also above the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH)  Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) value of 40,000 ppm (or 4 percent).