Odd But Interesting: GQP Senate Candidate In LA Staking His Campaign On Opposing "Carbon Capture" Projects
In this year’s race for a seat in the U.S. Senate, one candidate looks to set himself apart among the Republican primary candidates by railing against carbon capture and sequestration. John Fleming, the sitting state treasurer from Minden, has rallied to bring down carbon storage initiatives across the state, hoping to align himself with opponents of the technology from rural communities where such projects are planned and proposed.
A raft of legislative measures have been brought forward, so far unsuccessfully, to require local approval of the drilling wells required to store carbon dioxide underground. Fleming has appeared at hearings to support them. “I think it’s such an awful technology, wasteful and dangerous,” Fleming said in an interview. “I don’t think anybody except the people who stand to make a lot of money see this as a good idea.” Carbon capture and storage projects have created a unique divide among the GOP in Louisiana. Two years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency granted the state authority to permit and regulate the wells drilled to permanently store carbon dioxide underground. The Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy now oversees permitting for these types of wells, and lists 31 applications for carbon storage projects across the state as of December.
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Whether Fleming’s approach will succeed against an incumbent and a Trump favorite is questionable, said Robert Collins, a political analyst and urban studies professor at Dillard University. “I just don’t see it,” Collins said, noting that rural parishes have been more vocal in their opposition to carbon capture projects than urban areas. “It might help him in those specific parishes. But again, I don’ t think it’s a broad enough issue,” at least for now, he said. “In New Orleans, nobody is talking about carbon capture.”
At first glance, Fleming’s political path to his Senate candidacy appears to set him apart from the competition. He’s a physician who completed his residency in family medicine while serving with the U.S. Navy, earning the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Following his medical career, Fleming ran for Congress and held a seat representing Northwest Louisiana for four terms, from 2009-17. In the first Trump administration, Fleming was appointed assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Commerce and then a White House deputy chief of staff. He used that experience to campaign for a statewide office, becoming treasurer in January 2024.
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https://lailluminator.com/2026/05/08/fleming-senate-2/