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Representatives for Together Baton Rouge, a local network of civic organizations and religious congregations, will host a press conference on Monday morning to voice the organization’s opposition to what they have dubbed a “water grab bill.”
The legislation in question is Senate Bill 432, which was introduced by State Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge. The bill would change who appoints the board of the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District, awarding three nominations to industrial lobbying groups: the Louisiana Chemical Association, the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association and the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association.
Together Baton Rouge argues that the bill poses a significant threat to the primary source of drinking water for 600,000 Capital Region residents, as the board of the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District has the power to regulate industrial use of the Southern Hills Aquifer. The bill also seeks to prohibit the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District from conducting independent monitoring of industrial water usage, the organization claims.
According to Together Baton Rouge, saltwater incursion into the aquifer has been “getting worse for decades … due to the overuse of the aquifer by industry.”
“It’s a bad bill at a decisive time for the future of our drinking water,” says Edgar Cage, the interim leader organizer for Together Baton Rouge.
The press conference will take place at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Louisiana State Capitol.
