A crucial climate technology provokes fears in oil country

Named for the friend of a French king, Louisiana’s Lake Maurepas is a large tidal estuary at the confluence of four rivers, a geographic lace-hole in the boot-shaped state. Today, it’s known mainly for shrimping. But if a company called Air Products gets its way, the 93-square-mile expanse will also be the setting for a mile-deep pool of carbon dioxide, a project aided by the Biden administration’s big bet on carbon capture technology.

Many Louisiana residents are big supporters of the oil and gas industry, but they worry about the...