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rs-title-30•Title 30 — Minerals, Oil, and Gas and Environmental Quality
rs-title-30La. Rev. Stat. tit. 30CodeJan 1, 1900
A. There is established the state Department of Conservation and Energy, hereinafter referred to in this Subtitle as the department. The department shall be directed and controlled by a secretary, who shall be appointed by the governor, with the consent of the Senate.
B. All natural resources of the state not within the jurisdiction of other state departments or agencies are within the jurisdiction of the department.
C. The department shall manage all natural resources within its jurisdiction through the following offices:
(1) The office of permitting and compliance shall oversee all portions of state law within the jurisdiction of the department which relate to the issuance of permits and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements as further detailed by order of the secretary in accordance with R.S. 36:354.1.
(2) The office of enforcement shall oversee all portions of state law within the jurisdiction of the department which relate to penalties and enforcement of violations as further detailed by order of the secretary in accordance with R.S. 36:354.1.
(3) The office of state resources shall oversee all portions of state law within the jurisdiction of the department which relate to management of the state's natural resources, including but not limited to mineral and energy leasing, management of groundwater resources, and energy-related management of state lands and water bottoms as further detailed by order of the secretary in accordance with R.S. 36:354.1.
D. The disposal of any waste product into the subsurface by means of a disposal well and the regulation of all surface and storage waste facilities incidental to oil and gas exploration and production, shall be within the jurisdiction of the department.
Amended by Acts 1959, No. 100, §1; Acts 1965, No. 53, §3; Acts 1970, No. 20, §1; Acts 1975, No. 388, §1; Acts 1976, No. 116, §1; Acts 1976, No. 122, §1; Acts 1978, No. 681, §1, eff. July 12, 1978; Acts 1979, No. 379, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Waste of oil or gas as defined in this chapter is prohibited.
Unless expressly provided otherwise by contract, brine produced incident to the production of oil and gas by the person, including operators and producers acting on behalf of the person, who has the right to drill into and to produce from a pool and to appropriate the production, either for himself or for others, belongs to such person, regardless of whether such brine is saved, retained, used, or sold for the purpose of extracting the constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained in or dissolved in the brine.
Acts 2024, No. 126, §1.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the words defined in this Section have the following meaning when found in this Subtitle:
(1) "Brine" means subterranean saltwater, whether contained in or produced from a reservoir, and all of the saltwater's constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained in or dissolved in the saltwater, including but not limited to lithium, bromine, barium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iodine, or other constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances produced with or separated from the saltwater. "Brine" does not include brine produced as an incident to the production of oil and gas, unless the brine is saved, retained, used, or sold for the purpose of extracting the constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained or dissolved in the brine. "Brine" also does not include underground sources of drinking water or brine created through solution mining.
(2) "Brine production operations" means the exploration for, development of, or production of brine through the use of a well or wells. "Brine production operations" may include the reinjection of the brine, including after possible extraction of any constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained in or dissolved in the brine.
(3) "Department" means the Department of Conservation and Energy, or any successor agency.
(4) "Employee" includes any personnel, classified and unclassified, retained by the department to assist in the performance of duties related to expedited processing.
(5) "Expedited processing" shall mean the processing or review of permits, permit modifications, licenses, registrations, plans, proposals, exceptions, or variances whereby the Department of Conservation and Energy completes its administrative and technical review within a timeline agreed to in writing.
(6) "Field" means the general area which is underlaid or appears to be underlaid by at least one pool. It includes the underground reservoir or reservoirs containing crude petroleum oil, natural gas, brine, or any combination thereof. The words "field" and "pool" mean the same thing when only one underground reservoir is involved; however, "field", unlike "pool", may relate to two or more pools.
(7) "Gas" means all natural gas, including casinghead gas, and all other hydrocarbons not defined as oil in Paragraph (7) of this Section.
(8) "Illegal gas" means gas which has been produced within the state from any well in excess of the amount allowed by any rule, regulation, or order of the department, as distinguished from gas produced within the state not in excess of the amount so allowed by any rule, regulation, or order, which is "legal gas."
(9) "Illegal oil" means oil which has been produced within the state from any well in excess of the amount allowed by any rule, regulation, or order of the department, as distinguished from oil produced within the state not in excess of the amount so allowed by any rule, regulation, or order, which is "legal oil."
(10) "Illegal product" means any product of oil or gas, any part of which was processed or derived, in whole or in part, from illegal oil or illegal gas or from any product thereof, as distinguished from "legal product," which is a product processed or derived to no extent from illegal oil or illegal gas.
(11) "Multiple mineral development area" means an area designated by the department for the management and development of various concurrent surface and sub-surface mineral or resource production or extraction operations, including exploratory activities, for the purpose of efficient and effective development of minerals or resources in the area without unreasonable interference.
(12) "Oil" means crude petroleum oil, and other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, which are produced at the well head in liquid form by ordinary production methods.
(13) "Owner" means the person, including operators and producers acting on behalf of the person, who has or had the right to drill into and to produce from a pool and to appropriate the production either for himself or for others.
(14) "Person" means any natural person, corporation, association, partnership, receiver, tutor, curator, executor, administrator, fiduciary, or representative of any kind.
(15) "Pool" means an underground reservoir containing a common accumulation of crude petroleum oil, natural gas, brine, or any combination thereof. Each zone of a general structure which is completely separated from any other zone in the structure is covered by the term "pool" as used in this Chapter. However, to promote the development and production of marginally commercial sands, a zone may contain one or more common accumulations and the overall stratigraphic interval of the zone may be considered and treated as a pool for all purposes of this Chapter.
(16) "Producer" means the owner of a well capable of producing oil, gas, brine, or any combination thereof.
(17) "Product" means any commodity made from oil, gas, or brine. It includes but is not limited to refined crude oil, crude tops, topped crude, processed crude petroleum, residue from crude petroleum, cracking stock, uncracked fuel oil, fuel oil, treated crude oil, residuum, gas oil, casinghead gasoline, natural gas gasoline, naphtha, distillate, gasoline, kerosene, benzine, wash oil, waste oil, blended gasoline, lubricating oil, blends or mixtures of oil with one or more liquid products or by-products derived from oil or gas, blends or mixtures of two or more liquid products or by-products derived from oil or gas, lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and any other commodity or product made from the brine or any constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained in or dissolved in the brine, whether enumerated in this Paragraph or not.
(18) "Solution mined cavern" means a cavity created within the salt stock by dissolution with water.
(19) "Solution mining injection well" means a well into which fluids, other than fluids associated with active drilling operations, are injected for extraction of minerals or energy.
(20) "Tender" means a permit or certificate of clearance for the transportation of oil, gas, or products, approved and issued or registered under the authority of the department.
(21) "Waste", in addition to its ordinary meaning, means "physical waste" as that term is generally understood in the oil and gas industry. It includes the following:
(a) The inefficient, excessive, or improper use or dissipation of a reservoir; and the location, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing of a well in a manner which results, or tends to result, in reducing the quantity of oil, gas, or brine ultimately recoverable from a pool.
(b) The inefficient storing of oil; the producing of oil or gas from a pool in excess of transportation or marketing facilities or of reasonable market demand; and the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing of an oil or gas well in a manner causing, or tending to cause, unnecessary or excessive surface loss or destruction of oil or gas.
(c) The disposal, storage or injection of any waste product in the subsurface by means of a disposal well.
(22) "Waste product" means any liquid, sludge, effluent, semi-liquid or other substance resulting from any process, whether manufacturing or otherwise.
Amended by Acts 1976, No. 122, §2; Acts 1984, No. 768, §1; Acts 1993, No. 113, §1; Acts 2013, No. 368, §1; Acts 2024, No. 126, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The secretary has jurisdiction and authority over all persons and property necessary to enforce effectively the provisions of this Chapter and all other laws relating to the conservation of oil or gas.
B. The secretary shall make such inquiries as he thinks proper to determine whether or not waste, over which he has jurisdiction, exists or is imminent. In the exercise of this power the secretary has the authority to collect data; to make investigations and inspections; to examine properties, leases, papers, books, and records; to examine, survey, check, test, and gauge oil and gas wells, tanks, refineries, and modes of transportation; to hold hearings; to provide for the keeping of records and the making of reports; to require the submission of an emergency phone number by which the operator may be contacted in case of an emergency; and to take any action as reasonably appears to him to be necessary to enforce this Chapter.
C. The secretary has authority to make, after notice and hearings as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary from time to time in the proper administration and enforcement of this Chapter, including rules, regulations, or orders for the following purposes:
(1)(a)(i) To require the drilling, casing, and plugging of wells to be done in such a manner as to prevent the escape of oil or gas out of one stratum to another.
(ii) To prevent the intrusion of water into oil or gas strata.
(iii) To prevent the pollution of fresh water supplies by oil, gas, or salt water.
(iv) To require the plugging of each dry and abandoned well and the closure of associated pits, the removal of equipment, structures, and trash; and to otherwise require a general site cleanup of such dry and abandoned wells.
(v) To allow for transferrable plugging credits in lieu of the bond with security required by Subsection R of this Section in order to promote the plugging of orphaned oilfield sites and oilfield sites that have been inactive for at least five years. A plugging credit shall be issued for the plugging of orphaned oilfield sites and oilfield sites that have been inactive for at least five years, with the specific requirements and procedures for issuance, transfer, and acceptance of such credits to be developed by the secretary. The regulations shall, at a minimum, provide criteria under which plugging credits may be earned, and require approval by the secretary for the earning, using, banking, or selling of the plugging credits.
(b) Only an owner as defined in R.S. 30:3 shall be held or deemed responsible for the performance of any actions required by the secretary.
(2) To require the making of reports showing the location of all oil and gas wells, and the filing of logs, electrical surveys, and other drilling records.
(3) To prevent wells from being drilled, operated, and produced in a manner to cause injury to neighboring leases or property.
(4) To prevent the drowning by water of any stratum or part thereof capable of producing oil or gas in paying quantities, and to prevent the premature and irregular encroachment of water which reduces, or tends to reduce, the total ultimate recovery of oil or gas from any pool.
(5) To require the operation of wells with efficient gas-oil ratios, and fix these ratios.
(6) To prevent blow outs, caving and seepage in the sense that conditions indicated by these terms are generally understood in the oil and gas business.
(7) To prevent fires.
(8) To identify the ownership of all oil or gas wells, producing leases, refineries, tanks, plants, structures, and all storage and transportation equipment and facilities.
(9) To regulate the shooting and chemical treatment of wells.
(10) To regulate secondary recovery methods, including the introduction of gas, air, water, or other substance into producing formations.
(11) To limit and prorate the production of oil or gas or both from any pool or field for the prevention of waste.
(12) To require, either generally or in or from particular areas, certificates of clearance or tenders in connection with the transportation of oil, gas, or any product.
(13) To regulate the spacing of wells and to establish drilling units, including temporary or tentative spacing rules and drilling units in new fields.
(14) To require interested persons to place uniform meters of a type approved by the secretary wherever the secretary designates on all pipelines, gathering systems, barge terminals, loading racks, refineries, or other places necessary or proper to prevent waste and the transportation of illegally produced oil or gas. These meters shall be under the supervision and control of the department of conservation. It shall be a violation of this Chapter, subject to the penalties provided in R.S. 30:18, for any person to refuse to attach or install a meter when ordered to do so by the secretary, or in any way to tamper with the meters so as to produce a false or inaccurate reading, or to have any device through which the oil or gas can be passed around the meter, unless expressly authorized by written permit of the secretary.
(15) To require that the product of all wells shall be separated into so many million cubic feet of gaseous hydrocarbons and barrels of liquid hydrocarbons, either or both, and accurately measured wherever separation takes place. Gaseous hydrocarbon measurement shall be corrected to ten ounces above atmospheric pressure. Liquid hydrocarbons shall be measured into barrels of forty-two gallons each. Both measurements shall be corrected to sixty degrees fahrenheit.
(16)(a) To regulate by rules, the drilling, casing, cementing, disposal interval, monitoring, plugging and permitting of disposal wells which are used to inject waste products in the subsurface and to regulate all surface and storage waste facilities incidental to oil and gas exploration and production, in such a manner as to prevent the escape of such waste product into a fresh groundwater aquifer or into oil or gas strata; may require the plugging of each abandoned well or each well which is of no further use and the closure of associated pits, the removal of equipment, structures, and trash, and other general site cleanup of such abandoned or unused well sites; and may require reasonable bond with security for the performance of the duty to plug each abandoned well or each well which is of no further use and to perform the site cleanup required by this Subparagraph. Only an owner as defined in R.S. 30:3(8) shall be held or deemed responsible for the performance of any actions required by the commissioner.
(b)(i) Provided that before a permit to operate a new commercial operations' waste disposal well may be granted, a public hearing shall be held on the application for a permit, and shall fix the date, time, and place therefor. The operator or owner, prior to such public hearing, shall give public notice on three separate days within a period of thirty days prior to the public hearing, with at least five days between each publication of the notice, both in the official state journal and in the official journal of the parish in which the well is to be located, that application for a permit for a new commercial operations' waste disposal well has been made and that a public hearing on the matter will be held on the date and at the time and place which shall be stated in the public notice. The secretary shall prescribe the form of the advertisement. In addition, the applicant for a permit shall place an advertisement in the same newspapers but not in the classified advertisement or public notice section of the newspapers, in a form which shall be not less than one-half page in size and printed in bold face type; which shall inform the public that application for a permit has been made for a new commercial operations' waste disposal well and that a public hearing, at which all interested persons are charged to be present and to present their views and which shall state the date, time, and place at which the meeting will be held. The content of both the public notice and the one-half page announcement or advertisement also shall include the name of the owner or operator; location of the proposed well, materials to be disposed in the well, and a statement that comments may be sent to the secretary prior to the public meeting.
(ii) "Commercial operations" as defined in this Section pertains to those who dispose of waste materials off the site where produced by others. "Waste materials" is defined as any material, excluding drilling muds, produced waters and crude oil residues, for which no use or reuse is intended and which is to be discarded.
(c) However, no rule, regulation, or order authorized by this Paragraph shall regulate the hours of operation or receiving of offsite treatment, storage, and disposal facilities for waste material as defined in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph.
(17)(a) To regulate the construction design and operation of pipelines transmitting carbon dioxide to serve secondary and tertiary recovery projects for increasing the ultimate recovery of oil or gas, including the issuance of certificates of public convenience and necessity for pipelines serving such projects approved hereunder.
(b) No person shall exercise the right of expropriation under the laws of this state in connection with the construction or operation of such a carbon dioxide pipeline until the enhanced recovery project has been approved by the secretary and a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the pipeline has been issued. If the enhanced recovery project is located in another state or jurisdiction, the secretary's approval shall consist of confirmation that the applicable regulatory authority of that state or jurisdiction has approved or authorized the injection of carbon dioxide in association with such project.
(18) To regulate brine production operations.
(19) To designate an area within the state as a multiple mineral development area for purposes of brine production operations.
(20) To adjudicate and determine multiple mineral development conflicts among brine production operations if any of the following circumstances exist:
(a) There is potential injury to other mineral deposits or mineral development in or beneath the property affected.
(b) There are simultaneous or concurrent operations conducted by other mineral owners or lessees affecting the property.
(21) To require reporting of the production of oil, gas, and condensate on an individual well-basis.
D. The secretary may make, after notice and public hearing as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary:
(1) To require that all pipelines, all wells, and all associated structures, including any fittings, tie-overs, appliances, and equipment, which are constructed on state water bottoms pursuant to the grant of a right-of-way by the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy or the issuance of a lease by the State Mineral and Energy Board shall conform to the following provisions:
(a) The owner or operator of a pipeline constructed on a right-of-way granted on state water bottoms shall be responsible for burying the line to a depth consistent with regulations promulgated by the office of conservation and for maintaining it at said depth to the extent feasible and practical, as determined by the secretary, taking into account the changes wrought by natural forces.
(b) Upon abandonment of a pipeline, well, or associated structure, the owner or operator thereof shall be responsible for removing any related object above the mudline which may unduly interfere with other uses of state waters or water bottoms, including navigation or fishing, or shall adequately mark any such objects above the mudline for the duration of the obstruction according to regulations of the United States Coast Guard and regulations promulgated by the secretary. If necessary for environmental reasons or to prevent undue interference with other uses of state waters or water bottoms, the owner of an abandoned buried pipeline, well, or associated structure; an abandoned pipeline, well, or associated structure; or portions thereof shall cause removal of that which constitutes an obstruction or hazard to navigation or fishing, as determined necessary by the secretary.
(c) If an inspection by the department discloses an exposed pipeline, the owner thereof shall be required to rebury the line at its original depth, to the extent feasible and practical, to remove the pipeline, or to install and maintain for the duration of the line adequate marking in accordance with rules and regulations of the United States Coast Guard, United States Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Conservation and Energy. The appropriate course for such remedial action shall be made by the secretary after a public hearing taking into account environmental issues and other issues.
(d) If determined by the governor and the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy to be in the best interests of the state, the owner or operator of a pipeline, well, or associated structure shall not be required to have it removed but shall be required to adequately mark any object above the mudline for the duration of the obstruction according to regulations of the Coast Guard and of the secretary.
(e) At regular intervals subsequent to the abandonment of any pipeline, well, or associated structure constructed on a right-of-way or lease established on state waterbottoms, the owner or operator of such facility may cause and be responsible for inspection of that property if the secretary requires it to ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations of state and federal agencies. The secretary may require an inspection if he determines that the public interest requires that an inspection is necessary.
(f) A person shall not construct any pipeline, well, or associated structure on a right-of-way or lease established on state waterbottoms unless he has obtained a permit from the secretary prior to the initiation of construction.
(g) An owner or operator of any pipeline, well, or associated structure constructed on state water bottoms pursuant to a right-of-way or lease shall report to the secretary any activities, incidents, developments, or accidents creating an obstruction to navigation or fishing, and any permanent abandonments.
(2) To require that all field transmissions, flow, and gathering lines constructed on state water bottoms pursuant to the grant of a right-of-way by the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy or the issuance of a lease by the State Mineral and Energy Board shall meet all requirements of the United States Army Corps of Engineers for burial and shall be located, installed, marked, and maintained in a proper manner, to be approved by the secretary, so as to minimize undue interference with persons making other uses of state waters or water bottoms, including mariners and fishermen.
(3) To require that all equipment, machinery, and materials associated with the construction, operation, maintenance, or abandonment of all pipelines, including field transmission, flow, and gathering lines; all wells; and all associated structures, which are constructed on state water bottoms pursuant to the grant of a right-of-way by the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy or the issuance of a lease by the State Mineral and Energy Board shall conform to the following provisions:
(a)(i) The owner or operator of a pipeline, well, or associated structure constructed on a right-of-way or lease upon state waterbottoms shall cause and be responsible for inspection of that property if the secretary requires it to determine whether any equipment, machinery, or material associated with activity on the lease or right-of-way, including sunken boats and barges, has been discarded or abandoned above the mudline. The secretary shall require an inspection if he determines that the public interest requires that an inspection is necessary.
(ii) If the inspection reveals any equipment, machinery, or material above the mudline, the owner shall be responsible for its removal to avoid its constituting an obstruction which may unduly interfere with other uses, including navigation or fishing. However, the secretary may by rule grant exceptions or variances from this requirement if the location of the equipment, machinery, or material would cause removal to be extraordinarily onerous or impractical. Moreover, removal shall not be required if the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy determines that in the best interests of the state removal shall not be required. However, the owner shall be required to mark the equipment, machinery, or material above the mudline for the duration of the obstruction according to regulations of the Coast Guard and the secretary.
(b) The owner or operator of any pipeline, well, or associated structure shall promptly notify and report to the secretary concerning any discarded or abandoned equipment, machinery, or materials, including sunken barges and boats, known to be remaining on state waterbottoms as a result of activities conducted pursuant to a state right-of-way or lease. He shall also report to the secretary the removal of any such equipment, machinery, or materials.
(4) The provisions of this Subsection shall be limited in their scope and application to those leases and rights-of-way existing on state waterbottoms within the area delineated by the coastal zone of Louisiana as described in R.S. 49:213.4.
(5) To provide that the office of conservation shall conduct such inspections as the secretary may deem necessary or appropriate in carrying out the provisions of this Subsection.
(6) To provide appropriate procedure, including public notice, comment, and hearing requirements, for implementation of this Subsection.
E. The secretary shall make, after notice and public hearing as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary to require that all other pipelines not covered by Subsection D of this Section, together with any fittings, tie-overs, appliances, and equipment, which are constructed in this state shall be buried, maintained, or removed from the right-of-way or lease according to the following provisions: (1) Pipelines in active use and those not in active use but whose owner anticipates reuse shall be buried to a depth consistent with regulations promulgated by the department and shall be maintained during the course of the useful and active life of the lines at a depth determined by the secretary to be substantially equivalent to the original depth of burial. The secretary may by rule grant such exceptions or variances from this provision as may be necessary for pipelines buried under navigable streams or water bottoms as provided for in Subsection D of this Section.
(2) When a pipeline is abandoned, the secretary shall make a preliminary investigation to determine if the line, or any portion thereof, constitutes an obstruction which may unduly interfere with other uses of state waters or water bottoms, or if allowed to remain in its present state will constitute such an obstruction. If the initial determination of the secretary is that corrective action or removal of the pipeline, or any portion thereof, is necessary to eliminate or prevent the obstruction and if the owner of the pipeline does not agree with the secretary's determination and to abide by it, the secretary shall call a public hearing for the purpose of determining finally what action, if any, he will require the owner of the pipeline to take.
(3) Field transmission, flow and gathering lines shall be installed, located, marked, maintained, and removed in a proper manner, to be approved by the secretary, so as to minimize undue interference with persons, including mariners and fishermen, making other uses of state waters or water bottoms.
F. For the purposes of Subsection E of this Section, the word "pipeline" shall mean all intrastate pipelines used in the transportation of oil and gas, including byproducts and waste therefrom, but shall not include field transmission, flow, and gathering lines, except as provided in Paragraph (E)(3) of this Section. The secretary may require each pipeline operator to inspect the line; however, the secretary may by rule grant such exceptions or variances from this requirement as may be necessary for pipelines buried or installed in locations where such a requirement would be extraordinarily onerous or impractical.
G. The Department of Conservation and Energy, through the secretary, shall implement the provisions of Subsections D, E, and F of this Section as to interstate pipelines insofar as those requirements may be consistent with the regulations for interstate pipelines adopted by the United States Department of Transportation. In such event, the office shall further implement the provisions of Subsections D, E, and F of this Section insofar as those requirements may be consistent with the regulations for interstate pipelines adopted by the United States Department of Energy.
H. Any pipeline owner required to construct a levee, dam, or weir in connection with a pipeline, shall maintain that levee, dam, or weir in a condition as near as practicable to its original condition, however, the secretary may grant such exceptions or variances from this requirement if he determines that maintenance of the dam, levee, or weir no longer serves the purposes intended and will not serve to protect the environment of the area. The secretary may require the owner to inspect the levee, dam, or weir on a periodic basis and to file reports of such inspections. The secretary may order the removal or alteration of any such dam, levee, or weir when he determines that such action is necessary to avoid undue interference with persons making other uses of state waters or water bottoms.
I. The secretary shall make, after notice and public hearing as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary to control the offsite disposal at commercial facilities of drilling mud, saltwater and other related nonhazardous wastes generated by the drilling and production of oil and gas wells. Such regulations shall contain provisions identifying the waste materials to be regulated. Such regulations shall at a minimum require:
(1) Every person who intends to open and operate a new offsite commercial facility for the disposal of nonhazardous wastes produced in oil and gas drilling operations shall file an application with the department for a permit to conduct such operation.
(2) At least thirty days prior to filing such application with the office, the applicant shall publish a notice of intent to file the application, which notice shall contain sufficient information to identify the applicant, the proposed site at which disposal operations will occur, the nature and content of the waste streams to be disposed of, and the method of disposal to be used. Such notice shall be published on three separate days in the official journal of the parish in which the proposed facility will be located, and in the official journal of the state, not less than one quarter of a page in size and printed in boldface type.
(3) Upon notice to the applicant by the department that the application is complete, the applicant shall file with the local governing authority of the parish in which the proposed facility is to be located, six copies of the complete application.
(4) Upon acceptance of the application as complete, the department shall publish in the next available issue of the Louisiana Register, a notice of the filing and the location, date and time of a public hearing to be held in the affected parish, which hearing shall not be less than thirty days from the date of notice in the Register. The applicant shall publish a substantially similar notice in the official journal of the parish affected on three separate days at least fifteen days prior to the date set by the department for such public hearing. Such notice shall be not less than one quarter page in size in boldface type.
(5) The public hearing shall be fact-finding in nature and shall not be subject to the procedural requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act relative to rulemaking or adjudication, provided that the department shall allow any interested person to present testimony, facts or evidence related to the application, and shall make a record of the hearing.
(6) Standards applicable to generators of such waste materials.
(7) Criteria for the location, design and operation of commercial offsite disposal facilities.
(8) A manifest system for all wastes transported from site of generation to a commercial offsite disposal facility.
(9) The closure of all commercial offsite disposal facilities in a manner approved by the secretary to insure protection of the public and the environment.
(10) Bonding to insure the adequate closure of any commercial offsite disposal facility.
(11) Evidence of financial responsibility acceptable to the secretary for any liability for damages which may be caused by the escape or discharge of waste materials from a commercial offsite disposal facility.
(12) All existing commercial offsite disposal facilities to comply with the criteria in such regulations within a specified time.
J. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, the department shall require all abandoned well and platform locations on state water bottoms in the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent bays and inlets to be cleared of all related obstructions by the owner of such facilities and that such clearance be verified at the cost of such owner. The clearance and verification requirements and procedures shall be substantially the same, where applicable, as those required by the United States Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service for abandoned oil and gas structures in the Gulf of Mexico. Such clearance and verification requirements shall take into account the different characteristics of the water bodies from which the obstructions are to be removed. The department shall adopt rules to implement this Subsection no later than January 1, 1992. The provisions of this Subsection and the rules adopted pursuant thereto shall supersede any conflicting provision of law, particularly Subsections D, E, F, G, and H of this Section.
K. The secretary shall not authorize or issue any permit which allows the use or withdrawal of three million gallons or more of ground water per day from the Chicot aquifer that shall be injected into the subsurface in a parish whose population is more than seventy thousand and less than seventy-five thousand.
L.(1) The secretary shall make, after notice and hearings as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary to require the operator of a well, which utilizes the application of fluids with force or pressure in order to create artificial fractures in the formation for the purpose of improving the capacity to produce hydrocarbons, to report no later than twenty days following the completion of hydraulic fracturing stimulation operations and in a manner determined by the secretary the following:
(a) The type and volume of the hydraulic fracturing fluid.
(b) A list of additives used, including the specific trade name and the supplier of the additive.
(c) A list of ingredients contained in the hydraulic fracturing fluid, the associated CAS registry number, and the maximum concentration of each ingredient in percent by mass that is subject to the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2). Such rules, regulations, and orders shall provide for an ingredient that is subject to trade secret protection under the criteria set forth in 42 U.S.C. 11042(a)(2), and require the operator to provide the contact information of the entity claiming trade secret protection for a listed product and to report, at a minimum, in such cases the chemical family associated with such ingredient. An operator will not be responsible for reporting information that is not provided to the operator due to a claim of trade secret information.
(2) Nothing in this Subsection shall authorize any person to withhold information which is required to be disclosed by state or federal law.
(3) Any information provided pursuant to the provisions of this Subsection shall be subject to examination and reproduction as provided by the Public Records Law, R.S. 44:1 et seq., or any other applicable law.
(4) The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to operations conducted solely for the purposes of sand control or reduction of near wellbore damage.
M. The secretary shall make, after notice and hearing as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary to control the drilling, operating, and plugging of solution mining injection wells, the permitting of such wells, and the resulting solution mined cavern. Such rules and regulations shall be adopted pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act and shall provide for but not be limited to the following:
(1) Submission of site assessments and updated site assessments to include a geological, geomechanical, and engineering assessment of stability of salt stock and overlying and surrounding sediment based on past, current, and planned well and cavern operations.
(2) Submission of the locations of caverns and proposed caverns in relation to other caverns, including solution caverns, disposal caverns, and storage caverns, and the periphery of the salt stock provided on maps and cross-section depictions based upon best available information and updated at least every five years.
(3) Notification by the operator to the department of a solution mining injection well inactivity or conclusion of mining operations.
(4) Setback distance locations for new caverns in relation to the periphery of salt stock.
(5) Enhanced monitoring plan implementation for any existing caverns within the mandatory setback distance locations.
(6) Permit requirements that include the following:
(a) Assistance to residents of areas deemed to be at immediate potential risk in the event of a sinkhole developing or other incident that requires an evacuation.
(b) Reimbursement to the state or any political subdivision of the state for reasonable and extraordinary costs incurred in responding to or mitigating a disaster or emergency due to a violation of this Subsection or any rule, regulation, or order promulgated or issued pursuant to this Subsection. The costs shall be subject to approval by the director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness prior to being submitted to the permittee for reimbursement. The payments shall not be construed as an admission of responsibility or liability for the emergency or disaster. The Department of Conservation and Energy is hereby authorized to adopt rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to collect reimbursement under this Section.
(c) Reimbursement to any person who owns noncommercial residential immovable property located within an area under a mandatory or forced evacuation pursuant to R.S. 29:721 et seq. for a period of more than one hundred eighty days, without interruption due to a violation of this Subsection, or any rule, regulation, or order promulgated or issued pursuant to this Subsection. The offer for reimbursement shall be for the replacement value of the property based on an appraisal by a qualified professional. The replacement value of the property shall be calculated based on the estimated value of the property prior to the time of the incident resulting in the declaration of the disaster or emergency. The reimbursement shall be made to the property owner within thirty days after notice by the property owner to the permittee indicating acceptance of the offer and showing proof of continuous ownership prior to and during an evacuation lasting more than one hundred eighty days, provided that the offer for reimbursement is accepted within thirty days of receipt, and transfers the immovable property free and clear of any liens, mortgages, or other encumbrances to the permittee.
(7) Criteria considered when deciding whether to approve the implementation of the closure plan for a solution mining injection well.
(8) Submission and maintenance of an updated post-closure plan to include subsidence monitoring, corrective action, and site remediation, as may be necessary following plugging and closure.
(9) Evidence of financial security to be maintained for closure and post-closure costs.
(10) Department protocols to ensure that production and well information from all oil and gas activity within the vicinity of a salt dome shall be considered during the permitting process for any solution mine permit.
N. Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
O.(1) No permit to drill or operate a new solution-mined cavern, or expand or convert an existing solution-mined cavern in Iberia Parish may be issued until after a public hearing is held no earlier than August 15, 2015, on the application for the permit. The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations to provide for such public hearings and shall fix the date, time, and place therefor. The operator or owner, prior to such a public hearing, shall give public notice on three separate days within a period of thirty days prior to the public hearing, with at least five days between each publication notice, both in the official state journal and in the official journal of the parish in which the well is to be located.
(2) At least thirty days prior to such public hearing on a permit to expand or convert an existing solution-mined cavern or to drill and operate a new solution-mined cavern in Iberia Parish, the permit applicant shall submit a report to the secretary, to Save Lake Peigneur, Inc., and to the governing authority of Iberia Parish. The report shall provide a baseline analysis of groundwater levels and salt content in the nearby groundwater wells that can be accessed for such analysis; a plan to monitor groundwater levels and salt water content for the duration of the activity for the creation of cavern storage should a permit be granted; a geologic analysis by a qualified third party geologist that examines the integrity of the salt dome; and the results of an analysis of testing that attempts to determine the source and composition of intermittent foaming or bubbling appearing in Lake Peigneur.
(3) No permit to expand or convert an existing solution-mined cavern or to drill and operate a new solution-mined cavern in Iberia Parish shall be issued prior to January 31, 2016.
(4) The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to any activity or operation related to safety, maintenance, inspection, testing or regulatory compliance, when necessary, or when required by regulators.
P. The secretary has the authority to promulgate rules and regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act to regulate the location, construction, operation, and maintenance of a liquefied natural gas facility within the state.
Q.(1)(a) The secretary is authorized to develop and implement a program of expedited processing or review of permits, modifications, licenses, registrations, plans, proposals, exceptions, or variances and related correspondence for applicants who may request such services.
(b)(i) In addition to any fees provided by law or regulation, an expedited processing fee shall be charged to each applicant whose request for expedited processing is granted.
(ii)(aa) The expedited processing fee shall be equal to the direct cost incurred by the department for the expedited processing or review, including each overtime hour, or portion thereof, that any employee devotes to the expedited processing or review, at a rate not to exceed one-and-one-half times the standard hourly wage, including related benefits, of the highest paid eligible employee needed for the review.
(bb) In addition, the department shall assess an administrative surcharge of up to twenty percent of the total overtime cost, which shall be no less than five hundred dollars.
(iii) This fee does not include any costs for mailing or delivery services beyond the department's normal level of service. If additional or expedited shipping is requested, those costs shall be borne by the applicant.
(iv) The expedited processing fee shall be waived if the need for the expedited processing is caused solely by an error, mistake, or delay on the part of the department.
(2) The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this Subsection. The rules shall, at a minimum, specify:
(a) The procedure for requesting expedited processing.
(b) The procedure for the department to approve or deny a request for expedited processing.
(c) A timeline for the administrative and technical review portion of the expedited processing.
(d) The method of providing public notice of Subparagraphs (a) through (c) of this Paragraph through posting on the department's website.
(e) All documentation required to implement this Subsection, including but not limited to necessary forms, costs statements, and schedules.
(f) A process for the applicant to claim portions of the records submitted to the department pursuant to this Subsection as confidential, proprietary, or trade secret or otherwise exempt from public disclosure in accordance with the Public Records Law. At least three days prior to their release, the department shall notify the applicant of any public records request for records submitted to the department pursuant to this Subsection and claimed by the applicant as confidential, proprietary, trade secret, or otherwise exempt from public disclosure in accordance with the Public Records Law.
(3) An applicant for the issuance, review, or approval of any permit, modification, license, registration, plan proposal, exception, or variance under the jurisdiction of the department may request expedited processing.
(4) The secretary may decline, or revoke when previously approved, any request for expedited processing with written reasons subject to reconsideration for up to ten calendar days.
(5) The expedited processing timeline commences on the date the secretary grants the request for expedited processing. Expedited processing shall be deemed complete when the final decision is transmitted in writing or when the department notifies the applicant that a decision is ready.
(6) The First Circuit Court of Appeal shall have jurisdiction over a request for judicial review of a decision by the department pursuant to this Subsection. Judicial review pursuant to this Paragraph shall be subject to the provisions of R.S. 30:12.
R. The secretary shall make, after notice and public hearings as provided in this Chapter, any rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary to require reasonable bond with security for the performance of the duty to plug each dry and abandoned well and the closure and to perform the site cleanup required by Item (C)(1)(a)(iv) of this Section. The rules, regulations, and orders may classify based on location of the well and shall provide for the following exceptions from the reasonable bond and security requirement:
(1) Wells exempt prior to September 1, 2015, that remain with the operator of record as of that date.
(2) Wells utilizing plugging credits pursuant to Item (C)(1)(a)(v) of this Section.
(3) Wells exempt pursuant to R.S. 30:4.3(C).
S. To enforce the provisions of Part VIII of Chapter 8 of Title 40, R.S. 40:1749.11 et seq., the Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention Law, as it pertains to the prevention of damage to pipelines.
T. In addition to the requirements set forth in Subsection R of this Section, an organization seeking to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement with the secretary to assist with plugging orphaned wells, in order to alleviate the burden on operators in meeting financial security requirements, shall include in the cooperative endeavor agreement a provision that allows full access to their operations and financial records for the purpose of any audit conducted by the legislative auditor.
Acts 1976, No. 122, §3; Acts 1979, No. 378, §1; Acts 1979, No. 461, §1; Acts 1979, No. 674, §1; Acts 1980, No. 804, §1; Acts 1981, No. 760, §2; Acts 1983, No. 664, §1, eff. July 21, 1983; Acts 1985, No. 242, §1, eff. July 6, 1985; Acts 1990, No. 192, §1; Acts 1991, No. 957, §1; Acts 1999, No. 618, §1; Acts 2007, No. 428, §2, eff. July 11, 2007; Acts 2008, No. 241, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2012, No. 812, §1; Acts 2013, No. 220, §11, eff. June 11, 2013; Acts 2013, No. 368, §1; Acts 2014, No. 394, §1; Acts 2014, No. 691, §1; Acts 2014, No. 766, §1; Acts 2015, No. 332, §1; Acts 2015, No. 362, §1; Acts 2016, No. 526, §1, eff. June 13, 2016; Acts 2017, No. 218, §1, eff. June 14, 2017; Acts 2018, No. 106, §1; Acts 2018, No. 191, §1, eff. May 15, 2018; Acts 2020, No. 242, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, No. 126, §1; Acts 2025, No. 296, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §§1, 11, 14, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The following definitions shall apply where used in this Section:
(1) "Commercial operations" as defined in this Section pertains to those who dispose of hazardous waste materials off the site where produced by others. "Hazardous Waste materials" is defined as any material so identified or designated under La. R.S. 30:2173, excluding drilling muds, produced waters and crude oil residues, for which no use or reuse is intended and which is to be discarded.
(2) "Disposal" means the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any hazardous waste into or on any land or water so that such waste, or any constituent thereof, may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including ground waters.
(3) "Hazardous waste" means any waste, or combination of wastes, which because of its quantity, concentration, physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may (a) cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness or (b) pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed. Such definition shall be applied only to those wastes identified and designated as such by the department under the provisions of La. R.S. 30:2173, consistent with applicable federal laws and regulations.
(4) "Person" means any natural person, corporation, association, partnership, receiver, tutor, curator, executor, administrator, fiduciary, or representative of any kind, including any governmental unit, whether federal, state, or local.
B. The secretary shall have authority to make, after notice and hearings as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary from time to time in the proper administration and enforcement of this Section, including but not limited to rules, regulations, or orders for the following purposes:
(1) To regulate, by rules, the drilling, casing, cementing, disposal interval, monitoring, plugging, and permitting of disposal wells which are used to inject hazardous waste products in the subsurface, and to regulate all surface and storage waste facilities incidental to oil and gas exploration and production, in such a manner as to prevent the escape of such hazardous waste product into a fresh groundwater aquifer or into oil or gas strata; may require the plugging of each abandoned well or each well which is of no further use and the closure of associated pits, the removal of equipment, structures, and trash, and the general site cleanup of such abandoned or unused well sites; and may require reasonable bond with security for the performance of the duty to plug each abandoned well or each well which is of no further use and to perform the site cleanup required by this Section. Only an owner as defined in R.S. 30:3 shall be held or deemed responsible for the performance of any actions required by the secretary.
(2) To require by rule that before a permit to operate a new commercial operations' hazardous waste disposal well may be granted, a public hearing shall be held on the application for a permit, and shall fix the date, time, and place therefor. The operator or owner, prior to such public hearing, shall give public notice on three separate days within a period of thirty days prior to the public hearing, with at least five days between each publication of the notice, both in the official state journal and in the official journal of the parish in which the well is to be located, that application for a permit for a new commercial operations' hazardous waste disposal well has been made and that a public hearing on the matter will be held on the date and at the time and place which shall be stated in the public notice. The secretary shall prescribe the form of the advertisement. In addition, the applicant for a permit shall place an advertisement in the same newspapers, but not in the classified advertisement or public notice section of the newspapers, in a form which shall be not less than one-half page in size and printed in bold face type; which shall inform the public that application for a permit has been made for a new commercial operations' hazardous waste disposal well and that a public hearing, at which all interested persons are charged to be present and to present their views and which shall state the date, time, and place at which the meeting will be held. The content of both the public notice and the one-half page announcement or advertisement also shall include the name of the owner or operator, location of the proposed well, materials to be disposed in the well, and a statement that comments may be sent to the secretary prior to the public meeting.
C.(1) No person shall inject, pump, dispose, or in any manner allow the escape of any hazardous waste into any well or underground strata by way of an injection well without obtaining a permit from the secretary or in violation of any permit issued by the secretary; or violate any rule, regulation, or order of the secretary issued under the authority of this Section.
(2) The secretary shall not issue any new permit for a previously unpermitted Class I well for the disposal of hazardous waste as defined in the comprehensive state hazardous waste control program, provided for in R.S. 30:2175, which previously produced or was drilled for the purpose of producing oil or gas, whether oil or gas was actually produced therein. Where a new permit has been issued for such a Class I well for disposal of hazardous waste, the secretary shall immediately proceed to revoke such permit, giving notice and upon request, an opportunity for the parties to be heard, and set a schedule for the abandonment and closure of the well, in accordance with rules and regulations of the office of conservation. No later than November 15, 1985, the secretary shall order the cessation of injection and issue an order for closure which shall be completed within one hundred twenty days of the order.
D. Whenever the secretary or an authorized representative of the secretary determines that a violation of any requirement of this Section has occurred or is about to occur, the secretary or the authorized representative of the secretary shall either issue an order requiring compliance within a specified time period or shall commence a civil action for appropriate relief, including a temporary or permanent injunction.
E. Requirements of compliance orders. Any order issued under this Section shall state with reasonable specificity the nature of the violation and specify a time for compliance and, in the event of noncompliance, assess a civil penalty, if any, which the secretary determines is reasonable, taking into account the seriousness of the violation and any good faith efforts to comply with the applicable requirements.
F. Penalties. (1) Except as otherwise provided by law, any person to whom a compliance order or a cease and desist order is issued and who fails to take corrective action within the time specified and said order or any person found by the secretary to be in violation of any requirement of this Section, may be liable for a civil penalty, to be assessed by the secretary or court, of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars for each day of the continued noncompliance or violation. The secretary in order to enforce the provisions of this Section may suspend or revoke any permit, compliance order, license, or variance which has been issued to said person.
(2) No penalty shall be assessed until the person charged shall have been given notice and an opportunity for a hearing on such charge. In determining whether or not a civil penalty is to be assessed and in determining the amount of the penalty, or the amount agreed upon in compromise, the gravity of the violation and the demonstrated good faith of the person charged in attempting to achieve rapid compliance, after notification of a violation, shall be considered. In the event that the order with which the person failed to comply was an emergency cease and desist order, no penalty shall be assessed if it appears, upon later hearing, that said order was issued without reasonable cause.
G. Criminal penalties. Except as otherwise provided by law, any person who willfully or knowingly discharges, emits, or disposes of any hazardous wastes in contravention of any provisions of this Section or of the regulations, or permit or license terms and conditions in pursuance thereof, shall be fined not more than twenty-five thousand dollars per day of violation and costs of prosecution, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both and in such instances the prosecution may be instituted by the district attorney having criminal jurisdiction. No district attorney nor the attorney general shall institute any criminal prosecution for a violation of any provision of this Section against any person while such person, with respect to the same violation, is: (1) under any order issued pursuant to this Section to enforce any provision of this Chapter, or (2) a defendant in any civil suit brought under the provisions of this Section, or (3) the subject of an action to assess and collect a civil penalty.
H. Civil Actions. The attorney general shall have charge of and shall prosecute all civil cases arising out of violation of any provision of this Section including the recovery of penalties.
I. Settlement of suits. Except as otherwise provided herein, the secretary, with the concurrence of the attorney general, may settle or resolve as he may deem advantageous to the state any suits, disputes, or claims for any penalty under any provisions of this Section or the regulations or permit license terms and conditions applicable thereto.
J. Application. The provisions of this Section shall only apply to the underground injection of hazardous wastes as identified and designated under the provision of La. R.S. 30:1133.
K. The secretary shall not authorize or issue any permit which allows the use or withdrawal of three million gallons or more of ground water per day from the Chicot aquifer that shall be injected into the subsurface in a parish whose population is more than seventy thousand and less than seventy-five thousand.
Acts 1981, No. 389, §1; Acts 1985, No. 609, §1, eff. July 16, 1985; Acts 1990, No. 192, §1; Acts 2008, No. 241, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The secretary shall make, after notice and public hearing as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders which are necessary to prohibit the operators of oil and gas wells from performing any acts on lands subject to a drilling permit which may preclude agents of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries from effectively enforcing any of the provisions of Title 56 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. The secretary shall revoke any permit granted to an operator and deny any application for a permit to drill any well by an operator found to be in violation of the rules provided for in this Section.
Acts 1985, No. 1015, §1, eff. July 24, 1985; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. As required by R.S. 30:4, an applicant for a permit to drill or to amend a permit to drill for change of operator shall provide financial security as provided in this Section in a form acceptable to the secretary. For an application for a permit to drill, the security shall be provided within thirty days of the completion date or from the date the operator is notified that financial security is required. For an application to amend a permit to drill for a change of operator, the security shall be provided as required by this Section or by establishing a site-specific trust account in accordance with R.S. 30:88 prior to the operator change.
B.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, the amount of the financial security shall be provided for in rules and regulations promulgated by the secretary in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. The amounts may be on an individual-well or multiple-well basis and may be categorized based on the well's location.
(2) For an individual well located on land of a depth equal to or less than three thousand feet, the financial security required shall be two dollars per foot. However, the secretary may increase the financial security by rules and regulations promulgated after September 1, 2017, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
C. Financial security shall not be required for the following wells:
(1) Any well declared to be orphaned by the secretary and subsequently transferred to another operator.
(2) Any well to be drilled by an operator who has an agreement with the department to plug a well that has been declared to be orphaned by the secretary and that orphaned well is similar to the proposed well in terms of depth and location.
Acts 2016, No. 634, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. In order to prevent waste of natural gas, the secretary may grant to bona fide applicants permits for the building and operation of plants and to burn natural gas into carbon black for the period of time fixed by the secretary in the permit, not to exceed twenty-five years and subject to the provisions of the laws of the state and the rules and regulations of the department. It shall be a violation of this Chapter for any person to build or operate a new plant for these purposes without the permit required by this Section.
B. In order to prevent waste and to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, the secretary shall, after notice and upon hearing, and his determination of feasibility, require the re-cycling of gas in any pool or portion of a pool productive of gas from which condensate or distillate may be separated or natural gasoline extracted, and promulgate rules to unitize separate ownership and to regulate production of the gas and reintroduction of the gas into productive formations after separation of condensate or distillate, or extraction of natural gasoline, from the gas.
C.(1) Without any way modifying the authority granted to the secretary in R.S. 30:9(B) to establish a drilling unit or units for a pool and in addition to the authority conferred in Subsection B of this Section:
(a) The secretary of the office of conservation upon the application of any interested party, also is authorized and empowered to enter an order requiring the unit operation of any pool or a combination of two pools in the same field, productive of oil or gas, or both, in connection with the institution and operation of systems of pressure maintenance by the injection of gas, water, or any other extraneous substance, or in connection with any program of secondary or tertiary recovery; and
(b) The secretary of the office of conservation is further authorized and empowered to require the unit operation of a single pool in any situation where the ultimate recovery can be increased and waste and the drilling of unnecessary wells can be prevented by such a unit operation.
(2) In connection with such an order of unit operation, the secretary of the office of conservation shall have the right to unitize, pool, and consolidate all separately owned tracts and other property ownerships. Any order for such a unit operation shall be issued only after notice and hearing and shall be based on all of the following findings:
(a) The order is reasonably necessary for the prevention of waste and the drilling of unnecessary wells and will appreciably increase the ultimate recovery of oil, gas, or brine from the affected pool or combination of two pools.
(b) The proposed unit operation is economically feasible.
(c) The order will provide for the allocation to each separate tract within the unit of a proportionate share of the unit production which shall ensure the recovery by the owners of that tract of their just and equitable share of the recoverable oil, gas, or brine in the unitized pool or combination of two pools.
(d) At least three-fourths of the owners and three-fourths of the royalty owners, as to a particular interest, as hereinafter defined, such three-fourths to be in interest as determined under Subparagraph (c) of this Paragraph, shall have approved the plan and terms of unit operation, such approval to be evidenced by a written contract or contracts covering the terms and operation of the unitization signed and executed by the three-fourths in interest of the owners and three-fourths in interest of the royalty owners and filed with the secretary of the office of conservation on or before the day set for the hearing. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Subparagraph to the contrary, with respect to an order for unit operation for the production of brine, such approval shall only be required from at least three-fourths of the owners as to the particular interest, such approval to be evidenced by a written contract or contracts covering the terms and operation of the unitization signed and executed by the three-fourths in interest of the owners and filed with the secretary of the office of conservation on or before the day set for the hearing.
(3) The order requiring the unit operation shall designate a unit operator and shall also make provision for the proportionate allocation to the owners (lessees or owners of unleased interests) of the costs and expenses of the unit operation, which allocation shall be in the same proportion that the separately owned tracts share in unit production. The cost of capital investment in wells and physical equipment and intangible drilling costs, in the absence of voluntary agreement among the owners to the contrary, shall be shared in like proportion; however, no such owner who has not consented to the unitization shall be required to contribute to the costs or expenses of the unit operation or to the cost of capital investment in wells and physical equipment and intangible drilling costs except out of the proceeds of production accruing to the interest of such owner out of production from such unit operation. However, no well costs credit allowable shall be adjusted on the basis of less than the average well costs within the unitized area. The order requiring unit operation shall not vary nor alter any of the terms of the above required written contract or contracts evidencing approval nor impose any terms or operations upon the non-signers of the contract or contracts more onerous than the terms and operations set out in the contract or contracts.
(4) Upon application and after notice and a public hearing and consideration of all available geological and engineering evidence, the secretary, to the extent required by such evidence, may revise any reservoirwide unit or units heretofore created by the secretary.
(5) For the purpose of calculating the above required three-fourths in interest of royalty owners, the term "royalty owner" shall mean any interested party other than the owner of an unleased interest or a mineral lessee or the owner of any interest created out of the interest of a mineral lessee, such as a net operating interest, overriding royalty, or production payment. Solely for the purpose of calculating the above required three-fourths in interest of owners and without expanding the definition of the term "owner" in R.S. 30:3, all interested parties owning interests entitling them to share in production from a proposed unit whose interests have been created out of that of a mineral lessee shall have their interests considered as if they were owners.
(6) No order of the secretary entered pursuant hereto shall have the effect of enlarging, displacing, varying, altering, or in anywise whatsoever modifying or changing contracts in existence on the effective date of this Act concerning the unitization of any pool (reservoir) or pools (reservoirs) or field (as defined in the contract) for the production of oil, gas, brine, or any combination thereof.
D.(1) In order to prevent waste and increase the ultimate recovery of oil or gas, or both, the secretary of the office of conservation, upon the application of any interested owner, and only after notice and a public hearing, is authorized to approve a cyclic injection project for the operation of a well by the method of enhanced recovery known as cyclic injection, without the formation of a unit under Subsection C of this Section or under any other provisions of this Chapter. No operator shall utilize cyclic injection without first securing the secretary's approval pursuant to this Subsection. For the purposes of this Subsection, "cyclic injection" is hereby defined as a single-well process in which a production well is injected with a substance for the purpose of enhanced recovery. After a shut-in period, the well is returned to production. This procedure may be performed repeatedly on one or more wells in a reservoir.
(2) Prior to approving any cyclic injection project the secretary must find that the project will not drain any area of the reservoir different from that being drained by the project well prior to initiation of the project, and that the project will not otherwise adversely affect other owners having rights in the same reservoir in which the applicant proposed to conduct cyclic injection. If the secretary does not make these findings required in the preceding sentence, he shall not approve the cyclic injection project, and it shall not be conducted, unless:
(a) A unit encompassing the maximum area which may efficiently and economically be drained by one well utilizing cyclic injection is formed under other provisions of this Chapter, or
(b) A unit encompassing the entire reservoir is formed under Subsection C of this Section.
(3) The approval of a cyclic injection project shall not cause any change or alteration in the boundaries, tract participations or other aspects of any unit previously formed under this Chapter except to the extent the unit is superseded by a unit formed under Subsection C of this Section.
(4) No cyclic injection project approved under this Subsection shall qualify for exemption from severance tax under R.S. 47:633.4, unless:
(a) A unit is formed under Subsection C of this Section and
(b) The project employs one of the techniques enumerated in, and otherwise qualifies under, R.S. 47:633.4.
(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, an owner, producer, or operator in the Caddo Pine Island Field in Caddo Parish is hereby authorized to dispose or reinject produced saltwaters into the productive interval of the Nacatoch Formation or the Blossom Formation without unitization of the entire reservoir; however, the consent of the other owners, producers, or operators operating within a one-fourth mile radius of such wells shall be obtained prior to the commencement of the disposal or injection of such saltwaters.
Amended by Acts 1960, No. 441, §1; Acts 1984, No. 768, §1; Acts 1987, No. 363, §1; Acts 1992, No. 1052, §1; Acts 2019, No. 242, §1; Acts 2024, No. 126, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The following shall be applicable to deep pool units:
(1) In order to prevent waste and to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, and to encourage the development of deep oil and gas pools in Louisiana, the secretary of conservation is authorized, as provided in this Subsection, to establish a single unit to be served by one or more wells for a deep pool and to adopt a development plan for such deep unit.
(2) Without in any way modifying the authority granted to the secretary in R.S. 30:9(B) to establish a drilling unit or units for a pool and in addition to the authority conferred in R.S. 30:5, the secretary upon the application of any interested party may enter an order requiring the unit operation of any deep pool when such unit operation will promote the development of such deep pools, prevent waste, and avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells.
(3) In connection with such order, the secretary shall have the right to establish a unit for a deep pool and to unitize, force pool, and consolidate all separately owned tracts and other property ownerships within such unit. Any order creating a unit for a deep pool shall be issued only after notice and public hearing and shall be based on findings that:
(a) The order is reasonably necessary to promote the development of a deep pool and for the prevention of waste and the drilling of unnecessary wells.
(b) The proposed unit operation is economically feasible.
(c) The geologic top of the deep pool was encountered in the initial well for the pool at a depth in excess of fifteen thousand feet true vertical depth.
(d) Sufficient evidence exists to reasonably establish the limits of the deep pool.
(e) The plan of development for the unit is reasonable. The plan shall be revised only if approved by the secretary after notice and public hearing.
(4) The order shall provide for the initial allocation of unit production on a surface acreage basis to each separately owned tract within the unit.
(5) No order shall be issued by the secretary unless interested parties have been provided a reasonable opportunity to review and evaluate all data submitted by the applicant to the secretary to establish the limits of the deep pool, including seismic data.
(6) The order creating the unit shall designate a unit operator and shall also make provision for the proportionate allocation to the owners (lessees or owners of unleased interests) of the costs and expenses of the unit operation, which allocation shall be in the same proportion that the separately owned tracts share in unit production. The cost of capital investment in wells and physical equipment and intangible drilling costs, in the absence of voluntary agreement among the owners to the contrary, shall be shared in like proportion. However, no such owner who has not consented to the unitization shall be required to contribute to the costs or expenses of the unit operation or to the cost of capital investment in wells and physical equipment and intangible drilling costs except out of the proceeds of production accruing to the interest of such owner out of production from such unit operation. In the event of a dispute relative to the calculation of unit well costs or depreciated unit well costs, the secretary shall determine the proper costs after notice to all interested owners and public hearing thereon.
(7) Upon application and after notice and public hearing and consideration of all available geological and engineering evidence, the secretary, to the extent required by such evidence, may create, revise, or dissolve any unit provided for under this Subsection or modify any provision of any order issued hereunder. Any such order shall provide for the allocation of unit production on a just and equitable basis to each separately owned tract within the unit.
(8) The secretary shall prescribe, issue, amend, and rescind such orders, rules, and regulations as he may find necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this Subsection.
(9) While this Subsection authorizes the initial creation of a single unit to be served by one or more wells, nothing herein shall be construed as limiting the authority of the secretary to approve the drilling of alternate unit wells on drilling units established pursuant to R.S. 30:9(B).
B. The following shall be applicable to ultra deep structure units:
(1) In order to prevent waste and to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, and to encourage the development of ultra deep oil and gas structures in Louisiana, the secretary of conservation is authorized, as provided in this Subsection, to establish a single unit to be served by one or more wells for an ultra deep structure and to adopt a plan of development for such ultra deep structure unit. For purposes of this statute, a "structure" is defined as a unique geologic feature that potentially traps hydrocarbons in one or more pools or zones.
(2) Without in any way modifying the authority granted to the secretary by R.S. 30:9(B) to establish a drilling unit or units for a pool and in addition to the authority conferred by R.S. 30:5 and 5.2, the secretary, upon the application of any interested party, may enter an order requiring the unit operation of any ultra deep structure when such unit operation will promote the development of such ultra deep structure, prevent waste, and avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells.
(3) In connection with such order, the secretary shall have the right to establish a unit no greater than nine thousand acres for an ultra deep structure and to unitize, force pool, and consolidate all separately owned tracts and other property ownerships within such unit. Any order creating a unit for an ultra deep structure shall be issued only after notice and public hearing and shall be based on findings that:
(a) The order is reasonably necessary to promote the development of an ultra deep structure and to prevent waste and the drilling of unnecessary wells.
(b) The proposed unit operation appears economically feasible.
(c) The stratigraphic top of the ultra deep structure unit is encountered or anticipated to be encountered in the initial well for the structure at a depth in excess of twenty-two thousand feet true vertical depth.
(d) Sufficient evidence exists to reasonably establish the limits of the ultra deep structure.
(e) The applicant has submitted a plan of development for the unit that is reasonable and contains the information listed under Paragraph (B)(4) of this Section. It is presumed that a reasonable plan of development will include at least one well for each three thousand acres contained in the unit.
(4) The plan of development shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(a) The applicant's estimate of the number of wells it intends to drill in the unit.
(b) The applicant's estimated time table for drilling and completing each unit well.
(c) The applicant's anticipated target depth for each such well.
(5) Upon application of any landowner or other interested party, or at the secretary's discretion, the plan of development may be revised by the secretary after notice and public hearing for good cause.
(6) The order creating a unit for an ultra deep structure shall provide for the initial allocation of unit production on a surface acreage basis to each separately owned tract within the unit and shall also specify the stratigraphic intervals to which the unit shall be limited.
(7) No order creating a unit for an ultra deep structure shall be issued by the secretary unless interested parties have been provided a reasonable opportunity to review and evaluate all data, including seismic data, submitted by the applicant to the secretary to establish the limits of the deep structure.
(8) An order creating the unit for an ultra deep structure shall designate a unit operator.
(9) The initial well and each subsequent well proposed or drilled pursuant to the plan of development shall be deemed a unit well. The provisions of R.S. 30:10(A)(3) shall be applicable to ultra deep structure units, including the applicable risk charge. In the event of a dispute relative to the calculation of unit well costs or depreciated unit well costs, the secretary shall determine the proper costs after notice to all interested owners and public hearing thereon.
(10) Upon application by any landowner or other interested party, or at the secretary's discretion, and after notice and public hearing and consideration of available geological, engineering, and other relevant evidence, the secretary, to the extent required by such evidence, may by order create, revise, confirm, or dissolve any unit provided for under this Subsection or modify any provision of any order issued hereunder. Any such order shall provide for the allocation of unit production on a just and equitable basis to each separately owned tract within the unit. The applicant shall, in all cases, have the burden of proof that the existing unit or order should be revised, confirmed, dissolved, or amended in the manner proposed in the application. If the secretary determines that the unit operator has not substantially complied with the plan of development, the unit operator shall be required to show cause why the unit should not be reduced in size.
(11) The provisions of Subsection A of this Section shall not be applicable to any unit well drilled in a unit established pursuant to this Subsection.
(12) The secretary shall prescribe, issue, amend, and rescind such orders, rules, and regulations as he may find necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this Subsection.
(13) While the provisions of this Subsection authorize the initial creation of a single unit to be served by one or more wells, nothing herein shall be construed as limiting the authority of the secretary to approve the drilling of alternate unit wells on drilling units established pursuant to R.S. 30:9(B).
Acts 1999, No. 1094, §1; Acts 2012, No. 743, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. In order to prevent waste and to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells and to encourage the development of coal seam natural gas producing areas in Louisiana, the secretary is authorized, as provided in this Section, to establish a single unit to be served by one or more wells for a coal seam natural gas producing area.
B. Without in any way modifying the authority granted to the secretary in R.S. 30:9(B) to establish a drilling unit or units for a pool and in addition to the authority conferred in R.S. 30:5, the secretary, upon the application of any interested party, may enter an order requiring the unit operation of any coal seam natural gas producing area when such unit operation will promote the development of such coal seam natural gas producing area, prevent waste, and avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells.
C. In connection with such order, the secretary shall have the right to establish a unit for a coal seam natural gas producing area and to unitize, force pool, and consolidate all separately owned tracts and other property ownerships within such unit. Any order creating a unit for a coal seam natural gas producing area shall be issued only after notice and a public hearing and shall be based on findings that:
(1) The order is reasonably necessary to promote the development of a coal seam natural gas producing area and for the prevention of waste and the drilling of unnecessary wells.
(2) The proposed unit operation is economically feasible.
(3) Sufficient evidence exists to reasonably establish the limits of the coal seam natural gas producing area.
D. The order shall provide for the initial allocation of unit production on a surface acreage basis to each separately owned tract within the unit.
E. No order shall be issued by the secretary unless interested parties have been provided a reasonable opportunity to review and evaluate all data submitted by the applicant to the secretary to establish the limits of the coal seam natural gas producing area.
F. The order creating the unit shall designate a unit operator and shall also make provision for the proportionate allocation to the owners (lessees or owners of unleased interests) of the costs and expenses of the unit operation, which allocation shall be in the same proportion that the separately owned tracts share in unit production. The cost of capital investment in wells and physical equipment and intangible drilling costs, in the absence of voluntary agreement among the owners to the contrary, shall be shared in like proportion. However, no such owner who has not consented to the unitization shall be required to contribute to the costs or expenses of the unit operation or to the cost of capital investment in wells and physical equipment and intangible drilling costs except out of the proceeds of production accruing to the interest of such owner out of production from such unit operation. In the event of a dispute relative to the calculation of unit well costs or depreciated unit well costs, the secretary shall determine the proper costs after notice to all interested owners and a public hearing thereon.
G. Upon application and after notice and a public hearing and consideration of all new available geological and engineering evidence, the secretary, to the extent required by such evidence, may create, revise, or dissolve any unit provided for under this Section or modify any provision of any order issued pursuant to this Section. Any such order shall provide for the allocation of unit production on a just and equitable basis to each separately owned tract within the unit.
H. The secretary shall prescribe, issue, amend, and rescind such orders, rules, and regulations as he may find necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of the Section.
Acts 2004, No. 892, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The secretary shall prescribe the rules of order or procedure in hearings or other proceedings before him under this Chapter.
B. No rule, regulation, order, or change, renewal, or extension thereof, shall, in the absence of an emergency, be made by the secretary under the provisions of this Chapter except after a public hearing upon at least ten days' notice given in the manner and form prescribed by him. This hearing shall be held at a time and place and in the manner prescribed by the secretary. The secretary, in his discretion, may designate a member of his staff to conduct public hearings on his behalf. Any person having an interest in the subject matter of the hearing shall be entitled to be heard. Whenever any application shall be made to the secretary for creation, revision, or modification of any unit or units for production of oil or gas, or for adoption of any plan for spacing of wells or for cycling of gas, pressure maintenance or restoration, or other plan of secondary recovery, the applicant shall be required to file with the application two copies of a map of such unit or units or well spacing pattern or two explanations of such plan of cycling, pressure maintenance or restoration, or other secondary recovery program and at least thirty days' notice shall be given of the hearings to be held thereon, in the manner prescribed by the secretary and a copy of such plat or explanation of program shall remain on file in the department in Baton Rouge and in the office of the district manager of the conservation district in which the property is located, and be open for public inspection, at least thirty days prior to such hearing.
C. If the secretary finds an existing emergency which in his judgment requires the making, changing, renewal, or extension of a rule, regulation, or order without first having a hearing, the emergency rule, regulation, or order shall have the same validity as if a hearing had been held after due notice. The emergency rule, regulation, or order shall remain in force no longer than fifteen days from its effective date. In any event, it shall expire when the rule, regulation, or order made after notice and hearing with respect to the same subject matter becomes effective.
D. Should the secretary elect to give notice by personal service, it may be made by any officer authorized to serve process or any agent of the secretary in the same manner as is provided by law for the service of citation in civil actions in the district courts. Proof of the service by an agent shall be by the affidavit of the person making it.
E. All rules, regulations, and orders made by the secretary shall be in writing and shall be entered in full by him in a book kept for that purpose. This book shall be a public record and shall be open for inspection at all times during reasonable office hours. A copy of a rule, regulation, or order, certified by the secretary, shall be received in evidence in all courts of this state with the same effect as the original.
F. Any interested person has the right to have the secretary call a hearing for the purpose of taking action in respect to a matter within the jurisdiction of the secretary by making a request therefor in writing. Upon receiving the request the secretary shall promptly call a hearing. After the hearing, and with all convenient speed and in any event within thirty days after the conclusion of the hearing the secretary shall take whatever action he deems appropriate with regard to the subject matter. In the event of failure or refusal of the secretary to issue an order within the period of thirty days, he may be compelled to do so by mandamus at the suit of any interested person.
G. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsections B and C of this Section to the contrary, the secretary, upon determining that a violation of this Chapter or the regulations adopted hereunder has occurred, may impose a civil penalty as provided in this Chapter. Additionally, upon determining that a violation of this Chapter or the regulations adopted hereunder has occurred, the secretary may issue an order requiring compliance. Any such order issued shall state, with reasonable specificity, the nature of the violation, any cessation of activities or affirmative operations required to achieve compliance, and a time limit within which compliance with the order must be achieved. Noncompliance with any such order to comply shall constitute a violation of this Chapter, and the secretary may impose a civil penalty for such violation. Any person subjected to a civil penalty shall have the right to a public hearing if requested in writing, which written request shall suspend the imposition of the penalty until final action is taken by the secretary after hearing.
H. When an application for any permit to construct or drill a Class V or Class VI well related to the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide becomes complete, the secretary shall notify the governing authority of any parish included in the permit application. The notice to the governing authority of the parish shall be made no later than the date on which public notice is issued in accordance with applicable law or regulations. Notice may be made by electronic mail to the parish president, police jury president, or mayor-president, depending on the form of parish government.
Acts 1954, No. 174, §1; Acts 1954, No. 489, §1; Acts 1982, No. 321, §1; Acts 1986, No. 514, §1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1990, No. 598, §1; Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: Acts 1997, No. 208, requires monthly hearings in Shreveport.
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Title, upon receipt of evidence that there is an incident occurring or threatening to occur imminently at an oilfield site or other facility, structure, or pipeline under the department's jurisdiction pursuant to R.S. 30:1 et seq., which is of such magnitude as to require immediate action to prevent substantial or irreparable damage to the environment or a serious threat to life or safety based on recognized criteria, standards or industry practices, the department may declare in writing that an emergency exists.
B. Upon declaration of an emergency, the department shall notify the operator of record. Notification shall be made by telephone at the emergency number on file in the department, telegraph, facsimile, or personal appearance. If the operator cannot be contacted for notification within twenty-four hours or if the operator of record fails to begin abatement procedures within twenty-four hours after notice by the department, the department shall begin the emergency procedures provided for in this Section. Refusal on the part of the operator to begin abatement procedures after notification by the department shall constitute a failure or refusal to comply with the provisions of this Title and rules, regulations, and orders issued thereunder.
C. When an emergency situation is declared, the department is authorized to undertake the containment and abatement of the pollution source and pollutants and may retain personnel or contract for these purposes with persons who shall operate under his direction. All contracts let by the department to respond to a declared emergency shall be exempt from the provisions of Chapter 10 of Title 38 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 and the Louisiana Procurement Code. However, the department may employ an informal bidding procedure by which bids are solicited from at least three bidders and may order the operator of record or owner to undertake the containment, abatement, or cleanup of such pollution source and pollutants. Failure to comply with his order shall be a violation of this Title and shall be punishable as provided in this Title. The department shall submit an annual report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and Senate Committee on Natural Resources listing the number and type of emergencies declared within the previous year.
D.(1) The department may issue permits, variances, or other orders as necessary to respond to the emergency, which shall be effective immediately upon issuance, and any request for hearing, appeal, or request for review shall not suspend the implementation of the action ordered. The term of any such emergency action shall be limited to the time necessary to address the emergency conditions.
(2) An action for injunctive relief against any order issued pursuant to the declaration of an emergency shall be brought in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge. Exhaustion of administrative remedies is not a prerequisite to such action.
(3) The party bringing an action under this Subsection has the burden of demonstrating, by clear and convincing evidence, that granting injunctive relief shall not endanger or cause damage to the public health or the environment. If such injunctive relief is granted, the party bringing such an action shall provide an adequate bond.
E. In addition, when an emergency is declared, emergency response personnel or contractors shall be authorized to undertake necessary actions to contain and abate the pollution source and pollutants.
F. In responding to an emergency, the department may utilize any funds allowable under federal law or state law or any funds which have been appropriated for such purposes, including but not limited to the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund pursuant to R.S. 30:80 et seq. Recovery of costs expended shall be in accordance with the statutes, rules, and regulations applicable to the source of funds.
Acts 1999, No. 618, §1; Acts 2001, No. 182, §1, eff. May 31, 2001; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. An order fixing allowable production of oil or gas or making changes therein for any month or other period shall be issued by the commissioner on or before the twenty-third day of the month preceding the month for which the order is to be effective and it shall be promulgated by immediate publication in the official journal of the state.
B.(1) In the case of old fields or pools for which schedules of allowables had been previously issued, it shall not be necessary for the commissioner to have a hearing prior to the issuance of any subsequent order fixing or changing the schedule of allowables unless there is a written request for a hearing by an interested person. This provision permitting the issuance of a schedule of allowables for old fields without a hearing is an exception to the general rule requiring notice and hearing prior to the issuance of an order by the commissioner.
(2) In the event a schedule of allowables is promulgated without previous notice and hearing, an aggrieved producer of oil or gas may file with the commissioner at his office within seventy-two hours from the publication of the order, a sworn written statement, giving in detail the grounds of his complaint. Thereupon, the commissioner shall hold a hearing within forty-eight hours. At this hearing, oral or documentary evidence may be received by the commissioner in favor of and against the complaint. After the hearing, the commissioner shall summarily render a decision. If his decision is not made on or before the effective date of the order complained of, that order shall be suspended until a decision is rendered. During this period, the former order shall remain in force. This provision permitting a summary hearing shall be restricted to cases involving a complaint made against a schedule of allowables under the circumstances set forth in this Paragraph.
A.(1) The secretary may subpoena witnesses and require their attendance and the giving of testimony before him. He may require the production of any books, papers, or records material to the questions lawfully before him.
(2) Subpoenas shall be served by any agent of the department, by the sheriff, or by any other officer authorized by law to serve process in this state.
(3) No person shall be excused from attending and testifying or producing books, papers, or records, or from obeying the subpoena of the secretary or of a court of record on the ground that the testimony or evidence required of him may tend to incriminate him or subject him to penalty or forfeiture.
(4) Nothing contained in this Subsection shall be construed as requiring any person to produce books, papers, or records, or to testify in response to any inquiry not pertinent to some question lawfully before the secretary or court for determination.
(5) No natural person shall be subjected to criminal prosecution or to any penalty or forfeiture on account of anything concerning which he may be required to testify or produce evidence before the secretary or a court.
(6) No person testifying shall be exempt from prosecution and punishment for perjury.
B.(1) In the case of failure or refusal of a person to comply with a subpoena issued by the secretary, or in the case of the refusal of a witness to testify or answer as to a matter regarding which he may be lawfully interrogated, any district court on the application of the secretary may, in term time or in vacation, issue an attachment for the person to compel him to comply with the subpoena and to attend before the secretary with the desired documents and to give his testimony upon whatever matters are lawfully required.
(2) The court may punish for contempt those disobeying its orders as in the case of disobedience of a subpoena issued by the court or refusal to testify therein.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Whether or not the total production from a pool be limited or prorated, no rule, regulation, or order of the secretary shall in terms or effect:
(1) Make it necessary for the producer from, or the owner of, a tract of land in the pool, in order that he may obtain the tract's just and equitable share of the production of the pool, as that share is set forth in this Section, to drill and operate any well or wells on the tract in addition to the well or wells that can without waste produce this share, or
(2) Occasion net drainage from a tract unless there be drilled and operated upon the tract a well or wells in addition to the well or wells thereon that can without waste produce the tract's just and equitable share of the production of the pool.
B. For the prevention of waste and to avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, the secretary shall establish a drilling unit or units for each pool, except for those pools which, prior to July 31, 1940, had been developed to an extent and where conditions exist making it impracticable or unreasonable to use a drilling unit at the present stage of development. A drilling unit, as contemplated herein, means the maximum area which may be efficiently and economically drained by the well or wells designated to serve the drilling unit as the unit well, substitute unit well, or alternate unit well. This unit shall constitute a developed area as long as a well is located thereon which is capable of producing oil, gas, or brine in paying quantities.
C. Each well permitted to be drilled upon a drilling unit hereafter established shall be drilled at the location designated by the secretary, after public hearing, in the order creating the unit. The secretary shall consider all available geological and engineering evidence and shall provide for the unit well to be located at the optimum position in the drilling unit for the most efficient and economic drainage of such unit with such exceptions as may be reasonably necessary where topographical conditions exist that would make such a location of the unit well unduly burdensome or where the designated unit well was drilled or commenced prior to the creation of the drilling unit; provided, however, the secretary shall fix the well location for each drilling unit so that the producer thereof shall be allowed to produce no more than his just and equitable share of the oil and gas in the pool, as this share is set forth in this Section.
D. Subject to the reasonable necessities for the prevention of waste, and to reasonable adjustment because of structural position, a producer's just and equitable share of the oil, gas, or brine in the pool, also referred to as a tract's just and equitable share, is that part of the authorized production of the pool, whether it be the total which could be produced without any restriction on the amount of production or whether it be an amount less than that which the pool could produce if no restriction on amount were imposed, which is substantially in the proportion that the quantity of recoverable oil, gas, or brine in the developed area of his tract or tracts in the pool bears to the recoverable oil, gas, or brine in the total developed area of the pool, insofar as these amounts can be practically ascertained. To that end, the rules, regulations, and orders of the secretary shall be such as will prevent or minimize reasonably avoidable net drainage from each developed area, that is, drainage not equalized by counter drainage, and will give to each producer the opportunity to use his just and equitable share of the production. In determining each producer's just and equitable share of the production authorized for the pool, the secretary is authorized to give due consideration to the productivity of the well or wells located thereon, as determined by flow tests, bottom hole pressure tests, or any other practical method of testing wells and producing structures, and to consider other factors and geological and engineering tests and data as may be determined by the secretary to be pertinent or relevant to ascertaining each producer's just and equitable share of the production of the field or pool.
E. Repealed by Acts 1984, No. 768, §2.
Amended by Acts 1960, No. 442, §1; Acts 1980, No. 758, §1. Acts 1984, No. 768, §2; Acts 2015, No. 253, §1; Acts 2024, No. 126, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Any unit or units established pursuant to the authority contained in this Chapter shall, unless sooner terminated, extended or otherwise modified by order of the commissioner, remain in full force and effect so long as:
(1) A well is producing from the pool for which the unit or units were established;
(2) A well is completed in the pool for which the unit or units were established and, although not producing, has been proved to be capable of producing; or
(3) Drilling, reworking, recompletion, plugging back or deepening operations are being conducted on a well to secure or restore production from the pool for which the unit or units were established.
B. If a period of one year and ninety days elapses without the occurrence of any of the conditions specified in Paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of Subsection A of this Section, upon application being made therefor, the commissioner may, by order issued after ten days legal notice, and without the necessity of a public hearing in the absence of objection, terminate all units within the pool.
C. In addition to termination of all units established for a pool pursuant to the provisions of Subsections A and B of this Section, the commissioner may, upon application and by order issued after ten days legal notice, and without the necessity of public hearing in the absence of objection, terminate any unit or units established pursuant to authority contained in this Chapter when, with respect to any unit requested to be terminated, he finds that, as of the date the application for unit termination is filed with the commissioner, each of the following items apply:
(1) A period of five years has elapsed without any production from the unit.
(2) There is no well located on the unit which is capable of producing from the pool for which the unit was established.
(3) A period of a year and ninety days has elapsed without any drilling, reworking, recompletion, plugging back, or deepening operations having been conducted on a well located on the unit in an attempt to obtain or restore production from the pool for which the unit was established.
(4) There is no unexpired drilling permit for the drilling of a new well on the unit to a depth which would penetrate the pool for which the unit was established.
D. The commissioner shall prescribe, issue, amend, and rescind such orders, rules and regulations as he may find necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this Section. Among other things, such orders, rules, and regulations shall prescribe the form and substance of the application for unit termination, and all statements, declarations, and supporting evidence to be filed therewith.
E. The provisions of this Section are intended to and shall affect presently existing units.
F. Any order issued pursuant to this Section shall be filed for record as provided in R.S. 30:11.1.
G. Any future wells completed within the boundaries of any unit or units terminated pursuant to this Section shall, upon a new unit application being made to the commissioner, be entitled to a unit hearing as otherwise provided for by law as fully as though the original unit or units had never been created, and any such new unit or units shall not be limited in any way by the prior hearing or pre-existing unit or units.
H. No provision of this Section shall be construed so as to in any way limit the authority otherwise granted to the commissioner to terminate, extend, or otherwise grant to the commissioner to terminate, extend, or otherwise modify any unit or units.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 671, §1; Acts 2003, No. 505, §1.
A. The following definitions shall apply where used in this Section:
(1) "Cross-unit person" means an interested owner, interested party, or represented party as defined in LAC 43:XIX, other than a mineral lessee.
(2) "Cross-unit well" means a well drilled horizontally and completed under multiple drilling units that is designated by the commissioner after notice and public hearing to serve as a unit well, substitute unit well, or alternate unit well for said units.
(3) "Short unit" means a unit in which the proposed well shall have less than five hundred feet of perforated lateral.
(4) "Timely objection" means an objection mailed to the commissioner and the applicant at least fifteen days prior to the application hearing.
B. The commissioner is authorized to permit the drilling of cross-unit wells as provided in this Section.
C. The commissioner shall not authorize or permit a cross-unit well that is proposed to have less than five hundred feet of perforated lateral in any unit to be served by the cross-unit well if one of the following occurs:
(1) The preapplication notice and hearing application do not expressly set forth the cross-unit person's right to object to the application.
(2) A timely objection is filed by a cross-unit person who owns an interest in a short unit and, on the date of the application hearing, the short unit either is not producing or is producing only from one or more horizontal laterals with a combined length of perforated lateral less than five hundred feet.
Acts 2015, No. 253, §1.
A.(1) When two or more separately owned tracts of land are embraced within a drilling unit which has been established by the secretary as provided in R.S. 30:9(B), the owners may validly agree by separate contract to pool, drill, and produce their interests and to develop their lands as a drilling unit.
(2)(a) Where the owners have not agreed by separate contract to pool, drill, and produce their interests, the secretary shall require them to do so and to develop their lands as a drilling unit, if he finds it to be necessary to prevent waste or to avoid drilling unnecessary wells.
(b) All orders requiring pooling shall be made after notice and hearing. They shall be upon terms and conditions that are just and reasonable and that will afford the owner of each tract the opportunity to recover or receive his just and equitable share of the oil, gas, or brine in the pool without unnecessary expense. They shall prevent or minimize reasonable avoidable drainage from each developed tract which is not equalized by counter drainage.
(c) The portion of the production allocated to the owner of each tract included in a drilling unit formed by a pooling order shall, when produced be considered as if it had been produced from his tract by a well drilled thereon.
(3) In the event a drilling unit is formed by a pooling order by the secretary and absent any agreement or contract between owners as provided in this Section, then the cost of development and operation of the pooled unit chargeable to the owners therein shall be determined and recovered as provided herein.
(a)(i) Any owner drilling, intending to drill, or who has drilled a unit well, a substitute unit well, an alternate unit well, or a cross-unit well on any drilling unit heretofore or hereafter created by the secretary, may, by registered mail, return receipt requested, or other form of guaranteed delivery and notification method, not including electronic communication or mail, notify all other owners in the unit of the drilling or the intent to drill and give each owner an opportunity to elect to participate in the risk and expense of such well. Such notice shall be called a "risk charge notice" and shall contain:
(aa) An authorization for expenditure form (AFE), which shall include a detailed estimate or the actual amount of the cost of drilling, testing, completing, and equipping such well. The AFE shall be dated within one hundred twenty days of the date of the mailing of the risk charge notice.
(bb) The proposed or actual location of the well.
(cc) The proposed or actual objective depth of the well.
(dd) An estimate of ownership as a percentage of expected unit size or approximate percentage of well participation.
(ee) In the event that the well is being drilled or has been drilled at the time of mailing the risk charge notice, then a copy of all available logs, core analysis, production data, and well test data from the well which has not been made public.
(ff) At the option of the drilling owner, a statement that payment in full of the notified owner's share of costs as set forth in the AFE is required to be included with any election to participate.
(ii) An election to participate must be exercised by mailing written notice thereof by registered mail, return receipt requested, or other form of guaranteed delivery and notification method, not including electronic communication or mail, to the owner drilling or intending to drill the proposed well within thirty days after receipt of the initial risk charge notice. If required by the drilling owner in accordance with Subitem (i)(ff) of this Subparagraph, such an election to participate shall include payment of the notified owner's share of costs as set forth in the AFE. Failure to give timely written notice of the election to participate or, if required by the drilling owner in accordance with Subitem (i)(ff) of this Subparagraph, timely delivery of such payment of the notified owner's share of the costs as set forth in the AFE, shall be deemed to be an election not to participate and the owner shall be deemed a nonparticipating owner. In cases where some or all of the AFE costs are estimated, financial adjustments shall be made between the drilling owner and the participating owners within sixty days of receipt of detailed invoices in order to account for the difference between any cost estimates and actual costs.
(iii) If the drilling of the proposed well is not commenced in accordance with the initial risk charge notice within ninety days after receipt of the initial risk charge notice, then the drilling owner shall send a supplemental risk charge notice in order for the provisions of this Subsection to apply.
(b)(i) Should a notified owner elect not to participate, or be deemed a nonparticipating owner, in the risk and expense of the unit well, substitute unit well, alternate unit well, or cross-unit well or should such owner elect to participate in the risk and expense of the proposed well but, except where the drilling owner has required payment with the election in accordance with Subitem (a)(i)(ff) of this Paragraph, then fail to pay his share of the estimated drilling costs determined by the AFE timely or fail to pay his share of actual reasonable drilling, testing, completing, equipping, and operating expenses within sixty days of receipt of detailed invoices, then such owner shall be deemed a nonparticipating owner, and the drilling owner shall, in addition to any other available legal remedies to enforce collection of such expenses, be entitled to own and recover out of production from such well allocable to the tract under lease to the nonparticipating owner such tract's allocated share of the actual reasonable expenditures incurred in drilling, testing, completing, equipping, and operating the well, including a charge for supervision, together with a risk charge. Should the drilling owner require payment with the election, failure to include payment in full with the election in accordance with Subitem (a)(i)(ff) of this Paragraph, regardless of the election, shall be deemed an election not to participate. Should a notified owner elect to participate by satisfying the requirements of this Paragraph and subsequently fail to pay any actual costs that were not previously paid by that owner as set forth in the AFE, the drilling owner, in addition to any other available legal remedies, shall be entitled to recover such unpaid costs out of production of such well. For purposes of this Subparagraph, and except where the drilling owner has required payment with the election in accordance with Subitem (a)(i)(ff) of this Paragraph, the payment of estimated drilling costs shall be deemed timely if received by the drilling owner within sixty days of the actual spudding of the well or the receipt by the notified owner of the notice required by this Subsection, whichever is later. The risk charge for a unit well, substitute unit well, or cross-unit well that will serve as the unit well or substitute well for the unit shall be two hundred percent of such tract's allocated share of the cost of drilling, testing, and completing the well, exclusive of amounts the drilling owner remits to the nonparticipating owner for the benefit of the nonparticipating owner's royalty and overriding royalty owner. The risk charge for an alternate unit well or cross-unit well that will serve as an alternate unit well for the unit shall be one hundred percent of such tract's allocated share of the cost of drilling, testing, and completing such well, exclusive of amounts the drilling owner remits to the nonparticipating owner for the benefit of the nonparticipating owner's royalty and overriding royalty owner.
(ii)(aa) During the recovery of the actual reasonable expenditures incurred in drilling, testing, completing, equipping, and operating the well, the charge for supervision, and the risk charge, the nonparticipating owner who has furnished the information set forth in Subitem (gg) of this Item shall be entitled to receive from the drilling owner for the benefit of his lessor royalty owner that portion of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production due to the lessor royalty owner under the terms of the contract or agreement creating the royalty between the lessor royalty owner and the nonparticipating owner reflected of record at the time of the risk charge notice.
(bb) In addition, during the recovery set forth in Subitem (aa) of this Item, the nonparticipating owner shall receive from the drilling owner for the benefit of the overriding royalty owner a portion of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production that is the lesser of: (I) the nonparticipating owner's total percentage of actual overriding royalty burdens associated with the existing lease or leases which cover each tract attributed to the nonparticipating owner reflected of record at the time of the risk charge notice; or (II) the difference between the weighted average percentage of the total actual lessor royalty and overriding royalty burdens of the drilling owner's leasehold within the unit and the weighted average percentage of the total actual lessor royalty of the nonparticipating owner's leasehold within the unit reflected of record at the time of the risk charge notice. Payment of the amount due shall be made in accordance with the terms of the contract or agreement creating the overriding royalty.
(cc) The share that is to be received by the nonparticipating owner on behalf of its lessor royalty owner and overriding royalty owner shall be reported by the drilling owner in accordance with Part 2-B of Chapter 13 of Title 31 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
(dd) Nothing in this Section shall relieve any lessee of its obligations to pay, from the commencement of production, any lessor royalty and overriding royalty due under the terms of his lease and other agreements during the recoupment of recoverable costs and the risk charge, or shall relieve any lessee of its obligation to pay all lessor royalty and overriding royalty due under the terms of his lease and other agreements after the recoupment of recoverable costs and the risk charge. The lessor royalty owner and overriding royalty owner shall follow the same procedure and have the same remedies against the nonparticipating owner provided in Part 6 of Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 or Part 2-A of Chapter 13 of Title 31 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
(ee) Except as provided in this Paragraph, the drilling owner's obligation to pay the lessor royalty and the overriding royalty to the nonparticipating owner in no way creates an obligation, duty, or relationship between the drilling owner and any person to whom the nonparticipating owner is liable, contractually or otherwise. In the event of nonpayment by the nonparticipating owner of the lessor royalty and overriding royalty due, and as a prerequisite to a judicial demand for damages against the drilling owner, the lessor royalty owner and overriding royalty owner shall provide written notice of such failure to the nonparticipating owner and drilling owner. The lessor royalty owner and overriding royalty owner shall follow the same procedure and have the same remedies against the drilling owner, except dissolution, provided in Part 6 of Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 or Part 2-A of Chapter 13 of Title 31 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. The written notice provided to the drilling owner by the lessor royalty owner or overriding royalty owner shall include a true and complete, or redacted, copy of the mineral lease or other agreement creating any lessor royalty or overriding royalty. If the drilling owner provides sufficient proof of payment of the royalties to the nonparticipating owner, then the lessor royalty owner and overriding royalty owner shall have no cause of action against the drilling owner for nonpayment.
(ff) In the event of nonpayment by the drilling owner of the lessor royalty and overriding royalty due to the nonparticipating owner for the benefit of the lessor royalty owner and overriding royalty owner, and payment by the nonparticipating owner of a good faith estimate of the lessor royalty and overriding royalty due, the nonparticipating owner shall provide written notice of such failure to pay to the drilling owner as a prerequisite to a judicial demand for damages. The drilling owner shall have thirty days after receipt of the required notice within which to pay the royalties due or to respond in writing by stating a reasonable cause for nonpayment. If the drilling owner fails to make payment of the royalties or fails to state a reasonable cause for nonpayment within this period, the court may award to the nonparticipating owner as damages double the amount of royalties due, interest on that sum from the date due, and a reasonable attorney fee regardless of the cause for the original failure to pay royalties. If the drilling owner provides sufficient proof of payment of the royalties to the nonparticipating owner, then the nonparticipating owner shall have no cause of action against the drilling owner for nonpayment.
(gg) Each nonparticipating owner entitled to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production as provided in Subitems (aa) and (bb) of this Item shall furnish to the drilling owner both of the following:
(I) A true and complete, or redacted, copy of the mineral lease or other agreement creating any lessor royalty or overriding royalty for which the nonparticipating owner is entitled to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production; provided that a redacted copy may be submitted in lieu of a complete copy, if it contains in full the provisions dealing with the determination and calculation of the portion of proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production due to the lessor or overriding royalty owner.
(II) A sworn statement of the ownership of the nonparticipating owner as to each tract embraced within the unit in which the nonparticipating owner has an interest and the amounts of the lessor royalty and overriding royalty burdens for which the nonparticipating owner is entitled to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production. In its discretion, the nonparticipating owner may also provide to the drilling owner copies of any title opinions in its possession or portions thereof on which the statement of ownership is based in whole or in part; however, doing so shall not relieve the nonparticipating owner of its obligation to provide the sworn statement described in this Subsubitem.
(hh) Each nonparticipating owner who has received from the drilling owner a portion of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production for the benefit of a lessor royalty owner or overriding royalty owner, based only on the information furnished pursuant to Subitem (gg) of this Item, shall indemnify and hold harmless the drilling owner from and against any claims asserted against the drilling owner related to any amounts paid to the nonparticipating owner. The nonparticipating owner shall also restore to the drilling owner any amounts paid by the drilling owner to the nonparticipating owner in reliance on the information furnished pursuant to Subitem (gg) of this Item, if and to the extent determined to be incorrect.
(ii) No change or division of the ownership of a nonparticipating owner who is receiving a portion of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production from the drilling owner shall be binding upon the drilling owner for the purpose of paying to the nonparticipating owner for the benefit of its lessor royalty owner or overriding royalty owner, under Subitems (aa) and (bb) of this Item, until such new nonparticipating owner acquiring any interest has furnished the drilling owner, at the drilling owner's address as reflected in the records maintained by the department, with a certified copy of the instrument or instruments, constituting the chain of title from the original nonparticipating owner.
(jj) In the event that the drilling owner secures a title opinion from a licensed Louisiana attorney covering a tract of land in a unit burdened by a mineral lease, or other agreement, that creates any lessor royalty or overriding royalty for which a nonparticipating owner is entitled to receive from the drilling owner a portion of the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of production, the actual reasonable costs incurred by the drilling owner in obtaining the title examination and the title opinion may, at the drilling owner's sole discretion, be chargeable as a cost recoverable by the drilling owner out of the tract's allocable share of production. In such case, the drilling owner shall provide the nonparticipating owner applicable excerpts of such title opinion.
(iii) Any owner not notified shall bear only his tract's allocated share of the actual reasonable expenditures incurred in drilling, testing, completing, equipping, and operating the unit well or in connection with any subsequent unit operation, including a charge for supervision, which share shall be subject to the same obligation and remedies and rights to own and recover out of production in favor of the drilling owner as provided in this Subsection. The drilling owner shall deliver to the owner not notified, for the benefit of his lessor royalty owner or overriding royalty owner, the proceeds attributable to the lessor royalty and overriding royalty burdens as described in this Section.
(iv) Any owner of a well described in Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph who is conducting, intends to conduct, or has conducted a subsequent unit operation on such well may notify all other owners in the unit of the conducting or the intent to conduct such operation in the form and manner of the risk charge notice described in Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, and in that event, all of the provisions of this Paragraph shall be applicable to that subsequent unit operation to the same extent, and in the same manner, that they would apply to the drilling of a new well, subject to Items (v) and (vi) of this Subparagraph.
(v) The risk charge for any subsequent unit operation shall be one hundred percent of the tract's allocated share of the actual reasonable expenditures incurred in conducting the subsequent unit operation, including a charge for supervision, regardless of whether the wellbore on which such operations were conducted is a unit well, alternate unit well, substitute unit well, or cross-unit well.
(vi) The notice to be provided by the drilling owner to the other owners in the unit pursuant to Item (iv) of this Subparagraph shall contain:
(aa) A detailed description identifying the well to which the subsequent unit operation relates, the work associated therewith, and the new location and objective depth of the well if changed as a result of such work.
(bb) A copy of the order of the secretary creating the drilling unit to which the subsequent unit operation relates.
(cc) An AFE that shall include a detailed estimate, or the actual amount, of the cost of conducting the subsequent unit operation and that is dated within one hundred twenty days of the date of the mailing of the notice.
(dd) An estimate of the notified owner's approximate percentage of well participation.
(ee) A copy of all available logs, core analysis, production data, and well test data with respect to the well that has not been made public.
(vii) If, on the date of the notice of the subsequent unit operation, there are still amounts uncollected on a risk charge from a nonparticipating owner for the drilling of, or a previous operation on, the wellbore for which the notice is sent, the drilling owner may recoup a risk charge from that nonparticipating owner on the costs of the noticed subsequent unit operation only if the drilling owner sends that nonparticipating owner a notice of the subsequent unit operation. The notice may offer that nonparticipating owner the opportunity to participate in the subsequent unit operation upon payment to the drilling owner, within sixty days of the date of receipt of the notice, of the nonparticipating owner's entire outstanding balance due for all previous operations on the wellbore, including any amounts uncollected on a risk charge. If the drilling owner sends the nonparticipating owner the notice, the drilling owner may, in addition to recouping the costs of a subsequent unit operation, recoup a risk charge on the costs of the subsequent unit operation from the production from the well attributable to the tract under lease to that nonparticipating owner if it fails to elect timely to participate in the subsequent unit operation, or if it fails to pay timely the entire outstanding balance due for all previous operations on the wellbore, or if it fails to pay timely its share of the estimated costs of the subsequent unit operation determined by the AFE.
(c) Should a drilling unit be created by order of the secretary around a well already drilled or drilling and including one or more tracts as to which the owner or owners thereof had not participated in the risk and expense of drilling such well, then the provisions of this Subsection for notice, election, and participation shall be applicable as if a well were being proposed by the owner who drilled or was drilling such well; however, the cost of drilling, testing, completing, equipping, and operating the well allocable to each tract included in the unit shall be reduced in the same proportion as the recoverable reserves in the unitized pool have been recovered by prior production, if any, in which said tract or tracts did not participate prior to determining the share of cost allocable to such tract or tracts.
(d)(i) Should a drilling unit be revised by order of the secretary so as to include an additional tract or tracts, then the provisions of this Subsection for notice, election, and participation shall be applicable to such added tract or tracts and the owner thereof as if a well were being proposed by the owner who had drilled the well; however, the cost of drilling, testing, completing, equipping, and operating the unit well shall be reduced in the same proportion as the recoverable reserves in the unitized pool have been recovered by prior production, if any, in which said tract or tracts did not participate prior to determining the share of cost allocable to the subsequently included tract or tracts.
(ii) Should a drilling unit be revised by order of the secretary as to exclude a tract or tracts, the cost of drilling, testing, completing, equipping, and operating the unit well shall be reduced in the same proportion as the recoverable reserves in the unitized pool have been recovered by prior production to determine the share of cost allocable to the subsequently excluded tract or tracts.
(e)(i) The provisions of Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph with respect to the risk charge shall not apply to any unleased interest not subject to an oil, gas, and mineral lease.
(ii) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph, the lessor royalty owner and overriding royalty owner shall receive that portion of production proceeds due to them under the terms of the contract creating the royalty.
(f) In the event of a dispute relative to the calculation of unit well costs or depreciated unit well costs, the secretary shall determine the proper costs after notice to all interested owners and a public hearing thereon.
(g) Nothing contained herein shall have the effect of enlarging, displacing, varying, altering, or in any way whatsoever modifying or changing the rights and obligations of the parties thereto under any contract between or among owners having a tract or tracts in the unit.
(h) The owners in the unit to whom the risk charge notice provided for in this Section may be sent are the owners of record as of the date on which the risk charge notice is sent.
(i) Failure of the drilling owner to provide to an owner a risk charge notice as required by Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph shall not affect the validity of the risk charge notice properly provided to any other owner in the unit.
(4) If there is included in any unit created by the secretary one or more unleased interests for which the party or parties entitled to market production therefrom have not made arrangements to separately sell or otherwise dispose of the share of such production attributable to such tract, and the unit operator sells or otherwise disposes of such unit production, then the unit operator shall pay to such party or parties such tract's pro rata share of the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of production within one hundred eighty days of such sale or other disposition.
B. Should the owners of separate tracts embraced within a drilling unit fail to agree upon the pooling of the tracts and the drilling of a well on the unit, and should it be established by final and unappealable judgment of court that the secretary is without authority to require pooling as provided for in Subsection A of this Section, then, subject to all other applicable provisions of this Chapter, the owner of each tract embraced within the drilling unit may drill thereon. The allowable production therefrom shall be such proportion of the allowable for the full unit as the area of the separately owned tract bears to the full drilling unit.
C. For purposes of this Section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) "Deepening" means an operation whereby an existing wellbore serving as a unit well, alternate unit well, substitute unit well, or cross-unit well is extended to a point within the same unit and unitized interval beyond its previously drilled total vertical depth.
(2) "Extension" means an operation related to a horizontal well whereby a lateral is drilled in the same unitized interval to a greater total measured depth or extent than the lateral was drilled pursuant to a previous proposal.
(3) "Recompletion" means an operation to attempt a completion in a portion of the unitized interval in the existing wellbore different from the initial completion in the unitized interval.
(4) "Rework" means an operation conducted in the wellbore after it is initially completed in the unitized interval in a good faith effort to secure, restore, or improve production in a stratum within the unitized interval that was previously open to production in that wellbore, including re-perforating, hydraulic fracturing and re-fracturing, tubing repair or replacement, casing repair or replacement, squeeze cementing, setting bridge plugs, and any essential preparatory steps. "Rework" does not include routine maintenance such as acidizing, sand or paraffin removal, repair, or replacement of downhole equipment such as rods, pumps, packers, or other mechanical devices.
(5) "Sidetrack" means the intentional deviation of an existing wellbore serving as a unit well, alternate unit well, or substitute unit well from its actual or permitted bottom hole location within that unit and unitized interval to a different bottom hole location within the same unit and unitized interval or done to drill around junk in the hole or to overcome other mechanical difficulties in order to reach the permitted bottom hole location.
(6) "Subsequent unit operation" means a recompletion, rework, deepening, sidetrack, or extension conducted within the unitized interval for a unit or units created under R.S. 30:9(B).
(7) "Unitized interval" means the subsurface interval defined in the department order creating the unit or units that the existing wellbore is serving as a unit well, alternate unit well, substitute unit well, or cross-unit well.
Acts 1984, No. 345, §1 and §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1985; Acts 1991, No. 595, §1; Acts 2008, No. 115, §1; Acts 2012, No. 743, §1; Acts 2016, No. 524, §1, eff. June 13, 2016; Acts 2022, No. 5, §1; Acts 2024, No. 126, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Offshore production agreement. The governor or his designee is authorized to enter into an Offshore Production Agreement with the United States government concerning the procedures for joint conservation practices concerning minerals in common hydrocarbon bearing areas that underlie the federal and state boundary offshore of Louisiana.
B. Unit agreement. (1) In accordance with the terms of such Offshore Production Agreement or any act of the United States Congress providing with respect thereto, the governor or his designee is authorized to enter into agreements for the unit operations of all or any portion or portions of any common potentially hydrocarbon bearing area underlying the federal and state boundary offshore if reasonably necessary to prevent waste, protect correlative rights, or avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells.
(2) The authority of the governor or his designee to enter into unit agreements under this Subsection shall extend to all affected state lands, whether leased or unleased at the time, and all persons having interests therein.
(3) Upon a determination by the governor that a common potentially hydrocarbon bearing area may underlie the federal and state boundary offshore, all or any portion or portions of which the governor has reason to believe may be appropriate for unit operations, the governor shall direct the secretary to call a hearing for the purpose of receiving evidence from affected state or federal lessees or from any other interested persons. The secretary shall, after a review of all testimony and evidence, transmit to the governor an advisory opinion containing such information and recommendations as may be requested by the governor. The advisory opinion shall be deemed confidential and shall be exempt from the provisions of R.S. 44:1 et seq., in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 44:4(8) and 4.1(B).
(4) After a final unit agreement by the state of Louisiana and the United States or by final decision of an arbitrator or court of competent jurisdiction, or otherwise, the secretary shall, if directed by the governor, issue an order ratifying the terms of the agreement or final decision. In the event that a reservoir-wide unit is created, the secretary is exempt from the requirements of R.S. 30:5(B) and (C) in issuing such order. Neither the agreement nor any order issued pursuant to it shall be subject to the provisions of R.S. 30:12.
(5) The secretary shall have full authority to enforce the unit agreement and order in the same manner as any other order issued under the provisions of this Chapter, and to issue such additional rules, regulations, or orders as may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Section.
Acts 1988, No. 651, §1, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 2010, No. 861, §13; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Whenever the commissioner limits the total amount of oil, gas, or brine which may be produced, the commissioner shall allocate the allowable production among the fields. This allocation shall be made on a reasonable basis, giving, to each field with small wells of settled production, an amount which will prevent a general premature abandonment of the wells in the field.
B. The commissioner may limit the production of a pool to an amount less than that which the pool could produce if no restriction were imposed. This limitation may be imposed either as an incident to or without a limitation of the total amount of oil, gas, or brine which may be produced in this state. The commissioner shall prorate the allowable production among the producers in the pool on a reasonable basis so as to prevent or minimize avoidable drainage from each developed area which is not equalized by counter drainage and so that each producer will have the opportunity to produce or receive his just and equitable share, subject to the reasonable necessities for the prevention of waste.
C. After the effective date of a rule, regulation, or order of the commissioner fixing the allowable production of oil, gas, or brine for a pool, no person shall produce from a well, lease, or property more than the allowable production which is applicable, nor shall the amount be produced in a different manner than that authorized.
Acts 2024, No. 126, §1.
Within thirty days after the issuance thereof, the secretary of the state of Louisiana shall cause to be filed and recorded in the conveyance records of the parish or parishes in which the immovable property affected thereby is situated certified copies of all orders and amendments thereof creating drilling or production units.
Acts 1952, No. 516, §1; Acts 1997, No. 231, §1, eff. June 16, 1997; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1) A person who is aggrieved by any law of this state with respect to conservation of oil or gas, or both, or by a provision of this Chapter, or by a rule, regulation, or order made by the secretary hereunder, or by an act done or threatened hereunder, and who has exhausted his administrative remedy, may obtain court review by a suit for injunction or judicial review against the secretary as defendant.
(2) Suit for review shall be instituted in the district court of the parish in which the principal office of the secretary is located and must be brought within sixty days of the administrative action that is the subject of the suit. In cases of judicial review of adjudication proceedings, the sixty days shall begin to run after mailing of notice of the final decision or order, or if a rehearing is requested within sixty days after the decision thereon.
B.(1) Judicial review of adjudication proceedings before the secretary may be obtained whether or not the plaintiff has applied for a rehearing. A preliminary, procedural, or intermediate action or ruling by the secretary is immediately reviewable if review of the final decision of the secretary would not provide an adequate remedy and would inflict irreparable injury.
(2) Within thirty days after service of the petition or within further time allowed by the court, the secretary shall transmit to the reviewing court the original or a certified copy of the entire record of the proceeding under review. By stipulation of all parties to the review proceedings, the record may be shortened. A party unreasonably refusing to stipulate to limit the record may be taxed by the court for the additional costs. The court may require or permit subsequent corrections or additions to the record.
(3) If, before the date set for hearing, application is made to the court for leave to present additional evidence, and it is shown to the satisfaction of the court that the additional evidence is material and that there were good reasons for failure to present it in the proceeding before the secretary, the court may order that the additional evidence be taken before the secretary upon conditions determined by the court. The secretary may modify his findings and decision by reason of the additional evidence and shall file that evidence and any modifications, new findings, or decisions with the reviewing court.
(4) The review shall be conducted by the court without a jury and shall be confined to the record. In cases of alleged irregularities in procedure before the secretary not shown in the record, proof thereon may be taken in the court. The court, upon request, shall hear oral argument and receive written briefs.
(5) The court may affirm the decision of the secretary or remand the case for further proceedings. The court may reverse or modify the decision if substantial rights of the appellant have been prejudiced because the administrative findings, inferences, conclusions, or decisions are:
(a) In violation of constitutional or statutory provisions;
(b) In excess of the statutory authority of the agency;
(c) Made upon unlawful procedure;
(d) Affected by other error of law;
(e) Arbitrary or capricious, or characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion; or
(f) Manifestly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative, and, substantial evidence on the whole record. In the application of the rule, where the secretary has the opportunity to judge the credibility of witnesses by first-hand observation of demeanor on the witness stand and the reviewing court does not, due regard shall be given to the secretary's determination on credibility issues.
C.(1) Any suit for an injunction brought under this Section shall be tried summarily, and the attorney representing the secretary may have the case set for trial after ten days' notice to the plaintiff or his attorney of record.
(2) The burden of proof shall be upon the plaintiff, and all pertinent evidence with respect to the validity or reasonableness of the order of the secretary complained of shall be admissible. The law, the provision of this Chapter, or the rule, regulation, or order complained of shall be taken as prima facie valid. This presumption shall not be overcome in connection with any application for injunctive relief, including a temporary restraining order, by verified petition or affidavit of or in behalf of the applicant.
D. The right of appeal shall lie as hereinafter set forth in this Chapter.
Acts 1983, No. 409, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. No temporary restraining order or injunction shall be granted against the secretary, the attorney general, or any agent, employee, or representative of the secretary restraining the secretary, or any of his agents, employees, or representatives, or the attorney general, from enforcing a statute of this state relating to conservation of oil and gas, or any of the provisions of this Chapter, or any rule, regulation, or order made hereunder, except after due notice to the secretary, and to all other defendants, and after a hearing. It shall be clearly shown to the court that the act done or threatened is without sanction of law, or that the provisions of this Chapter, or the rule, regulation, or order complained of, is invalid, and that, if enforced against the complaining party, will cause an irreparable injury. The nature and extent of the probable invalidity of the law, or provision of this Chapter, or of any rule, regulation, or order thereunder involved in the suit, shall be recited in the order or decree granting the temporary relief, as well as a clear statement of the probable damage relied upon by the court as justifying temporary injunctive relief.
B. No temporary injunction against the secretary, or the department, or its agents, employees, or representatives, or the attorney general, shall become effective until the plaintiff shall execute a bond in an amount and upon such conditions as the court directs.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Whenever it appears that a person is violating or is threatening to violate a law of this state with respect to the conservation of oil or gas, or both, or a provision of this Chapter, or a rule, regulation, or order made thereunder, the secretary shall bring suit to restrain that person from continuing the violation or from carrying out the threat.
B. Venue shall be in the district court in the parish of the residence of any one of the defendants or in the parish where the violation is alleged to have occurred or is threatened.
C. In this suit, the secretary may obtain injunctions, prohibitory and mandatory, including temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, as the facts warrant, including, when appropriate, injunctions restraining a person from moving or disposing of illegal oil, illegal gas, or an illegal product. Any or all of these illegal commodities may, in the court's discretion, be ordered impounded or placed under the control of an agent appointed by the court.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
In proceedings brought under authority of, or for the purpose of contesting the validity of, a provision of this Chapter, or of an oil or gas conservation law of this state, or of a rule, regulation, or order issued thereunder, appeals may be taken in accordance with the general laws relating to appeals. In appeals from judgments or decrees in suits to contest the validity of a provision of this Chapter, or a rule or regulation of the secretary hereunder, the appeals when docketed in the proper appellate court shall be placed on the preference docket of the court and may be advanced as the court directs.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
If the commissioner fails to bring suit within ten days to restrain a violation as provided in R.S. 30:14, any person in interest adversely affected by the violation who has notified the commissioner in writing of the violation or threat thereof and has requested the commissioner to sue, may bring suit to prevent any or further violations, in the district court of any parish in which the commissioner could have brought suit. If the court holds that injunctive relief should be granted, the commissioner shall be made a party and shall be substituted for the person who brought the suit and the injunction shall be issued as if the commissioner had at all times been the complaining party.
No person shall for the purpose of evading this Chapter, or any rule, regulation or order made thereunder:
(1) Make or cause to be made any false entry or statement of fact in any report required to be made by this Chapter or by any rule, regulation or order made hereunder, or
(2) Make or cause to be made any false entry in an account, record, or memorandum kept by any person in connection with the provisions of this Chapter or of any rule, regulation, or order made thereunder, or
(3) Omit or cause to be omitted full, true, and correct entries in these accounts, records, or memoranda, of all facts and transactions pertaining to the interest or activities in the petroleum industry of a person, as may be required by the commissioner under authority given in this Chapter or by any rule, regulation or order made thereunder, or
(4) Remove out of the jurisdiction of the state, or destroy or mutilate, alter, or by any other means falsify any book, record, or other paper, pertaining to the transactions regulated by this Chapter or by any rule, regulation or order made thereunder.
Whoever violates this Section shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
A.(1) Whoever violates a provision of this Title, or a rule, regulation, or order of the department made hereunder, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than five thousand dollars a day for each day of violation and for each act of violation.
(2) Whoever knowingly and willfully violates a provision of this Subtitle, or a rule, regulation, or order of the department made pursuant to this Subtitle, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction, shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars for each day of violation and for each act of violation, if a penalty for the violation is not otherwise provided in this Subtitle.
(3) Notwithstanding any provisions of this Section to the contrary, whoever violates the provisions of R.S. 30:4(C)(16) or the rules, regulations or orders of the department made thereunder, and who is disposing or has disposed of hazardous wastes identified and designated as such by the department under the provisions of R.S. 30:2173 may be liable for a civil penalty of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars for each day of violation and for each act of violation.
(4) Whoever willfully and knowingly violates the provisions of R.S. 30:4(C)(16) or the rules, regulations and orders of the department made thereunder in the disposal of hazardous wastes identified and designated as such by the department under the provisions of R.S. 30:2173 shall be fined not more than twenty-five thousand dollars per day of violation and costs of prosecution or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both, and in such instances the prosecution may be instituted by the district attorney having criminal jurisdiction.
(5) Any purchaser of oil and gas from any owner who violates a provision of this Subtitle, or a rule, regulation, or order of the department, may be ordered by the department to hold in escrow any monies allocated to such owners. Monies allocated to royalty owners and overriding royalty owners shall not be affected by this Paragraph.
(6)(a)(i) Notwithstanding any provision of this Section to the contrary, any person found to be in violation of any provision of this Subtitle related to the drilling or use of underground caverns for hydrocarbon storage or solution mining, or any requirement, rule, regulation, or order related thereto, may be liable for a civil penalty, to be assessed by the department or the court, of not more than the cost to the state of any response action made necessary by such violation that is not voluntarily paid by the violator, and a penalty of not more than thirty-two thousand five hundred dollars for each day of violation. However, such person may be liable for an additional penalty of not more than one million dollars when any such violation is done intentionally, willfully, or knowingly and either results in a discharge or disposal that causes irreparable or severe damage to the environment or involves the discharge of a substance which endangers human life or health.
(ii) If the penalty assessed by the department is upheld in full or in part, the department shall be entitled to legal interest as provided in R.S. 9:3500 from the date of imposition of the penalty until paid.
(iii) Any person found to be in violation of any provision of this Chapter related to the drilling or use of underground caverns for hydrocarbon storage or solution mining, or any requirement, rule, regulation, or order related thereto, may be subject to the revocation or suspension of any permit, license, or variance that has been issued to the person related to the drilling or use of such underground caverns for hydrocarbon storage or solution mining.
(b) Any person to whom a compliance order or a cease and desist order is issued pursuant to this Subtitle who fails to take corrective action within the time specified in said order shall be liable for a civil penalty to be assessed by the department or the court of not more than fifty thousand dollars for each day of continued violation or noncompliance.
(c)(i) In determining whether or not a civil penalty is to be assessed and in determining the amount of the penalty or the amount agreed upon in compromise, the following factors shall be considered:
(aa) The history of previous violations or repeated noncompliance.
(bb) The nature and gravity of the violation.
(cc) The degree of culpability, recalcitrance, defiance, or indifference to regulations or orders.
(dd) The monetary benefits realized through noncompliance.
(ee) The degree of risk to human health or property caused by the violation.
(ff) Whether the noncompliance or violation and the surrounding circumstances were immediately reported to the department and whether the violation or noncompliance was concealed or if there was an attempt to conceal by the person charged.
(gg) Whether the person charged has failed to mitigate or to make a reasonable attempt to mitigate the damages caused by his noncompliance or violation.
(hh) The costs of bringing and prosecuting an enforcement action, such as staff time, equipment use, hearing records, and expert assistance.
(ii) The department may supplement such criteria by rule. In the event that the order with which the person failed to comply was an emergency cease and desist order, no penalty shall be assessed if it appears upon later hearing that said order was issued without reasonable cause.
(iii) The department by rule may establish classifications or levels of violations and the appropriate enforcement response.
(d) After submission for a penalty determination at a hearing, the department shall provide an opportunity for relevant and material public comment relative to any penalty that may be imposed.
(e) If the penalty assessed by the department is upheld in full or in part, the department shall be entitled to legal interest as provided in R.S. 9:3500 from the date of imposition of the penalty until paid. If any penalty assessed by the department under the provisions of this Paragraph is vacated or reduced as the result of an appeal of the assessment, the court shall award to the respondent legal interest as provided in R.S. 9:3500 on the amount required to be refunded by the department.
B. Whoever knowingly and willfully aids or abets a person in the violation of a law of this state relating to the conservation of oil or gas, or the violation of a provision of this Subtitle, or any rule, regulation, or order made thereunder, shall be subject to the same penalties provided in this Section for the principal violator.
Acts 1981, No. 853, §1; Acts 1990, No. 606, §1; Acts 2013, No. 367, §1, eff. June 12, 2013; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The sale, or acquisition, or the transportation, refining, processing, or handling in any other way, of illegal oil, illegal gas, or an illegal product is unlawful.
B. Unless and until the commissioner provides a method, by which a person may have an opportunity to determine whether a contemplated transaction or sale, or acquisition, or transportation, refining, processing, or handling in any other way, involves illegal oil, illegal gas, or illegal product, no penalty shall be imposed except under certain circumstances hereinafter stated. Penalties shall be imposed for the commission of each transaction prohibited in this Section when the transactor knows that illegal oil, illegal gas, or illegal product is involved or when he could have known by the exercise of reasonable diligence or from facts within his knowledge. However, regardless of lack of actual notice or knowledge, penalties as provided in this Chapter shall apply to any sale, or acquisition, and to the transportation, refining, processing, or handling in any other way, of illegal oil, illegal gas, or illegal product, where administrative provision is made for identifying the character of the commodity as to its legality. It likewise shall be a violation for which penalties shall be imposed for any person to sell, or acquire or to transport, refine, process, or handle in any other way, any oil, gas, or product without complying with all applicable rules, regulations, or orders of the commissioner relating thereto.
A. In addition to other remedies and penalties, all illegal oil, illegal gas, or illegal products, shall, except under the circumstances stated herein, be contraband and shall be seized and sold, and the proceeds applied as herein provided. The sale shall not take place unless the court shall find, in the proceeding provided for in this Subsection, that the commodity is contraband. Whenever the secretary believes that illegal oil, illegal gas, or illegal product is subject to seizure and sale, he shall, through the attorney general, bring a civil action in rem in the district court of the parish where the commodity is found. Or the action may be maintained in connection with any suit or reconventional demand for injunction or for penalty relating to any prohibited transaction involving the illegal oil, illegal gas, or illegal product. Any person in interest who shows himself to be adversely affected by the seizure and sale shall have the right to intervene in the suit to protect his rights.
B. The action referred to in Subsection A shall be strictly in rem and shall proceed in the name of the state as plaintiff against the illegal oil, illegal gas, or illegal product described in the petition, as defendant, and no bond shall be required of the plaintiff in connection therewith. Upon the filing of the petition, the clerk of the court shall issue a citation with a copy of the petition attached directed to the sheriff of the parish, or to any other officer or person the court authorizes to serve process. He shall cite all persons, without undertaking to name them, who may be interested to appear and answer within fifteen days after the issuance and service of the petition and citation. Service shall be made by posting a copy of the petition and citation upon the courthouse door of the parish where the commodity involved is alleged to be located and by posting another copy near the place where the commodity is alleged to be located. The posting of the petition and citation shall constitute constructive possession of the commodity by the state. Proof of service of citation, and the manner thereof, shall be made as is required by law.
C. Where it appears by a verified pleading on the part of the plaintiff, by affidavit, or by oral testimony, that grounds for the seizure and sale exist, the court shall issue an order of seizure. This order shall specifically describe the alleged contraband so that it may be identified with reasonable certainty. The order shall direct the sheriff to whom it is addressed to take into his custody, actual or constructive, the commodity described and to hold it subject to the orders of the court. The sheriff shall be responsible upon his official bond for proper execution of the order.
D. The court may direct the sheriff to deliver the custody of any contraband seized by him to a sequestrator who shall act as the agent of the court and shall give bond with surety as the court directs conditioned that he will faithfully conserve the contraband which comes into his custody and possession in accordance with the orders of the court. The court may appoint an agent of the secretary as sequestrator.
E. Any person testing the validity of a seizure or sequestration, may obtain the release of oil, gas or other products upon furnishing bond issued by a corporate surety company qualified to do business in the state in an amount exceeding by one-half the current market value of the oil, gas, or other product under seizure or sequestration. The bond shall be in favor of the sheriff and shall be conditioned upon and shall remain in full force and effect until final determination of the validity of the seizure or sequestration.
F. Sales of contraband seized under the authority of this Chapter, and notices of these sales, shall be in accordance with the laws of this state relating to the sale and disposition of property seized under a writ of fieri facias.
G. The court may order that the commodity be sold in specified lots or portions, and at stated intervals, instead of being sold at one time. Title to the amount sold shall pass as of the date of that act which is found by the court to make the commodity contraband. The amount sold shall be treated as legal oil, legal gas, or legal product in the hands of the purchaser, but the purchaser and the commodity shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and orders with respect to the transportation, refining, processing, or handling in any other way, of the commodity purchased.
H. The proceeds of the sale of contraband shall be applied first to the payment of the cost of the action and the expenses incident to the sale after these expenses have been approved and allowed by the court. All funds then remaining shall be paid to the department of conservation for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Chapter.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The secretary shall periodically review the fees collected by the department, and, in addition to other statutory authorization, may revise such fees pursuant to the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act.
B.(1)(a) There shall be an annual fee payable to the department, in a form and schedule prescribed by the department, by oil and gas operators on capable oil wells and capable gas wells based on a tiered system to establish parity on a dollar amount between the wells. The tiered system shall be established annually by rule on capable oil and capable gas production, including nonexempt wells reporting zero production during the annual base period, such that the amount generated does not exceed three million six hundred seventy-five thousand dollars for each fiscal year beginning with Fiscal Year 2015-2016. Incapable oil, stripper oil, incapable gas well gas, and incapable oil well gas shall be exempt from the fee. For the purposes of this Subsection, "capable oil" means crude oil and condensate not classified as incapable oil or stripper oil by the Department of Revenue. "Capable gas" means natural and casing head gas not classified as incapable gas well gas or incapable oil well gas by the Department of Revenue.
(b) There shall be an annual fee payable to the department, in a form and schedule prescribed by the department, on Class I wells in an amount not to exceed one million dollars for Fiscal Year 2015-2016 and thereafter.
(c) There shall be an annual regulatory fee payable to the department, in a form and schedule prescribed by the department, on Class II wells, Class III wells, storage wells, Type A facilities, and Type B facilities in an amount not to exceed two million one hundred eighty-seven thousand five hundred dollars for Fiscal Year 2015-2016 and thereafter. No fee shall be imposed on a Class II well of an operator who is also an operator of a stripper crude oil well or incapable gas well certified pursuant to R.S. 47:633 by the severance tax division of the Department of Revenue and located in the same field as such Class II well.
(d) There shall be an application fee payable to the department, in a form and schedule prescribed by the department, by industries under the jurisdiction of the department. In addition to any other fee that is on the schedule on July 1, 2015, the secretary may collect the following fees:
(i) Application for alternate unit well, exception $ 504
to 29-E, exception to 29-B, severance tax relief,
downhole combinations, well product
reclassification, selective completion, pilot
projects, waiver of production test, or critical
date order
(ii) Application for work permit - minerals $ 75
(iii) Application to amend permit to drill - minerals $ 50
(lease unit well, stripper, incapable, other)
(iv) Operator registration $ 105
(v) Annual compliance review fee - class III $ 2,000
solution mining cavern
(vi) Annual compliance review fee - class II $ 2,000
hydrocarbon storage and exploration and
production waste cavern
(vii) Class II carbon dioxide enhanced $ 5,000
recovery project
(viii) Community saltwater disposal system initial $ 125
notification
(ix) Application for work permit - injection or other $ 125
(x) Work permit to plug and abandon a well utilized $ 500
for naturally occurring radioactive waste disposal
(xi) Requests to modify well permit $ 300
(xii) Class V permit waiver or exemption request $ 250
(xiii) Witnessed verification of mechanical $ 250
integrity tests
(xiv) Repealed by Acts 2016, No. 277, §2.
(xv) Request to transport exploration and $ 150
production waste to commercial facilities
or transfer stations
(xvi) Repealed by Acts 2016, No. 277, §2.
(xvii) Exploration and production waste $ 300
determination
(xviii) Repealed by Acts 2016, No. 277, §2.
(xix) Commercial facility application exclusive $ 3,000
of an associated well
(xx) Repealed by Acts 2016, No. 277, §2.
(xxi) Repealed by Acts 2016, No. 277, §2.
(xxii) Reuse material applications not associated with $ 400
a commercial facility
(e) For the purposes of this Paragraph, exploration and production waste shall not include produced brine, produced water, or salvageable hydrocarbons bound for permitted salvage oil operators. There shall be a monthly fee payable to the department of two cents per barrel of exploration and production waste delivered, as reported on a form prescribed by the department to collect commercial facilities monthly report of waste receipts, from the original generator of the waste to the following facilities:
(i) Department-permitted off-site commercial facilities.
(ii) Transfer stations permitted by the department for waste transfer to out-of-state treatment or disposal facilities.
(iii) Any other legally permitted Louisiana off-site waste storage, treatment, or disposal facilities also approved by the department for the receipt of exploration and production waste.
(2)(a) There is hereby established a special statutorily dedicated fund account in the state treasury to be known as the Oil and Gas Regulatory Dedicated Fund Account, hereafter referred to as the "account". After deposit in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund and after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all the obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state that become due and payable within each fiscal year, the treasurer shall pay into the account an amount equal to the monies generated from collection of the fees provided for in this Title, R.S. 40:1749.11 et seq., or Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, any fines and civil penalties or any other provision of law relative to fees, fines, or civil penalties attributable to the department, and fifty percent of any annual assessment paid by an operator who chooses not to plug a well classified as inactive with the remainder being deposited into the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund.
(b) Monies deposited into the account shall be categorized as fees and self-generated revenue for the sole purpose of reporting related to the executive budget, supporting documents, and general appropriation bills. The monies credited to the account shall be appropriated by the legislature and dedicated solely to the use of the department for the regulation of the oil and gas industry and other industries under the jurisdiction of the department and shall be used solely for the purposes of that program. Any monies remaining in the account at the end of any fiscal year shall remain with the account and shall not revert to the state general fund. All interest or earnings of the account shall be credited to the account. All fees and self-generated revenue remaining on deposit for the department at the end of any fiscal year shall be deposited into the account. The amount appropriated from the account to the department shall be subject to appropriation by the legislature.
(c) The provisions of Subtitle II of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 shall apply to the administration, collection, and enforcement of the fees imposed in this Section, and the penalties provided by that Subtitle shall apply to the person who fails to pay or report the fee. Proceeds from the fee, including any penalties collected in connection with the fee, shall be deposited into the account.
C. Nothing contained herein shall authorize the charging of inspection fees for shut-in oil wells or temporarily abandoned oil wells in stripper fields.
Acts 1989, No. 227, §1, eff. June 26, 1989; Acts 1991, No. 778, §1, eff. July 1, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 811, §1; Acts 1997, No. 826, §1, eff. July 1, 1997; Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 47, §1, eff. April 24, 1998; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 88, §1; Acts 2001, No. 260, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 97, §1, eff. July 1, 2002; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 105, §1; Acts 2015, No. 362, §1; Acts 2016, No. 277, §§1, 2; Acts 2016, No. 582, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2017, No. 218, §1, eff. June 14, 2017; Acts 2021, No. 114, §6, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1) There is hereby created, in the state treasury, a special fund to be known as the Natural Resources Financial Security Fund, hereinafter referred to as the "fund". The fund shall be used exclusively to support the Department of Conservation and Energy in administering, managing, and responding to financial security obligations related to oil and gas, injection and mining, surface mining, solar, wind, or any other natural resource or energy-related regulatory program for which financial security or financial assurance are required by law or regulation.
(2) Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all the obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state that become due and payable within each fiscal year, the treasurer shall pay into Natural Resources Financial Security Fund an amount equal to the revenues generated from collection of the payments provided for in Subsection C of the Section.
(3) The funds received shall be placed in the Natural Resources Financial Security Fund in the custody of the state treasurer to be used only in accordance with this Part and shall not be placed in the general fund. The funds provided to the trust authority pursuant to this Section shall at all times be and remain the property of the trust authority. The monies in this fund shall be used solely as provided in this Section and only in the amount appropriated by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies remaining in this fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. Except for the pledge of the revenues provided in R.S. 30:83.1, it is the intent of the legislature that this fund and its increments shall remain intact and inviolate. Monies in the fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund. At the request of the Natural Resources Trust Authority, the state treasurer may invest monies in the fund, or any portion thereof, in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 33:2955, including the use of the Louisiana Asset Management Pool, and any interest earned on such investments shall be credited to the fund.
B. The fund shall be administered by the Natural Resources Trust Authority in consultation with the Mineral and Energy Board.
C. The fund shall consist of:
(1) Annual payments, premiums, or fees collected from operators participating in financial security programs administered by the Natural Resources Trust Authority.
(2) Appropriations, donations, grants, or other public or private sources received for the purposes of the fund.
(3) Investment earnings on monies in the fund.
(4) Any other funds lawfully designated for deposit into the fund.
D. Monies in the fund shall be used solely for the following purposes:
(1) To restore regulated sites for which financial security payments have been collected under programs administered by the department.
(2) To provide a financial backstop for unfunded or underfunded regulatory obligations related to covered operators.
(3) To cover custodial services, investment, and disbursement costs directly attributable to the investment of the fund and administrative and program costs associated with managing financial security instruments, including but not limited to risk assessment, compliance monitoring, rulemaking, legal services, actuarial evaluations, and reporting.
(4) Upon certification by the Natural Resources Trust Authority that plugging or remediation has occurred for a site covered for which the department has collected financial security, the state treasurer is authorized and directed to transfer from the Natural Resources Financial Security Fund to the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund the amount necessary to reimburse related expenditures.
(5) Upon request by the Natural Resources Trust Authority and with the approval of the Mineral and Energy Board, the state treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to transfer from the Natural Resources Financial Security Fund to the Mineral and Energy Operations Fund such amounts as are approved by the board and deemed necessary to implement any purpose for which monies in the Mineral and Operations Fund may be used, subject to the availability of funds and in accordance with applicable law.
E. By July 1, 2026, excluding the proceeds from the oilfield site restoration fees collected pursuant to R.S. 30:87 and any interest thereon, all cash deposits held or managed under the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund pursuant to R.S. 30:86 or any related provision, shall be transferred to and administered under the Natural Resources Financial Security Fund. The Natural Resources Trust Authority, in consultation with the state treasurer, shall implement the transfer, including the transfer of associated records, in a manner that preserves financial integrity and ensures continuity of obligations.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Upon the final disposition of each claim filed with the Department of Conservation and Energy pursuant to Act No. 233 of the 1984 Regular Session of the Legislature, the secretary shall condemn one or more of the parties to the claim to pay the actual cost of administering the claim and may apportion the cost among the parties. The funds received pursuant to this Section shall be deposited immediately into the state treasury.
Acts 1987, No. 644, §1, eff. July 9, 1987; Acts 1992, No. 984, §§9, 18; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. The underground storage of natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons, and carbon dioxide which promotes conservation of natural gas or liquid hydrocarbons, or which permits the building of large quantities of natural gas or liquid hydrocarbons in reserve for orderly withdrawal in periods of peak demand, making natural gas or liquid hydrocarbons more readily available to the consumer, or which provides more uniform withdrawal from various gas or oil fields, each is in the public interest and for a public purpose.
B. Prior to the use of any underground reservoir for the storage of natural gas and prior to the exercise of eminent domain by any person, firm, or corporation having such right under laws of the state of Louisiana, and as a condition precedent to such use or to the exercise of such rights of eminent domain, the secretary, after public hearing pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:6, shall have found all of the following:
(1) That the underground reservoir sought to be used for the injection, storage, and withdrawal of natural gas is suitable and feasible for such use, provided no reservoir, any part of which is producing or is capable of producing oil in paying quantities, shall be subject to such use, unless all owners in such underground reservoir have agreed thereto, and no reservoir shall be subject to such use (a) unless the volumes of original reservoir gas and condensate content therein which are capable of being produced in paying quantities have all been produced; or (b) unless such reservoir has a greater value or utility as an underground reservoir for gas storage than for the production of the remaining volumes of original reservoir natural gas and condensate content, and at least three-fourths of the owners, in interest, exclusive of any "lessor" defined in R.S. 30:148.1, have consented to such use in writing.
(2) That the use of the underground reservoir for the storage of natural gas will not contaminate other formations containing fresh water, oil, gas, or other commercial mineral deposits.
(3) That the proposed storage will not endanger lives or property.
C. Prior to the use of any underground reservoir for the storage of liquid hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide, the secretary, after public hearing pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:6, shall have found all of the following:
(1) That the underground reservoir sought to be used for the injection, storage, and withdrawal of liquid hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide is suitable and feasible for such use, provided no reservoir, any part of which is producing or is capable of producing oil in paying quantities, shall be subject to such use, unless all owners in such underground reservoir have agreed thereto, and no reservoir shall be subject to such use (a) unless the volumes of original reservoir gas and condensate content therein which are capable of being produced in paying quantities have all been produced; or (b) unless such reservoir has a greater value or utility as an underground reservoir for gas storage than for the production of the remaining volumes of original reservoir natural gas and condensate content, and at least three-fourths of the owners, in interest, exclusive of any "lessor" defined in R.S. 30:148.1, have consented to such use in writing.
(2) That the use of the underground reservoir for the storage of liquid hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide will not contaminate other formations containing fresh water, oil, gas, or other commercial mineral deposits.
(3) That the proposed storage will not endanger lives or property.
D. The secretary shall determine with respect to any such underground reservoir proposed to be used as a storage reservoir, whether or not such reservoir is fully depleted of the original commercially recoverable natural gas, condensate, or liquid hydrocarbon content therein. If the secretary finds that such reservoir has not been fully depleted, the secretary shall determine the amount of the remaining commercially recoverable natural gas, condensate, or liquid hydrocarbon content of such reservoir.
E. The secretary may issue any necessary order providing that all natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide which has previously been reduced to possession and which is subsequently injected into an underground storage reservoir shall at all times be deemed the property of the injector, his successors and assigns; and in no event shall such gas, liquid hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide be subject to the right of the owner of the surface of the lands or of any mineral interest therein under which such underground storage reservoir shall lie or be adjacent to or of any person other than the injector, his successors, and assigns to produce, take, reduce to possession, waste, or otherwise interfere with or exercise any control thereover, provided that the injector, his successors, and assigns shall have no right to gas or liquid hydrocarbons in any stratum or portion thereof not determined by the secretary to constitute an approved underground storage reservoir. The secretary shall issue such orders, rules, and regulations as may be necessary for the purpose of protecting any such underground storage reservoir, strata, or formations against pollution or against the escape of natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide therefrom, including such necessary rules and regulations as may pertain to the drilling into or through such underground storage reservoir.
Added by Acts 1962, No. 190, §1; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The underground storage of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law will permit the accumulation of large quantities of such liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law for orderly withdrawal in times of greater demand, it being deemed in the public interest to have a supply of such substances readily available for consumption. The underground storage of carbon dioxide which provides more uniform withdrawal from various gas or oil fields is in the public interest and for a public purpose.
B. Except as to liquid or gas hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gas storage projects begun before the effective date of this Section, and prior to authorizing the use of any salt dome cavity for the storage of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide, the secretary, after public hearing pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:6, shall have found all of the following:
(1) That the area of the salt dome sought to be used for the injection, storage, and withdrawal of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law is suitable and feasible for such use.
(2) That the use of the salt dome cavity for the storage of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law will not contaminate other formations containing fresh water, oil, gas, or other commercial mineral deposits, except salt.
(3) That the proposed storage, including all surface pits and surface storage facilities incidental thereto which are used in connection with the salt dome cavity storage operation, will not endanger lives or property and is environmentally compatible with existing uses of the salt dome area.
(4) That temporary loss of jobs caused by the storage of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law will be corrected by compensation, finding of new employment, or other provisions made for displaced labor.
(5) That due consideration has been given to the alternative sources of water for the leaching of cavities.
C. After having made the findings required in Subsection B of this Section, the secretary shall transmit a copy of the application, together with his findings, to the natural resources committees of the Senate and House of Representatives. These committees, meeting jointly, shall consider the facts surrounding the application and the findings of the secretary and may hold public hearings thereon. Based upon its deliberations, the committees, acting jointly, may submit a report and recommendations to the secretary within fifteen days after receipt of the application. After consideration of any recommendations so made, the secretary may issue all necessary orders providing that liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law, previously reduced to possession and which are subsequently injected and stored in a salt dome cavity, shall at all times be deemed the property of the injector, his successors, or assigns, subject to the provisions of any contract between the owner or owners of the solid mineral or land overlying the area affected as determined by the secretary; and providing further that in no event shall the owner of the surface of the lands or water bottoms or of any mineral interest under or adjacent to which such salt dome cavity may lie, or any other person, be entitled to any right or claim in or to such liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law stored therein, including the right to produce, take, reduce to possession, waste, or otherwise interfere with or exercise any control thereover. The secretary shall issue necessary orders, rules, and regulations for the protection from pollution of any salt dome cavity used for storage of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law, or any adjacent strata or formation; and such rules and regulations as may be necessary pertaining to surface storage facilities for the protection of the environment, drilling into any salt dome for the creation of cavities, and equipping of same for the injection, storage, and withdrawal of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law. Subject to the exception provided in Subsection B of this Section, the secretary shall not allow the use of any salt dome in the state of Louisiana for the purposes mentioned herein until such time as he has prepared and promulgated the regulations required herein according to the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq. In addition, the secretary shall issue necessary orders, rules, and regulations for the protection of the rights of owners of parts of the salt dome which are adjacent to any part thereof sought to be used for the storage of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gases not otherwise prohibited by law.
D.(1) In furtherance of the development of comprehensive energy policy for the state, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall determine the feasibility of initiating projects, by the state or by contract on behalf of the state, for the storage of emergency supplies of state-owned oil and gas, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gas not otherwise prohibited by law. The determination shall include consideration of the techniques, costs, quantities of oil and gas, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, compressed air, or noble gas not otherwise prohibited by law available for such purpose and priorities for allocation in time of emergency.
(2) Upon presentation of the findings and determination by the secretary to the committees on natural resources of the Senate and House of Representatives and approval by said committees of any such projects, the secretary shall authorize the secretary to initiate such procedures as the secretary deems necessary within the scope of his authority under Chapter 7 of this Title and the constraints of this Section to accomplish the purposes hereof.
Added by Acts 1976, No. 641, §1. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 223, §1; Acts 1979, No. 603, §1; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1; Acts 2021, No. 326, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The owner or operator of a solution mined cavern shall record the survey plat of the well location for the solution mining injection well in the mortgage and conveyance records of the parish in which the property is located. Such notice shall be made in a form approved by the secretary and within the time specified by the secretary. If an owner or operator fails or refuses to record such notice, the secretary may, if he determines that the public interest requires, and after due notice and an opportunity for a hearing has been given to the owner and operator, cause such notice to be recorded. The clerk of court shall forward to the department a copy of each notice recorded by an owner or operator in accordance with this Subsection.
B. The failure of an owner to file, or ensure that the operator has filed, the required notice may constitute grounds for an action in redhibition under the applicable provisions of Civil Code Article 2520 et seq., unless the purchaser has actual or constructive knowledge that the property has been used for such purposes.
C. Any action brought pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall be commenced within one year from the date the purchaser first knows of the existence of the fact that gives rise to the action, but in any event within three years of the date upon which the purchaser acquired his ownership interest in the property. Venue shall be in any parish in which the property or any portion thereof is located.
Acts 2013, No. 369, §2; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Whenever, on the basis of any information, the commissioner determines that any person is in violation of any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to R.S. 30:4(D), he shall give written notice to the violator of his failure to comply with such rule or regulation. If such violation extends beyond the thirtieth day after notification, the commissioner after notice and hearing may issue an order requiring compliance within a specified time period or he may commence a civil action in the district court in the parish in which the violation occurred for appropriate relief.
B. If such violator fails to take corrective action within the time specified in the order, he shall be liable for a civil penalty, to be assessed by the commissioner, of not more than two hundred dollars for each day of continued non-compliance. No penalty shall be assessed until the person charged shall have been given notice and an opportunity for a hearing on such charge. In determining the amount of the penalty, or the amount agreed upon in compromise, the gravity of the violation, and the demonstrated good faith of the person charged in attempting to achieve rapid compliance after notification of a violation, shall be considered by the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 674, §2.
A.(1) In order to implement the provisions of Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources of the state, the Legislature of Louisiana hereby declares that the use of production pits in oil and gas related activities is harmful to the wetland and marsh areas of the coastal zone of this state and therefore such pits shall be closed in accordance with this Section.
(2) Each production pit located within the inland tidal waters, lakes bounded by the Gulf of America, and saltwater marshes shall be closed by January 1, 1993. The Department of Conservation and Energy shall adopt rules to enforce the provisions of this Section and may issue compliance orders, cease and desist orders, and other orders as are necessary to enforce the requirements of this Section and the rules of the department.
(3) The exemptions and exceptions for production pits located within the inland tidal waters, lakes bounded by the Gulf of America, and saltwater marshes provided for by the rules of the Department of Conservation and Energy in Statewide Order No. 29-B, Section XV, Paragraph 2.2(K) and (M) are hereby declared null, void, and without effect. After June 30, 1989, no new production pits shall be constructed within the inland tidal waters, lakes bounded by the Gulf of America, and saltwater marshes.
(4) For the purposes of this Section a "production pit" shall mean any pit, whether permanent or temporary, that has been or is utilized in oil and gas activities or in the operation of oil and gas related facilities; however, the term shall not include reserve pits, compressor station pits, pits associated with the storage of petroleum products and petroleum in saltdome caverns, and natural gas processing plant pits which collect and store process water and stormwater runoff.
(5) The secretary may grant an extension of time within which to close production pits, not to exceed two years from January 1, 1993, provided that there is a clear showing that the production pit for which the extension is sought is being operated in such a manner so as to assure the protection of soil, surface water, wildlife, aquatic life, and vegetation. The department in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality shall adopt rules and regulations regarding the operating standards which must be followed in order to qualify for such extension of time to close said production pit in accordance with the provisions of this Section no later than April 1, 1990.
(6) The secretary may grant an exemption from the closure requirements of this Section for any onshore terminal pit in existence on June 30, 1989, provided that there is a clear showing that such pit is being operated in such a manner so as to assure the protection of soil, surface water, wildlife, aquatic life, and vegetation. The secretary in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality shall adopt rules and regulations regarding the operating standards of such onshore terminal pits which must be followed in order to qualify for such exemption no later than April 1, 1990.
(7) No permit or approval from any agency, department, or authority other than the Department of Conservation and Energy shall be required or sought in connection with any activity mandated by, arising out of, or resulting from the requirements of this Section.
B. The rules provided for by this Section shall be devised, drafted, and adopted in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality. The rules shall:
(1) Provide for standards, testing, and requirements for the closure of production pits so as to assure the protection of soil, surface water, ground water aquifers, underground drinking water sources, wildlife, aquatic life, and vegetation.
(2) Require the submission of a closure plan for each pit by January 1, 1991.
(3) Require the testing of the sludge for the presence of radioisotopes.
(4) Provide for an exception for emergency pits and the standards for such pits.
(5) Provide for fees not to exceed the estimated cost of administering the provisions of this Section.
C. The operator of each production pit shall be liable for the proper closure of such pit in accordance with the provisions of this Section and the rules of the department and such liability shall not be transferable to any other person. Any person who violates the provisions of this Section or the rules of the department shall be subject to the following penalties:
(1) A civil fine of not less than five thousand dollars per day nor more than twenty-five thousand dollars per day for each day after January 1, 1993, for each production pit that has not been closed in accordance with the provisions of this Section or the rules of the department.
(2) Except as provided by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, a civil fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars for each violation of the provisions of this Section, the rules of the department, or the orders of the secretary. For a continuing violation, each day of such violation shall be considered a separate violation.
D. Civil penalties may be imposed only by a ruling of the secretary pursuant to an adjudicatory hearing held in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq. In determining the amount of the fine to be imposed upon a violator, the secretary may consider the nature of the violation, the economic benefit of the violation to the violator, previous violations, any damage or harm caused by the violation, the degree of compliance, and whether the violator has acted in good faith.
E. The secretary may institute civil proceedings in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court to enforce its rulings. In the event judgment is rendered in said court affirming the civil penalties assessed, the court shall also award to the department reasonable attorney fees and judicial interest on said civil penalties from the date of its assessment by the department until paid and all costs.
F. The secretary may institute civil proceedings in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court seeking injunctive relief to restrain and prevent violations of the provisions of this Part or of the rules and regulations adopted under the provisions of this Part. If the court grants the injunctive relief sought by the department it shall also award reasonable attorney fees and costs to the department.
G. The requirements, rules, and penalties provided for by this Section shall be in addition to other requirements, rules, and penalties of the department and the Department of Environmental Quality.
H. No penalty shall be assessed nor any civil action commenced, as provided herein, without the person charged with said violation being given notice and an opportunity to be heard on such charge. The person charged may waive a hearing on the issue of whether or not a violation has occurred and his culpability for such violation and any other issue. When a hearing on the violation is waived, a decision may be rendered upon the uncontested facts. Any party against whom a fine or penalty is imposed may suspensively appeal said fine or penalty to the court having jurisdiction over actions of the agency imposing said fine or penalty. Any judgment obtained with regard to said fine or penalty shall be applied retroactively to the date of imposition of the fine or penalty. Fines or penalties, if appealed, shall not be payable until the judgment of the court becomes final.
I. Nothing in this Section shall apply to a landowner who granted a mineral lease on his property and, under the provision of that lease, the lessee or his assignee, sublessee, or employee constructed a pit on the property.
Acts 1989, No. 437, §1, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 1990, No. 582, §1, eff. July 19, 1990; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall, after notification by the department to the applicant that the application is complete, grant or deny all applications for all permits, licenses, registrations, or compliance in this or any other Title within sixty days. The notification of completeness shall be issued within fourteen days, exclusive of holidays, by the department. If the application is not complete the department shall notify the applicant in writing of the deficiencies which cause the application not to be complete. If the secretary or the secretary does not grant the application, the secretary or the secretary shall provide written reasons for his decision to deny, and copies of the decision shall be provided to all parties. The secretary and the secretary may delegate the power to grant permits, licenses, registrations, variances, or compliance schedules to an assistant.
B. If the secretary does not grant or deny the application within the time period provided for in this Section, the applicant may file a rule as provided for in R.S. 49:978.
Acts 1990, No. 996, §3; Acts 1991, No. 828, §1; Acts 1992, No. 815, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. When the consent of a property owner has not been otherwise obtained, the issuance of a work order or compliance order by the secretary or his agents shall constitute sufficient authorization for the operator, agents of the operator, or persons acting on behalf of the operator to enter the lands of another person, whether or not such operator or persons hold a valid lease regarding such property, for the purposes of conducting site assessments, site restoration, pit closure, plugging and abandonment operations, or any other matter covered by said work order or compliance order issued under the provisions of this Title, or regulations adopted thereunder. The entering of the lands of another under the provisions of this Section shall be subject to the following:
(1) The entry shall be limited to areas and times reasonably necessary to perform the operations authorized by this Section.
(2) Written notice shall be given by the department or operator of a proposed entry to the last record owner of the property at least three calendar days prior to the entry.
(3) The operations authorized by this Section shall not unreasonably interfere with other activities or improvements upon the property.
B. An entry in accordance with the provisions of this Section shall not constitute a trespass or unauthorized entry for the purposes of imposition of civil or criminal liability.
C. The holder of the work order or compliance order may file an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to obtain an injunction or other appropriate relief in order to comply with the provisions of the work order or compliance order.
D. Failure of the holder of the work order or compliance order to seek relief before a court of competent jurisdiction shall not affect that parties' duties and obligations under this Title or the rules, regulations, and orders of the department, nor shall it constitute a defense to any civil penalty issued due to noncompliance with the orders of the secretary.
E. Nothing herein shall be deemed to alter, create, or affect any contractual rights or other rights including any claim for damages, between any party or parties.
F. No party to whom a work order or compliance order is issued shall be deemed to be a public employee or an agent of the department.
G. The department may promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Section.
Acts 1997, No. 230, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. No well or test well may be drilled in search of minerals without first obtaining a permit from the secretary, and the secretary shall collect for each such well or test well a drilling permit fee. The secretary shall periodically review the fees collected by his office for drilling permits and may revise such fees pursuant to the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act.
B.(1) A six-month permit shall be valid for one hundred eighty days from the date of issuance and if the well or test well is not drilled within one hundred eighty days after the permit is issued, it shall be void and a new permit must be obtained upon the payment of an additional drilling permit fee.
(2) A one-year permit shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance and if the well or test well is not drilled within one year after the permit is issued, it shall be void and a new permit must be obtained upon the payment of an additional drilling permit fee. The fee for a one-year permit shall be twice the fee for a six-month permit.
C. For each drilling permit that must be altered, amended, or changed after its initial issuance, the secretary shall collect an amendment fee which shall be set pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, except for unit well nomenclature. An assignment or contract of sale that reflects an assumption of liability for oil and gas wells requires an amended permit. Any person who assumes such liability shall apply for an amended permit within thirty days of the assumption of liability.
D. The secretary shall not issue a permit to drill a well or a test well pursuant to Subsection A, B, or C of this Section until the provisions of this Subsection have been satisfied:
(1) An applicant for a permit to drill an oil or gas well or test well shall submit with his application therefor a location plat, certified by a professional land surveyor, indicating the site of the proposed well in relation to the surrounding property within a radius of five hundred feet from the proposed drilling site.
(2) The secretary shall review the location plat and make a determination as to whether any residential or commercial structure or area of review for a carbon dioxide storage facility not owned by the applicant, his lessor, or other predecessor in interest is situated within a five-hundred-foot radius of the proposed drilling site. For purposes of this Section, "carbon dioxide storage facility" shall include any current or proposed project for which a Class VI permit has been applied or issued, and "area of review" shall have the same meaning as that term is defined in administrative rules regarding Class VI injection wells.
(3) Upon a determination by the secretary that a residential or commercial structure or area of review for a carbon dioxide storage facility is located within five hundred feet of the proposed drilling site, the secretary shall convey that information, together with written notice of a public hearing thereon, by means of an official notice delivered by first class mail to any person owning a residential or commercial structure within a five-hundred-foot radius of the proposed site, to the operator of a carbon dioxide storage facility whose area of review is within a five-hundred-foot radius of the proposed site, and to the local governing authority in whose jurisdiction the property is located.
(4) Any property owner, carbon dioxide storage facility operator, or local governing authority so notified shall have the right within ten days of the mailing of such notice to request a public hearing concerning the issuance of such permit.
(5) The secretary shall hold a public hearing, if one is requested, on the issues concerning the proposed drilling, affording residential and commercial property owners and local government representatives the opportunity to be heard in regard thereto.
(6) No permit for drilling a well or test well shall be issued by the secretary until after the conclusion of the public hearing and after consideration by the secretary of the comments and information presented at that hearing.
(7) If the secretary, in his review of the location plat required by Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, determines that no residential or commercial structure or area of review for a carbon dioxide storage facility not owned by the applicant, his lessor, or other predecessor in interest falls within five hundred feet of the proposed well site, the secretary shall issue the permit required for such drilling in accordance with the provisions of Subsections A, B, C, and F of this Section and any rules and regulations issued thereunder.
(8) The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to workover rigs.
E. Any permit issued to drill an oil or gas well or test well to a depth of less than ten thousand feet shall not be subject to the provisions of Subsection D of this Section other than those requirements regarding carbon dioxide storage facilities.
F. The issuance of the permit by the secretary shall be sufficient authorization to the holder of the permit to enter upon the property covered by the permit and to drill in search of minerals thereon. No other agency or political subdivision of the state shall have the authority, and they are hereby expressly forbidden, to prohibit or in any way interfere with the drilling of a well or test well in search of minerals by the holder of such a permit.
G. The secretary shall promulgate rules, regulations, and orders necessary to require certification of water quality by the operator for surface water used in conjunction with oil and gas drilling operations before drilling begins which ensure ground water aquifer safety.
H. Subject to the provisions contained in Article VII, Section 9 of the Constitution of Louisiana, all funds collected under the provisions of this Section shall be paid by the department into the state treasury and shall be credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund.
I.(1) The secretary, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, shall promulgate rules, regulations, and orders necessary to require an operator, agent, or assigns, to provide a single notice to the surface owner of lands on which drilling operations are to be conducted. For the purposes of this Subsection, such notice shall be referred to as the "pre-entry notice". The rules, regulations, and orders to be promulgated pursuant to this Subsection shall include the following:
(a) The pre-entry notice shall be sent to the surface owner no less than thirty days prior to construction operations of a drilling location on the property by the operator for the purpose of commencing drilling operations on the well described in the pre-entry notice. Such notice shall be provided in the form required by the secretary. No subsequent notice to the surface owner shall be required.
(b) The pre-entry notice shall include the following:
(i) The contact name, email address, and phone number for the operator.
(ii) The proposed well name and pad location including section, township, range, and surface plat of the pad location, if available.
(iii) A statement that operations will commence sometime later than thirty days after the date of the notice.
(c) No pre-entry notice shall be required to be given to a surface owner who has a contractual relationship with the operator.
(d) Upon application, the secretary may, without notice or hearing, waive the pre-entry notice or reduce the thirty-day requirement for such notice in the event the thirty-day delay would result in the loss or termination of a mineral lease, or in the event of such other emergency circumstances as the secretary may deem appropriate for such waiver. (e) No pre-entry notice shall be required for preparatory activities such as inspection, surveying, or staking, provided that nothing herein and nothing in the rules promulgated under the provisions of this Subsection shall be construed as altering or reducing the doctrine of correlative rights or altering or reducing the operator's obligation to conduct his operations with due regard for the rights of the surface owner.
(f) No pre-entry notice shall be required to drill additional wells on an existing drilling pad on the property so long as the operator does not expand the drilling pad or access road.
(g) Such other matters as the secretary may deem necessary or appropriate to implement the one time pre-entry notice required by this Subsection.
(2) A surface owner, for the purpose of this Subsection, shall mean the person or persons shown in the assessor's rolls of the parish as the owner of the surface rights for the land for which a pre-entry notification would be required.
(3) After receipt of the pre-entry notice, the surface owner shall make no alterations to a completed drilling location with the malicious intent to interfere with the drilling operations for which the owner received the pre-entry notice.
J. No later than thirty days after the issuance of an amended permit to transfer a well to another operator, the secretary shall require that the operator identify on a form approved by the secretary the surface owner of lands on which the well site is located. "Surface owner" shall mean the person shown in the assessor's rolls of the parish as the current owner of the surface rights for the land on which the well site is located.
Acts 1997, No. 294, §1; Acts 2009, No. 126, §1; Acts 2012, No. 795, §1; Acts 2016, No. 342, §1; Acts 2024, No. 645, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. An owner or operator of a permitted oil and gas well shall construct and maintain the drilling activity area in such a manner as to avoid disturbing the use of any privately owned active water well existing at the time of the application for the permit to drill.
B. An owner or operator of a permitted oil and gas well may negotiate with the owner of a privately owned active water well to relocate such water well. The owner or operator of a permitted oil and gas well shall pay for the relocation and plugging of the water well.
Acts 2010, No. 646, §1.
A. The legislature hereby finds and declares that Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana mandates that the natural resources and the environment of the state, including ground water, are to be protected, conserved, and replenished insofar as possible and consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the people and further mandates that the legislature enact laws to implement this policy. It is the duty of the legislature to set forth procedures to ensure that damage to the environment is evaluated and if necessary remediated to a standard that protects the public interest. To this end, this Section provides the procedure for judicial resolution of claims for environmental damage to property arising from activities subject to the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation and Energy, office of conservation. The provisions of this Section shall be implemented upon receipt of timely notice as required by Paragraph (B)(1) of this Section. The provisions of this Section shall not be construed to impede or limit provisions under private contracts imposing remediation obligations in excess of the requirements of the department or limit the right of a party to a private contract to enforce any contract provision in a court of proper jurisdiction.
B.(1) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, immediately upon the filing or amendment of any litigation or pleading making a judicial demand arising from or alleging environmental damage, including actions based in whole or in part on R.S. 30:16 or 26, the provisions of this Section shall apply, and the party filing same shall provide timely notice to the state of Louisiana through the Department of Conservation and Energy, commissioner of conservation and the attorney general. The litigation shall be stayed with respect to any judicial demand until thirty days after notice is issued and return receipt is filed with the court.
(2) The department or the attorney general, in accordance with their areas of constitutional and statutory authority and regulations adopted pursuant thereto, shall have the right to intervene in such litigation in accordance with the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure. Nothing in this Section shall diminish the authority of the department or the attorney general to independently bring any civil or administrative enforcement action. Nor shall anything in this Section preclude the department from independently responding in a timely manner to an inquiry or request by a landowner for investigation.
(3) Any judgment or order in any litigation to which this Section applies shall be without prejudice to any independent civil or administrative action by the department or the attorney general regarding any environmental damage alleged therein. No such judgment or order in such litigation may bar the department or the attorney general pursuant to R.S. 13:4231 et seq., or otherwise from pursuing any independent civil or administrative action regarding environmental damage alleged therein, regardless of whether the department or the attorney general has intervened.
(4) No judgment or order shall be rendered granting any relief in such litigation to which this Section applies, nor shall the litigation be dismissed, until timely notice is received by the state of Louisiana as set forth in this Subsection.
(5) Any party may subpoena, for purposes of deposition or trial, any employee, contractor, or representative of the department involved in the formulation of the feasible plan approved by the department under Subsection C of this Section, or an agency that reviews and provides comments under Subsection C of this Section. Discovery regarding the department's review, approval, or structuring of the feasible plan and of an agency that reviews and provides comments shall not be allowed until after the department submits its final feasible plan with reasons to the court pursuant to Subsection C of this Section. If a party subpoenas the records or testimony of the department or an agency for deposition or trial, the party issuing the subpoena shall pay the costs of the department or agency in responding to such subpoena.
(6) Within sixty days of being served with a petition or amended petition asserting an action, a defendant may request that the court conduct a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is good cause for maintaining the defendant as a party in the litigation. At the hearing, the parties may introduce evidence in affidavit or written form. The plaintiff shall have the initial burden to introduce evidence to support the allegations of environmental damage, following which the moving party shall have the burden to demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact that the moving party caused or is otherwise legally responsible for the alleged environmental damage. The rules governing summary judgments in the Code of Civil Procedure shall not apply to the preliminary hearing. Within fifteen days of the preliminary hearing, the court shall issue an order on any timely request for preliminary dismissal. A judgment of dismissal under this Paragraph shall be without prejudice, with all parties reserving the right to rejoin the dismissed defendant during the litigation upon discovery of evidence not reasonably available at the time of the hearing on the motion for preliminary dismissal. If not rejoined, a party dismissed under this Paragraph shall be entitled to a judgment of dismissal with prejudice following a final nonappealable judgment on the claims asserted by the party against whom the preliminary dismissal was granted and shall be entitled to recover from the party who asserted the claim an award of reasonable attorney fees and costs, as may be determined by the court. Any pleading rejoining any defendant previously dismissed under this Paragraph shall relate back to the filing of the original petition or any amendment thereto as provided in the Code of Civil Procedure Article 1153. The finding of the district court shall be without prejudice of any party to litigate the legal responsibility of any potentially responsible party, the allocation of responsibility among the potentially responsible parties, and any other issues incident to the finder of fact's determination of the party or parties who caused the damage or who are otherwise legally responsible for the alleged environmental damage. The procedure for a preliminary dismissal provided by this Paragraph shall be in addition to the pretrial rights and the remedies available to the parties under the Code of Civil Procedure, including the right to civil discovery.
(7)(a) The prescriptive period that applies to any claim covered by the provisions of this Section shall be suspended for a period of one year upon the mailing or physical delivery to the department of a notice of intent to investigate. A notice of intent to investigate shall include all of the following information:
(i) A description of the property alleged to have been damaged.
(ii) A description of the alleged environmental damage.
(iii) The general location of the alleged environmental damage on the property.
(iv) The name and address of all known owners of the property.
(v) The name and address of the current operator.
(b) The party issuing the notice of intent to investigate shall mail by certified mail return receipt requested to all persons identified in the notice a copy of the notice.
(c) If a party submits a notice of intent to investigate, any subsequent judicial demand by the party under the provisions of this Section shall identify on a map the location of any alleged environmental damage and include the results of any environmental testing performed on the property. Failure to include this information at the time of the filing of the judicial demand shall result in exclusion of the information.
C.(1) If at any time a party admits liability for environmental damage or the finder of fact determines that environmental damage exists and determines the party or parties who caused the damage or who are otherwise legally responsible therefor, the court shall order the party or parties who admit responsibility or whom the court finds legally responsible for the damage to develop a plan or submittal for the evaluation or remediation to applicable regulatory standards of the contamination that resulted in the environmental damage. The court shall order that the plan be developed and submitted to the department within one hundred eighty days from the first date a party admits responsibility or one hundred eighty days of the date the court finds a party legally responsible, whichever occurs later. The plaintiff or any other party shall have thirty days from the date each plan or submittal was submitted to the department to review the plan or submittal and to provide the department with an alternate plan, comments, or input in response to the plan or plans submitted. The court may extend the time for filing any plan or comments for good cause shown. The department shall consider any plan, comment, or response provided timely by any party. The department shall submit to the court a schedule of estimated costs for review of the plans or submittals of the parties by the department and shall require the party admitting responsibility or the party found legally responsible by the court to deposit in the registry of the court sufficient funds to pay the cost of the department's review of the plans or submittals. Any plan or submittal shall include an estimation of cost to implement the plan.
(2)(a) Within sixty days from the last day on which any party may provide the department with a plan, comment, or response to a plan as provided in Paragraph (C)(1) of this Section, the department shall conduct a public hearing on the plan or plans submitted. When a public hearing is held following a limited admission pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure Article 1563, then the department shall not conduct an additional public hearing pursuant to this Section for the same environmental damage. Within sixty days of the conclusion of the hearing, the department shall approve or structure a final plan, or if applicable, a preliminary plan pursuant to Subparagraph (C)(3)(b) of this Section, based on the evidence submitted which the department determines to be the most feasible plan to evaluate or remediate the environmental damage and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people. The department shall issue written reasons for the plan it approves or structures. On motion of the department, for good cause shown, the court may grant the department additional time, not to exceed sixty days, within which to either conduct the hearing or approve a plan with reasons.
(b) Except as otherwise provided for in this Section, from the date the party or parties, who admit responsibility or whom the court finds legally responsible for the damage, submit a plan to the department until after the department has filed with the court the approved feasible plan for the evaluation or remediation of the environmental damage, no party to the litigation, either directly or indirectly, shall have ex parte communication with any employee, contractor, or representative of the department regarding the formation of the feasible plan or an agency providing comments to the department regarding the formation of the feasible plan. The feasible plan issued by the department shall contain a signed affidavit of compliance with this restriction. Any comments provided by an agency to the department shall also contain a signed affidavit of compliance with this restriction.
(c) In all cases in which a party makes a limited admission of liability under the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure Article 1563, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the plan approved or structured by the department, after consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality as appropriate, shall be the most feasible plan to evaluate or remediate to applicable regulatory standards the environmental damage for which responsibility is admitted. For cases tried by a jury, the court shall instruct the jury regarding this presumption if so requested by a party.
(3)(a) The department shall use and apply applicable regulatory standards including but not limited to the Risk Evaluation and Corrective Action Program (RECAP) and may use other exceptions to LAC 43:XIX.101 et seq., otherwise identified as Statewide Order No. 29-B, in approving or structuring a plan that the department determines to be the most feasible plan to evaluate or remediate the environmental damage. In any action governed by the provisions of this Section, the department shall consult with the landowner to consider exceptions, including RECAP, but shall not be required to obtain landowner consent.
(b)(i) If the department preliminarily approves or structures a preliminary plan that requires the application of regulatory standards of an agency other than the department or that provides an exception from the department's standards, within fifteen days of the preliminary structuring or approval, the department shall submit the plan to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Department of Conservation and Energy for review and comment. Within thirty days after the department's submission of the plan to all of the agencies, each agency may provide written comments regarding the plan. Each agency providing written comments shall submit a schedule of the agency's costs for review of the plan to the court for reimbursement by the responsible party. Failure of an agency to respond to the department shall not affect the validity of the plan approved by the department. The department and agency heads shall coordinate in order to establish protocol to ensure interagency communication regarding plan development, timely delivery of all proposed plans to the appropriate agency heads, and timely receipt of all agency comments back to the department.
(ii) Within thirty days after the receipt of any agency's written comments, the department shall file in the court record the final plan, with written reasons that the department determines to be the most feasible plan to evaluate or remediate the environmental damage under applicable regulatory standards, together with any comments submitted by an agency under Item (i) of this Subparagraph. Based on the findings of the department, the department may issue any compliance order it deems necessary to either the operator of record or, where applicable, a party found responsible or admitting responsibility for implementing the most feasible plan to evaluate or remediate the environmental damage under applicable regulatory standards. If a compliance order is issued against the responsible party who is not the current operator of record, the responsible party shall give the current operator of record notice of the compliance order within thirty days of the responsible party's receipt of the compliance order.
(4) The plan approved by the department for submission to the court shall not be considered to be an adjudication subject to appellate review pursuant to R.S. 49:978.1 or R.S. 30:12.
(5) The court shall adopt the plan approved by the department as the most feasible plan, unless a party proves by clear and convincing evidence that another timely submitted plan was provided to the department pursuant to this Subsection is a more feasible plan to adequately protect the environment and the public health, safety, and welfare. The court shall enter a judgment adopting the most feasible plan with written reasons assigned. Upon adoption of a plan, the court shall order the party or parties admitting responsibility or the party or parties found legally responsible by the court to fund the implementation of the plan. The trial on the merits shall be stayed from the filing of a limited admission until the court adopts the most feasible plan.
(6)(a) Any judgment adopting a plan of evaluation or remediation pursuant to this Section and ordering the party or parties admitting responsibility or the party or parties found legally responsible by the court to deposit funds for the implementation thereof into the registry of the court pursuant to this Section shall be considered a final judgment pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure Article 2081 et seq., for purposes of appeal.
(b) Any appeal under this Section of a judgment adopting the most feasible plan shall be taken to the Court of Appeal for the First Circuit. The appeal of a judgment adopting the most feasible plan shall be heard with preference and on an expedited basis.
(c) The appellate court may affirm the trial court's adoption of the most feasible plan or may adopt a most feasible plan in conformity with this Section and shall issue written reasons for its decision.
(d) In the absence of an express contractual provision providing for remediation to original condition or some other specific remediation standard, a party's legal responsibility is satisfied by meeting the standards set forth in applicable regulatory standards.
D.(1) Whether or not the department or the attorney general intervenes, and except as provided in Subsection H of this Section, all damages or payments in any civil action, including interest thereon, awarded for the evaluation or remediation of environmental damage shall be paid exclusively into the registry of the court in an interest-bearing account with the interest accruing to the account for evaluation or remediation.
(2) The court may allow any funds to be paid into the registry of the court to be paid in increments as necessary to fund the evaluation or remediation and implementation of the most feasible plan or submittal adopted by the court under Paragraph (C)(5) of this Section. In any instance in which the court allows the funds to be paid in increments, whether or not an appeal is taken, the court shall require the posting of a bond for the implementation of the most feasible plan in such amount as provided by and in accordance with the procedures set forth for the posting of suspensive appeal bonds. Any such bond shall be valid through completion of the remediation. In lieu of paying funds into the registry of the court, the responsible party may at its option pay directly the cost of implementing the most feasible plan and post bond in an amount equal to the total cost of the most feasible plan as provided by and in accordance with the procedures set forth for the posting of suspensive appeal bonds. If a responsible party directly pays the cost of implementing the most feasible plan, then the responsible party shall provide to the district court a summary of costs paid each quarter until the earlier of when the most feasible plan is fully implemented or the district court orders that no further summaries are required.
(3) The court shall issue such orders as may be necessary to ensure that any such funds are actually expended in a manner consistent with the adopted and most feasible plan for the evaluation or remediation of the environmental damage for which the award or payment is made.
(4) The court shall retain jurisdiction over the funds deposited and the party or parties admitting responsibility or the party or parties found legally responsible by the court until such time as the evaluation or remediation is completed. If the court finds the amount of the initial deposit insufficient to complete the evaluation or remediation, the court shall, on the motion of any party or on its own motion, order the party or parties admitting responsibility or found legally responsible by the court to deposit additional funds into the registry of the court. Upon completion of the evaluation or remediation, the court shall order any funds remaining in the registry of the court to be returned to the depositor. The department and the parties shall notify the court of the completion of any evaluation or remediation.
E.(1) In any civil action in which a party is responsible for environmental damage, a party providing evidence, in whole or in part, upon which the judgment is based shall be entitled to recover from the party or parties found legally responsible by the court, all costs attributable to producing that portion of the evidence that directly relates to the establishment of environmental damage, including but not limited to expert witness fees, environmental evaluation, investigation, and testing, the cost of developing a plan of evaluation or remediation, and reasonable attorney fees incurred in the trial court and the department. Upon adoption of the most feasible plan by the trial court, a party admitting responsibility or a party found to be legally responsible for environmental damage shall not be responsible for any further attorney fees or costs including but not limited to expert witness fees, environmental evaluation, monitoring, investigation, and testing. Upon a finding by the court that a defendant did not cause or is otherwise not legally responsible for the alleged environmental damage, that defendant shall be entitled to recover from the plaintiff reasonable attorney fees and all costs including expert witness fees, environmental evaluation, monitoring, investigation, and testing if that defendant is found at trial not to have caused or is otherwise not legally responsible for the alleged environmental damage.
(2) In any civil action in which the department or the attorney general, or their employees, are parties or witnesses, provide evidence, or otherwise contribute to the determination of responsibility for evaluation or remediation, or the approval of a plan of remediation, the department or attorney general shall be entitled to recover from the party or parties admitting responsibility or the party or parties found legally responsible by the court all costs thereof, including but not limited to investigation, evaluation, and review costs; expert witness fees; and reasonable attorney fees.
F. The court and the department shall retain oversight to ensure compliance with the plan. The party or parties admitting responsibility or the party or parties found legally responsible shall file progress reports periodically as the court or the department may require.
G. The provisions of this Section are intended to ensure evaluation or remediation of environmental damage. If the court finds that no environmental damage exists, the court may dismiss the department or attorney general from the litigation without prejudice.
H.(1) This Section shall not preclude an owner of land from pursuing a judicial remedy or receiving a judicial award for private claims suffered as a result of environmental damage, except as otherwise provided in this Section. Any award granted in connection with the judgment for additional remediation in excess of the requirements of the feasible plan adopted by the court shall not be paid into the registry of the court. Any award granted in connection with the judgment for damages awarded to fund the most feasible plan shall be paid into the registry of the court.
(2) Damages that may be awarded in an action under this Section shall be governed by the provisions of Subsection M of this Section. This Section shall not be interpreted to create any cause of action or to impose additional implied obligations under the mineral code or arising out of a mineral lease.
I. For the purposes of this Section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Contamination" shall mean the introduction or presence of substances or contaminants into a usable groundwater aquifer, an underground source of drinking water (USDW) or soil in such quantities as to render them unsuitable for their reasonably intended purposes.
(2) "Environmental damage" shall mean any actual or potential impact, damage, or injury to environmental media caused by actual or potential contamination resulting from activities associated with oilfield sites or exploration and production sites. Environmental media shall mean soil, surface water, ground water, or sediment.
(3) "Evaluation or remediation" shall include but not be limited to investigation, testing, monitoring, containment, prevention, or abatement.
(4) "Most feasible plan" means the most reasonable plan which addresses environmental damage in conformity with the requirements of Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana to protect the environment, public health, safety and welfare, and is in compliance with the specific relevant and applicable standards and regulations promulgated by a state agency in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act in effect at the time the most feasible plan to evaluate or if necessary remediate environmental damage resulting from oilfield or exploration and production operations or waste.
(5) "Oilfield site"or "exploration and production (E&P) site" means any location or any portion thereof on which oil or gas exploration, development, or production activities have occurred, including wells, equipment, tanks, flow lines or impoundments used for the purposes of the drilling, workover, production, primary separation, disposal, transportation or storage of E&P wastes, crude oil and natural gas processing, transportation or storage of a common production stream of crude oil, natural gas, coal seam natural gas, or geothermal energy prior to a custody transfer or a sales point. In general, this definition would apply to all exploration and production operations located on the same lease, unit or field.
(6) "Timely notice" means written notice sent by certified mail, return receipt requested. Such notice shall include a copy of the petition and any other filing in such litigation.
J.(1) In the event that any settlement is reached in a case subject to the provisions of this Section, the settlement shall be subject to approval by the court. The department and the attorney general shall be given notice once the parties have reached a settlement in principle. The department shall then have no less than thirty days to review that settlement and comment to the court before the court certifies the settlement. If after a contradictory hearing the court requires remediation, the court shall not certify or approve any settlement until an amount of money sufficient to fund such remediation is deposited into the registry of the court. No funding of a settlement shall occur until the requirements of this Section have been satisfied. However, the court shall have the discretion to waive the requirements of this Section if the settlement reached is for a minimal amount and is not dispositive of the entire litigation.
(2) In the event a settlement is agreed to between the parties in a case in which the department or the attorney general has intervened, such agency shall be entitled to recover from the settling defendants all costs, including investigation, evaluation, and review costs; expert witness fees; and reasonable attorney fees.
K. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to a judicial demand that prior to the effective date of this Section has been resolved through compromise agreement and settlement of claims, or by judgment on the merits that has become final and definitive.
L. If pursuant to the terms of a contract the responsible party is entitled to indemnification against punitive damages arising out of the environmental damage that is subject to the provisions of this Section, the responsible party shall waive the right to enforce the contractual right to indemnification against such punitive damages caused by the responsible party's acts or omissions if the responsible party admits responsibility for the remediation of the environmental damage under applicable regulatory standards pursuant to the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure Article 1563. Such waiver of the right to indemnification against punitive damages shall not apply to any other claims or damages.
M.(1) In an action governed by the provisions of this Section, and notwithstanding any provision contained in this Section to the contrary, damages, including without limitation remediation and nonremediation damages, may be awarded only for the following:
(a) The cost of funding the feasible plan adopted by the court.
(b) The cost of additional remediation only if required by an express contractual provision providing for remediation to original condition or to some other specific remediation standard.
(c) Economic loss damages may be recovered if proven by a preponderance of the evidence. All other nonremediation damages shall be limited to no more than three hundred percent of the fair market value. The fair market value of the property shall be based on the value of the surface of the property as if it had no environmental damage.
(d) Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
(2) The provisions of this Subsection shall not be construed to alter the traditional burden of proof or to imply the existence or extent of damages in any action, nor shall it affect an award of reasonable attorney fees or costs under this Section.
Acts 2006, No. 312, §1, eff. June 8, 2006; Acts 2012, No. 779, §1; Acts 2014, No. 400, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §2, eff. June 24, 2025, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See Acts 2014, No. 400, §3, regarding applicability.
If the owner or operator of any oilfield site or exploration and production (E&P) site covered by the provisions of R.S. 30:29 performs any environmental testing on land owned by another person, results of such environmental testing shall be provided to the owner or owners of the land within ten days from receipt of such results by the owner or operator, regardless of whether or not suit has been filed by the owner or owners of the land. The operator or owner or owners of land or anyone acting on their behalf who perform any environmental testing on land that is an oilfield or exploration and production (E&P) site shall provide the results of such testing to the department within ten days of receipt.
Acts 2006, No. 312, §1, eff. June 8, 2006.
A. This Section establishes procedures that apply to any dispute subject to the provisions of R.S. 30:29.
B. Within sixty days after the end of the stay of litigation required by R.S. 30:29(B)(1), the parties shall meet and confer in an effort to assess the dispute, narrow the issues, and reach agreements useful or convenient for the litigation of the action.
C. On any party's motion filed subsequent to the close of all discovery or five hundred fifty days after commencement of the action, whichever occurs first, the court shall enter an order compelling the parties to enter nonbinding mediation. The motion shall be served on all parties, but a contradictory hearing shall not be required.
D. If the court enters an order compelling mediation, the clerk of court shall mail or otherwise deliver a copy of the order to all parties.
E.(1) If the court has entered an order compelling mediation and the parties cannot agree within fifteen days after notice of the order to such matters as the date, time, and place of the mediation, the identity of the mediator, provisions for compensation of the mediator, or any other details regarding the conduct of the mediation, the parties shall so notify the court and, after contradictory hearing, the court may issue orders reasonably necessary to determine such matters and any other matters, except as provided in Subsection F of this Section, necessary or convenient to provide for the conduct of the mediation.
(2) A mediator appointed pursuant to this Section shall qualify as a mediator pursuant to R.S. 9:4106(A)(1)(a) or (2).
F. Responsibility for the mediator's fees and any expenses associated with the location of the mediation shall be based on the parties' agreement. In the absence of an agreement, the party moving for the mediation shall be responsible for payment of those fees and expenses.
G. At any mediation held pursuant to this Section, a representative of each party who has settlement authority or who is in direct contact with a person having settlement authority on behalf of the party shall be present. If a party fails to comply with this requirement, the court may, in its discretion and after contradictory hearing, order that party to pay costs and attorney fees associated with the mediation.
Acts 2015, No. 448, §1.
NOTE: Applicable to actions filed after 8/1/15 and those for which actual date had not been set prior to 8/1/15, for which trial is set to begin after 2/1/16, or trial is continued after 2/1/16.
No person shall negligently permit a natural gas well to become uncontrollable, or to wastefully burn. The owner, or person in possession of such a well shall prevent waste by escape or burning by securely closing the well by cap or plug or in any other fashion after five days written notice to do so. This notice may be given by any person with an interest in stopping the waste or, by a constable or justice of the peace of the parish wherein the well is located.
A. When an owner, or person in possession of an uncontrollable, or wastefully burning well receives the notice provided in R.S. 30:31, he shall within five days thereafter commence in good faith to close the well so as to prevent the waste of natural gas. If he fails to do so, the governor, on the written complaint of any person having an interest, shall order the State Department of Public Works to take charge of the work and close the well.
B. To secure to the state the expense incurred by the department of public works, the well and sufficient ground adjacent thereto belonging to the owner or proprietor with all rents and revenues therefrom shall be retained by the state. When the owner pays in full this expense to the state less any rents or revenues received by the state from its possession of the well, the property shall be returned to him.
C. In the event the rents and revenues are insufficient to reimburse the state for the expense of closing the well, this expense shall operate as a privilege on all property of the owner of the well. The state shall proceed to enforce this privilege by suit as in other civil actions and judgment shall be executed in the manner provided by law. If the property seized and sold brings an excess over the expense of closing the well, this excess shall be paid to the owner.
No person shall wilfully and intentionally set fire to a natural gas well, or negligently permit a natural gas well owned by him, or under his management, or in his possession to catch fire, or become uncontrollable, nor shall he negligently permit gas to wastefully escape or burn.
Whoever violates this Section shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not less than three months or both.
No person shall abandon a well in or adjacent to a natural gas field or an apparent natural gas field, without first placing a properly made plug both above and below the gas-producing sand, or otherwise sufficiently securing the well against the admission of water into the gas-producing sand.
Whoever violates this Section shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than four months, or both.
In order to conserve the natural gas in the state, whenever the full production from any common source of supply of natural gas is in excess of the market demand, then any person having the right to produce gas from the common source of supply, may take therefrom only such proportion of the natural gas that may be marketed without waste, as the natural flow of the well or wells owned or controlled by the person bears to the total natural flow of the common source of supply having due regard to the acreage drained by each well, so as to prevent the person from securing an unfair proportion of the gas therefrom. The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy may by proper order, permit the taking of a greater amount whenever he deems it reasonable or equitable.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Every person, engaged in the business of purchasing and selling natural gas in this state, shall be a common purchaser thereof, and shall purchase all of the natural gas which may be offered for sale which may be brought in pipes and connecting lines by the owner or proposed seller to its trunk lines, at the sellers' expense, or to its gathering lines, without discrimination in favor of one producer as against another, or in favor of any one source of supply as against another save as authorized by the secretary after due notice and hearing. If a person is unable to purchase all the gas offered, then he shall purchase natural gas from each producer ratably, and each common purchaser of gas shall have the same right to purchase the production of a gas well that is not being utilized under the conditions of this Section. In the event the owner of the well refuses to sell, the common purchaser shall have the same rights of action against the owner as the seller has against the common purchaser who refuses to buy, and the seller refusing to sell shall be subject to the same penalties as are provided against the common purchaser who refuses to buy. This Section shall not affect in any way a municipal corporation engaged in buying and selling natural gas.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
No common purchaser shall discriminate between like grades and pressures of natural gas, or in favor of its own production or of production in which he may be directly or indirectly interested, either in whole or in part, but for the purpose of pro-rating the natural gas to be marketed, this production shall be treated in like manner as that of any other producer or person, and shall be taken only in the ratable proportion this production bears to the total production available for marketing.
All gas produced from the deposits of this state when sold shall be measured by meter and the secretary shall, upon notice and hearing, relieve any common purchaser from purchasing gas of an inferior quality or grade, and the secretary shall from time to time make such regulations for delivery, metering and equitable purchase and taking as conditions may necessitate.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The secretary shall see that the provisions of this Part are fully and properly complied with and the district attorney in whose district a violation takes place shall, on application, bring suit if necessary to enforce the provisions of this Part. Any injunction which may be necessary shall be furnished without bond.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Whoever violates the provisions of this Part shall be fined not less than fifty dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned for not more than thirty days, or both. Each day the violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.
Amended by Acts 1952, No. 132, §1.
A. The term "cubic foot of gas" or "standard cubic foot of gas" means the volume of gas contained in one cubic foot of space at a standard pressure base and at a standard temperature base. The standard pressure base shall be 15.025 pounds per square inch absolute and the standard temperature base shall be sixty degrees Fahrenheit.
B. Whenever the conditions of pressure and temperature differ from the above standard, conversion of the volume from these conditions to the standard conditions shall be made in accordance with the Ideal Gas Laws with correction for deviation from Boyle's Law, which correction must be made unless the pressure at the point of measurement is two hundred pounds per square inch gauge, or less; all in accordance with methods and tables generally recognized by and commonly used in the natural gas industry.
C. For all purposes of computing standard cubic feet of gas under this Part the barometric pressure shall be assumed to be 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute at the place of measurement.
Acts 1992, No. 55, §2.
A. The secretary is hereby authorized and empowered, in the absence of the availability of satisfactory actual data based upon observed or recorded specific gravity and flowing temperature determinations, to determine the average specific gravity, and average flowing temperature of the gas at the point of measurement, as produced in each oil or gas field or pool in Louisiana, which after being so determined shall be used to calculate the standard cubic foot.
B. If for any reason the secretary has not so determined such average specific gravity and average flowing temperature of the gas produced in any oil or gas field or pool in Louisiana, the average specific gravity shall be assumed to be six-tenths and the average flowing temperature shall be assumed to be sixty degrees Fahrenheit.
C. In the event that the secretary finds the necessity therefor upon the request of any interested party, the secretary shall give notice and hold a public hearing before making such determinations. Promptly upon such determination the secretary shall make and publish such finding and promulgate such reasonable field rules as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of this Part.
D. Any person, association of persons, or corporation shall be permitted to use the findings and field rules of the secretary for all purposes under this Part, but if such findings or field rules are not so used in determining volumes under this Part, the volumes so otherwise determined shall be corrected to the basis of the "standard cubic foot of gas" as defined in R.S. 30:47. Nothing herein shall ever prevent the use of actual recorded values and actual test data where available, for all purposes under this Part, and the secretary has been informed in writing of the intent so to use actual recorded values and actual test data.
Acts 1992, No. 55, §2; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Any person required to report volumes of gas production under the laws of this state shall report such volumes in number of thousands of standard cubic feet calculated and determined under the provisions of this Part.
Acts 1992, No. 55, §2
A. Each and every sale, and each and every purchase, delivery and receipt of gas by volume hereafter made in this state, for which any accounting for the price paid or received for the gas so sold, purchased, delivered, or received must be made to an oil and gas lease owner, royalty owner thereunder, or other mineral interest owner, shall be made and such gas shall be measured, calculated, purchased, delivered, and accounted for on the basis of a standard cubic foot of gas as defined in R.S. 30:47, and as determined under this Part.
B. Whenever the provisions of this Part operate to change the basis of measurement provided for in existing contracts, then the price for gas, including royalty gas, provided for in such contracts shall, if either the purchaser or seller so desires, be adjusted to compensate for the change in the method of measuring the volume of gas delivered thereunder. This provision is intended to protect parties to contracts now in existence, so that after August 21, 1992, the total amount of money paid for a volume of gas purchased, or required to be accounted for, under existing contracts shall remain unaffected by this Part.
C. Nothing in this Section shall affect or apply to purchases or sales made on any basis other than a volume basis.
D. Any person, association of persons, or corporation who, as purchaser thereof, shall knowingly fail or refuse to so measure, calculate, or account for any such gas so purchased, shall be subject to a penalty of not less than ten dollars nor more than five hundred dollars for each offense recoverable in the name of the state in the district court of the parish in which the state capital is located, and each day of such violation shall constitute a separate offense.
E. Nothing in this Section shall prevent any aggrieved party from maintaining a civil suit for damages in the parish or parishes in which the gas is produced.
Acts 1992, No. 55, §2.
Any suit by an official or agency responsible for the enforcement of a law, order, or regulation governing the production, transportation and marketing of oil and gas, or products thereof, to enforce in civil proceedings a penalty by means of a money judgment or a forfeiture of property, shall be instituted within three years after the violation shall have been made known to the attorney general. This Part shall not affect a suit heretofore filed or any violation occurring prior to its effective date.
A. Neither the secretary nor any salaried officer or employee of the department shall be or become:
(1) Actively interested in the exploiting for personal gain of any natural resources in the state;
(2) Employed by any person engaged in exploiting any natural resources of the state;
(3) An officer of or a member of the board of directors of any corporation engaging in the exploitation of natural resources of the state.
B. Violation of this Section shall constitute grounds for removal from office or dismissal from employment.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Any violation of the provisions of R.S. 30:61 ipso facto operates as an immediate forfeiture to the state of all rights, property, money, or things of value acquired by the violation, from, upon, under or out of property privately owned or leased from any municipality or public board, body, commission, or agency of the state. The rights of the state respecting these forfeitures are imprescriptible.
Any sale, lease, exchange, transfer, or assignment by any of the persons mentioned in R.S. 30:61 of any rights, property, or things of value acquired in violation of that Section is null and void ab initio.
This Part may be cited as the "Louisiana Abandoned Oilfield Waste Site Law".
Acts 1986, No. 892, §1, eff. July 10, 1986.
A. The legislature finds and declares that:
(1) Oilfield wastes in abandoned pits, ponds, lagoons, landfills, or other sites can pose a present and future hazard to the public health, safety, and welfare.
(2) State laws and regulations must comprehensively address those situations where the state must direct or participate in the cleanup, closure, or post-closure of abandoned oilfield waste sites through the exercise of its police powers or the expenditure of public monies, or both.
B. In order to eliminate any hazards associated with abandoned oilfield waste sites, it is in the public interest and within the police power of this state to provide for the control, prevention, abatement, and cleanup of abandoned oilfield waste sites through administrative or legal action and expenditures and to provide for the recovery of all monies expended.
Acts 1986, No. 892, §1, eff. July 10, 1986; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9.
As used in this Part, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context or use clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Commissioner" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy or his authorized representatives from the injection and mining division of that office.
(2) Repealed by Acts 1992, No. 984, §18.
(3) "Oilfield wastes" or "wastes" means those fluids, sludges, elements, or compounds defined or identified as oilfield wastes or non-hazardous oilfield wastes pursuant to R.S. 30:4 et seq., and regulations thereunder.
(4) "Waste site" or "abandoned waste site" means a landfill, land treatment area, pit, pond, lagoon, or other surface feature that is not actively used for oil and gas operations, whether or not declared "abandoned" under this Part, and which contains oilfield wastes, including such surrounding property necessary to contain and impound the site and to secure the area from access by the general public. This definition includes any commercial facility that is or was legally permitted for waste storage, treatment, or disposal of nonhazardous oilfield wastes for a fee or other consideration.
Acts 1986, No. 892, §1, eff. July 10, 1986; Acts 1992, No. 984, §18; Acts 1993, No. 404, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1) Whenever any responsible person, owner, or operator of any abandoned waste site obtains information that indicates that oilfield waste is spilling, discharging, or otherwise escaping into, or on any land or water without appropriate authorization or permit, or is being treated, stored, handled, or disposed of in a manner contrary to applicable regulations of the secretary, such person shall notify the department in accordance with regulations to be adopted.
(2) Upon receipt of the information required to be provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the secretary may order any responsible owner, operator, or person to take samples, monitor, or take action at the abandoned waste site to ascertain the nature and extent of any waste or discharge, or hazard. The secretary, upon failure or refusal by the responsible person, operator, or owner to comply with the orders, may undertake such activities and investigate the abandoned waste site, take samples to be analyzed, and may expend monies available for these purposes.
(3)(a) Prior to any sheriff's sale or public auction of any property related to the operation of oil and gas wells, the person seeking such sale shall notify the secretary of such sale not less than thirty days prior to such sale. Such sale shall not occur unless the secretary consents thereto in writing, and the sale shall include the wellbore unless specifically excluded from the sale. In the event the wellbore is not specifically excluded from the sale as provided herein, the sheriff or person seeking such a sale shall cause to be included in the notice of the sale and in the sale instrument a statement or notice that the purchaser shall be required to file the appropriate documents with the department to become operator of record of the subject well pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:204.
(b) The secretary may, if he deems it appropriate to insure the proper plugging and abandonment of the wells and closure of the associated oilfield pits, retain a first lien and privilege on such property, which lien and privilege shall follow such property into the hands of third persons whether such persons are in good or bad faith. The secretary shall record a notice of such lien with the clerk of court in the parish in which the property is located and in which the sale is to occur. The lien and privilege may be enforced against any person in possession of the property in the same manner as a lien provided under the Louisiana Oil Well Lien Act.
(4) Failure to notify the secretary as provided in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection shall render the person seeking such a sale and the purchaser liable, in solido, to the department for the fair market value of the property at the time of such seizure and sale.
B. Any failure or refusal by an owner or operator or responsible person to undertake such action as ordered by the secretary to take samples, monitor, contain, or clean up an abandoned oilfield waste site shall be a violation of this Chapter, and the commission, in order to prevent damage to public health, the environment, or an oil or gas strata, may immediately declare the site abandoned, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:75, and commence appropriate proceedings under this Chapter, including the recovery of penalties, revocation of any permit, closure of the site, or any combination thereof.
C. Nothing in this Part shall be construed to limit or revoke any power or authority of the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality to protect the waters of the state or to control and clean up inactive or abandoned hazardous waste sites.
Acts 1986, No. 892, §1, eff. July 10, 1986; Acts 1990, No. 702, §1; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9; Acts 1997, No. 993, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. A site may be declared to be an abandoned oilfield waste site by the commissioner upon a finding that the site:
(1) Has received for storage, treatment, or disposal or now contains or emits wastes that are identified, classified, or defined to be oilfield wastes in accordance with the regulations adopted under the provisions of this Chapter.
(2) Was not closed or maintained in accordance with the requirements of this Chapter and the regulations adopted hereunder.
(3) Constitutes or may constitute a danger or potential danger to the public health, the environment, or an oil or gas strata.
(4) Has no financially responsible owner or operator who can be located, or such person has failed or refused to undertake actions ordered by the commissioner under this Part.
B. For the purposes of this Part, "financially responsible person" or "responsible person" shall mean that the person has insurance, bonds, or assets sufficient to take action as necessary or as ordered by the commissioner to test, monitor, contain, control, close, and provide post-closure care for an abandoned oilfield waste site owned or operated, in whole or part, by that person.
C. Prior to declaring a waste site to be an abandoned oilfield waste site, the commissioner shall seek to notify every person who may own an interest therein that the waste site is to be declared abandoned, shall publish on three consecutive occasions in the official journal of the parish in which the waste site is located that is to be declared abandoned, and, if requested by any owner or operator, within ten days after notice, shall hold a fact-finding hearing prior to declaring the waste site abandoned.
D. Upon declaration that a waste site is an abandoned oilfield waste site, the commissioner may take such specific legal actions as he deems necessary, including the acquisition of easements and rights-of-way, conducting negotiations for property acquisition, and exercise of eminent domain as provided by R.S. 30:78 to secure such waste site or compel cleanup or containment consistent with regulations and guidelines established hereunder.
E. When a waste site has been declared an abandoned oilfield waste site, the commissioner is authorized to undertake the physical control, containment, pit cleanup, or closure of the abandoned waste site and may retain personnel for these purposes who shall operate under his direction.
Acts 1986, No. 892, §1, eff. July 10, 1986.
Except as provided in R.S. 30:77 in any cases where monies are expended to conduct investigative, testing, control, pit, or other cleanup activities at a waste site, the commissioner shall institute a civil action to recover from any responsible person all such monies so expended. Any monies so recovered shall be paid into the state general fund.
Acts 1986, No. 892, §1, eff. July 10, 1986; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9.
The commissioner may enter into a cooperative agreement and may disburse monies from the Fund to any person, private trust, association, committee, or other entity for the purpose of evaluation, investigation, testing, containment, and cleanup of specific abandoned oilfield waste sites without a formal declaration of abandonment and with waiver of recovery from parties to the agreement, if deemed in the public interest. Any party to such an agreement must be licensed according to law before negotiating or entering into such a contract. Cooperative agreements shall require reasonable contributions in cash or services in kind from private parties to the agreement and shall provide for reasonable supervision by the commissioner. Cooperative agreements shall be negotiated informally by the commissioner and shall not be subject to any other requirements of law for entering into contracts. Prior to the execution of such an agreement, it shall be reviewed by the commissioner of the division of administration, and on completion of the cleanup, the commissioner shall submit a report on the cleanup to the chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the chairman of the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee.
Acts 1986, No. 892, §1, eff. July 10, 1986; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. When an oilfield waste site is declared to be abandoned, the commissioner, under the police powers of the state, may, for the duration of the cleanup operations and without compensation to the landowner, except for actual damages to property or person, claim a comprehensive easement over the waste site and all other areas sufficient to secure, contain, or clean up the same.
B. During the first one hundred eighty days following a declaration that a waste site is abandoned, the commissioner may claim and declare an emergency access route, which shall be held without compensation to the owner except for actual damages to property or person, under the police powers of the state, and the location of such may be across either public or private lands and shall be such as are deemed necessary and reasonable for the resolution and control of the waste site.
C. When the commissioner determines that a period greater than one hundred eighty days will be or is needed for purposes of cleanup control or monitoring of the waste site, he shall first attempt to acquire the necessary rights-of-way or easements by negotiating with the burdened landowner for the purchase or lease thereof, and where the rights-of-way or easements needed cannot be obtained through negotiations, he may exercise the right of eminent domain to obtain temporary or permanent passage.
D. The commissioner is hereby authorized and directed to seek to acquire such rights as are necessary to maintain control over such areas by negotiations with the owner of the lands affected. When such rights cannot be acquired through reasonable negotiations, the commissioner may exercise the right of eminent domain to the same extent and with the same limitations as is applicable for other public purposes set forth in R.S. 19:1 et seq.
E. All emergency easements and access routes are to be continued in effect until all rights sought under the eminent domain proceedings have been finally vested thereunder unto the state.
F. In all cases where the state acquires property rights either amicably or by eminent domain from any person against whom a claim has been asserted who owns or possesses rights in the abandoned waste site, payment of all monies for the acquisition shall be withheld until such time as that person's liability has been finally resolved. All funds withheld shall be utilized to offset the liabilities assessed.
G. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to deny or limit access to the waste site by the commissioner or his authorized agents for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this Chapter and as otherwise provided by law.
Acts 1986, No. 892, §1, eff. July 10, 1986.
A. In addition to the notice required under R.S. 30:74, any landowner who has notified the department that his property contains an abandoned oilfield waste site or who owns property which has been identified by the secretary as an abandoned oilfield waste site pursuant to R.S. 30:75 shall cause notice of the identification of the location of the abandoned oilfield waste site to be recorded in the mortgage and conveyance records of the parish in which the property is located. Such notice shall be made in a form approved by the secretary and within the time specified by the secretary. If a landowner fails or refuses to record such notice, the secretary may, if he determines that the public interest requires, and after due notice and an opportunity for a hearing has been given to a landowner, cause such notice to be recorded.
B.(1) If any person wishes to remove such notice, he shall notify the secretary prior to requesting the removal from the clerk of court in the parish where the property is located. The request shall specify the facts supporting removal of the notice, including any evidence that the oilfield waste no longer poses a potential threat to health or the environment. Upon finding that the oilfield waste no longer poses a potential threat to health or the environment, the secretary shall approve removal of the notice.
(2) If approval is granted by the secretary, the request may be made by affidavit to the clerk of court for the removal of the notice and it shall be removed. Within ten days after removal, the clerk of court shall send a notice of the removal to the secretary. If the secretary objects to the removal of such notice, or fails to make a final determination upon the request within ninety days, the person desiring to have the notice removed may petition the court in the parish where the property is located for removal of the notice and after a contradictory hearing between the landowner, the clerk of court, and the secretary or his designee, the court may grant such relief upon adequate proof by the petitioner that the property no longer contains the oilfield waste which may pose a potential threat to health or to the environment.
C. This Section shall not apply to any commercial operation which is operating under a permit issued by the secretary until such time as such notice is required by an order of the secretary, by a permit, or by rule or regulation applicable to such operation.
D. The failure of a landowner to file the required notice may constitute grounds for an action in redhibition under the applicable provisions of Civil Code Articles 2520 et seq., unless the purchaser has actual or constructive knowledge that the property has been used for such purposes.
E. Any action under this Section must be commenced within one year from the date the purchaser first knows of the existence of the fact which gives rise to the action, but in any event within three years of the date upon which the purchaser acquired his ownership interest in the property. Venue shall be in any parish in which the property or any portion thereof is located.
Acts 1991, No. 352, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
This Part may be cited as the "Louisiana Oilfield Site Restoration Law".
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2.
A. The legislature finds and declares that:
(1) A present and future benefit to the environment, public health, safety, and welfare would be to clean up, close, and restore oilfield sites.
(2) State laws and regulations must comprehensively address those situations where proper and timely cleanup, closure, and restoration of orphaned oilfield sites must be assured.
B. It is in the public interest and within the police power of this state to establish an oilfield site restoration fund to provide for the proper and timely cleanup, closure, and restoration of oilfield sites, to be administered by the Department of Conservation and Energy.
C. Nothing in this Part shall be deemed to alter or impair any rights and responsibilities established by contract between private parties.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025.
As used in this Part, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context or use clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Bonds" means revenue bonds, notes, certificates, or other evidences of indebtedness issued by an issuer pursuant to R.S. 30:83.1.
(2) "Department" means the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(3) "Fund" means the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund.
(4) "Issuer" means a public trust and public corporation organized and existing by, under, and pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 9:2341 through 2347, whose beneficiary is the state of Louisiana, and who is authorized to issue revenue bonds on behalf of the state of Louisiana or the Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community Development Authority, pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 33:4548.1 et seq.
(5) "Nonproducing oilfield site" means an oilfield site which is not a producing oilfield site and which has not been declared an orphaned oilfield site by the secretary.
(6) "Oilfield site" or "exploration and production (E&P) site" means any oilfield site or exploration and production site as defined in R.S. 30:29(I)(5).
(7) "Orphaned oilfield site" means an oilfield site which has no continued useful purpose for the exploration, production, or development of oil or gas and which has been declared to be an orphaned oilfield site by the assistant secretary under R.S. 30:91.
(8) "Producing oilfield site" means an oilfield site which is associated with the production of oil or gas for at least six months of the preceding calendar year.
(9) "Responsible party" means the operator of record according to the department records, who last operated the property on which the oilfield site is located at the time the site is about to be abandoned, ceases operation, or becomes an unusable oilfield site, and that operator's partners and working interest owners of that oilfield site. A working interest owner is the owner of a mineral right who is under an obligation to share in the costs of drilling or producing a well on the oilfield site.
(10) "Revenues" means the revenues described in R.S. 30:83.1(A)(2).
(11) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy or his authorized representatives.
(12) "Site restoration" means any and all oilfield site restoration activities required of a responsible party of an oil or gas property by regulations adopted by the department pursuant to this Subtitle, including without limitation plugging of oil and gas wells, pit closure, site remediation, and removal of oilfield equipment.
(13) "Trust authority" means the Natural Resources Trust Authority established pursuant to R.S. 36:356.1.
(14) "Unusable oilfield site" means an oilfield site which has no continued useful purpose for the exploration, production, or development of oil or gas and for which a responsible party can be located.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 2006, No. 312, §1, eff. June 8, 2006; Acts 2016, No. 666, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §§1, 2, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The Natural Resources Trust Authority, under the direction of the secretary and subject to oversight by the State Mineral and Energy Board pursuant to R.S. 36:356.1, is authorized to perform the following functions related to oilfield site restoration:
(1) Approve and evaluate a priority list for site restoration annually.
(2) Pledge the revenues available to fund authorized purposes and to secure the issuance of bonds to fund such purposes provided in R.S. 30:83.1, provided that annual debt service shall not be in excess of fifty percent of the pledged revenues estimated to be received in the calendar year the bonds are issued.
(3) Approve lists of contractors acceptable to conduct site assessment and site restoration.
(4) Approve a cooperative endeavor agreement between the trust authority and an organization seeking to assist with plugging orphaned wells in order to alleviate the burden on operators in meeting financial security requirements.
(5) Review administration of site restoration activities and review the adequacy of site restoration assessments and reopen the funding needs and arrangements for site-specific trust accounts every four years. However, unless the oilfield site is transferred from one party to another after the adoption of a standard for evaluation, site-specific trust accounts established prior to the adoption of a standard for evaluation by the Department of Conservation and Energy shall not be reassessed if the operator of record provides to the office on an annual basis, utilizing the methodology in use at the time that the site-specific trust account was established, proof that the security is adequate to ensure proper closure of the wells upon completion of activity.
(6) Provide general administration and management of the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund, funds collected from financial security instruments previously tied to a specific well or wells that have since been plugged or are otherwise not tied to a specific well or wells, and all site-specific trust accounts.
(7) Perform any function authorized by this Part or which is consistent with its purpose and not otherwise assigned by this Part to the secretary.
B. The Department of Conservation and Energy shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, to implement the provisions of this Part and to provide for procedures for site assessments and restoration.
C-I. Repealed by Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §2, eff. July 1, 2025.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1995, No. 297, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 994, §§1, 2; Acts 2001, No. 15, §1; Acts 2006, No. 145, §1; Acts 2006, No. 812, §1, eff. June 30, 2006; Acts 2008, No. 384, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2016, No. 666, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2018, No. 105, §1; Acts 2020, No. 242, §1; Acts 2022, No. 10, §1, eff. May 13, 2022; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §§1, 2, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1) An issuer is authorized to issue bonds pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 9:2341 through 2347 for the benefit of the trust authority, at the direction of the secretary, to raise funds for authorized purposes in accordance with the provisions of this Section and the constitutional and statutory provisions governing the issuance of bonds by such entities.
(2) The bonds may be secured by an irrevocable pledge and dedication of revenues of the trust authority, at the direction of the secretary, which shall consist of all monies deposited in the fund pursuant to R.S. 30:86(D), collected, derived, or received from the oilfield site restoration fees and penalties imposed pursuant to R.S. 30:87 or any other lawfully available revenues, if any, to the extent appropriated, provided that annual debt service shall not be in excess of fifty percent of the pledged revenues estimated to be received in the calendar year the bonds are issued, but shall not include site-specific trust account monies as identified in R.S. 30:86(D)(6) and 88. The bonds of the issuer shall be revenue bonds payable solely from the above-described sources, to the extent appropriated and released from the state, and such pledge shall not constitute a pledge of the full faith and credit of the state.
(3) The bonds shall be entitled to priorities on the revenues pledged and dedicated pursuant to Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, subject to the prior pledge applicable to outstanding bonds, if any, as provided for in a loan agreement, trust indenture, or other instrument entered into with the issuer or otherwise in connection with the bonds.
B.(1) When any bonds have been issued and secured in accordance with the provisions of this Section, neither the trust authority, nor the department, nor the state, nor any other entity may act to impair any obligation or contract for the benefit of the holders of the bonds or discontinue or decrease any fee, penalties, or other revenue in anticipation of the collection of which the bonds have been issued until all of the bonds have been retired as to principal and interest or irrevocable provision otherwise made for their complete redemption and payment in principal, interest, and redemption premium, if any, and the complete payment of all amounts due under the trust agreement pursuant to which the bonds are issued.
(2) Any pledge of revenues for the security of the bonds shall be valid and binding from the time the pledge is made and shall be subject to the lien of such pledge without any physical delivery thereof or further act, and the lien of any such pledge shall be valid and binding against all parties having claims of any kind in tort, contract, or otherwise against the state, the department, or the trust authority whether or not such parties have notice thereof. Any trust agreement by which a pledge is created need not be filed or recorded.
(3) The secretary, the undersecretary, and the Natural Resources Trust Authority are hereby authorized to execute loan, reimbursement, investment, and bond purchase agreements, and all documents as may be necessary or desirable to carry out the provisions of this Section and are further authorized to take any and all further actions and execute and deliver all other documents as may be necessary in connection with the issuance of any bonds, notes, certificates, reimbursement obligations, or other evidences of indebtedness referred to in this Section. The provisions of R.S. 9:2347(J) and R.S. 39:112(G) shall not apply to bonds or any contractual obligation, including the pledge of state funds, to be undertaken or incurred in connection therewith.
(4) At the direction of the secretary, the trust authority is authorized to create funds or accounts for the deposit of the revenues or the proceeds of the bonds, including funds described above or other revenues and monies pledged in connection therewith or respect thereto.
(5) The department and, at the direction of the secretary, the trust authority is authorized to enter into any and all agreements or contracts, execute any and all instruments, and do and perform any and all acts necessary, convenient, or desirable for the issuance of the bonds or to carry out any power expressly given in this Section.
C. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any revenues received by the trust authority pledged to the repayment of any bonds issued in accordance with this Section may be collected and disbursed as set forth in the documents providing for the issuance of the bonds or other related documents.
Acts 2016, No. 666, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The powers of the secretary shall include without limitation the power to do the following:
(1) Make expenditures or commitments to make expenditures from the fund or disburse funds for the restoration of oilfield sites as he deems necessary and appropriate, including but not limited to disbursement of monies in the fund pursuant to R.S. 30:86(E)(2) to pay principal, interest, and related costs in connection with the issuance of bonds.
(2) Disburse and approve expenditures or release monies from site-specific trust accounts for restoration of oilfield sites at any time during the life of the oilfield site.
(3) Employ, appoint, remove, assign, and promote from any funding sources authorizing administrative costs such personnel as is necessary for the efficient administration of this Part, including the appointment of an executive director who shall be an unclassified employee. In addition to any other powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities defined by the secretary, the executive director shall assist the secretary in the efficient administration of this Part.
(4) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations respecting the administration of this Part.
(5) Negotiate and execute contracts, upon such terms as he may agree upon, for legal, financial, engineering, construction, and other professional services necessary to meet the purpose of this Part.
(6) Perform such other specific functions as may be enumerated or envisioned by the provisions of this Part.
(7) The secretary shall maintain all oversight, supervisory, and fiscal responsibility imposed under the provisions of this Part which are not specifically conferred upon the trust authority.
(8) Authorize, upon a finding of economic justification, the closure and restoration of nonpriority orphaned oilfield sites that may be packaged together as projects. This authority shall be used to decrease in a cost effective manner the total number of orphaned wells. Excluding expenses of money deposited pursuant to R.S. 30:86(D)(9) or (10) or emergency response costs pursuant to R.S. 30:6.1, 86(E)(5), and 92, the cost of closing and restoring nonpriority orphaned oilfield sites shall not exceed twenty percent of the amount expended from the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund in any fiscal year, unless otherwise approved by the commission.
B-C. Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 994, §2.
D. The powers provided for in this Section shall be in addition to and shall not limit the powers conferred on the secretary in other provisions of this Subtitle or by any other provisions of any state or federal law or regulation.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1995, No. 297, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 994, §§1, 2; Acts 2008, No. 384, §1; Acts 2016, No. 666, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2022, No. 10, §1, eff. May 13, 2022; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025.
A. The powers of the assistant secretary shall include without limitation the power to do the following, subject to the supervision of the secretary:
(1) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations implementing the administration of this Part.
(2) Perform such specific functions as may be enumerated by the provisions of this Part.
(3) The secretary shall perform all regulatory functions imposed by this Part.
(4) Modify funding requirements of site-specific trust accounts either upon recommendation of the trust authority, the secretary, or upon his own determination, based upon changes in operation, site conditions, or trust account status.
B. Repealed by Acts 2022, No. 10, §2, eff. May 13, 2022.
C. The aforementioned powers shall be in addition to and shall not limit the powers conferred on the secretary in other provisions in this Title or any other pertinent provision of any state or federal law or regulation.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1995, No. 297, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 994, §1; Acts 2022, No. 10, §2, eff. May 13, 2022; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1) There is hereby established a fund in the custody of the state treasurer to be known as the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund, hereafter referred to as the "fund", into which the state treasurer shall, each fiscal year, deposit the revenues received from the collection of the monies enumerated in Subsection D of this Section, after those revenues have been deposited in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund.
(2) Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all the obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state that become due and payable within each fiscal year, the treasurer shall pay into the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund an amount equal to the revenues generated from collection of the fees provided for in Subsection D of this Section. Such funds shall constitute a special custodial trust fund which shall be administered by the Natural Resources Trust Authority, which shall make disbursements from the fund solely in accordance with the purposes and uses authorized by this Part.
B. The funds received shall be placed in the special trust fund in the custody of the state treasurer to be used only in accordance with this Part and shall not be placed in the general fund. The funds provided to the trust authority pursuant to this Section shall at all times be and remain the property of the trust authority. The funds shall be used only for the purposes set forth in this Part and for no other governmental purposes. Except for the pledge of the revenues provided in R.S. 30:83.1, it is the intent of the legislature that this fund and its increments shall remain intact and inviolate. Any interest or earnings of the fund shall be credited only to the fund.
C. Repealed by Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §2, eff. July 1, 2025.
D. The following monies shall be placed into the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund:
(1) Those fees and penalties collected pursuant to R.S. 30:87.
(2) Private contributions.
(3) Interest earned on the funds deposited in the fund.
(4) Civil penalties or costs recovered from responsible parties for oilfield site restoration pursuant to R.S. 30:93 and 94.
(5) Any grants, donations, and sums allocated from any source, public or private, for the purposes of this Part.
(6) Site-specific trust accounts; however, the monies of such accounts shall not be used for any oilfield site other than that specified for each respective account.
(7) Fifty percent of any annual assessment paid by an operator who chooses not to plug a well classified as inactive with the remainder being deposited into the Oil and Gas Regulatory Dedicated Fund Account.
(8) Any sums collected from financial security instruments required by rules and regulations adopted by the secretary pursuant to R.S. 30:4(R) and 4.3. However, the monies collected from each financial security instrument tied to a specific well or wells shall not be used for any oilfield sites other than those for which the financial security was provided.
(9) Monies paid to the department pursuant to a site restoration contribution agreement entered into pursuant to R.S. 30:93(C).
(10) Any other source of funding for which restoring orphan oilfield sites is an allowable use, as determined by the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.
(11) Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
E. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, the monies in the fund may be disbursed and expended pursuant to the authority and direction of the secretary or the Natural Resources Trust Authority for the following purposes and uses:
(1) Any oilfield site assessment or restoration conducted by the Department of Conservation and Energy pursuant to this Part, and the payment of the principal, interest, and legal fees, credit enhancement fees, trustee fees, and other related costs of issuance or ongoing expenses in connection with issuance of bonds or other debt obligations on behalf of the trust authority pursuant to R.S. 30:83.1 for the purpose of financing the costs of the oilfield site assessments and restorations.
(2) Upon approval of the trust authority, the administration of this Part by the department in an amount not to exceed the department's federal approved indirect cost rate or, if no such rate exists, the de minimis rate of fifteen percent of all direct costs, each fiscal year. Amounts expended pursuant to Paragraph (4) of this Subsection shall not count towards the administrative expenditure limitation.
(3) The payment of fees and costs associated with the administration of the fund, site-specific accounts, and any contract with a private legal entity pursuant to this Section.
(4) Any costs and fees associated with the recovery of site restoration costs and penalties pursuant to R.S. 30:93 and 94.
(5) Any costs associated with response to any emergency as provided in R.S. 30:6.1 unless directed by the trust authority not to expend monies in the fund pursuant to Subsection G of this Section. The department shall seek to recover from the responsible party any monies disbursed and spent from the fund for any emergency as defined in R.S. 30:6.1 within six months of the initial expenditure for such emergency.
(6) Upon approval of the trust authority, up to five hundred thousand dollars per fiscal year for the department to act alone, or in conjunction with the voluntarily participating parties, for the assessment and restoration of commercial oilfield waste disposal facilities used for the storage, treatment, or disposal of nonhazardous oilfield waste for a fee or other consideration, which were abandoned, leaving no financially responsible owner, operator, or bonding company, in accordance with the plan of closure as required in the permit, or if the permit did not provide a plan of closure, a plan approved by the trust authority; however, a responsible person shall not be released from his duty or liability, if any, imposed by this Section.
(7) Upon approval of the trust authority, expenditures consistent with a site restoration contribution agreement entered into pursuant to R.S. 30:93(C).
F. Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
G. Upon declaration of an emergency as defined in R.S. 30:6.1, the secretary shall notify the trust authority and the State Mineral and Energy Board of the declared emergency. Upon notification, the trust authority, in consultation with the State Mineral and Energy Board, may direct that no monies in the fund be disbursed or spent for response activity related to the emergency declaration.
H. At the direction of the secretary or the Natural Resources Trust Authority, monies from federal appropriations or any federal grant program established by the United States Congress for the purpose of restoring orphan oilfield sites shall be placed into the department's federal funds account instead of the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund. Except for administrative costs not exceeding federal limits as set by Congress or the administering federal agency, all such federal monies shall be used exclusively for orphan oilfield site assessment and restoration, including plugging of orphan wells.
I. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Part, such monies from the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund may be expended by the secretary through contracts entered into under any competitive process authorized by Title 38 or 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
J. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, for any oilfield site restoration project funded in whole or in part with monies from the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund, federal funds, or a combination of such funds, and delivered using the construction management at risk method as authorized in R.S. 38:2225.2.4, the contractor selected under the construction management at risk process shall not be required to be included on any pre-approved list of contractors acceptable to conduct site assessment and site restoration.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1995, No. 297, §§1, 2, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 994, §1; Acts 1999, No. 618, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1097, §1, eff. July 9, 1999; Acts 2004, No. 768, §1, eff. July 1, 2004; Acts 2008, No. 384, §1; Acts 2016, No. 582, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2016, No. 666, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2018, No. 105, §; Acts 2019, No. 193, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2021, No. 298, §1, eff. June 15, 2021; Acts 2022, No. 10, §1, eff. May 13, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 251, §1, eff. June 3, 2022; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §§1, 11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. There is hereby imposed on crude petroleum produced from producing wells in this state a fee on each barrel of oil and condensate as provided in this Section, payable upon the initial disposition of each barrel of oil and condensate. The fee is in addition to any tax imposed pursuant to Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. The provisions of Chapters 17 and 18 of Subtitle II of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 shall apply to the administration, collection, and enforcement of the fee imposed in this Section, and the penalties provided by that code shall apply to any person who fails to pay or report the fee. Proceeds from the fee, including any penalties collected in connection with the fee, shall be deposited into the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund.
B. There is hereby imposed on gas produced from producing wells in this state a fee for each thousand cubic feet as provided in this Section. The fee is in addition to any tax imposed pursuant to Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. The provisions of R.S. 47:1 et seq. shall apply to the administration, collection, and enforcement of the fee, and the penalties provided by that Title shall apply to any person who fails to pay or report the fee. Proceeds from the fee, including any penalties collected in connection with the fee, shall be deposited into the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund.
C. Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 994, §2.
D. Repealed by Acts 2017, No. 411, §2, eff. July 1, 2017.
E. The fees provided for in Subsections A and B of this Section shall be borne by the responsible parties and not by the royalty and overriding royalty owner.
F. The site restoration fee shall be the following:
(1)(a) Full rate production shall include all production from oil or gas wells except for production from reduced rate production wells as set forth in R.S. 47:633(7).
(b) For crude oil and condensate, the fee shall be based on the oil price on July first of each year for the ensuing twelve months based upon the average New York Mercantile Exchange Price per barrel of crude oil per month on the close of business on June thirtieth for the prior twelve months. The amount of the fee for a well that produces crude oil and condensate shall be as follows:
(i) The fee shall be two cents per barrel on crude oil and condensate if the price of oil is at or below sixty dollars per barrel.
(ii) The fee shall be four cents per barrel on crude oil and condensate if the price of oil is above sixty dollars and at or below ninety dollars per barrel.
(iii) The fee shall be six cents per barrel on crude oil and condensate if the price of oil is above ninety dollars per barrel.
(c) For natural gas and casing head gas, the fee shall be based on the natural gas price on July first of each year for the ensuing twelve months based upon the Henry Hub Natural Gas Spot Price average monthly price in dollars per million BTU published by the United States Energy Information Administration for the preceding January first through December thirty-first available as of April first. For natural gas and casing head gas, the fee shall be as follows:
(i) The fee shall be three-tenths of one cent per thousand cubic feet if the price of gas is at or below two dollars and fifty cents per thousand cubic feet.
(ii) The fee shall be four-tenths of one cent per thousand cubic feet if the price of gas is above two dollars and fifty cents and at or below four dollars and fifty cents per thousand cubic feet.
(iii) The fee shall be five-tenths of one cent per thousand cubic feet if the price of gas is above four dollars and fifty cents per thousand cubic feet.
(2) Reduced rate production such as stripper wells and incapable wells. The site restoration fee for each respective category of oil or gas hereunder shall be in the same proportion to the respective full rate production fees as the reduced rate severance tax to the full rate severance tax for each respective category.
G. Repealed by Acts 2004, No. 412, §2, eff. July 1, 2004.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1997, No. 994, §§1, 2; Acts 2004, No. 412, §§1, 2, eff. July 1, 2004; Acts 2016, No. 666, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2017, No. 411, §§1, 2, eff. July 1, 2017; Acts 2018, No. 84, §1, eff. July 1, 2018; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §2, eff. June 24, 2025.
NOTE: Provisions of Subsection A are applicable beginning July 1, 2017, with additional requirements contained in Section 2 of Act 84 of the 2018 R.S. for submission of information to the Dept. of Revenue.
A. If an oilfield site is transferred from one party to another, a site-specific trust account may be established to separately account for each such site for the purpose of providing a source of funds for site restoration of that oilfield site at such time in the future when restoration of that oilfield site is required. For purposes of this Part, a transfer shall be deemed to have been made once there is a change in ownership of any kind at an oilfield site. Once established, the site-specific trust account shall survive until completion of site restoration of the associated oilfield site.
B. In the event the parties to a transfer elect to establish a site-specific trust account under this Section, the secretary shall require an oilfield site restoration assessment to be made to determine the site restoration requirements existing at the time of the transfer, or at the time the site-specific trust account is established. The oilfield site restoration assessment shall be conducted by approved site assessment contractors appearing on a list approved by the trust authority or acceptable to the trust authority. The oilfield site restoration assessment shall specifically detail site restoration needs and shall provide an estimate of the site restoration costs needed to restore the oilfield site based on the conditions existing at the time of transfer, or at the time the site-specific trust account is established.
C. The party or parties to the transfer shall, based upon the site restoration assessment, propose a funding schedule which will provide for the site-specific trust account. The funding schedule shall consider the uniqueness of each transfer, acquiring party, and oilfield site. Funding of the site-specific trust account shall include some contribution to the account at the time of transfer and at least quarterly payments to the account. Cash or bonds in a form and of a type acceptable to the secretary, or any combination thereof, may also be considered for funding. The secretary shall monitor each trust account to assure that it is being properly funded. The funds in each trust account shall remain the property of the trust authority.
D. The secretary may approve the site-specific trust account for an oilfield site upon review of the assessment and the site-specific trust account that has been proposed for that oilfield site as provided in the regulations. Such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
E. When transfers of oilfield sites occur subsequent to the formation of site-specific trust accounts but prior to the end of their economic life, the secretary and the acquiring party shall, in the manner provided for in this Section, again redetermine cost and agree upon a funding schedule. The balance of any site-specific trust account at the time of subsequent transfer shall remain with the oilfield site and shall be a factor in the redetermination.
F. Once the secretary has approved the site-specific trust account, and the account is fully funded, the party transferring the oilfield site and all prior owners, operators, and working interest owners shall not thereafter be held liable by the state for any site restoration costs or actions associated with the transferred oilfield site. The party acquiring the oilfield site shall thereafter be the responsible party for the purposes of this Part.
G. The failure of a transferring party to make a good faith disclosure of all oilfield site conditions existing at the time of the transfer may render that party liable for the costs of restoration of such undisclosed conditions in excess of the balance of the site-specific trust fund.
H. Except as provided in Subsection E, the parties to a transfer may elect not to establish a site-specific trust account; however, in the absence of such account, the parties shall not be exempt from liability as set forth in Subsection F of this Section.
I. Subject to agreement between the secretary, the seller and the purchaser of an oilfield site sold prior to August 15, 1993, a site-specific trust account can be established or transferred to the state.
J. For unusable oilfield sites, after site restoration has been completed and approved by the secretary, funds from a site-specific trust account shall be disbursed as follows:
(1) The balance of the account existing in the site-specific trust account will be remitted to the responsible party.
(2) Such account shall thereafter be closed.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1997, No. 994, §1; Acts 2001, No. 14, §1; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Orphan wells. (1) For purposes of this Section, an orphan well shall mean an oil or gas well that is designated as part of an orphaned oilfield site as of August 1, 2016, and thereafter, and that has had no reported production for a period of greater than two years immediately prior to the production of oil, gas, or condensate to which this Section applies.
(2) After satisfying the provisions of Article VII, Sections 4, 9(B), 10-A, and 10.2 of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the allocation and distribution of severance tax proceeds and as further provided in R.S. 47:645(B), the remaining portion of the monies credited to the state treasury derived from the severance tax levied on oil, gas, and condensate from an orphaned well as defined in this Subsection shall be credited to the associated site-specific trust account in accordance herein.
(3) Upon full funding of the associated site-specific trust account in accordance with a plan approved by the secretary as provided in this Section, all monies remaining in the account shall be credited in full to the state treasury as provided by R.S. 47:645(B).
(4) When the conditions of this Subsection are met relative to the funding of the site-specific trust account, the secretary shall not require additional financial security for the well associated with that site-specific trust account.
B. New production. In the event of new production from a formerly orphaned well, a site-specific trust account shall be established to separately account for each such site for the purpose of providing a source of funds for site restoration of that oilfield site at such time in the future when restoration of that oilfield site is required. Once established, the site-specific trust account shall remain in effect until completion of site restoration of the associated oilfield site.
C. Site restoration assessment. When establishing a site-specific trust account under this Section, the secretary shall require an oilfield site restoration assessment to be made to determine the site restoration requirements existing at the time the site-specific trust account is established. The oilfield site restoration assessment shall be conducted by approved site assessment contractors appearing on a list approved by the trust authority or acceptable to the trust authority. The oilfield site restoration assessment shall specifically detail the site's restoration needs and shall provide an estimate of the restoration costs needed to restore the oilfield site based on the conditions existing at the time the site-specific trust account is established.
D. Trust account monitoring. The secretary shall monitor each trust account to assure that it is being properly funded. The funds in each trust account shall remain the property of the trust authority. In the event that the site-specific trust account is not funded through the payment of the severance tax due the state for a period of greater than six months from the date of first production following designation of the well as part of an orphaned oilfield site, the secretary shall require financial security in accordance with the department's rules and regulations.
E. Transfers of oilfield sites. When transfers of oilfield sites occur subsequent to the formation of site-specific trust accounts pursuant to this Section but prior to the end of the oilfield site's economic life, the secretary and the acquiring party shall, in the manner provided in this Section, redetermine cost. The balance of any site-specific trust account at the time of transfer shall remain associated with the oilfield site and shall be a factor in the redetermination.
F. Good faith disclosure. The failure of a transferring party to make a good-faith disclosure of all oilfield site conditions existing at the time of the transfer may render that party liable for the costs of restoration of such undisclosed conditions in excess of the balance of the site-specific trust account.
G. Unusable oilfield sites. For unusable oilfield sites, after site restoration has been completed and approved by the secretary, funds from a site-specific trust account shall be disbursed as follows:
(1) The balance of the funds existing in the site-specific trust account will be remitted to the state general fund (direct) or in the event the responsible party has personally funded the site-specific trust account, in whole or part, then to the responsible party in proportion to their percentage of funding with the remainder being remitted to the state general fund (direct).
(2) Such account shall thereafter be closed.
H. Rules, regulations, and orders. The secretary shall make, after notice and public hearings as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary to implement this Section.
Acts 2016, No. 583, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Orphan wells. (1) For purposes of this Section, an orphan well shall mean an oil well that is designated as part of an orphaned oilfield site and that has had no reported production for a period of greater than twelve months immediately prior to the production of oil to which this Section applies.
(2) The monies paid to the state treasury in accordance with R.S. 47:633(7)(c)(iv)(cc) derived from oil produced from an orphaned well as defined in this Section shall be credited to the associated site-specific trust account.
B. New production. In the event of new production from a formerly orphaned well meeting the requirements of Paragraph (A)(1) of this Section, a site-specific trust account shall be established to separately account for each such site for the purpose of providing a source of funds for future site restoration of that oilfield site when restoration of the oilfield site is required. The site-specific trust account shall remain in effect until completion of site restoration of the associated oilfield site.
C. Trust account monitoring. The secretary shall monitor each trust account to assure that it is being properly funded. The funds in each trust account shall remain the property of the trust authority. If the site-specific trust account is not funded through the payment of amounts equal to the severance tax that would otherwise be due the state for a period of greater than six months from the date of first production following designation of the well as part of an orphaned oilfield site, the secretary shall require financial security in accordance with this Subtitle and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Subtitle including the exceptions provided in R.S. 30:4(R).
D. Transfers of oilfield sites. When transfers of oilfield sites occur subsequent to the formation of site-specific trust accounts pursuant to this Section but before the end of the oilfield site's economic life, the balance of any site-specific trust account at the time of transfer shall remain associated with the oilfield site.
E. Unusable oilfield sites. For unusable oilfield sites, after site restoration has been completed and approved by the secretary, funds from a site-specific trust account shall be disbursed as follows:
(1) If the site restoration has been completed by the operator of record on file with the secretary, the balance of the funds existing in the site-specific trust account shall be remitted to that operator of record.
(2) If the site restoration has been completed using monies from the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund and monies from the site-specific trust account, any balance in the site-specific trust account shall be transferred into the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund for use on any oilfield site in accordance with this Chapter.
(3) The site-specific trust account shall thereafter be closed.
F. Rules, regulations, and orders. The secretary shall promulgate, after notice and public hearings as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary to implement this Section.
Acts 2021, No. 391, §1, eff. June 16, 2021; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. After due notice and hearing and upon certification from the secretary that a responsible party has failed to undertake site restoration of an unusable oilfield site, the secretary is authorized to disburse such funds as are necessary for site restoration from the site-specific trust account.
B. The secretary, upon notice and hearing, pursuant to rules adopted by the secretary in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, may declare an oilfield site to be an unusable oilfield site. Upon failure of a responsible party to undertake site restoration as ordered by the secretary, the secretary is authorized to disburse such funds as are necessary for site restoration from the site-specific trust account.
C. For sites restored pursuant to Subsections A and B of this Section, after site restoration has been completed and approved by the secretary, funds from the site-specific trust account will be disbursed as follows:
(1) The balance of the account existing in the site-specific trust account will be remitted to the responsible party. Such account shall thereafter be closed.
(2) If the funds in the site-specific trust account are depleted prior to the payment of all site restoration costs, the department is authorized to collect the remainder of site restoration costs from the responsible party or ensure that the responsible party completes the site restoration to the satisfaction of the secretary.
(3) If the funds in the site-specific trust account are depleted prior to the payment of all site restoration costs, and if the secretary subsequently declares that oilfield site to be an orphaned oilfield site and upon approval of the trust authority, the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund shall contribute the balance of the restoration costs for that orphaned oilfield site.
D. If a responsible party fails or is unable to restore a site and there is no site-specific trust account, the secretary shall declare the site orphaned in accordance with R.S. 30:91(B).
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1995, No. 297, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 994, §1; Acts 2022, No. 10, §1, eff. May 13, 2022; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
In the event an owner of a property interest in an oilfield site, or in other property affected by oil or gas exploration, development, or production activities on an oilfield site, obtains a final judgment from a court of competent jurisdiction, pursuant to the provisions of this Title or any other law or regulation or any obligation whatsoever, including but not limited to obligations imposed by contract or by law, or enters into a binding compromise, which judgment or compromise awards damages or other relief for injury to the property interest resulting from oil or gas exploration, development, or production activities on an oilfield site, including but not limited to damages equivalent to the costs of site assessment or restoration, or which judgment or compromise requires the performance of site assessment, restoration, or any other operations or activities on an oilfield site, in any action, judicial or administrative, by the state of Louisiana or any state agency to enforce any law or regulation with regard to the consequences of the same oil or gas exploration, development, or production activities on the same oilfield site, then solely to the extent that a judgment or compromise after June 30, 2006, is shown to have been satisfied or discharged by the actual performance of site restoration in accordance with the appropriate regulatory standards of the Department of Conservation and Energy, office of conservation at a minimum, or by actual site assessment, the party against whom the judgment was rendered, or who is obligated by the compromise, shall be given full credit against the obligation sought to be enforced by the state of Louisiana or any state agency, and the obligation shall be reduced proportionately, in amounts equal to the portion of the judgment or compromise paid, satisfied, or discharged or the costs of the performance of any site assessment, restoration, or other operations or activities required by the judgment or compromise.
Acts 1995, No. 297, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 2006, No. 312, §1, eff. June 8, 2006; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. The trust authority shall submit to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment, and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality before March first an annual report that reviews the extent to which the fund has enabled the trust authority to better protect the environment and enhance the income of the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund.
B. The trust authority shall generate a three-year plan which comprehensively addresses a balanced restoration of all oilfield sites in the state. The three-year plan shall include an inventory of all wells by classification, a timetable for implementation and completion of site restoration activities, and set forth other goals and objectives of the trust authority. The trust authority will annually review the status of its three-year plan and shall generate successive three-year plans as needed.
C. The secretary shall furnish the trust authority with semiannual reports that review the efforts of the secretary to assure proper and timely cleanup, closure, and restoration of oilfield sites.
D. The secretary's semiannual reports shall include:
(1) The number of wells plugged by the secretary.
(2) The number of orphaned oilfield sites, including a breakdown of those which have been identified during the preceding year and those at which site restoration has been completed during the preceding year.
(3) The number of producing and nonproducing oilfield sites.
(4) The status of enforcement proceedings for all sites in violation of the secretary's rules and the time period during which the sites have been in violation, including the status of the secretary's attempts to recover reimbursement for restoration costs.
E. The trust authority's annual report to the legislature shall include:
(1) The number of wells plugged by the department.
(2) The number of orphaned oilfield sites, including a breakdown of those which have been identified during the preceding year and those at which site restoration has been completed during the preceding year.
(3) The number of producing and nonproducing oilfield sites.
(4) The status of enforcement proceedings for all sites in violation of the secretary's rules and the time period during which the sites have been in violation, including the status of the secretary's attempts to recover reimbursement for restoration costs.
(5) A report on the progress of the trust authority's three-year plan.
(6) A projection of the amount of oilfield cleanup funds needed for the next year for site restoration.
(7) The status of implementation of the provisions of this Part relating to possession and sale of equipment to recover site restoration costs.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. A site may be declared to be an orphaned oilfield site by the secretary upon a finding that:
(1) No responsible party can be located, or such party has failed or is financially unable to undertake actions ordered by the secretary; and
(2) The oilfield site either:
(a) Was not closed or maintained in accordance with all statutory requirements and the regulations adopted thereunder; or
(b) Constitutes or may constitute a danger or potential danger to the public health, the environment, or an oil or gas strata.
B.(1) Prior to declaring a site to be an orphaned oilfield site, the secretary shall seek to notify the last operator of record, at his last known address contained in the department records, of the site that is to be declared orphaned and shall publish a notice in the Louisiana Register that the oilfield site is to be declared orphaned. Additionally, the secretary shall seek to notify the surface owner of the site, at the address provided by the operator pursuant to R.S. 30:28(J), that the site is to be declared orphaned. Failure of the secretary to notify the surface owner of the site shall not invalidate the decision to declare a site orphaned. If resolution of a factual dispute is requested by any owner or operator, the secretary shall hold a fact-finding hearing prior to declaring the site orphaned and the secretary shall make any fact determination necessary to resolve the dispute.
(2)(a) In the event that a site is being declared orphaned, the secretary shall retain a first lien and privilege upon such property superior to any existing mortgages, privileges, or liens of any kind, type, or nature whatsoever. The secretary shall record a notice of such lien with the clerk of court in the parish where the site is located. The secretary shall notify all other lienholders of record who have acquired a privilege, lien, or mortgage upon the property contained within a well site, in writing by registered mail, return receipt requested, that he is declaring the site orphaned. If the salvage value of property at the site exceeds the cost of plugging and abandoning the well site in accordance with this Part, any excess funds shall be paid to other lienholders by rank. Any other excess funds from salvage shall be paid into the fund.
(b) In the event that a lienholder for any reason does not exercise his privilege against the property, he shall not lose his right to secure a money judgment against the owner or operator by whom he is owed a debt; however, all liens and privileges which existed upon the property shall be extinguished.
(c) In the event that a lienholder is not properly notified as provided in this Paragraph, any claim by the holder or holders against the trust authority, Department of Conservation and Energy, or the contractors for the value of the salvaged property shall be limited to the actual cash value of the salvaged property at the time of salvage.
(3) Sale or removal of property from an oilfield site which has been declared orphaned without the written consent of the secretary is prohibited. The secretary shall have a claim against the person or persons who have sold or removed such property for the fair market value of the property sold or removed, and the lien and privilege provided herein shall follow such property into the hands of third persons whether such persons are in good or bad faith.
(4) Conducting operations on an oilfield site which has been declared orphaned without the written consent of the secretary is prohibited.
C. For purposes of this Part, the owner of the property upon which an orphaned oilfield site is located shall not be responsible for site restoration unless the owner is also a responsible party as defined herein.
D. In the event that the secretary declares an emergency as provided in R.S. 30:6.1, the provisions regarding notice to the operator as provided therein shall be applicable to declaring the site orphaned.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1995, No. 297, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 994, §1; Acts 1999, No. 618, §1; Acts 2013, No. 220, §11, eff. June 11, 2013; Acts 2016, No. 342, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The secretary is hereby authorized to expend sums from the fund and enter into contracts for the purpose of site restoration on any site declared to be an orphaned oilfield site. The secretary may conduct site restoration, expend sums from the fund, and enter into contracts for the purpose of site restoration to respond to an emergency as provided in R.S. 30:6.1.
B. Any contractor bidding for a contract to provide services for site restoration as provided in this Part shall take into account the salvage value of all equipment which shall be removed in the clean-up and restoration process and shall so stipulate and identify the value in his bid.
C. A contract for site assessment or site restoration shall require a formal bid process. All contracts shall be exempt from the provisions of the Public Bid Law and the Louisiana Procurement Code; however, before this exemption from the Public Bid Law and the Louisiana Procurement Code can be effective, the secretary shall promulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to set forth the procedures, which, to the extent practicable, shall be in substantial compliance with the Public Bid Law and shall require a formal bid process. A project which the secretary has declared in writing to be an emergency may employ a written and thoroughly documented informal bidding procedure in which bids are solicited from at least three bidders. All such contracts shall be reviewed prior to execution by the secretary, and all informally bid contracts shall be reviewed by the secretary. Notwithstanding any other requirements in this Part, any monies deposited pursuant to R.S. 30:86(D)(9) or (10) may be expended by the secretary through a contract entered into under any competitive process authorized by Title 38 or 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1995, No. 297, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 994, §1; Acts 2020, No. 242, §1; Acts 2022, No. 10, §1, eff. May 13, 2022; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. If the department undertakes restoration of an orphaned oilfield site under this Part or responds to any emergency as provided in R.S. 30:6.1, the secretary shall seek to recover all costs incurred by the secretary, penalties, and other relief from any party who has operated or held a working interest in such site, or who is required by law, rules adopted by the department, or a valid order of the department to control, clean up, close, or restore the oilfield sites or other facilities, structures, or pipelines under the secretary's jurisdiction pursuant to R.S. 30:1 et seq. in accordance with the following:
(1) All oilfield sites for which there is no site-specific trust fund shall be restored with monies provided by the fund. Except for the responsible party, the secretary shall not be authorized to recover restoration costs from parties which formerly operated or held a working interest in an orphaned oilfield site unless restoration costs for a particular orphaned oilfield site including support facilities exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars. Recovery of costs under this Paragraph shall be from the parties in inverse chronological order from the date on which the oilfield site was declared orphaned.
(2) For each oilfield site which becomes orphaned and for which a site-specific trust fund has been created and is fully funded under the provisions of R.S. 30:88(F), recovery of costs shall be against only the responsible party, and the site shall be restored in the following manner:
(a) Using funds in the site-specific trust fund established for the specific site.
(b) Using funds collected from any responsible party in such site where the site-specific trust fund is insufficient.
(c) If funds collected under Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Paragraph are insufficient to fully restore said orphaned oilfield site, the fund shall provide funds necessary to make up any deficiency.
(3) If the oilfield site does not meet the provisions of R.S. 30:88(F) and restoration costs exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars, recovery of costs shall be from the parties in inverse chronological order from the date on which the oilfield site has been declared orphaned, except that a party shall be exempt from liability for restoration of an orphaned oilfield site as provided for in this Part in which said party had an operating or working interest if, and only if, the party complies with all of the following:
(a) The party makes full and reasonable timely contribution to the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund.
(b) The party creates a site-specific trust account for the restoration of the oilfield site and is in compliance with the terms and conditions of the site-specific trust account.
(c) The party makes full disclosure in compliance with R.S. 30:88(G) in the transfer of an oilfield site.
(d) The party complies in full with any penalty assessment which has become final under this Part for any violation under this Part.
(e) The party is not determined to be an individual, partnership, corporation, or other entity which is an operator or working interest owner in an oilfield site determined to be orphaned.
(f) The party is not determined to be a partnership, corporation, or other entity for which a general partner, an owner of more than twenty-five percent ownership interest, or a trustee has held a position of ownership or control in another partnership, corporation, or other entity which is an operator or working interest owner in an oilfield site determined to be orphaned.
(g) The party complies with all reviews of site-specific trust accounts as set forth in this Part, including additional contributions thereto if deemed necessary.
(4) For a response to any emergency as provided in R.S. 30:6.1, recovery of costs shall be against the responsible party.
B. The secretary may file suit in a court of competent jurisdiction in East Baton Rouge Parish to recover these costs. The secretary may settle or resolve any suits, disputes, or claims for any penalty under the provisions of this Part. Costs recovered under this Subsection shall be deposited into the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund.
C. The secretary may enter into a site restoration contribution agreement prior to undertaking restoration of an orphaned oilfield site under this Part. In such agreement the secretary shall accept and agree to specific levels of monetary or other contribution towards the cost of restoring an orphaned oilfield site by a party or parties who have operated or held a working interest in such orphaned oilfield site. Upon entering into a site restoration contribution agreement and following final payment by a party to the department of the contribution amount agreed to therein, the party shall be deemed to have met their obligations under this Part and the secretary shall have no right to recover costs incurred by the secretary, penalties, or other relief as contemplated in this Section. Any party who has operated or held a working interest in an orphaned oilfield site covered by a site restoration contribution agreement but has either failed to enter into such agreement or failed to pay the department the agreed upon amount shall be liable for cost recovery pursuant to this Section. The secretary shall have no right of action to seek recovery of the costs contributed to restoration of an orphaned oilfield site by another party pursuant to a site restoration contribution agreement. Site restoration contribution agreements may include provisions resolving regulatory compliance and compliance with obligations set forth in a state lease, operating agreement, right of way, servitude or other contract associated with the orphaned oilfield site at issue.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1995, No. 297, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 994, §§1, 2; Acts 2004, No. 225, §1; Acts 2019, No. 193, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Failure of a responsible party to comply with its obligation under this Part may cause that responsible party to lose all rights of an operator under this Subtitle in the state of Louisiana. The secretary may cancel forthwith any allowables and deny any permits until restitution is received by cashier's check for costs incurred by the secretary under this Part. Costs shall include without limitation restoration costs, legal expenses, and interest. The fund shall be reimbursed for any expenditures made on behalf of the oilfield site.
B.(1) The secretary may withhold any permit application under this Subtitle to the following:
(a) Any individual, partnership, corporation, or other entity which has been found to have violated Statewide Order 29-B.
(b) Any partnership, corporation, or other entity for which a general partner, an owner of more than twenty-five percent ownership interest, or a trustee has, within the two years preceding the date on which the permit application is filed, held a position of ownership or control in another partnership, corporation, or other entity which has been found to have violated Statewide Order 29-B.
(2) An individual or entity has committed a violation of Statewide Order 29-B if any one of the following has occurred:
(a) On order finding the violation has been entered against the individual or entity, all appeals have been exhausted and the individual or entity is not in compliance or on a schedule for compliance with an order.
(b) The secretary and the individual or entity have entered into an agreed order relating to the alleged violation and the individual or entity is not in compliance or on a schedule for compliance with such order.
(3) The secretary shall not deny the permit application if:
(a) The conditions that constituted the violation have been corrected.
(b) All administrative, civil, and criminal penalties relating to the violation have been paid.
(c) All costs and expenses relating to the violation have been paid.
C. In addition to the foregoing, any person found by the secretary to be in violation of any requirement of this Part may be liable for a civil penalty, to be assessed by the secretary or court, of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars for each day of the continued noncompliance.
D. No penalty shall be assessed until the person charged shall have been given notice and an opportunity for a hearing on such charge. In determining whether or not a civil penalty is to be assessed and in determining the amount of the penalty, or the amount agreed upon in compromise, the gravity of the violation and the demonstrated good faith of the person charged in attempting to achieve rapid compliance, after notification of a violation, shall be considered.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Nothing in this Part shall establish or create any liability or responsibility on the part of the trust authority or the state of Louisiana to pay any costs associated with site restoration from any sources other than the fund created by R.S. 30:86 or the funds established in connection with the issuance of bonds on behalf of the trust authority, at the direction of the secretary, pursuant to R.S. 30:83.1 nor shall the trust authority or the state of Louisiana have any liability or responsibility to make any payments for costs associated with site restoration if the trust created herein is insufficient to do so.
B. The secretary, the trust authority, or their agents, on proper identification, may enter the land of another for purposes of site assessment or restoration.
C. The trust authority, the secretary, and their agents are not liable for any damages arising from an act or omission if the act or omission is part of a good faith effort to carry out the purpose of this Part.
D. No party contracting with the Department of Conservation and Energy, or the trust authority under the provisions of this Part shall be deemed to be a public employee or an employee otherwise subject to the provisions of Parts I through IV of Chapter 15 of Title 42 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2; Acts 1997, No. 994, §1; Acts 2016, No. 666, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
This Part shall be null, void, and without effect upon the appropriation by the legislature of all or any portion of the monies in the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund for any use or purpose other than that provided for by this Part; provided however, upon the creation of a trust fund in the constitution of Louisiana for the purposes contained in this Part, the legislature may appropriate all of the monies in the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund to such constitutional trust fund.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2.
The provisions of this Part regarding the implementation of site-specific trust accounts shall not be implemented until the rules and regulations pertaining to such trust accounts are finally adopted.
Acts 1993, No. 404, §2.
A. The legislature declares that the management, protection, and development of water resources in the state are essential for public welfare, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability. To fulfill these objectives, it is necessary to provide a framework for comprehensive water resource management, balancing environmental needs with human and economic activities. Accordingly, the legislature grants broad authority to the Department of Conservation and Energy to establish a comprehensive water resource management program taking into consideration the requirements, needs, and obligations of all stakeholders of water in the state of Louisiana. The program shall be based on good management practices, sound science, and economics according to generally accepted principles in those disciplines. It shall include as a goal the long-term sustainability of the state's water resources and of the state's ecological welfare, while considering the economic value of the state's role in interstate commerce and the economic welfare of its citizens. Further, it shall provide for the efficient administration in the utilization and management of water resources, including the gathering of data related to the state's water resources. Thus, the state's water resources shall be protected, conserved, managed, and replenished in an effective manner with due regard for the foregoing considerations and the best interest of all the citizens of the state.
B. The legislature hereby recognizes the need for uniformity in the establishment of a comprehensive water resource management program. Therefore, the state shall have exclusive jurisdiction over the management of water resources and this Part shall supersede and preempt any rule, regulation, code, statute, or ordinance of any political subdivision or other unit of local government. However, nothing contained in this Part shall be construed to deny such local government the authority over siting facilities pursuant to any general land use planning or zoning ordinance or to deny soil and water conservation districts powers granted pursuant to R.S. 3:1208.
C. In accordance with the legislative intent provided in this Section, the statewide water resource management program and any rule, regulation, or order of the secretary shall recognize historic use of water resources in the state and may incorporate the use of appropriate incentives to encourage conservation of water resources and the appropriate utilization of alternate water supplies where appropriate. Consistent with the provisions of this Chapter and in consultation with the secretary, the incentives and provisions of alternate water resources may be provided by the state, or any local subdivision thereof, by virtue of tax incentives, tax credits, and physical projects transporting or providing alternate water resources to existing water users and by any private person with an interest in conserving such water resources for public use.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The department shall define through rules adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act necessary terms relevant to the comprehensive water resource management program.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, in carrying out the provisions of this Part, the Department of Conservation and Energy is exclusively empowered to do the following:
(1) Prepare required forms and establish other procedures to govern the submission of applications, reports, and other information authorized to be sent to the office as required by this Part.
(2) Upon presenting valid identification as an inspector for the department, enter upon and be given access at reasonable times and under reasonable conditions to any premises for the purposes of inspecting water wells or surface water withdrawals under the jurisdiction of the department.
B. If the office finds that compliance with all the requirements of this Part would result in undue hardship, an exemption from any one or more of such requirements may be granted by the office to the extent necessary to ameliorate such undue hardship and to the extent such exemption can be granted without impairing the intent and purpose of this Part.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The secretary may in consultation with the Natural Resources Commission promulgate rules and regulations for the appointment or designation of regional water districts, which when so appointed may be delegated the powers, authorities, and duties of the department for groundwater or surface water resource management within the regional district.
B. In addition to its other powers and authorities established in law, the department is authorized to:
(1) Receive and collect water resource data and water use data throughout the state.
(2) Cooperate with and enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with other governmental units and agencies of this state, with governments and agencies of other states and of the United States, and with private agencies or other water conservation districts as necessary to fulfill the provisions of this Part.
(3) Conduct studies and investigations of all problems concerning water resources in the state.
(4) Identify and protect water recharge areas.
(5) Monitor and evaluate water resources including current and projected demands, inventory the state's water resources, identify technical research and previously developed information on water, identify future potential deficit areas, study alternatives to surface water use including treatment, transmission systems, and reclamation, and investigate incentives for conservation and the use of alternative technologies including public education and conservation programs.
(6) Promote water conservation measures and best practices for water resource sustainability.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The department, utilizing the Natural Resources Commission, shall develop, implement, and periodically update a comprehensive statewide water resource management plan, addressing current and future water demands, conservation strategies, infrastructure needs, environmental impacts, and sustainable water management practices.
B. The comprehensive plan shall be developed through a transparent public process, including stakeholder input, interagency collaboration, and review by the Natural Resources Commission.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The department shall have the exclusive authority to enforce the provisions of this Part consistent with its authority under law.
B. The department shall have the authority to collaborate with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure coordinated enforcement efforts.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Any party adversely affected by a decision or action of the department under this Part shall be entitled to an administrative hearing in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act. Judicial review shall be available following the exhaustion of administrative remedies as provided by law.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The department and its officers, employees, agents, and designated representatives acting in the discharge of their duties under this Chapter shall be immune from civil liability for actions taken in good faith in compliance with established rules and regulations.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The department is authorized to collaborate and enter into agreements with local, state, federal, and private entities to facilitate efficient and effective water resource management and conservation efforts.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The department may seek, receive, and administer funding, grants, and financial assistance from federal, state, local, and private sources to implement the objectives of this Chapter.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, nothing in this Part shall be construed to impact, burden, or impose regulatory requirements or fees upon agricultural water users. Agricultural water use, including but not limited to irrigation, livestock watering, and other customary agricultural and horticultural purposes, shall be explicitly exempt from any regulatory or administrative oversight established pursuant to this Part. Participation in programs or initiatives established in this Part by agricultural users shall be strictly voluntary and without a fee.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, in carrying out its authorities established by this Part the department shall prioritize and protect the sustainability of public water supplies in its management and regulatory decisions, consistent with the policy established in R.S. 38:3097.6. In exercising its authority under this Part, the department shall ensure that no regulatory or permitting action undermines or adversely impacts the availability or quality of water necessary for public water supply systems.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
If any provision of this Chapter or its application is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end, the provisions of this Chapter are severable.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 1974, No. 50, §3
This Part may be cited as the "Louisiana Fishermen's Gear Compensation and Underwater Obstruction Removal Program".
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §13, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. The legislature finds and declares that it is in the public interest and within the police power of this state to establish a fishermen's gear compensation and underwater obstruction removal program and a fishermen's gear compensation and underwater obstruction removal dedicated fund account to provide for the proper and timely identification, inventory, and removal of underwater obstructions that are a hazard to navigation and commercial fishing in the state, and to compensate commercial fishermen for damage to their fishing gear from the underwater obstructions. The program and fund account shall be administered, for purposes of fishermen's gear compensation, by the secretary of the office of coastal management and, for purposes of underwater obstruction, by the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.
B. Nothing in this Part shall be deemed to alter or impair any rights and responsibilities established by contract between private parties.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
As used in this Part, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context or use clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Account" means the Fishermen's Gear Compensation and Underwater Obstruction Removal Dedicated Fund Account.
(2) "Commercial fisherman" means any citizen of the state of Louisiana whose primary source of earnings is from the harvesting of living marine resources for commercial purposes. For purposes of this Paragraph, "earnings" means the earnings derived solely by the personal efforts of the commercial fisherman, exclusive of the income of a spouse or of any community property interest in the income of a spouse.
(3) "Department" means the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(4) "Fishing gear" means any vessel and any equipment, whether or not attached to a vessel, which is used in the commercial handling or harvesting of living marine resources.
(5) "Program" means the Fishermen's Gear Compensation and Underwater Obstruction Removal Program.
(6) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy or his authorized representatives.
(7) "Underwater obstruction" means any obstacle, whether natural or manmade, which impedes normal navigation and commercial fishing on the navigable waters of the state.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. The Fishermen's Gear Compensation and Underwater Obstruction Removal Program is hereby created within the office of the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy and shall be administered, for purposes of fishermen's gear compensation, by the assistant secretary of the office of coastal management and, for purposes of underwater obstruction, by the secretary.
B. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, to implement the provisions of this Part and to provide for procedures for the identification, inventory, and removal of underwater obstructions to navigation and commercial fishing.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. The powers of the secretary shall include without limitation the power to do the following:
(1) Administer general oversight of expenditures or commitments to make expenditures from the dedicated fund account for the identification, inventory, and removal of underwater obstructions as he deems necessary and appropriate.
(2) Maintain all supervisory and fiscal responsibility imposed under the provisions of this Part.
(3) Perform such other specific functions as may be enumerated or envisioned by the provisions of this Part.
B. The powers provided for in this Section shall be in addition to and shall not limit the powers conferred on the secretary in other provisions of this Title or by any other provisions of any state or federal law or regulation.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. The powers of the secretary shall include without limitation the power to do the following:
(1) Negotiate and execute contracts, upon such terms as he may agree upon for underwater obstruction identification, inventory, and removal, and other services necessary to meet the purpose of this Part.
(2) Publish an annual list of underwater obstruction sites, to include an inventory of the type, size and depth of the obstruction, and any other relevant information which would aid navigation and commercial fishing in the vicinity of the obstruction.
(3) Prepare, evaluate, and approve an annual priority list for underwater obstruction removal.
(4) Prepare, evaluate, and approve a list of contractors acceptable to conduct obstruction removal.
(5) Administer and manage the Fishermen's Gear Compensation and Underwater Obstruction Removal Program for identification, inventory, and removal of underwater obstructions in the navigable coastal waters of the state.
(6) Administer and manage the Fishermen's Gear Compensation and Underwater Obstruction Removal Dedicated Fund Account.
(7) Perform any function authorized or enumerated by this Part or which is consistent with its purpose.
(8) Maintain a file on the location of known underwater obstructions.
(9) Administer the payment of appropriate compensation for commercial fishermen whose fishing gear is damaged by underwater obstructions in the Louisiana territorial waters that overlie state-owned waterbottoms that are contained within the coastal zone boundaries as defined in R.S. 49:214.24.
B. The aforementioned powers shall be in addition to and shall not limit the powers conferred on the secretary in other provisions in this Title or any other pertinent provision of any state or federal law or regulation.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. A contract for obstruction removal shall require a cash bond, performance bond, or other equivalent surety instrument approved by the secretary, and shall require a formal bid process. A project which the secretary has declared in writing to be an emergency may employ a written and thoroughly documented informal bidding procedure in which bids are received from at least three bidders. All such contracts shall be reviewed prior to execution by the secretary, and all informally bid contracts shall be reviewed by the secretary of the division of administration.
B. No party contracting with the department under the provisions of this Part shall be deemed to be a public employee or an employee otherwise subject to the provisions of Chapter 15 of Parts I through IV of Title 42 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
The secretary shall not be liable for any damages arising from an act or omission if the act or omission is part of a good faith effort to carry out the purpose of this Part.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. There is hereby established a statutorily dedicated fund account in the custody of the state treasurer to be known as the Fishermen's Gear Compensation and Underwater Obstruction Removal Dedicated Fund Account, hereafter referred to in this Section as the "account", into which the state treasurer shall, each fiscal year, deposit the revenues received from the collection of the monies enumerated in Subsection C of this Section, after those revenues have been deposited in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund. Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all the obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state that become due and payable within each fiscal year, the treasurer shall pay into the account an amount equal to the revenues generated as provided for in Subsection C of this Section. Such funds shall constitute a special custodial trust account which shall be administered by the secretary who shall make disbursements from the account solely in accordance with the purposes and uses authorized by this Part.
B. The funds received shall be placed in the account to be used only in accordance with this Part and shall not be placed in the general fund. The funds shall only be used for the purposes set forth in this Part and for no other governmental purposes, nor shall any portion hereof ever be available to borrow from by any branch of government. It is the intent of the legislature that this account shall remain intact and inviolate. Any interest or earnings of the account shall be credited only to the account. Monies deposited into this account shall be categorized as fees and self-generated revenue for the sole purpose of reporting related to the executive budget, supporting documents, and general appropriation bills and shall be available for annual appropriation by the legislature.
C. The following monies shall be placed into the account:
(1) Private contributions.
(2) Interest earned on the funds deposited in the account.
(3) Any grants, donations, and sums allocated from any source, public or private, for the purposes of this Part.
(4) Any monies deposited into the account pursuant to R.S. 30:101.11(B)(2).
D. The monies in the account may be disbursed and expended pursuant to the authority and direction of the secretary for the following purposes and uses:
(1) Any underwater obstruction identification, inventory, or removal conducted by the department pursuant to this Part.
(2) The administration of this Part by the department in an amount not to exceed two hundred thousand dollars in any fiscal year.
(3) The payment of fees and costs associated with the administration of the account and any contract with a private legal entity pursuant to this Section.
(4) Any other expenditures determined necessary by the secretary to meet the purposes of this Part.
(5) Payment of any fully justified claim made in accordance with procedures established in this Section for actual damages suffered by a commercial or charter boat fisherman as a result of hitting or snagging an obstruction or hazard in the waters of the state resulting from natural occurrences, oil and gas activities, or other activities where the owner of the obstruction is unknown.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 1999, No. 599, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2021, No. 114, §§6, 18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2024, No. 80, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. The secretary shall submit to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment before March first an annual report that reviews the extent to which the program has enabled the secretary to better protect the navigable waters and commercial fishing of the state and enhance the income of the fund.
B. The secretary's annual reports shall include:
(1) The number and location of underwater obstructions which have been identified and inventoried, and a list of those obstructions which have been successfully removed during the preceding year, to include the cost of removal of each.
(2) The overall status of implementation of the provisions of this Part relating to identification, inventory, and removal of underwater obstructions.
Acts 1997, No. 666, §2; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. The dedicated fund account as established in R.S. 30:101.9 shall be utilized to compensate commercial fishermen operating in Louisiana territorial waters which overlie state-owned waterbottoms which are contained within the coastal zone boundaries as described and established by R.S. 49:214.24.
B.(1) The secretary is authorized and empowered to levy an annual fee in the amount of four hundred dollars upon each lessee or operator for any agreement for mineral or energy production or for subsurface storage entered into by the State Mineral and Energy Board and each grantee of a state right-of-way, for each lease and right-of-way on July 1, 2023, located within the coastal zone boundary. The secretary shall not levy the fee upon a political subdivision of the state.
(2) The state treasurer shall be authorized to deposit into the account a sum in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars from proceeds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund after compliance with dedications of mineral royalties, leases, bonuses, and rights-of-way and other sums payable to the state as lessor of mineral leases and grantor of rights-of-way as required pursuant to R.S. 30:136(B) and 136.1(A), (B), and (C), after a sufficient amount has been allocated from the Bond Security and Redemption Fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within the fiscal year.
Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. In carrying out the provisions of this Part applicable to compensation to commercial fishermen for damage to their fishing gear, the secretary shall prescribe, and from time to time amend, regulations for the filing, processing, and the fair and expeditious settlement of claims pursuant to this Part, including a time limitation on the filing of such claims and the appointment of a hearing examiner. These regulations shall ensure that the whole claim procedure is as simple as possible. Any designee of the secretary authorized to prescribe and amend such rules and regulations shall do so under the overall supervision and control of the secretary.
B. In the promulgation of regulations pursuant to this Part, the secretary shall establish a procedure whereby a fisherman may recover for damages from an obstruction encountered previously.
C. Any rule, regulation, or guideline shall be proposed or adopted pursuant to the rulemaking procedures set forth in the Administrative Procedure Act.
Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. Payments may be disbursed by the secretary from the dedicated fund account to compensate commercial fishermen for actual property damage suffered as a result of hitting or snagging an obstruction or hazard in the territorial waters of the state within the boundaries established for the fund but shall not be extended to speculative loss such as anticipated profit or income.
B. In order to be eligible to receive reimbursement from the account, a commercial fisherman shall show that the commercial fisherman has a valid claim. A valid claim shall be established by the hearing examiner, based on evidence that the following conditions have been met:
(1) The fishing vessel was being used for fishing in Louisiana territorial waters within the boundaries established for this dedicated fund account.
(2) The fisherman made a report to the secretary on the location of the obstruction postmarked within ninety days of the loss. If good cause is shown, the secretary, when there are extenuating circumstances, may waive the ninety-day limit on the reporting period, such waiver period not to exceed forty-five days.
(3) The fisherman made a good faith effort to locate the financially responsible party. Evidence of a good faith effort shall be established by regulation and shall include attempts to identify the responsible party with the assistance of the Department of Conservation and Energy where necessary.
C. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsections A and B of this Section, no payment:
(1) Shall be made from the account when the damage set forth in a claim was caused by materials, equipment, structures, or other items attributable to a financially responsible party and unless evidence is submitted that the party responsible for the obstruction cannot be determined.
(2) Shall exceed five thousand dollars for any incident.
(3) Shall be made unless the claimant shows by a preponderance of evidence that he is free from contributory negligence in causing the loss.
(4) Shall be made for any claim at a site that has been certified by the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy as having been cleared under the provisions of this Part. Once a site has been cleared under the Louisiana Fishermen's Gear Compensation and Underwater Obstruction Removal Program, the secretary shall certify that the site of at least two hundred yards in diameter is free of obstructions, and future claims at a site so certified shall be denied. Whenever four or more claims are reported after a site has been certified as clear, the site shall be revisited and the new or leftover obstruction shall be located and, if the department determines it is feasible, removed.
D. Upon receipt of a claim against the account, the secretary shall assign the matter to a hearing examiner for disposition. Claimants shall submit such documentary evidence as the hearing examiner requires to prove a valid claim justifying payment from the account. In the event that a dispute arises over any claim that cannot otherwise be resolved, the hearing examiner shall hold a hearing after giving public notice. At such hearing, the claimant and any other interested person may submit evidence. The hearing examiner shall have the power to administer oaths and subpoena witnesses and books, records, and other evidence pertinent to the issue. The hearing shall be held in the state at a place and time determined by the secretary. After the hearing, a prompt decision shall be made, all in accordance with rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Part and the Administrative Procedure Act.
Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
A. The secretary shall prepare a detailed file of all structures and facilities located on state waterbottoms within the boundaries of the dedicated fund account. In developing the file, the secretary may require the owners and operators of state mineral leases and pipeline rights-of-way to furnish information relative to the location, description, and nature of facilities, both active and abandoned, on and beneath the state's waterbottoms.
B. The secretary shall establish and classify all potential hazards to commercial fishing caused by oil and gas exploration, development, and production activities in Louisiana waters, including all obstructions on the bottom, throughout the water column, and on the surface.
C. The secretary shall establish regulations for all materials, equipment, tools, containers, pipelines, and other items used within Louisiana waters by the oil and gas industry to be properly stamped or labeled, wherever practicable, with the owner's identification prior to actual use. These regulations shall be consistent with labeling regulations promulgated by the United States Department of Interior pursuant to the provisions of Title IV of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978.
Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
NOTE: See R.S. 30:101.15 regarding the termination of Part after June 30, 2027.
The provisions of this Part shall terminate and have no effect after June 30, 2027.
Acts 2022, No. 100, §2, eff. July 1, 2023.
NOTE: Pursuant to its own terms, R.S. 30:101.15 will terminate after June 30, 2027.
Within ninety days after the expiration of:
(1) Production under a mineral lease previously maintained by production and
(2) all other rights to maintain that lease,
the lessee or his assigns shall notify the lessor or his representative that the lease has terminated, unless such notification is already provided in the lease.
Acts 1984, No. 559, §1.
Operators taking or producing oil or gas from lands who do not market through a pipeline company shall report monthly to each owner of an oil or gas interest in the lands. These monthly reports shall show the amount of oil or gas produced from the lands during the previous calendar month, the amount disposed of, and the amount which has not been disposed of. Reports shall be sent by certified mail to each owner of a royalty, oil or gas interest, who has furnished his name and address to the operator.
Acts 2001, No. 973, §1.
A. Whenever there is included within a drilling unit, as authorized by the secretary, lands producing oil, gas, brine, or any combination thereof upon which the operator or producer has no valid oil, gas, or mineral lease, the operator or producer shall issue the following reports to the owners of the interests by a sworn, detailed, itemized statement:
(1) Within ninety calendar days from completion of the well, an initial report which shall contain the costs of drilling, completing, and equipping the unit well.
(2) After establishment of production from the unit well, quarterly reports which shall contain the following:
(a) The total amount of oil, gas, brine, or other hydrocarbons produced from the lands during the previous quarter.
(b) The price received from any purchaser of unit production.
(c) Quarterly operating costs and expenses.
(d) Any additional funds expended to enhance or restore the production of the unit well.
B. No operator or producer shall be required under the provisions of this Section to report any information which is not known by such operator or producer at the time of a report. However, the operator or producer shall report the required information to the owner of the unleased interest within thirty days after such information is obtained by the operator or producer, or in the next quarterly report, whichever due date is later.
C. Reports shall be sent by certified mail to each owner of an unleased oil, gas, or brine interest who has requested such reports in writing, by certified mail addressed to the operator or producer. The written request shall contain the unleased interest owner's name and address. Initial reports shall be sent no later than ninety calendar days after the completion of the well. The operator or producer shall begin sending quarterly reports within ninety calendar days after receiving the written request, whichever is later, and shall continue sending quarterly reports until cessation of production.
D. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section to the contrary, at the time a report is due pursuant to this Section, if the share of the total costs of drilling, completing, and equipping the unit well and all other unit costs allocable to an owner of an unleased interest is less than one thousand dollars, no report shall be required. However, during January of the next calendar year, the operator or producer shall report such costs to the owner.
Added by Acts 1950, No. 387, §1; Acts 2001, No. 973, §1; Acts 2024, No. 126, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Whenever the operator or producer permits ninety calendar days to elapse from completion of the well and thirty additional calendar days to elapse from date of receipt of written notice by certified mail from the owner or owners of unleased oil, gas, or brine interests calling attention to failure to comply with the provisions of R.S. 30:103.1, such operator or producer shall forfeit his right to demand contribution from the owner or owners of the unleased oil, gas, or brine interests for the costs of the drilling operations of the well.
Added by Acts 1950, No. 387, §2; Acts 2001, No. 973, §1; Acts 2024, No. 126, §1.
Whoever fails to make the reports, required of him by R.S. 30:103 shall be fined not less than twenty-five dollars, nor more than one hundred dollars for each failure to report to any individual royalty or mineral owner.
§§105 to 107 Repealed by Acts 1974, No. 50, §3
R.S. 30:105 to 30:1061 shall not apply to minerals produced from lands belonging to the state.
1Repealed. See, now, R.S. 31:210.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 948, §7, eff. Jan. 1, 1994.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 948, §7, eff. Jan. 1, 1994.
Owners of unleased mineral interests and lessees in any drilling unit authorized by the department of conservation of this state, shall not be liable or obligated to pay to the operator or producer for materials furnished or used in the drilling, completion, and production of any oil, gas, or mineral well drilled on said unit a sum in excess of the prevailing market price of such materials.
Acts 1950, No. 526, §1.
A. A mineral lease shall include the lessee's complete address. The lessee shall be responsible for informing the lessor of any subsequent change in address.
B. If a certified letter addressed to the lessee by the lessor is returned as undeliverable and no forwarding address is known, the secretary of state shall be notified by the lessor that the secretary of state will subsequently serve as the lessee's agent and receive all notices concerning the lease until such time as the lessee supplies the lessor with a current address.
Acts 1984, No. 303, §1.
A. The State Mineral and Energy Board, as created by Act No. 93 of the 1936 Regular Session of the Legislature, is hereby continued. The board shall be composed of the governor and the undersecretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy, ex officio, and nine members appointed by the governor. Each appointment by the governor shall be submitted to the Senate for confirmation. Six members shall constitute a quorum.
B. Each appointed member shall serve a term concurrent with that of the governor making the appointment.
C. The governor shall be ex officio chairman or may designate the board to elect its chairman to serve for two years. The board shall be a body corporate with power to sue and be sued. The domicile of the board shall be in Baton Rouge and it shall possess, in addition to the powers herein granted, all of the usual powers incident to corporations. If the governor serves as ex officio chairman, in case of a tie, the vote of the governor shall determine the issue. If the governor has designated the board to elect its chairman, the chairman may vote only once on any motion. The deputy secretary or the director of the office of state resources may serve as a proxy member of the board in the absence of the undersecretary with full authority to act for the undersecretary as a member of the board.
D. The board shall administer the state's proprietary interest in minerals and water resources as herein provided. The governor may appoint to the board members engaged in the industry and related business activity which members and which board shall be subject to the provisions of R.S. 42:1101 through 1168.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 59, §1; Acts 1956, No. 43, §1; Acts 1960, No. 453, §1; Acts 1962, No. 352, §1, emerg. eff. July 11, 1962; Acts 1977, No. 667, §1, eff. July 20, 1977; Acts 1978, No. 581, §1; Acts 1979, No. 649, §1; Acts 1980, No. 728, §1; Acts 2003, No. 774, §7; Acts 2006, No. 145, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The appointed members shall receive no salaries, but attending members shall receive seventy-five dollars for each day or part thereof while attending regular or called board meetings, committee meetings, or attending to official business of the board, plus actual expenses as provided for state employees.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 59, §1; Acts 1955, No. 115, §1; Acts 1981, No. 514, §1.
The board shall meet at the call of the governor and may meet at places other than its domicile.
A. All prospective leaseholders of leases awarded by the State Mineral and Energy Board shall register with the office of mineral resources. Registration shall be in the form and content as prescribed by the office of mineral resources. At a minimum, the registration shall include the current physical address, telephone number, e-mail address, and facsimile number of the prospective leaseholder. In addition, the prospective leaseholder shall submit written documentation from the Louisiana secretary of state indicating that the prospective leaseholder is registered and in good standing with the secretary of state. For such purposes, a copy of the detailed record from the secretary of state web site evidencing that the company is in good standing shall suffice.
B. The registration with the office of mineral resources shall be renewed annually by January thirty-first each year by updating all information on the registration form on file at the office of mineral resources and by providing the required documentation of good standing from the Louisiana secretary of state.
C. If at any time during the period for which a given mineral lease is in full force and effect, the office of the mineral resources finds that any current record lessee of that lease is not properly registered with the office of mineral resources, the office of mineral resources shall notify the record lessee in writing by certified mail, return receipt requested, and request proper registration by a fixed date no more than thirty days after receipt of the notification. Should the record lessee, after being duly notified, fail to properly register by the date fixed in the notification, the State Mineral and Energy Board may levy liquidated damages against that lessee in the amount of one hundred dollars per day until the record lessee is properly registered with the office of mineral resources. The liquidated damage assessment may be waived, in whole or in part, by the State Mineral and Energy Board.
Acts 2008, No. 283, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
A. The legislature finds that the state, through the Department of Conservation and Energy, should promote the generation and use of alternative energy sources, including but not limited to wind energy, geothermal energy, solar energy, and hydrokinetic energy, throughout the state to ensure the viability of the state's natural resources, to provide a continuing utility-scale clean energy source for the citizens and businesses of Louisiana, to support economic development through job retention and creation in Louisiana, and to promote a clean environment.
B. The State Mineral and Energy Board, hereinafter referred to as the "board", has authority to lease any lands belonging to the state, or the title to which is in the public, including road beds, water bottoms, vacant state lands, and lands adjudicated to the state at tax sale, for the development and production of minerals, oil, gas, or alternative energy sources and for the purposes set forth in R.S. 30:148.2. The board, in consultation with the Department of Transportation and Development, shall adopt rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this Subpart.
C. As used in this Section, "alternative energy sources" means energy sources other than oil, gas, and other liquid, solid, or gaseous minerals. It shall include, but not be limited to, wind energy, geothermal energy, solar energy, and hydrokinetic energy. It shall not include the cultivation or harvesting of biomass fuels or the use of state land or water bottoms for facilities which utilize biomass fuel to produce energy.
D. No lease shall be granted for hydrokinetic energy development that is inconsistent with the terms of a preliminary permit, license, exemption, or other authorization issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pursuant to its authority under the Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a, et seq.
E.(1)(a) No lease affecting the following lands shall be granted for alternative energy sources development on such lands without prior written approval of a port; harbor and terminal district; or port, harbor, and terminal district;
(i) Lands held in title by such port or district or held by lease or servitude by such port or district.
(ii) Public navigable waters that flow through any lands within the jurisdiction of such port or district. Approval pursuant to this Item shall not be unreasonably withheld unless such lease would be detrimental to the needs of commerce and navigation.
(b) No such port or district shall receive compensation for their approval; however, such port or district shall receive reimbursement from the lease applicant for actual expenses incurred for any studies or reports conducted in conjunction with their approval.
(2) After the port; harbor and terminal district; or port, harbor, and terminal district decides whether or not to grant approval, the board shall send a notice by certified mail to the lease applicant for alternative energy sources development. The notice shall include the following:
(a) The decision of such port or district to provide either prior written approval of the lease or to deny approval of such lease.
(b) If such port or district does not grant prior written approval, notice that the lease applicant has sixty days from receipt of the notice to request an administrative hearing with the division of administrative law pursuant to Chapter 13-B of Title 49 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. The request for an administrative hearing shall be filed with the division of administrative law, with copies mailed to the board and such port or district.
(3) The port; harbor and terminal district; or port, harbor, and terminal district which does not grant prior written approval of a lease shall have the burden of proof, at the administrative hearing, that the lease is detrimental to the needs of commerce and navigation.
(4) The port; harbor and terminal district; or port, harbor, and terminal district shall contract with the division of administrative law to conduct the hearing. The administrative law judge may, in his discretion, assess the costs of the administrative hearing and reasonable attorney fees of the prevailing party against the losing party.
(5) Notwithstanding any provision of the law to the contrary, the lease applicant or the port; harbor and terminal district; or port, harbor, and terminal district may petition the district court for the parish of East Baton Rouge for judicial review of any final decision or order of the administrative law judge.
F. The board is further authorized to collect a fee for such leasing in the amount of ten percent of the total cash bonus paid at the lease sale. The fee shall be in addition to the total cash bonus paid.
G. Payments due to the state pursuant to leases under this Section shall be considered a tax for the purposes of collection under 11 U.S.C. 503(b)(1)(B) and not rent.
Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 875, §1; Acts 2010, No. 930, §1; Acts 2012, No. 641, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.
A. Information submitted to the board, the office of mineral resources, or the office of state resources as part of a bid or proposal for the right to explore, develop, or utilize public property may be deemed confidential and withheld from public disclosure by the board or office if disclosure of such information would be reasonably likely to:
(1) Reveal technical, operational, or financial details to be used in the bid or proposal; and
(2) Give any advantage to a competitor.
B. Unless otherwise exempt from public release in accordance with the Public Records Law, or as otherwise provided by regulations adopted pursuant to Subsection C of this Section, information withheld pursuant to this provision shall be subject to disclosure upon conclusion of the competitive evaluation process and a final board determination regarding bid or proposal.
C. The board, the office of mineral resources, or the office of state resources may promulgate rules or regulations establishing procedures for the submission, designation, handling, and protection of information designated as confidential pursuant to this Section.
Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
All proposals for mineral leases under this Subpart shall be submitted to and examined by the secretary who shall transmit them to the board for its action. All proposals shall be submitted by application in the form required by the department, giving the description of the land, including a map, and submission of six hundred dollars, payable to the office of mineral resources, to satisfy the cost of processing the application. The fee shall not be returned, even in the event of a bid.
Acts 1989, No. 282, §1, eff. June 27, 1989; Acts 1992, No. 177, §1; Acts 1995, No. 92, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2005, No. 449, §1, eff. July 11, 2005; Acts 2007, No. 451, §1; Acts 2008, No. 283, §2; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Upon receipt of an application accompanied by the nonrefundable fee, the State Mineral and Energy Board may cause an inspection of the land to be made, including geophysical and geological surveys. After receiving the report of the inspection, the board may offer for lease all or part of the lands described in the application. However, no mineral lease shall contain more than five thousand acres. The board shall publish in the official journal of the state, and in the official journal of the parish where the lands are located, an advertisement which must appear in these journals not more than sixty days prior to the date for the opening of bids. The board may, at its discretion, publish other such advertisements. This advertisement shall contain a description of the land proposed to be leased, the time when and place where sealed bids shall be received and publicly opened, a statement that the bid may be for the whole or any particularly described portion of the land advertised, and any other information that the board may consider necessary, and the royalty to be demanded should the board deem it to be in the interest of the state to call for bids on the basis of a royalty fixed by it. If the lands are situated in two or more parishes, the advertisement shall appear in the official journals of all the parishes where the lands may be partly located. This advertisement and any other published by the board shall constitute judicial advertisement and legal notice within the contemplation of Chapter 5 of Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. When requested to furnish proof of publication, the board may charge a fee of thirty-five dollars to furnish the proof of publication.
B.(1) The board may also cause notices to be sent to those whom it thinks would be interested in submitting bids. Upon the request of the board, the office of mineral resources shall prepare and mail the notice of publication. In addition, the board may make available, in whatever format it deems appropriate, maps showing tracts from past and present lease sales (G5 maps), proof of no conflict or overlap of tracts, and proof that tracts are within the three-mile limit of the Louisiana coastline.
(2) The office of mineral resources may charge the following fees for the following services:
(a) Yearly subscription for notice of publication - one hundred twenty dollars per year.
(b) Copies of maps of tracts north of the thirty-first parallel - ten dollars per month.
(c) Copies of maps of tracts south of the thirty-first parallel - twenty dollars per month.
(d) Proofs of no conflict or overlap - five dollars each.
(e) Proofs that tracts are within the three-mile limit of the Louisiana coastline - five dollars each.
(f) Subscription for any of the information listed in this Paragraph in electronic form
(3) On its own motion and after complying with the provisions of R.S. 36:354(A)(2), or at the request of the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy, the board shall advertise for bids for a lease in the same manner as if an application had been made therefor.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 388, §1; Acts 1958, No. 353, §1; Acts 1970, No. 582, §1; Acts 1975, No. 286, §1; Acts 1977, No. 667, §1, eff. July 20, 1977; Acts 1978, No. 583, §1; Acts 1985, No. 980, §1, eff. July 23, 1985; Acts 1992, No. 178, §1; Acts 1995, No. 92, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.
A. Only those bidders who are registered prospective leaseholders with the office of mineral resources, or those who register within two business days after the lease sale at which the bid is opened and prior to the conditional issuance of the lease, shall be allowed to obtain a mineral lease from the state of Louisiana. Any bidder who is not properly registered with the office of mineral resources at the time bids are opened, but whose bid is otherwise acceptable, shall have until the end of the second business day following the date on which the bid was conditionally accepted by the State Mineral and Energy Board to become properly registered with the office of mineral resources. If the bidder remains unregistered by the close of business of the second business day following the day the mineral lease sale at which the bid was conditionally accepted, the conditionally accepted bid shall be deemed rejected. The provisions of this Subsection shall also apply in cases where there is no more than one bid made by unregistered prospective leaseholders. Bids may be for the whole or any particularly described portion of land advertised. At the time and place mentioned in the advertisement for the consideration of bids, they shall be publicly opened. Bids received by the mineral board shall be opened at any state-owned buildings situated in the city in which the capitol is located. The mineral board has authority to accept the bid most advantageous to the state and may lease upon whatever terms it considers proper. However, the minimum royalties to be stipulated in any mineral lease, other than a mineral lease executed by or on behalf of a school board, shall be:
(1) One-eighth of all oil and gas produced and saved.
(2) One-eighth of the value per long ton of sulphur produced and saved which shall yield not less than two dollars per long ton.
(3) One-eighth of the value per ton for all potash produced and saved, which shall yield not less than ten cents per ton.
(4) Five percent of all lignite produced and saved.
(5) Five percent of the value per ton on a dry salt basis for all salt produced and saved, which shall yield not less than ten cents per ton.
(6) One-eighth of all other minerals produced and saved.
B. The minimum royalties to be stipulated in any mineral lease executed by or on behalf of any school board shall be:
(1) One-sixth of all oil and gas produced and saved.
(2) One-sixth of the value per long ton of sulphur produced and saved which shall yield not less than two dollars per long ton.
(3) One-sixth of the value per ton for all potash produced and saved, which shall yield not less than ten cents per ton.
(4) Five percent of all lignite produced and saved.
(5) Five percent of the value per ton on a dry salt basis for all salt produced and saved, which shall yield not less than ten cents per ton.
(6) One-sixth of all other minerals produced and saved.
C. Each mineral lease where ascertainable shall clearly describe the land leased by section, township, and range, or where authorized by the office of mineral resources, by points along the lease boundary delineated by Lambert X,Y coordinates connected by lines having distances and bearing, or in any other manner authorized by the office of mineral resources, and shall contain a provision permitting the state, at its option, to take in kind the portion due it as royalty of any minerals produced and saved from the leased premises. The office of mineral resources may collect a fee of five dollars each to furnish a proof of lease.
D. The board may reject any and all bids, or may lease a lesser quantity of property than advertised and withdraw the rest.
E. If all written bids are rejected, the board may immediately offer for competitive bidding a lease upon all or any designated part of the land advertised, upon terms appearing most advantageous to the state. This offering shall be subject to the board's right to reject any and all bids. No lease shall be for more than five thousand acres, except leases for wind energy production which shall not exceed twenty-five thousand acres. No lease for solar energy production shall exceed thirty-five acres, except upon approval by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment such lease may exceed thirty-five acres up to a maximum of five thousand acres. Where a lease provides for delay rental, the annual rental shall not be for less than one-half the cash bonus. All lands shall be accurately described in a lease.
F. Deposit that may be required to be submitted with each bid shall be in the form of certified check, cashier's check, bank money order, or electronic funds transfer.
G. Any contract entered into for the lease of state lands for any purpose shall require that access by the public to public waterways through the state lands covered by the lease shall be maintained and preserved for the public by the lessee. The provisions of this Section shall not prohibit the secretary of the agency having control over the property from restricting access to public waterways if he determines that a danger to the public welfare exists. The provisions of this Section shall not apply in cases involving title disputes.
H. The board may include in any lease entered into by the state, any state agency, or any political subdivision after July 31, 2019, a clause which grants a continuing security interest in and to all collateral attributable to, produced, or to be produced, from the leased premises or from lands pooled or unitized therewith, as security for the prompt and complete payment and performance of the lessee's obligation to pay royalties or other sums of money that may become due under the lease, as contemplated by the Uniform Commercial Code. The board may subordinate the state's security interest in any amounts in excess of the royalties and other sums due to the state, to the security interest of one or more lenders. However, no less than thirty days prior to entering into the first lease that contains a clause granting a continuing security interest under the provisions of this Section, the board shall submit the proposed clause language to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources for review.
Amended by Acts 1965, No. 44, §1; Acts 1970, No. 599, §1, Acts 1973, No. 123, §1; Acts 1975, No. 688, §1; Acts 1976, 2nd Ex.Sess. No. 6, §1, eff. Oct. 14, 1976; Acts 1979, No. 292, §1, eff. July 10, 1979; Acts 1980, No. 216, §1; Acts 1982, No. 289, §1; Acts 1984, No. 302, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1142, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2005, No. 449, §1, eff. July 11, 2005; Acts 2007, No. 451, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2014, No. 48, §1; Acts 2019, No. 403, §1; Acts 2022, No. 443, §1; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.
A. It is recognized as essential to the continued growth and development of the mineral resources of the state of Louisiana and to the continued prosperity and welfare of the people of the state that tertiary recovery operations be encouraged. It is also recognized that tertiary recovery methods are experimental and more costly than traditional enhanced recovery operations, thus preventing recovery of oil in many fields because it is not economically feasible. It is the purpose of this Section to provide an economic incentive to producers to allow them to invest in tertiary recovery projects to enhance the state of Louisiana's crude oil production to the ultimate benefit of the state.
B.(1) In order to accomplish the purposes set forth in Subsection A of this Section, the State Mineral and Energy Board may enter into an agreement with the lessee under any present and future state mineral lease or leases, under which such lessee may be relieved from the payment of all or part of the royalty otherwise due to the state under the applicable mineral lease or leases in regard to production from the particular reservoir involved in a qualified tertiary recovery project, until such project has reached payout from the total production, "payout" to be defined by the board on a project-by-project basis based on:
(a) Investment costs, and
(b) Expenses peculiar to the tertiary recovery project, not to include charges attributable to primary and secondary operations on that reservoir.
(2) The board shall have sole discretion to waive payment of all of the state's royalty, part of the state's royalty, or none of the state's royalty, or even to increase the state's royalty after payout, and to impose such other conditions as the board may deem advantageous to the state. Such agreement may contain such other terms and conditions as the board deems to be in the best interest of the state.
(3) Once payout has been achieved, royalty shall be due on all future production within the qualified tertiary recovery project according to the terms and conditions of the affected state mineral lease or leases and any agreement effected under the authority hereof.
(4) Any agreement executed pursuant to this section shall not become effective unless three-fourths of the royalty owners in interest and three-fourths of the overriding royalty owners in interest within a tertiary recovery project, inclusive of the state's royalty interest, will relieve their lessees from the payment of all or part of the royalty otherwise due until payout.
C. For purposes of this Section, a "qualified tertiary recovery project" is an enhanced crude oil recovery project utilizing one of the following methods:
(1) Miscible fluid displacement.
(2) Steam drive injection.
(3) Micro emulsion, or micellar/emulsion flooding.
(4) In situ combustion.
(5) Polymer augmented waterflooding.
(6) Cyclic steam injection.
(7) Alkaline (or "caustic") flooding.
(8) Carbon dioxide augmented waterflooding.
(9) Immiscible carbon dioxide displacement.
(10) Specific variations of any of the above listed general techniques, as determined in any particular case by the secretary.
(11) Any other method approved by the secretary as constituting tertiary recovery within the contemplation of that term in the profession of petroleum engineering.
D. This Section shall apply to tertiary recovery activities on any reservoir that is no longer capable of producing by methods other than tertiary. It shall also apply to reservoirs which are still capable of producing by primary and secondary methods after an amount of production has been recovered during a tertiary recovery project equal to that which would have been recovered by utilizing primary and secondary methods, which amount shall be determined by the secretary at the hearing required under Subsection B of this Section.
E. This Section shall not apply to reservoirs on which tertiary recovery operations are being conducted prior to the effective date of this Section.
F. Repealed by Acts 1986, No. 321, §1.
G. This section shall not apply to royalties in regard to production from a qualified tertiary recovery project to the extent such royalties must be remitted to the governing authority of the parish in which the severance or production occurs in accordance with Article VII, Section 4(E) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, as implemented by R.S. 30:145, 146 and 147.
H. This section shall not apply to lands or mineral interests owned or administered by any school board, levee board or district, or other political subdivision.
Added by Acts 1983, No. 644, §1. Acts 1986, No. 321, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. No transfer or assignment in relation to any lease granted by the State Mineral and Energy Board of minerals or mineral rights on lands, the bodies of any lakes, bays or coves, the sea, arms of the sea, or other navigable waters and the beds thereof owned by the state shall be valid unless approved by the State Mineral and Energy Board. The mineral board may charge a fee of one hundred seventy-five dollars to cover the cost of preparing and docketing transfers or assignments of such leases. All parties to transfers or assignments in relation to any such lease shall be registered prospective leaseholders with the office of mineral resources. Transfers or assignments shall not be granted to prospective leaseholders that are not currently registered with the office of mineral resources.
B.(1) Failure to obtain approval of the board of any transfer or assignment of a lease within sixty days of execution of the transfer or assignment shall subject the transferor or assignor to a civil penalty of one hundred dollars per day beginning on the sixty-first day following the execution of the transfer or assignment. The penalty shall continue to accrue on a daily basis until the date on which the transfer or assignment is received by the office of mineral resources for submission to the board for approval or to a maximum amount of one thousand dollars.
(2) The penalties shall be paid into the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund on behalf of the board. The board may waive all or any part of the penalties provided in this Section.
C. A transfer for purposes of this Section shall not be deemed to occur by the granting of a mortgage in, collateral assignment of production from, or other security interest in a mineral lease or sublease or the transfer of an overriding royalty interest, production, payment, net profits interest, or similar interest in a mineral lease or sublease.
Acts 1993, No. 114, §1, eff. May 26, 1993; Acts 1995, No. 1087, §4; Acts 1999, No. 169, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2005, No. 449, §1, eff. July 11, 2005; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2022, No. 443, §1; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.
NOTE: SEE ACTS 1993, NO. 114, §2.
A. The board shall have full supervision of all mineral leases granted by the state, in order that it may determine that the terms of these leases are fully complied with, and it has general authority to take any action for the protection of the interests of the state. The board shall take all appropriate action, including the recovery of nonproducing leased acreage whenever possible, to assure that undeveloped or nonproducing state lands and water bottoms are reasonably and prudently explored, developed, and produced for the public good. It may institute actions to annul a lease upon any legal ground. The board has authority to enter into agreements or to amend a lease in whatever manner may most benefit the state. It may join in pooling and unitization agreements covering state lands and water bottoms, and mineral and royalty rights in, to, and under state lands and water bottoms either alone or in conjunction with any other lease, mineral, or royalty rights in and under any other property, so as to create, by the agreement, one or more pooled units. The board may agree in the event of production of minerals from any unit so created, that the state shall receive and accept on account of production, whether or not production is from any part of the state property within the unit, a share of unit production or proceeds proportionate to that part of the production or proceeds which the state is fairly entitled to receive under the unit agreement. In determining this proportionate part which the state may receive, the board may consider the surface acreage, the estimated original reserves in place, the estimated ultimate recovery, sand thickness, porosity, permeability as determined by approved engineering practices, and any other relevant factors. This proportionate share of unit production or proceeds shall be in lieu of all other royalties or other payments which would accrue to the state on account of production from, or attributable to, any part of the state property included in the unit. The office of mineral resources may collect a fee of five hundred dollars to cover the cost of docketing and advertising any instrument related to the administration of mineral leases under the provisions of this Part. In addition, the office may collect a fee of thirty-five dollars per hour for each hour or portion thereof spent in verification of claims, disputes, or questions pertaining to the terms, conditions, obligations, and duties expressed or implied in the state mineral lease.
B.(1)(a) "Operating unit" as herein used means that number of surface acres of land which, under regular or special rules of the secretary or other authority having control in the premises, or by agreement of the lessors, lessees, and mineral and royalty owners, may be pooled and unitized for development and operation as a unit. An agreement creating an operating unit may provide for cycling, recycling, pressure maintenance, or repressuring in fields productive of oil, gas, and gas from which condensate, distillate, or other product may be separated or extracted.
(b) "Reworking operations" means the good faith downhole work performed on a well after its completion in a good faith effort to secure production where there has been none, restore production that has ceased, or increased production.
(c) "Commencement of operations for the drilling of a well" means actual spudding in of a well with drilling equipment adequate for the good faith drilling of a well to a depth that is reasonably calculated to establish oil and gas production affecting the lands where such well is commenced.
(2) The commencement of operations for the drilling of a well, the conducting of reworking operations, or production of minerals on any portion of a unit which embraces all or any part of the property covered by a contract of lease in effect on August 1, 1991 or thereafter shall have the same effect, under the terms of the lease as if it had occurred on the lands embraced by the lease.
(3) However, each mineral lease contract entered into by the board after August 1, 1991, shall contain a clause, commonly referred to as a "Pugh clause", which shall provide that the commencement of operations for the drilling of a well, the conducting of reworking operations, or production of minerals, on any portion of a unit which embraces all or any part of the property covered by such lease shall maintain the lease in effect under the terms of the lease only as to the part of the leased property embraced by the unit. The clause may provide that the acreage outside the unit(s) may be maintained by any means covered by the lease, but if by rental payments, then such payment may be reduced proportionately to the amount of acreage included in the unit as it bears to the total acreage in the lease, provided that the rental per acre on the outside acreage shall not be less than one-half of the cash payment paid for the lease per acre nor shall the lease on the non-unitized acreage be extended more than two years beyond the primary term.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 46, §1. Acts 1986, No. 764, §1; Acts 1991, No. 786, §1, eff. July 19, 1991; Acts 1997, No. 229, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The board shall give ten days public notice prior to exercise of its powers and duties in approving for execution unitization agreements, royalty agreements or agreements that could be assimilated to a conveyance involving minerals or mineral rights of the state, exclusive of agreements involving the state's royalty in kind entered into pursuant to R.S. 30:142, which royalty in kind agreements are already subject to advertisement and bidding as therein provided. The board shall give this notice by publication in either the official journal of the state or in the Louisiana Register created by R.S. 49:953(B) at the board's election. The notice shall be sufficient if it contains at least a digest or summary of the nature of the proposal, a general description of the state property interest affected thereby, and the time and place of the meeting at which such a proposal will be considered for execution, provided that a full copy of the instrument effecting the proposed agreement is otherwise made available for public inspection in the offices of the board during such notice period by anyone desiring to examine the same. The notice provided in this Section shall constitute judicial advertisement and legal notice within the contemplation of Chapter 5 of Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
Added by Acts 1974, Ex.Sess., No. 12, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1975.
The office of mineral resources shall keep the records of the board, including all leases and all bids, proposals, assignments, or transfers pertaining to leases. The office of mineral resources shall be the official custodian of such records and shall certify the contents when appropriate. The office of mineral resources may set and collect a fee of one dollar per copy to cover the cost of certification of records. The board may authorize a member of the board or of the staff of the office of mineral resources to sign for the state all division orders or other documents which are necessary or customary with respect to the production and sale of oil, gas, or other minerals by lessors and royalty owners.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 290, §1; Acts 1958, No. 353, §1; Acts 1977, No. 667, §1, eff. July 20, 1977; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002.
The Department of Public Works, parish surveyors, State Highway Engineers, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College and any board, department or institution of the state and the governing authorities of political subdivisions shall make such surveys, reports and investigations, and furnish such records and information as may be required by the State Mineral and Energy Board for the purposes of determining boundaries, character, title, location and other matters relating to lands.
Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
The attorney general shall be the attorney for the board, but the board shall have authority to employ additional counsel and fix and pay the compensation for additional counsel or counselors, subject, however, to the authority of the attorney general and the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy to approve the counsel, whereupon the attorney general shall issue, under his power of appointment of assistants, a commission to the counsel as assistant attorney general. However, any contract for legal services which exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars shall be subject to approval by the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.
Amended by Acts 1952, No. 384, §1; Acts 1962, No. 352, §1; Acts 1964, No. 312, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1293, §1, eff. July 1, 1995; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
Repealed by Acts 1952, No. 491, §1
The provisions of this Subpart shall extend to the public roads, canals, and similar properties, the title to which is in either the state or the parishes. Where road beds belonging to the parishes are leased by the board, the leases shall provide for the payment of a royalty to the parish in which production occurs of at least one-sixteenth of the minerals produced, to be used by the police jury for public purposes. The governor, the attorney general and the executive counsel or any two of them, may settle and compromise with the parishes or other claimants, all matters relating to lands or rights referred to in this Section, upon terms and conditions any two of them decide. In connection with agreements these officers, or any two of them, may stipulate for the reconveyance of lands to the state and for payment of royalties and rentals and the division thereof between the state and the parishes or other claimants.
The Department of Conservation and Energy, through the office of mineral resources, shall provide the necessary staff functions to assist the board in its leasing, supervisory, and other activities, and the secretary, or his designee thereof shall serve as secretary to the board.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 291, §1; Acts 1977, No. 667, §1, eff. July 20, 1977; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1)(a) All bonuses, rentals, royalties, shut-in payments, or other sums payable to the state as the lessor under the terms of valid existing mineral leases entered into under this Subpart or previously granted by the state and under the supervision of the board or from leases hereafter granted shall be paid to the office of mineral resources, by check or electronic wire transfers only, and all payments, if made payable to the register of the state land office as previously required, may be endorsed and otherwise processed by the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy pursuant to his general authority in regard to the functions of that office as provided in R.S. 36:921 through 926. A payor of royalty whose total monthly payment is fifty thousand dollars or more shall pay the royalty payment by electronic wire transfer.
(b) The office of mineral resources shall maintain a log in which shall be noted the date, time, and payor of each payment and the nature thereof, whether check or electronic wire transfer, so that the board may determine whether such payment was correct, sufficient, and timely made. The board shall then transmit these payments by electronic transfer, or hand-carry these payments, on the day received, to the state treasurer. If the board cannot make such determination promptly, it shall nevertheless transmit these payments by electronic transfer, or hand-carry these payments, on the day received, to the state treasurer and request the treasurer to place such funds as are being reviewed by the board under this Section in a suspense account until such time as the board makes the determination herein required and notifies the state treasurer of the disposition to be made by them. If the payor attributable to a lease unit well (LUW) code changes between monthly payment dates without notification to the office of mineral resources of the change and with submission of the current mailing address, telephone number, and email address for the new payor prior to the next month's payment, the new payor shall be subject to a liquidated damage penalty of one thousand dollars. The State Mineral and Energy Board shall have authority to waive all or any part of said damages based on a consideration of all factors bearing on the issue.
(c) The immediate acceptance of such payments shall not prejudice either the right of the state as lessor or the rights of the state's lessee or lessees as provided under the terms of the validly existing mineral leases. A lessee, operator, or other person directly involved in developing, producing, transporting, purchasing, or selling oil, gas, or other minerals from state leases shall establish, maintain, and make available for inspection by office of mineral resources auditors any information that is reasonably relevant to the computation of royalties, and upon the request by any such auditor, the appropriate records, reports, or information shall be made available for duplication.
(2) Overpayments or underpayments of sums other than bonuses, rentals, or shut-in payments, may be corrected in the following manner: An underpayment will be made up at a later date upon proper notification by the board to the lessee, and overpayments may be offset, compensated for, or recovered from royalty thereafter accruing to the state of Louisiana as authorized under the provisions of R.S. 30:137 and R.S. 30:138. The board may adopt rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act providing for the assessment of fees to recover the costs associated with the processing of requests submitted by lessees or royalty payors for the reimbursement of overpayments. The failure or delay of the board to take any action or perform any function with respect to any payment shall not affect the validity of any payment made or tendered.
(3) The board shall implement procedures requiring that all mineral leases executed by or for the state on or after July 26, 1990* include provisions requiring the timely payment of all bonuses, rentals, royalties, shut-in payments, or other sums payable to the state as lessor.
B.(1) Any form required by the Department of Conservation and Energy or the office of mineral resources to be filed in conjunction with the payment of any sum, other than bonuses, rentals, or shut-in payments, which has been incorrectly completed in any part, and which error results in the inability of any agency or subdivision thereof to carry out any of its statutory or regulatory duties in a timely manner, unless corrected in full prior to the payment due date, shall render the royalty pay or subject to a penalty of five percent of the total sum due or paid, not to exceed five hundred dollars, as liquidated damages. The whole or any part of the damages provided for in this Paragraph may be waived by the State Mineral and Energy Board and said damages shall, as with any and all liquidated damages assessed and collected by the State Mineral and Energy Board in accordance with any statutory or contractual provision, be deemed self-generated funds to be deposited into the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund.
(2) The failure to pay or the underpayment of all sums other than bonuses, rentals, or shut-in payments, for whatever cause, shall subject the lessee, his successor, or assigns, to a penalty of ten percent of the total sum due not to exceed one thousand dollars, which penalty shall be assessed, and owing on the day following the date payment was due, and shall be deemed liquidated damages. The whole or any part of the penalty set forth herein may be waived by the State Mineral and Energy Board.
(3) When notice is given of the incorrect completion of any required form, or demand for payment is made for failure to pay or underpayment, or sixty days has elapsed from the date payment was due with the correctly filled out form, an additional penalty of two percent of the total sum then due shall accrue beginning on the sixty-first day on each thirty-day period thereafter, or fraction thereof, up to a maximum of twenty-four percent in additional penalty. The penalty therein provided shall be in addition to interest at the legal rate compounded monthly. Both the penalty and interest shall accrue to principal and interest accumulated at the end of each thirty-day period, or fraction thereof, also without necessity of further notice and shall be in addition to all remedies available under law, including those prescribed in R.S. 31:137 through 141. In the event the State Mineral and Energy Board finds, subject to judicial review, that a substantial and justiciable controversy exists as to whether any such royalties are legally due, it shall defer the commencement of the accrual of the aforesaid penalty until the controversy is resolved by amicable agreement or by final decree of any court of competent jurisdiction. The whole or any part of the penalties set for hereinabove may be waived by the State Mineral and Energy Board.
C. Subject to legislative appropriation, the state treasurer shall set aside from payments transmitted to him under this Section the sum of fifteen thousand dollars and shall maintain this balance from such future payments and the board is authorized to withdraw from this fund and pay in the manner provided by law any expenses incurred under R.S. 30:126 for advertising of state-owned lands. The state treasurer shall then credit and disburse these funds as follows:
First: One-tenth of the royalties from mineral leases on state-owned land, lake, and river beds and other water bottoms belonging to the state or the title to which is in the public for mineral development, except properties comprising the Russell Sage Wildlife and Game Refuge, in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph E of Section 6 of Article VII of the Constitution, shall be remitted to the governing authority of the parish in which severance or production occurs.
Second: All remaining funds, after complying with dedications heretofore made and after the distributions herein provided, shall be credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund and disbursed by the state treasurer according to law.
D. Of revenues received in each fiscal year by the state through judgments or settlements, even if a civil action is not commenced, resulting from underpayment to the state of severance taxes, royalty payments, bonus payments, rentals, shut-in payments or other sums payable to the state as lessor under the terms of a valid mineral lease, an amount equal to the actual costs expended from the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund and any attorney fees incurred shall be deposited into the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund.
Acts 1950, No. 290, §2; Acts 1954, No. 17, §1; Acts 1958, No. 353, §1; Acts 1959, No. 127, §1; Acts 1959, H.C.R. No. 52; Acts 1962, No. 420, §1; Acts 1969, No. 39, §1; Acts 1977, No. 667, §1, eff. July 20, 1977; Acts 1983, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 24, §1; Acts 1988, No. 963, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1018, §1, eff. July 26, 1990; Acts 1993, No. 267, §1, eff. June 2, 1993; Acts 2005, No. 449, §1, eff. July 11, 2005; Acts 2006, No. 519, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2007; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 773, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
*NOTE: Paragraph (A)(3) was enacted by Acts 1988, No. 963, and was eff. Sept. 9, 1988. The date "July 26, 1990" was inserted following the enactment of Acts 1990, No. 1018.
A. The proceeds of all royalties from all mineral leases to be granted, as well as all mineral leases heretofore granted, by the state of Louisiana on state-owned land, lake and river beds, and other water bottoms belonging to the state remaining after complying with dedication of such revenues heretofore made and after deductions of any appropriations of such revenues made by law for the payment of the expenses of the State Mineral and Energy Board, shall be paid into the state treasury and shall be credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund.
B. The proceeds of all leases and bonuses, including annual delay rentals under said leases to be granted as well as all proceeds from mineral leases and delay rentals thereunder heretofore granted, by the state of Louisiana on state-owned land, lake and river beds, and other water bottoms belonging to the state remaining after complying with dedications of such revenues heretofore made and after deduction of any appropriations of such revenues made by law for the payment of the expenses of the State Mineral and Energy Board, shall be paid into the state treasury for credit to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund.
C. Repealed by Acts 2023, No. 345, §2, eff. Dec. 21, 2023.
D. After deposit to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund as required under the provisions of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana, an additional fifteen dollars per acre shall be collected from the mineral lessees and deposited into the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Fund, and an additional fifteen dollars per acre shall be collected from the mineral lessees and deposited into the Oil and Gas Regulatory Dedicated Fund Account created by R.S. 30:21. The funds deposited under the provisions of this Subsection shall be used to supplement funds available to the recipient agencies and shall not be used to supplant other funds available to those recipient agencies.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 511, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 244, §1, eff. July 1, 1977; Acts 1979, No. 454, §1; Acts 1979, No. 577, §2; Acts 1979, No. 791, §2, eff. July 18, 1979; Acts 1981, Ex.Sess., No. 41, §1, eff. Nov. 23, 1981; Acts 1986, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 25, §1, eff. Dec. 24, 1986; Acts 1992, No. 984, §§9, 18; Acts 2000, 2d Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1; Acts 2005, No. 89, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2015, No. 362, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2023, No. 345, §2, eff. Dec. 21, 2023.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1182, §11, eff. July 1, 2001.
A. There is hereby established in the state treasury a special fund to be known as the "Mineral and Energy Operation Fund", hereinafter referred to as the "fund".
B. Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within any fiscal year as required by Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana, the treasurer in each fiscal year shall pay into the fund revenues and amounts from the following sources:
(1) The amount received by the state through the office of state resources from nonjudicial settlements, including but not limited to settlements of disputes of royalty audit findings, title disputes, and acreage conflicts, and court-awarded judgments and settlements.
(2) All income received under the provisions of R.S. 30:212(D).
(3) All revenues received from fees levied under the provisions of Subpart A of Part II of Chapter 2 of Subtitle I of this Title, comprised of R.S. 30:121 through 144, both inclusive.
(4) Monies from any other source from which revenues are designated for deposit to the fund.
(5) All revenue received from fees collected pursuant to R.S. 30:1154.
(6) All revenue received from fees collected pursuant to activities and authorities identified at R.S. 36:358(E)(3).
(7) All revenue, income, fees, or other collections collected by or on behalf of the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District, R.S. 38:3087 et seq. The department shall maintain separate accounting of such revenues for auditing and reporting purposes.
C. Monies in the fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund. At the request of the Natural Resources Trust Authority, the state treasurer may invest monies in the fund, or any portion thereof, in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 33:2955, including the use of the Louisiana Asset Management Pool. Interest earned on investment of monies in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
D. The monies in the fund shall be appropriated by the legislature to the Department of Conservation and Energy to be used solely for the administration and regulation of minerals, ground water, and related conservation and energy activities. Monies deposited into the fund pursuant to Paragraph (B)(5) of this Section shall be used solely for the administration and regulation of solar power generation facilities. Monies deposited into the fund pursuant to Paragraph (B)(7) of this Section shall be used solely for the administration, regulation, enforcement, and oversight of groundwater resources and related activities within the geographical boundaries served by the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District. These monies shall not be used for any purpose outside of that jurisdiction.
E. Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Acts 1997, No. 673, §1; Acts 2000, 2d Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1; Acts 2001, No. 1182, §4, eff. July 1, 2001; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2003, No. 993, §1, eff. July 2, 2003; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2017, No. 329, §1; Acts 2021, No. 268, §1; Acts 2022, No. 555, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 2022; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §§1, 11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The State Mineral and Energy Board is hereby empowered to enter into agreements with lessees or other parties under state oil, gas and mineral leases or other agreement heretofore or hereafter issues to offset, compensate, and recover from royalty thereafter accruing to the state of Louisiana, amounts equal to any royalty or other payments (all herein called "royalty") which such lessees or other parties have paid to the state was, is, or may become lawfully entitled because of overpayment or action by the Federal Power Commission; provided, however, that with respect to any royalty based on amounts received by the lessee or other parties for sales of natural gas that may be subject to refund by order or directive of the Federal Power Commission, such agreements may require the immediate payment of such portion of such royalty that is determined to be proper by the State Mineral and Energy Board, such payment to be subject to the offsetting, compensation, and recovery provisions of R.S. 30:137 through 141.
Acts 1963, No. 13, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
The agreements referred to in R.S. 30:137 may provide for such offset, compensation and recovery by such lessees or other parties to be made against any royalty payable to the state of Louisiana by such lessees or other parties.
Acts 1963, No. 13, §2.
All agreements of the character contemplated by R.S. 30:137 which have heretofore been entered into by the State Mineral and Energy Board are hereby ratified, confirmed, and validated; however, such agreements may be modified or amended in accordance with the terms of R.S. 30:137 through 141.
Acts 1963, No. 13, §3; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
The compliance by any mineral lessee or other party with the provisions of any agreement executed pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:137 through 141, or ratified in R.S. 30:139, shall with respect to the subject matter of such agreement, be deemed a full compliance with the provisions of the mineral lease or other contract affected by said agreement.
Acts 1963, No. 13, §4.
R.S. 30:137 through 141 are not intended in any way to derogate from or question the power and authority of the State Mineral and Energy Board to enter into any agreements of any type whatsoever pursuant to its power and authority heretofore expressly or impliedly granted by law; and the provisions hereof shall not modify in any way the right of any lessee or other party to invoke the rights and remedies available under existing laws.
Acts 1963, No. 13, §5; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
A. In addition to the powers and duties of the board as specified in R.S. 30:129 and other provisions of this Subpart, the board is hereby designated as the agency of the state of Louisiana authorized to exercise the option granted to the state by R.S. 30:127(C) to receive in kind the portion due to the state as royalty of any minerals produced and saved from leased premises and to receive, administer, and control royalties due in kind to the state of Louisiana. The board may adopt rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act providing for the assessment of fees from the purchaser to recover the costs associated with the administration of the sale of in-kind royalties pursuant to this Section.
B. The board may contract under terms which it deems to be most advantageous to the state with persons, corporations, municipalities, other political subdivisions, associations, and partnerships engaged in the storage, transportation, refining, processing, distribution, sale and/or use of oil, natural gas, and other minerals, for the storage, transportation, refining, processing, distribution, sale and/or use of such royalties.
C. In the exercise of these powers and duties, the board is specifically authorized to negotiate such contracts with applicants desiring the acquisition and use of the in-kind natural gas royalties to satisfy and meet human needs, and public bidding shall not be required. For these purposes, the contract for the use of in-kind royalties shall not constitute nor be defined as a conveyance, lease, or royalty agreement of minerals or mineral rights.
D. Human needs for purposes of this Section are defined as those needs involving the public health, welfare, safety, and economic well-being for the following:
(1) Maintenance of gas and electrical services for residences, such as individual homes, apartments, and similarly occupied dwelling units, hospitals, nursing homes, dormitories, education facilities, hotels, motels, juvenile and adult correctional institutions, and publicly owned water, sewerage and storm drainage systems producing their own energy, which systems supply services to the aforesaid.
(2) Maintenance of agricultural operations and processing of agricultural products, including farming, ranching, dairy, water conservation and commercial fishing activities, operations of food processing plants, fertilizer manufacturing plants, businesses and facilities processing products for human consumption, and services directly related to the activities described in this Paragraph.
(3) Maintenance of commercial and industrial business activities utilizing less than three thousand Mcf of natural gas on a peak day.
(4) Maintenance of all public services including facilities and services provided by municipal, cooperative, or investor owned utilities required for customers who come under Paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Subsection or by any state or local government or authority, and including transportation facilities and services which serve the public at large.
(5)(a) Maintenance of depressed energy-intensive industry, the closure of which Louisiana facilities is threatened as a result of high energy costs and competition from comparable industries located outside of Louisiana to which energy is offered at significantly lower costs. The purpose of this Subpart is to encourage the retention of such depressed energy-intensive industries and the substantial number of jobs that they provide in Louisiana.
(b) An industry may qualify as a "depressed energy-intensive industry" if the Board of Commerce and Industry, after hearing conducted pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, certifies that the industry applying therefor meets each of the following requirements:
(i) The applicant industry verifies that the expense of electricity and natural gas utilized for facility power requirements and not for feedstock purposes to its Louisiana facility exceeds thirty-three percent of the total cost of the product or products manufactured at such facility.
(ii) The applicant industry verifies that the amount of electricity or natural gas consumed for facility power requirements and not for feedstock purposes at the facility is in excess of one billion Btu's in a peak hour per month and that the ratio of hourly peak demand is not in excess of three million Btu's per employee. For the purposes of this Subsubparagraph, one kilowatt hour of electrical energy is deemed equivalent to ten thousand Btu's and one thousand cubic feet of gas is deemed equivalent to one million Btu's.
(iii) The applicant industry verifies that its Louisiana facility has been substantially curtailed for a period of at least twelve months prior to June 1, 1984 resulting in the loss of direct employment at that single facility in excess of one thousand regular employees and that qualifying as a depressed energy-intensive industry for purchase of energy available to such qualifying industry would substantially aid in the reopening of or the preclusion of closure of such facility.
(iv) The accounting procedure for allocation of costs to the Louisiana facility of the applicant is certified by the Board of Commerce and Industry, and the applicant agrees that based upon that method of allocation, twenty-five percent of any net profit after taxation realized by that Louisiana facility on an annual fiscal basis subsequent to the receipt of energy available to certified depressed energy-intensive industries will be utilized for and dedicated to capital improvements to the Louisiana facility in question.
(c) Louisiana Economic Development shall review the application of any industry wishing to qualify as a depressed energy-intensive industry to determine whether the requirements set forth above have been satisfied and shall make recommendations with respect thereto to the Board of Commerce and Industry. If the Board of Commerce and Industry concurs in the recommendation of Louisiana Economic Development and concludes pursuant to hearing that the applicant has made the appropriate verifications required by this Subsection, the board shall notify the mineral board and the Public Service Commission. Upon certification to the mineral board, the depressed energy-intensive industry shall qualify for in-kind royalty gas pursuant to the provisions of this Section.
E.(1)(a) Upon receipt of a written proposal by an applicant to enter into a contract with the board authorized by Subsection C of this Section concerning the acquisition and use of available in-kind natural gas royalties and after publication of its intent to do so in the official journal of the state, the board may undertake arm's-length negotiations with the applicant resulting in terms which it deems to be most advantageous to the state and assuring that the applicant will use the in-kind royalties to satisfy and meet bona fide human needs, as defined herein. Under any such contract, the price at which any natural gas is to be sold shall be not less than the first of the month published price for the subject month for Henry Hub natural gas as reported in McGraw-Hill Companies' Platts Inside FERC's Gas Market Report or its successor, plus or minus the basis differential for the pipeline system into which the natural gas is delivered. However, for those leases for which an existing pricing mechanism provides a higher price than the above published price, the price that the state receives for those specific leases shall not be less than the existing pricing mechanism. If the Inside FERC's Gas Market Report ceases to be published, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall designate a substitute published source for the price data. If the above-referenced Henry Hub natural gas spot market price is discontinued, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall designate a substitute reference price to ensure a reasonably consistent pricing mechanism until the legislature adopts a replacement.
(b) Sale of natural gas to a certified depressed energy-intensive industry shall be at a price which will enable that industry to restart and/or continue the operation of its Louisiana facility and that price, established by the board, may be less than the average price of purchases reported to the Public Service Commission by intrastate pipeline companies. If the board establishes a price for the sale of natural gas to a qualifying depressed energy-intensive industry below that of the average paid by intrastate pipelines, the contract establishing the price for sale to that applicant must include a provision for monthly adjustment of the price in accordance with a generally referenced market price for the specific product or products manufactured by the applicant at its Louisiana facility.
(2) The board shall publish in the official journal of the state an advertisement which will appear at least ten but not more than sixty days prior to the approval of the contract by the board. The board may publish other such advertisements in its discretion. The advertisements shall contain the terms of the contract to be executed including the name of the applicant, the source of the in-kind royalties, the consideration to be given for the in-kind royalties, and the general use intended for the in-kind royalties and any other information that the board may consider necessary. This advertisement and any others published by the board shall constitute a judicial advertisement and legal notice within the contemplation of Chapter 5 of Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
(3) Any proposed contract authorized by this Subsection which is negotiated and approved by the board shall be submitted to the governor and to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment for their approval. The minutes of the board or of such a committee reciting its approval shall be official evidence of its approval. No such contract shall be valid unless it is approved by the board and by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and is signed by the chairman of the board and by the governor. The provisions of this Paragraph shall not apply to any such contract if the applicant is a state agency or a local governmental subdivision.
F. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, in the exercise of the powers and duties granted in this Section, the board shall publish in the official journal of the state an advertisement for a period of not less than fifteen days. This advertisement shall contain such information as may be necessary and desirable to solicit the most advantageous bids and the advertisement shall contain in addition thereto, the time when bids will be received and any other information the board may consider necessary. These advertisements need not appear more often than once a week. These advertisements shall constitute judicial advertisements and legal notices within the contemplation of Chapter 5 of Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. The board may also cause notices to be sent to those whom it thinks may be interested in submitting bids. Bids received by the mineral board shall be opened and considered in the same manner and under the same restrictions as are applicable to the board in the leasing of the public domain. The board may reject any and all bids.
Acts 1972, No. 749, §1; Acts 1974, No. 151, §1; Acts 1975, No. 479, §1; Acts 1984, No. 201, §1 and §2; Acts 1986, No. 477, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1017, §1, eff. July 26, 1990; Acts 2001, No. 864, §2; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. In addition to the provisions of R.S. 30:128, in the case of a proposed transfer, under the circumstances described in Subsection B hereof, of any lease or sublease entered into by or under the authority of or subject to the jurisdiction of the State Mineral and Energy Board which includes the development and production of solid minerals, the board shall determine whether to approve such proposed transfer pursuant to this Section and to such rules and regulations as may be issued hereunder.
B. The procedures set forth in this Section shall be followed only where the lease or sublease proposed to be transferred is either (i) one solely for the development and production of solid minerals or (ii) one under which solid minerals have been developed or produced at any time during the three years next preceding the proposed transfer. The procedures set forth in this Section shall be followed irrespective of the form of the proposed transfer, and shall be followed if the transfer is proposed to be effected by way of sale, assignment, or sublease or by the acquisition, directly or indirectly, whether by merger or otherwise, of the beneficial ownership of any class of equity securities of a corporate entity which is either (i) the lessee or sublessee of a lease solely for the development and production of solid minerals or (ii) the entity which has as its principal business the development and production of solid minerals, provided, however, that a transfer for purposes of this Section shall not be deemed to occur (i) by the giving of a mortgage or other security interest in a lease or sublease or (ii) by the acquisition of less than ten percent of any class of equity securities of a corporate entity or (iii) when the proposed transfer covers only minerals other than solid minerals.
C. When a transfer is proposed under the circumstances described in Subsection B of this Section, the proposed transferee shall first make application on forms to be prescribed by the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy pursuant to regulation. The regulations shall require, at a minimum, detailed information concerning the competence and integrity of the proposed transferee, including its financial and performance capabilities, as these bear upon its ability to perform all obligations under the lease or sublease in such a manner as not to adversely affect the public interest of the state as respects its natural resources, including potential economic and physical waste and development of the resources, or both. All applications shall be accompanied by a fee of one hundred dollars and a bond to secure payment by the applicant of the actual costs of any investigation or hearing under this Section.
D.(1) Prior to any action by the board on any application, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall conduct a hearing on the application, which shall be conducted as expeditiously as practicable consistent with developing a full factual record. The seller, assignor, or sublessor of the lease or sublease or the corporate entity whose stock the transferee proposes to acquire under the circumstances described in Subsection B of this Section shall be a necessary party to any hearing under this Paragraph, and to any investigation or other proceedings had in connection therewith.
(2) In advance of the hearing, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall have the powers conferred by R.S. 30:909 to investigate, receive written statements, administer oaths and affirmations, subpoena witnesses, compel their attendance, take evidence, and require the production of any books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, contracts, agreements, or other records or documents, and any party to the hearing shall have the right to take the testimony of any witness and to compel any witness to appear and depose and to produce books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, contracts and agreements, or other records or documents, on the same terms as are contained in R.S. 30:909
(3) Except as otherwise provided herein, the hearing required hereby shall be conducted in accordance with and pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 13 of Title 49 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 and such regulations as the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy may issue hereunder.
(4) Promptly after the conclusion of the hearing, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall prepare written findings of fact and a recommended decision on the application. The secretary shall transmit these to the State Mineral and Energy Board together with a certified copy of the hearing record. After giving due consideration to whether the evidence establishes that the proposed transferee is competent and otherwise qualified to perform all of the obligations under the lease or sublease in such a manner as not to adversely affect the public interest of the state as respects its natural resources, the State Mineral and Energy Board shall issue a written decision granting or denying the application in whole or in part or upon conditions as it may deem appropriate.
(5) An appeal may be taken from any final order of the State Mineral and Energy Board under this Section only by a party to the hearing required by this Subsection in accordance with R.S. 49:978.1 and 979.
(6) Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy may transmit a recommended decision to the State Mineral and Energy Board without first conducting an investigation or holding a hearing if all necessary parties to the hearing file affidavits with the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy attesting their belief that there are no substantial issues requiring an investigation or hearing and the secretary independently determines that there are no substantial issues requiring an investigation or hearing.
E. The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall have authority to issue all necessary or appropriate regulations to implement this Section.
F. Whenever it appears to the State Mineral and Energy Board or the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy that any person has engaged or is about to engage in any act or practice constituting a violation of any provision of this Section, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy may investigate and issue orders and notices. In addition to all other remedies, the State Mineral and Energy Board or the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy may bring an action in any court of competent jurisdiction in the name and on behalf of this state against any person or persons participating in or about to participate in a violation of this Section to enforce compliance with this Section or enjoin any action in violation of this Section.
G. No transfer in violation of any provision of this Section shall be valid.
H. Any person who wilfully violates this Section or who wilfully makes any false statement in an application, investigation or hearing conducted hereunder, may be imprisoned for a period not to exceed one year, or fined an amount not to exceed five thousand dollars, or both.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 296, §1, eff. July 10, 1979; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. On or before December 31, 1979, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall submit to the State Mineral and Energy Board for implementation a regulatory program for the sale or processing of in-kind crude oil royalties to refiners in the state and procedures for the sale or processing, delivery, and use of royalty crude oil, which at a minimum include the following:
(1) Provisions to assure that the sale shall not be made to any Louisiana refiner who may not legally condition product sales upon the right of the State to exercise a right of first refusal to any product refined from royalty crude and to give first priority to Louisiana customers in the usual course of sale of end products. A "Louisiana refiner" shall be a Louisiana business entity having its principal place of business in the state of Louisiana.
(2) Provisions which assure a first priority of available supply to refiners with capability to refine typical South Louisiana light, sweet type crude, having a sulphur content of five-tenths or less, and refiners with facilities for the distillation of methanol or ethanol, suitable for blending with gasoline to produce a motor fuel, at least fifty percent of which methanol or ethanol is to be derived from agricultural products produced in Louisiana.
(3) Provisions which assure that qualified refiners have adequate facilities to receive crude by water, pipe, or truck and own or have contractual rights to adequate storage facilities to assure continuity of operations.
(4) Provisions which assure the disclosure of all information relevant to a determination that the refiner has a genuine need for a portion of the state's royalty crude.
(5) Provisions which limit the volume of royalty crude available to any one refiner to no more than seventy-five hundred barrels per day.
(6) Provisions which assure that to the extent permitted by state or federal law the state receives not less than the fair market value for the royalty crude.
(7) Provisions which condition any sales and/or processing upon the right of the state to exercise a right of first refusal to any product refined from royalty crude, and which also requires refiners to give first priority to Louisiana customers in the usual course of sale of end products.
(8) Provisions which prohibit the exchange or resale of any royalty crude without consent of the state and fix penalties of not less than ten thousand dollars per day of violation thereof.
(9) Provisions for the assessment of a fee of not more than twenty cents per barrel in the event of sales to cover costs of administration, and reasonable bond or other acceptable financial assurance which will guarantee good and faithful performance of obligation by small refiners.
(10) Such additional provisions as may be deemed necessary to protect the interests of the state and assure a fair and equitable allocation of the state's royalty crude supply.
(11) Provisions which assure that no gasoline or diesel end product from such crude shall be sold for the ultimate purpose of retail sale outside of the state of Louisiana.
B. Prior to submitting the program to the State Mineral and Energy Board for implementation, the secretary shall present the proposed program to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and Senate Committee on Natural Resources, meeting jointly, for approval thereof. Within thirty days after receipt of the program from the secretary, the mineral board shall initiate rulemaking procedures thereon in compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq.
C. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:142(F), public bidding shall not be required for the sale and/or processing of royalty crude oil pursuant to this Section, so long as price controls remain in effect; provided that in the event supplies of royalty crude remain available after allocation of the seventy-five hundred barrel per day maximum allowed under this Section to all interested refiners, the volumes so remaining shall be made available to the refiners pursuant to public bidding therefor, contingent upon interruption of delivery of such excess supply to accommodate any qualified refiner not receiving the maximum allocation permitted herein and capable of taking delivery of additional volumes which are available.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 592, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
Effective January 1, 1975, and in accordance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 4(E) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, the state treasurer of the state of Louisiana is hereby authorized and directed to remit an amount equal to one-tenth of the royalties accruing to the state in each month from mineral leases on state owned lands, lake and river beds, and other water bottoms belonging to the state or the title to which is in the public for mineral development to the governing authority of the parish in which severance or production occurs. In the calendar year beginning January 1, 1975 and thereafter, the distribution of the aforesaid royalties to the parish shall be made by the state treasurer on the twentieth day after the last day of every third month. Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding sentences, so long as any bonds issued by a parish payable from a pledge and dedication of moneys deposited in the Royalty Road Fund established by Article IV, Section 2, of the Louisiana Constitution of 1921 (the "Royalty Road Fund") or additional bonds hereafter issued on a parity therewith remain outstanding, or until irrevocable provision is made for their payment in principal and interest, the state treasurer, prior to remitting any such royalty payments directly to the parish in any calendar year shall make all payments required for debt servicing by the resolutions or other instruments providing for the issuance of such bonds in that calendar year.
Added by Acts 1975, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 29, §1, eff. Feb. 20, 1975.
The state treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to transfer to the governing authority of the respective parishes in this state on or before March 31, 1975, those sums of money credited to said parishes and being held on deposit on December 31, 1974, in the Royalty Road Fund and moneys on account with the state treasurer on December 31, 1974, consisting of the unexpended and unencumbered proceeds from the sale of any bonds heretofore issued by a parish and which are secured by a pledge of moneys in the Royalty Road Fund, other than moneys in any funds dedicated to or held for the payment of any outstanding bonds or committed to the payment of any other contractual obligations. If the above funds are encumbered on December 31, 1974, and subsequently become unencumbered, the state treasurer shall transfer said funds to the parish for whose account they are held, to be used in the manner provided by law and in accordance with the requirements of any resolutions heretofore adopted in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds.
Added by Acts 1975, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 29, §1, eff. Feb. 20, 1975.
A. The governing authority of any parish, with the approval of the State Bond Commission, is hereby authorized to fund into bonds of said parish its portion of the royalties which are credited or distributed to it pursuant to the provisions of Article VII, Section 4(E) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 and this Subpart. The bonds may be issued for any lawful purpose of the parish, may be general or limited obligations of the parish issuing them and shall run for a period of not to exceed twenty years from the date of issuance of the bonds. Said bonds shall be issued pursuant to a resolution adopted by the parish governing authority and shall have such maturities and bear such interest as may be determined and fixed by the parish governing authority which, in no event, shall exceed eight per cent per annum. They shall be payable in principal and interest at such place or places and at such time or times as the governing authority prescribes. The bonds shall be callable on such terms and in such manner as the governing authority fixes and shall be issued in the denomination of one thousand dollars or an integral multiple thereof, as determined by the governing authority. They may be registered or payable to bearer, in the discretion of the governing authority. The bonds shall be sold to the highest bidder at public sale after advertisement by the governing authority one time at least seven days prior to the date fixed for the reception of bids in a newspaper published in the parish and in a newspaper of general circulation or other periodical containing a section devoted to municipal bond matters published in New Orleans, Chicago or New York, reserving to the governing authority the right to reject any and all bids.
B. So long as any of the bonds issued hereunder are outstanding, the minimum royalties to be stipulated in any mineral lease or leases of lands belonging to the state, or the title to which is in the state for mineral development, shall never be less than the minimum provided for on February 20, 1975, by R.S. 30:127, and the state shall not enter into any agreements for the lease or use of any state lands for mineral purposes under any stipulation for a less minimum royalty than that so provided. So long as any of the bonds issued hereunder are outstanding, the percentage of the royalties received by the state and hereinabove required to be credited or distributed to the parish pursuant to the provisions of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 and this Subpart shall be collected, deposited and allocated as hereinabove required, such percentage shall not be reduced, and the moneys thus credited or distributed to said parish shall primarily be dedicated to the retirement of said bonds and the interest thereon and shall be so applied.
C. All bonds issued under authority of this Subpart shall be signed by the president and by the secretary of the parish governing authority issuing them, one of which signatures may be a facsimile, under the seal of the parish, and any interest coupons attached to said bonds shall be signed by the facsimile signatures of these officers. Any such bonds may be issued and delivered, notwithstanding that one or more of the officers signing such bonds or the officer or officers whose facsimile signature or signatures may be on the coupons shall have ceased to be such officer or officers at the time such bonds shall actually have been delivered.
D. The parish may authorize the issuance of refunding bonds of the parish for the purpose of refunding outstanding bonds issued pursuant to this Subpart. Such refunding bonds may either be sold and the proceeds applied to or deposited in escrow for the retirement of the outstanding bonds or may be delivered in exchange for the outstanding bonds. The refunding bonds shall be authorized in all respects as original bonds are herein required to be authorized, and the parish, in authorizing the refunding bonds, shall provide for the security of the bonds, the sources from which the bonds are to be paid and for the rights of the holders thereof in all respects as herein provided for other bonds issued under authority of this Subpart.
E. Any resolution authorizing the issuance of bonds under this Subpart shall be published one time in the official journal of the parish, as required by Subsection A of this section, with the resultant effect of incontestability as provided in Paragraph B of Section 35 of Article VI of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974. All bonds issued by virtue hereof shall be and are hereby declared to have the qualities of negotiable paper under the Law Merchant and shall not be invalid for any irregularity or defect in the proceedings for the issue and sale thereof, and shall be incontestable in the hands of bona fide purchasers or holders thereof. Said bonds and the income thereof shall be exempt from all taxation in the State of Louisiana. No proceedings in respect to the issuance of any such bonds shall be necessary, except such as are contemplated by this Subpart.
Added by Acts 1975, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 29, §1, eff. Feb. 20, 1975.
For the purposes of this Subpart the term "lessor" shall refer to and include the State Mineral and Energy Board, any school district, levee district, drainage district, municipal or parochial subdivision of this state, any penal or charitable institution, any state university or college, and any other unit or institution deriving its authority and powers from the sovereignty of the state.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
A. Any lessor may, through its governing authority, lease any lands of which the lessor has title, custody, or possession, and the State Mineral and Energy Board may lease lands, bodies of any lakes, bays or coves, sea, arms of the sea, or other navigable waters and beds thereof belonging to the state or the title to which is in the public:
(1) For the purpose of granting to the lessee the right to erect and use on the surface of the leased premises tanks and facilities for the receipt, storage, withdrawal, transportation, and shipment of oil, natural gas, liquid or liquified hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, goods, wares, and merchandise, and for other purposes necessary or incidental thereto, including the construction of houses for employees, warehouses, pipelines, separation and dehydration facilities, pump stations, compressor stations, loading stations, wharves, and docks.
(2) For the purpose of injection, storage, transportation, shipment, and withdrawal of oil, natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide in any underground reservoir lying beneath such lands or water bodies, and beds thereof, and for other purposes necessary or incidental thereto, including drilling of any wells for injection, storage, or withdrawal of such product stored in such underground reservoir and the construction of houses for employees, warehouses, pipelines, separation and dehydration facilities, compressor stations, pump stations, loading stations, wharves, and docks.
(3) For the purpose of making and using caverns in salt domes lying beneath such lands or water bodies, and beds thereof, for the injection, storage, transportation, shipment, and withdrawal of oil, natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide and for other purposes necessary or incidental thereto, including drilling of any wells for making such caverns and for injecting, storing, and withdrawing of such product in such caverns and the construction and maintenance of facilities for housing employees, pipelines, separation and dehydration facilities, compressor stations, pump stations, loading stations, wharves, and docks.
B. In addition, where otherwise consistent with the provisions of this Subpart as applied to leased premises, the State Mineral and Energy Board may grant surface or subsurface agreements for the right to erect and use on unleased premises such facilities and equipment.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 180, §1; Acts 2004, No. 104, §1, eff. May 28, 2004; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
Any person, firm, or corporation desiring to lease any land or bodies of any lakes, bays or coves, sea, arms of the sea, or other navigable waters and beds thereof under the provisions of this Subpart shall present to the lessor a written application, together with a cash deposit of one hundred dollars. The application shall set forth the name, current physical address, telephone number, email address, and contact person of the applicant, a reasonably definite legal description of the location in the form required by the lessor, the amount of acreage that the applicant desires to lease, a request that the acreage described therein be leased to the applicant under the provisions of this Subpart, and all other information required by the lessor. The application shall be held confidential by the lessor until advertisement. Applications shall be mailed or delivered to the lessor at its official office or business domicile or submitted by such other means as may be authorized by the lessor. The deposit of one hundred dollars shall be returned to the applicant if he makes an unsuccessful bid after a sum sufficient to pay the advertising costs have been deducted.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.
A.(1) Upon receipt of application for the lease, accompanied by deposit, the lessor shall publish an advertisement in the official journal of the parish wherein the land and bodies of lakes, bays or coves, sea, arms of the sea, or other navigable waters and beds thereof are located. The advertisement must appear not more than sixty days prior to the date for the opening of bids and at least once a week during three consecutive weeks within those sixty days and shall set forth therein a legal description of the land or water bodies and beds thereof to be leased, the time when and the place where bids therefor will be received and publicly opened, whether the bid must be for the whole or may be for any particularly described portion of the land or water bodies and beds thereof advertised, any particular minimum consideration deemed by the lessor in its best interest, and such other requirements or information as the lessor may deem necessary. If the lands or bodies of lakes, bays or coves, sea, arms of the sea, or other navigable waters and beds thereof are situated in two or more parishes, the advertisement shall be published in the official journal for each of the parishes in which a part of such lands or water bodies may be located.
(2) In addition to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the applicant shall provide notice by regular or certified mail of the application for the lease to any residence or business located within one-half mile of the land and bodies of lakes, bays, or coves, sea, arms of the sea, or other navigable waters and beds to be leased.
B. Upon receipt of an application for a lease under the provisions of this Subpart, the lessor shall provide notification of such to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1.
A. Sealed bids shall be mailed or delivered to the lessor at the time and place designated in the advertisement and shall be held confidential by the lessor.
B. On the date and at the time and place advertised, the bids shall be publicly opened by the lessor. The lessor may accept the bid or bids submitted that are determined to be the most advantageous to the lessor and may execute any lease granted under such terms and conditions as it may deem proper in accordance with the provisions of this Subpart. The lessor, however, shall have the right to reject all bids in its sole discretion. All leases signed by the lessor or by the lessor's duly authorized representative shall be executed in as many copies as may be necessary to meet the following requirements: one copy shall be furnished to the lessee; one copy shall be furnished to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; one copy shall be recorded in the conveyance records of the parish or parishes wherein the land or water bodies lie; and one copy shall be retained in the records of the lessor.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1.
A. No lease shall cover an area larger than six hundred forty acres, provided, however, a lease for the underground storage of oil, natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide in an underground reservoir shall be limited only by the extent of the underground storage reservoir beneath the lands or water bodies and beds leased. All leases shall be for a term which may be determined by the lessor and advertised as such, but not exceeding twenty-five years. A lease may also provide to lessees an option to renew and extend the lease, or for a renewal and extension subject to approval by the lessor, upon such terms and conditions as may be advertised and stipulated in the lease, so long as the total of any such options, or renewals or extension do not exceed an additional period of twenty-five years. The lease shall grant to the lessee the right to remove from the leased premises at any time during the life of the lease any and all property placed thereon by the lessee.
B. All leases executed under the provisions of this Subpart shall provide for reasonable consideration as set forth in the advertisement, which may include, among other consideration, any one or combination of the following: bonus, rental, or consideration for injection or withdrawal of stored product.
C. Any contract entered into for the lease of state lands for any purpose shall require that access by the public to public waterways through the state lands covered by the lease shall be maintained and preserved for the public by the lessee. The provisions of this Section shall not prohibit the secretary of the agency having control over the property from restricting access to public waterways if he determines that a danger to the public welfare exists. The provisions of this Section shall not apply in cases involving title disputes.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 1999, No. 1142, §1; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1.
The lessor shall have full supervision of leases to see that the terms and stipulations thereof are complied with and may take any appropriate action, and file any suit to protect the interest of the lessor, or annul any lease for sufficient cause.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995.
Nothing in this Subpart is intended to authorize the leasing of lands or bodies of lakes, bays or coves, sea, arms of the sea, or other navigable waters and beds thereof for the exploration and development of same for the production of oil, gas, sulphur, or other minerals, provided, however, such absence of authorization shall not be construed as prohibiting drilling for the purpose of injection, storage, or withdrawal of any stored oil, natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide into or from any underground reservoirs or salt dome caverns, or the drilling of wells for the purpose of making caverns in salt domes covered by any lease granted pursuant to the provisions of this Subpart. Such absence of authorization shall not be construed to prohibit the production of any oil, natural gas, or liquid hydrocarbons which may remain in a partially depleted underground reservoir determined by the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy to be suitable for use as an underground storage reservoir in accordance with the provisions of this Title.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 2008, No. 315, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Any lease for the underground storage of oil, natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide granted pursuant to the provisions of this Subpart shall be granted conditionally and shall not be final until the following conditions are met:
(1) Lessee shall request a public hearing with the secretary within sixty days after the conditional award of such lease.
(2) After the public hearing is held, the lessee shall obtain an order from the secretary finding that the proposed project is in the public interest.
B. Any lease granted hereunder shall be subject to the provisions of R.S. 30:18, 22, and 23, Statewide Order No. 29-M (LAC 43:XVII.Chapter 3), and Statewide Order No. 29-N-1 (LAC 43:XVII.Chapter 1), as applicable.
(1)-(3) Repealed by Acts 2008, No. 315, §2.
Acts 1995, No. 88, §1, eff. June 12, 1995; Acts 2008, No. 315, §§1, 2; Acts 2013, No. 367, §1, eff. June 12, 2013; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in Subpart A of this Part, the provisions of this Subpart shall apply to leases by the State Mineral and Energy Board for the purposes set forth in R.S. 30:148.2.
Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.
A. For purposes of this Section, "specific area of interest" means an individual tract of property that is the subject of any contractual agreement entered into by the State Mineral and Energy Board for the purpose of injection, storage, sequestration, transportation, shipment, or withdrawal of carbon dioxide.
B. Any revenues collected by the office of mineral resources pursuant to any contractual agreement for the storage of carbon dioxide beneath public lands as defined in R.S. 41:1701 and dried lake beds that were formerly navigable and remain owned by the state shall be immediately forwarded to the state treasurer for deposit into the state treasury. After complying with the provisions of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, the state treasurer shall remit the funds as follows:
(1) Thirty percent of the revenue shall be remitted to the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund. The revenue remitted to the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund under this Subsection shall be in lieu of any other revenues collected pursuant to any contractual agreement for the storage of carbon dioxide beneath the state-owned land or water bottoms that is required by law to be remitted to the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund.
(2) Thirty percent of the revenue shall be remitted to the governing authority of the parish located in a specific area of interest. If the specific area of interest is located in more than one parish, the monies shall be divided between the parishes in proportion to the amount of property located in each parish pursuant to the contractual agreement.
(3) The remaining revenue shall be deposited into the state general fund.
C. This Section shall not be construed to apply to property owned by state agencies or local governmental entities.
Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 508, §1.
A. Upon commencement of Class VI injection operations for the geologic storage of carbon dioxide beneath any land or water bottoms owned by a state agency, whether owned in a public or private capacity, any injection-based revenue collected by the state agency, or by the office of mineral resources on behalf of that agency, shall be immediately forwarded to the state treasurer for deposit into the state treasury. After complying with the provisions of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, the state treasurer shall remit the funds as provided in this Section.
B. Pursuant to the authority granted to the legislature by Article VII, Section 10-A(A)(1) of the Constitution of Louisiana, for injection-based revenue collected on behalf of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries or the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, the revenue shall be distributed as follows:
(1) Thirty percent of the revenue shall be remitted to the governing authority of the parish or parishes within the area of review of the storage facility. If more than one parish is included in the area of review, each parish shall be entitled to a proportionate share of the revenue based on the relative proportion of surface area directly above the area of review located in each parish.
(2) The remainder shall be deposited into the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Fund.
C. For injection-based revenue collected on behalf of any other state agency, the revenue shall be distributed as follows:
(1) Thirty percent of the revenue shall be remitted to the governing authority of the parish or parishes within the area of review of the storage facility. If more than one parish is included in the area of review, each parish shall be entitled to a proportionate share of the revenue based on the relative proportion of surface area directly above the area of review located in each parish.
(2) The remainder shall be deposited into the state general fund.
D. For the purposes of this Section, the term "injection-based revenue" includes but is not limited to injection fees, contractual minimum guaranteed annual payments, and any other revenue derived from injection operations. Revenue collected from bonuses, rentals, pipeline rights-of-way, or other payments for surface use or surface facilities are not included in the distribution required by this Section.
E. The state agency, or the office of mineral resources on behalf of that agency, shall submit a monthly report to the Department of the Treasury and the relevant parish governing authority itemizing the prior month's collections from injection operations for each storage facility.
F. Upon request of a parish entitled to revenue pursuant to this Section, the Department of Conservation and Energy is authorized to disclose to the parish governing authority any storage facility data that is relevant to the calculation of payments due.
G. This Section only applies to property owned by state agencies and shall not be construed to apply to local governmental entities.
Acts 2025, No. 508, §1.
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the Department of Conservation and Energy may by rule provide a dry hole credit program as set forth in this Section for certain drilling in mineral leases on state-owned lands or state-owned water bottoms in the coastal zone, as defined in R.S. 49:214.24.
B. The requirements for the royalty relief dry hole credit are as follows:
(1) Drilling of a well qualified to earn a dry hole credit must have started on or after July 1, 2005.
(2) The well must be drilled on state-owned lands or state-owned water bottoms in the coastal zone, as defined in R.S. 49:214.24, pursuant to a mineral lease with the state.
(3) The well must be drilled to a depth of greater than 19,999 feet true vertical depth.
(4) The well must reach the target qualifying depth, be logged by suitable geophysical techniques for presentation to and verification by the office of mineral resources, and not be commercially productive of oil or gas.
(5) The geophysical well information for the dry hole is released to the office of mineral resources for public use.
(6) Other than state income tax credit, a state tax credit or royalty modification is not otherwise available or is not claimed for the well, or is surrendered and canceled retroactively to the beginning of such credit or royalty modification if a dry hole credit is claimed.
(7) The dry hole well records and reports shall at all times be open to inspection and audit by the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(8) The royalty relief dry hole credit is available and taken subject to, and in compliance with, the provisions of this Section.
(9) The royalty relief dry hole credit is applied for and obtained prior to June 30, 2009.
C.(1) The royalty relief dry hole credit shall be in the form of a deduction from future royalty payments due to the state on production derived from depths of greater than nineteen thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine feet true vertical depth from any new well drilled on state-owned lands or state-owned water bottoms in the coastal zone, as defined in R.S. 49:214.24, subsequent to the dry hole for which drilling commences on or after July 1, 2005. The deduction shall be the lesser of: (a) five billion cubic feet of natural gas production, or (b) fifty percent of the cost of the dry hole well. The cost of the dry hole well shall be calculated and determined in accordance with rules, methods and procedures adopted by the State Mineral and Energy Board. The royalty relief shall be prorated over a thirty-six month period, provided that the net royalty payments to the state shall not be less than the minimum required by R.S. 30:127. If application of the credit would result in payments less than that required by R.S. 30:127, the office of mineral resources may extend the royalty relief credit for an additional period of up to twenty-four months to allow full use of the credit, up to a total of sixty months.
(2) The dry hole shall be proportional to the state percentage of the unit of the producing well.
(3) If the dry hole was drilled on mixed interest property, the Mineral Board shall determine the proportion of the dry hole credit to be given.
D. If a dry hole credit is offered as provided in this Section, the Department of Conservation and Energy, office of mineral resources, shall certify qualification for the royalty relief dry hole credit and provide forms and procedures relative to certification. Application and obtaining certification as a well qualified to receive the royalty relief dry hole credit shall be completed prior to drilling of the qualifying well.
E. No more than a maximum total of twenty wells shall be certified by the department under the program as qualifying for royalty relief dry hole credit. On and after June 30, 2009, no well shall be eligible or certified by the department as qualifying for royalty relief dry hole credit.
F. To utilize the royalty relief dry hole credit:
(1) Application shall be made to the office of mineral resources for approval to utilize the credit and designate the royalty obligation to which the credit will be applied.
(2) The applicant shall agree to fully compensate for the adverse impacts to coastal wetlands in an amount equal to at least one hundred twenty-five percent of the habitat value of the affected wetlands, calculated in accordance with an evaluation method adopted by the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(3) The royalty relief dry hole credit must be utilized within four years from the date the credit is issued by the office of mineral resources , except for extensions of the credit as authorized in Subsection C herein.
G. Regardless of when obtained, all royalty relief dry hole credits authorized by this Section shall expire on June 30, 2013.
H. The Department of Conservation and Energy shall promulgate and adopt rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this Section if a dry hole credit program is established.
I. The provisions of this Section shall expire and terminate on June 30, 2013.
J. The provisions of this Subpart shall be known and may be cited as the Developed Resources In Louisiana (DRIL) Act of 2005.
Acts 2005, No. 298, §1, eff. June 29, 2005; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023.
In this Subpart the term "agency" means a levee district, drainage district, road district, school district, school board, or other board, commission, parish, municipality, state university, state college, state penal or charitable institution or agency, unit or institution of the state or subdivision thereof.
A. Every agency is authorized to lease its land for the development and production of minerals. School boards are authorized to lease sixteenth section lands for the development and production of minerals.
B. The provisions of R.S. 30:148.1 through 148.7 and R.S. 47:648.1 shall not authorize the breach of any term or condition of any state agency lease applying to lands or mineral interest owned or administered by any school board.
Acts 1940, No. 162, §2; Acts 1983, No. 493, §1; Acts 1988, No. 514, §1, eff. July 8, 1988.
{{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1988, NO. 514, §3 REGARDING ACT 613.}}
A. Any agency may by resolution direct the State Mineral and Energy Board to lease or otherwise contract for the exploration, development, or use of its land. The bonus money, if any, received pursuant to any such contract shall be transmitted by the State Mineral and Energy Board to the agency. After the execution of the original contract, all rights and authority in connection therewith shall be vested in the agency to the same extent as if the agency had itself administered and executed the contract.
B. Upon request, the State Mineral and Energy Board may administer and manage the leases and other contracts of any levee district, state university, state college, state penal or charitable institution, or agency, unit, or institution of the state. If the State Mineral and Energy Board agrees to administer and manage such contracts, the parties shall enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement to accomplish this purpose.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 290, §3; Acts 2008, No. 93, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. When an agency chooses not to avail itself of the provisions of R.S. 30:153 but leases its own lands, the agency shall sign all necessary or customary division orders or other documents incident to the production and sale of products under the lease.
B. When an agency leases its own lands it shall receive and receipt for all sums accruing to it and shall deposit these funds to its account.
C. In all cases where sixteenth section or school indemnity lands are leased, either by the State Mineral and Energy Board or the school board, all funds realized from these leases shall be paid to the school board of the parish where the lands are situated and credited to the current school fund of that parish, except that in the case of school indemnity lands, the lease shall be made by the State Mineral and Energy Board only and the funds credited to the parish school board entitled thereto.
D.(1) In all cases where title to land exclusive of sixteenth section or school indemnity lands has been acquired by a school board for the benefit of a particular school or school district by grant or purchase without the incurring of any obligation, including but not limited to bonded indebtedness, by the residents of such school district, funds realized from a lease of such lands by either the school board or the mineral board, shall be paid to the school board. The school board shall have the option of either crediting all or part of these funds to either a special account to be applied to the uses of the particular school or school system for whose benefit the grant or purchase was made, or of crediting all or any part of such funds to the general fund of the school board to be used for purposes for which such fund may be used.
(2) In all cases where the acquisition of such lands involves the incurring of an obligation, including but not limited to bonded indebtedness, by the residents of a particular school district, the board shall have the same option as provided in R.S. 30:154(D)(1); however, if no other funds, including the tax revenues of such district, are available to pay such obligation, then the school board shall use all funds from such leases necessary to pay the obligation incurred to acquire such lands.
(3) If the particular school or school district specified in the grant no longer exists, the funds shall be placed in the general fund of the school board.
E. Deposit that may be required to be submitted with each bid shall be in the form of certified check, cashier's check or bank money order.
Amended by Acts 1952, No. 353, §1; Acts 1973, No. 123, §1; Acts 1983, No. 219, §1, eff. June 24, 1983; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
If an agency does not avail itself of the provisions of R.S. 30:153, it may lease its lands for mineral purposes on its own motion, or on written application, by advertising and letting in the manner provided by this Subpart, subject however to approval of the State Mineral and Energy Board as provided in R.S. 30:158.
Amended by Acts 1975, No. 687, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
A person desiring to lease from a state agency shall make application with deposit to the agency in the same manner as is set forth in R.S. 30:125 for application with deposit to the mineral board. The agency shall itself advertise, receive bids at its domicile, and lease in the same manner and subject to the same restrictions applicable to leases by the State Mineral and Energy Board under R.S. 30:126 and 127. The agency has the same powers over leases granted by it as are granted the State Mineral and Energy Board in R.S. 30:129.
Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
Repealed by Acts 1950, No. 292, §1
No lease executed under the authority of this Subpart shall be valid unless the agency obtains its approval by the State Mineral and Energy Board. The authority of the State Mineral and Energy Board shall be ministerial with regard to whether or not the agency has correctly followed the procedural steps in granting the lease in question, and discretionary with regard to whether or not the terms of the agency lease are in the best interest of the agency and the public which it serves. A lease made under the provisions of this Subpart which is not approved by the State Mineral and Energy Board and countersigned by the duly authorized officer of that body is null and void.
Acts 2005, No. 449, §1, eff. July 11, 2005; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
All mineral leases entered into by state banks in liquidation shall be subject to the approval of the State Mineral and Energy Board and of the district court having jurisdiction of the liquidations.
Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
Any department or agency of the state may grant on lands of which it has title, custody, or possession:
(1) A permit, lease, or servitude to engage in directional drilling in search of minerals underlying adjacent water bodies. Directional drilling is drilling deviating from the vertical plane.
(2) A permit, lease, or servitude to erect structures and enjoy all privileges on the lands necessary or convenient in the development and transporting of minerals underlying adjacent water bodies.
The five year limitation of R.S. 41:1217 shall not apply to these grants.
No grantee shall exercise any rights without first obtaining a valid mineral lease of the adjacent water bottoms.
Any person holding or acquiring a lease from the state for the development and production of minerals from lands including water bottoms belonging to the state shall be authorized, in the conduct of the operations under the lease, to build, install and exclusively control, upon the shores, banks or water bottoms covered by the lease, breakwaters, platforms, fills, islands, (through excavation, pumping process or otherwise) and other constructions and facilities that he may find necessary or convenient for the exploitation, production, storing, treating, processing, refining, conveying, transporting and marketing of minerals produced under such lease and under leases covering other lands in the vicinity. Should any island or fill be made within navigable waters, a permit shall first be secured from the Register of the State Land Office and approved by the secretary.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 74, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Existing private rights shall not be affected in any way by the rights granted in R.S. 30:171. Permission must be obtained from the United States government to construct works in navigable waters.
§§174 to 178 Repealed by Acts 1962, No. 9, §9.
§§179.1 to 179.7 Repealed by Acts 1964, No. 311, §6
In regard to the controversy between the United States and the state of Louisiana as to whether any portion of any submerged land is owned and controlled by the state of Louisiana under the provisions of the Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) (Public Law 31, 83rd Congress; 67 Stat. 29), or whether such lands are owned and controlled by the United States under the provisions of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) (Public Law 212, 83 Congress; 67 State. 462), or any amendment or revision thereof, the State Mineral and Energy Board is authorized, with the concurrence and approval of the governor, to negotiate and enter into agreements for and on behalf of the state of Louisiana, with any lessee or future lessee of the state of Louisiana, to negotiate and enter into tentative agreements or stipulations with the United States, or any present or future grantee or lessee of the United States, respecting the ownership and boundaries of such lands and operations under any mineral lease on any other sums payable thereunder, including withdrawals from such deposits in escrow or impoundment, pending the settlement or adjudication of the controversy. Payments or deposits made pursuant to any such agreement shall be considered as being in compliance with the terms of the applicable lease. Upon the final settlement or adjudications of such controversy, all sums so impounded shall be paid to the parties entitled thereto. Any sums finally determined to be payable to the state of Louisiana shall be deposited with the proper state agency in accordance with the constitution and laws of this state.
Acts 1964, No. 311, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
No final agreement or stipulation negotiated with the United States by the State Mineral and Energy Board with the concurrence and approval of the governor, respecting the ownership and boundary of such lands, which changes or modifies the historic seaward boundary of the state of Louisiana as established by Act 33 of 1954 (R.S. 49:1), or which leases to the United States any part of the bonuses, rents, royalties and other sums heretofore or hereafter deposited in escrow or impoundment under the provisions of the Interim Agreement of October 12, 1956, between the United States and the state of Louisiana, shall be binding on the state of Louisiana until such agreement or stipulation shall have been ratified by a majority vote of both Houses of the Louisiana Legislature.
Acts 1964, No. 311, §2; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
No agreement provided for in R.S. 30:179.11 shall be construed or considered as a ratification by the state of Louisiana of any mineral lease covered by such agreement unless the lessee shall, within ninety days after final settlement or adjudication of any such controversy, pay to the state of Louisiana, in addition to the funds deposited in escrow, any and all bonuses, rentals, royalties and other considerations due and payable under the terms of the said lease agreement and not theretofore paid to the state of Louisiana. The state of Louisiana, through the same authorities hereinabove set forth, shall, on receipt of such payments, enter into a ratification agreement with the said lessee or, at its option, execute a new lease agreement in favor of the lessee on the state form then currently in use, but containing the same expiration date, rental and royalty provisions and drilling obligations as those contained in the original lease contract; provided, that the terms and conditions of the lease and of the escrow agreement referred to in R.S. 30:179.11 have been fully complied with. Nothing herein contained shall prejudice the rights of the state in the event that the lessee shall fail to make payment of the bonuses, rentals, royalties and other considerations which may be due and payable to the state of Louisiana as provided in this Section.
Acts 1964, No. 311, §3.
No provision of R.S. 30:179.11 to 30:179.14 shall be construed to impair any obligation of any agreement made and entered into within the authority and pursuant to the provisions either of Act 38 of 1956 or 352 of 1958, or Act 9 of 1962, and any such agreement made pursuant to and within the authority of any of said Acts is hereby ratified, validated and confirmed.
Acts 1964, No. 311, §4.
§§181 to 185 Repealed by Acts 1960, No. 358, §1, effective July 8, 1960
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
§§201 to 203 Repealed by Acts 1977, No. 185, §1, eff. July 5, 1977
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 294, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1992, No. 984, §18.
The results of the geological surveys shall be published by the Department of Conservation and Energy.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
The president of the Louisiana State University and the director of the school of geology shall furnish the State Department of Conservation with adequate office space to carry out the survey under R.S. 30:206.
The State Mineral and Energy Board may explore and develop the mineral resources of lands belonging to the state which might lease under Subpart A of Part II of Chapter 2 of this Title.
Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
In order to carry out the provisions of R.S. 30:208, the State Mineral and Energy Board may:
(1) Conduct geological and geophysical surveys of any kind, or cause them to be conducted on its behalf under contracts granting exclusivity of operations to the contracted party, and further providing for acquisition of seismic data by the state.
(2) Equip, drill, and operate wells or mines for the production of minerals. If a party is found to be equipping, drilling, or operating wells or mines for the production of minerals and the office of mineral resources finds that it is in the best interest of the state, the office may allow that party to continue such activity under the oversight of the office. Further, the office may collect from that party, after deduction of reasonable costs of drilling, equipping, and operating wells, the value of production from those wells. Revenues collected under the provisions of this Paragraph shall be credited to the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund in the state treasury.
(3) Construct, operate, and maintain necessary or convenient facilities for saving, transporting, and marketing mineral production.
(4)(a) Enter into operating agreements whereby the state receives a share of revenues from the production of oil, gas, and other minerals, and wind energy, after deduction of costs, in whole or in part, such as for drilling, testing, completion, equipping, or operating a well or wells, as may be agreed upon by the parties, and assumes all or a portion of the risk cost of development or production activity in those situations where the board determines it is in the best interest of the state, either in equity or in developmental productivity, to do so, such as but not limited to the following illustrations:
(i) Taking over an abandoned well with appropriate land area in an attempt to reestablish production rather than plug and abandon the well.
(ii) Reestablishing a reasonable prospective productive area around a well already drilled wherein the lease was lost through an oversight or technicality.
(iii) Establishing a contract on unleased state acreage within an established unit.
(iv) Establishing a contractual agreement on acreage where title is disputed and production from the disputed acreage is being settled.
(b) The office of mineral resources, on behalf of the mineral board, shall administer all operating agreements. After deposit of all revenues collected to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, an amount equal to twenty-five percent of the revenues collected from any operating agreement entered into after August 15, 1997, shall be credited to the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund for appropriation to the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(c) Any costs for which the state is held liable shall be paid only from revenues received by the state through production payments.
(d) Those operating agreements entered into by the State Mineral and Energy Board prior to August 15, 1997, are hereby ratified as being in compliance herewith.
(e) Upon a two-thirds vote of the members of the State Mineral and Energy Board and after notification to the governing authority of the affected parish, which may be made by electronic mail to the parish president, police jury president, or mayor-president, depending on the form of parish government, and a public hearing conducted by a hearing officer appointed by the secretary for the office of mineral resources in each affected parish pursuant to R.S. 30:6, enter into operating agreements whereby the state receives a share of revenues from the storage of oil, natural gas, liquid or liquefied hydrocarbons, or carbon dioxide, in whole or in part, as may be agreed upon by the parties, and assumes all or a portion of the risk of the cost of the activity in those situations where the board determines it is in the best interest of the state either in equity or in the promotion of conservation to do so, such as but not limited to the following illustrations:
(i) Creating caverns in salt domes for the storage of hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide.
(ii) Establishing a hydrocarbon or carbon dioxide storage facility in an underground reservoir.
(iii) Taking over an abandoned surface or underground storage facility in order to maximize the useful life of the existing facility.
(iv) Establishing a contractual agreement for the operation of a carbon dioxide storage facility for the storage and distribution of carbon dioxide for secondary or tertiary recovery operations.
(v) Establishing a contractual agreement on unleased acreage or where title is disputed to promote utilization of the state's resources for storage.
(5) Do all other things which may appear to be necessary or desirable.
(6) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the State Mineral and Energy Board is hereby authorized to enter into operating agreements for the usus or fructus of state resources under the department's jurisdiction, or other arrangements to fulfill the purposes and functions of the office of state resources pursuant to R.S. 36:358(E), and to adopt, promulgate, amend, or repeal all rules and regulations necessary to implement, administer, and enforce any such agreements.
Acts 1997, No. 530, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 106, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2003, No. 993, §1, eff. July 2, 2003; Acts 2008, No. 610, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2022, No. 443, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2024, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The right of the State Mineral and Energy Board under R.S. 30:209 shall include the right to acquire and receive, either as owner in its own right or licensee, information and data acquired or processed from geological and geophysical surveys or other operations conducted on any lands, whether public or private, for evaluation, administration, and development of the mineral resources of state-owned properties.
B.(1) Information and data acquired as authorized by Subsection A of this Section shall be confidential for all purposes consistent with the terms of acquisition and shall be made available only to the State Mineral and Energy Board, and the secretary at the sole discretion of the board, who shall keep such information and data confidential and may use such information and data only in the lawful, official administration and development of publicly owned lands. Whoever knowingly and willfully violates the provisions of this Subsection shall be punished by the penalties provided by R.S. 30:213(B).
(2) Notwithstanding Paragraph (1), the owner of the information and data with the right to license may give permission, under any restrictions and limitations which the owner may deem necessary, to release such information and data for specific purposes proposed by the state. Any release pursuant to this Paragraph and in compliance with the restrictions and limitations set forth by the owner shall not be a violation of this Subsection.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 288, §1; Acts 1997, No. 531, §1; Acts 2006, No. 520, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. For purposes of this Section, "specific area of interest" means an individual tract of property that is the subject of any contractual agreement entered into by the State Mineral and Energy Board for the purpose of injection, storage, sequestration, transportation, shipment, or withdrawal of carbon dioxide.
B. Any revenues collected by the office of mineral resources pursuant to any contractual agreement for the storage of carbon dioxide beneath public lands as defined in R.S. 41:1701 and dried lake beds that were formerly navigable and remain owned by the state shall be immediately forwarded to the state treasurer for deposit into the state treasury. After complying with the provisions of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, the state treasurer shall remit the funds as follows:
(1) Thirty percent of the revenue shall be remitted to the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund. The revenue remitted to the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund under this Subsection shall be in lieu of any other revenues collected pursuant to any contractual agreement for the storage of carbon dioxide beneath the state-owned land or water bottoms that is required by law to be remitted to the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund.
(2) Thirty percent of the revenue shall be remitted to the governing authority of the parish located in a specific area of interest. If the specific area of interest is located in more than one parish, the monies shall be divided between the parishes in proportion to the amount of property located in each parish pursuant to the contractual agreement.
(3) The remaining revenue shall be deposited into the state general fund.
C. This Section shall not be construed to apply to property owned by state agencies or local governmental entities.
Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 508, §1.
A. Upon commencement of Class VI injection operations for the geologic storage of carbon dioxide beneath any land or water bottoms owned by a state agency, whether owned in a public or private capacity, any injection-based revenue collected by the state agency, or by the office of mineral resources on behalf of that agency, shall be immediately forwarded to the state treasurer for deposit into the state treasury. After complying with the provisions of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, the state treasurer shall remit the funds as provided in this Section.
B. Pursuant to the authority granted to the legislature by Article VII, Section 10-A(A)(1) of the Constitution of Louisiana, for injection-based revenue collected on behalf of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries or the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, the revenue shall be distributed as follows:
(1) Thirty percent of the revenue shall be remitted to the governing authority of the parish or parishes within the area of review of the storage facility. If more than one parish is included in the area of review, each parish shall be entitled to a proportionate share of the revenue based on the relative proportion of surface area directly above the area of review located in each parish.
(2) The remainder shall be deposited into the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Fund.
C. For injection-based revenue collected on behalf of any other state agency, the revenue shall be distributed as follows:
(1) Thirty percent of the revenue shall be remitted to the governing authority of the parish or parishes within the area of review of the storage facility. If more than one parish is included in the area of review, each parish shall be entitled to a proportionate share of the revenue based on the relative proportion of surface area directly above the area of review located in each parish.
(2) The remainder shall be deposited into the state general fund.
D. For the purposes of this Section, the term "injection-based revenue" includes but is not limited to injection fees, contractual minimum guaranteed annual payments, and any other revenue derived from injection operations. Revenue collected from bonuses, rentals, pipeline rights-of-way, or other payments for surface use or surface facilities are not included in the distribution required by this Section.
E. The state agency, or the office of mineral resources on behalf of that agency, shall submit a monthly report to the Department of the Treasury and the relevant parish governing authority itemizing the prior month's collections from injection operations for each storage facility.
F. Upon request of a parish entitled to revenue pursuant to this Section, the Department of Conservation and Energy is authorized to disclose to the parish governing authority any storage facility data that is relevant to the calculation of payments due.
G. This Section only applies to property owned by state agencies and shall not be construed to apply to local governmental entities.
Acts 2025, No. 508, §1.
A. No board, commission, agency or department of the state shall issue a permit to any person to prospect by means of torsion balance, seismograph explosions, mechanical device, or otherwise, for minerals, or for any other purpose, on any right of way, easement or servitude granted for highway purposes whether owned by the state or its agencies in fee simple, or otherwise, without requiring that the applicant furnish to the issuer in advance a complete list of all the owners of land abutting the right of way, easement or servitude on that side of the highway on which such prospecting is to occur, which area shall be expressly described in the permit, together with evidence of the furnishing to the abutting property owners of information concerning proposed operations and evidence of the consent of all such abutting property owners as provided in Subsection C.
B. No board, commission, agency or department of the state, nor any person holding a right of way, servitude or easement for non-highway purposes shall issue a permit to any person to prospect by means of torsion balance, seismograph explosions, mechanical device, or otherwise, for minerals, or for any other purposes, on land which the issuer does not own in fee simple without requiring that the applicant furnish to the issuer in advance evidence of the furnishing to the abutting property owners of information concerning proposed operations and evidence of the consent of the owner of the land in fee simple as provided in Subsection C.
C. Before any permit is issued under the provisions of Subsection A above, the applicant shall furnish to the issuer a complete list of abutting property owners, as required in this Section, evidence of the consent of the abutting property owners as provided in this Subsection C, and evidence that, prior to obtaining such consent, applicant has furnished to the abutting property owners a brochure, pamphlet or other writing setting out the name and address of the applicant and an explanation of the nature of the proposed operations to be made under the permit with respect to which consent is solicited, together with an affidavit sworn to by applicant, in the presence of a notary and two witnesses, confirming that applicant has complied with the requisites of Subsection A according to the best information available to applicant.
Before any permit is issued under the provisions of Subsection B above, applicant shall furnish to the issuer evidence of the consent of the owner of the property which is subject to the right of way, servitude or easement as provided in this Subsection C, and evidence that, prior to obtaining such consent, applicant has furnished to the abutting property owners a brochure, pamphlet or other writing setting out the name and address of the applicant and an explanation of the nature of the proposed operations to be made under the permit with respect to which consent is solicited, together with an affidavit sworn to by the applicant, or by a person duly authorized to act on behalf of said applicant, in the presence of a notary and two witnesses, confirming that the applicant has complied with the requirements of Subsection B according to the best information available to applicant.
The evidence of consent of abutting property owners and owners required in this Section may be in the form of a written consent by such owners or the applicant may confirm in the sworn affidavit prescribed in this Section that the consent of these landowners has been obtained verbally, which confirmation will be sufficient to satisfy the requirement of proof of consent of the property owners under Subsections A and B.
The issuer of permits under this Section shall not be required to verify or confirm the correctness of the documents furnished by the applicant.
Injunctive relief shall be available when violations of this Section occur, or when there is clear and convincing evidence that this Section will be violated. In the event that injunctive relief is granted, plaintiff shall be entitled to reasonable attorneys' fees and all costs of court, reserving unto plaintiff all rights to civil damages which he may be entitled to recover under the law.
Amended by Acts 1977, No. 639, §1; Acts 1978, No. 639, §1, eff. July 13, 1978.
A. "Public lands" means lands belonging to the state or its agencies and which may be leased under Chapter 2 of this Title.
B. "Geophysical and geological survey" means magnetometer surveys, gravitymeter surveys, torsion balance surveys, seismograph surveys, using either the reflection or the refraction method, soil analysis surveys which tend to show the presence or absence of hydrocarbons, electrical surveys, using either the Eltran or some similar method and any method utilizing short wave radio.
Amended by Acts 1950, No. 316, §18.
A. The State Mineral and Energy Board shall have exclusive authority to grant exclusive and nonexclusive permits to conduct geophysical and geological surveys of any kind on state-owned lands, including water bottoms. No person shall conduct a geophysical or geological survey on state-owned lands, including water bottoms, without obtaining a permit. These permits shall be granted pursuant to rules promulgated under the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act by the Department of Conservation and Energy. No permit shall be granted covering lands over which the state has a mere servitude without consent of the owner of the abutting property.
B. Any person desiring a permit to conduct geophysical and geological surveys of any kind on state-owned lands, including water bottoms, shall submit an application in writing to the office of mineral resources.
C. Any application that includes prospective areas on lands, including water bottoms, under the jurisdiction of the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, including wildlife management areas, wildlife refuges, public shooting grounds, or outdoor recreation areas, may be rejected by the secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for ecological reasons and the rights of lessors and donors.
D. After deposit to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund as required under the provisions of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana, the following amounts shall be deposited as follows:
(1) An amount equal to the amount received from geophysical and geological survey on lands, including water bottoms, under the jurisdiction of the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, including wildlife management areas, wildlife refuges, public shooting grounds, or outdoor recreation areas, shall be immediately deposited into the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Fund established by Article VII, Section 10-A of the Constitution of Louisiana, or other funds as may be required by law, deed, or acts of donation.
(2) Of the amount received from nonexclusive geophysical and geological surveys conducted on all other state-owned lands and water bottoms, twenty percent shall be deposited into the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Fund and the remainder deposited into the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund created by R.S. 30:136.3.
(3) Of the amount received from exclusive geophysical and geological surveys conducted on all other state-owned lands and water bottoms, five dollars per acre shall be deposited into the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Fund and the remainder deposited into the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund created by R.S. 30:136.3.
Amended by Acts 1954, No. 175, §1; Acts 2000, 2d Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1; Acts 2003, No. 993, §1, eff. July 2, 2003; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A.(1) For any permit issued prior to July 1, 2004, the holder of a permit to conduct geophysical and geological surveys shall furnish to the State Mineral and Energy Board or office of mineral resources maps showing the location of all shot points and detector or geophone setups located on the property and the dates on which they were used, together with the subsurface contours obtained as a result of the use of the points. Additionally, the permit holder shall deliver a copy of any and all seismic data acquired, including 3D, 2D, gravity, magnetic, and any other geophysical or geological data, in a format acceptable to the office of mineral resources. This information shall not extend to lands beyond the boundaries of the public property surveyed. This information shall be furnished to the office of mineral resources or the State Mineral and Energy Board within ninety days after completion of the final stacked and migration processing, but not more than six months after the completion of the survey. Except for the information included in a seismic permit, including the plat showing the geometric polygon of the area on which the seismic is to be shot, all other information, including maps, plots, and other data provided to the State Mineral and Energy Board hereunder shall be confidential and an exception to the provision of public records laws and shall not be released to any other agency or entity, or for any reason, including publication in a technical journal, absent a valid court order from a court of competent jurisdiction or absent written permission of, and under the strict limitations imposed by, the owner having authority to license said data.
(2) For any permit issued on or after July 1, 2004, the holder of a permit to conduct geophysical or geological surveys shall retain ownership of the data gathered and shall not be required to submit the data as required in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection. However, the State Mineral and Energy Board or the employees of the office of mineral resources shall be allowed to review the data. Except for the information included in a seismic permit, including the plat showing the geometric polygon of the area which the seismic is to be shot, all other information, including maps, plots, and other data reviewed by the State Mineral and Energy Board or the staff of the office of mineral resources hereunder shall be confidential and an exception to the provisions of public records laws and shall not be released to any other agency or entity, or for any reason, including publication in a technical journal, absent a valid court order from court of competent jurisdiction or absent written permission of, and under the strict limitations imposed by, the owner having authority to license said data.
B. Whoever knowingly and willfully violates the provisions of the Section or any rule or order of the State Mineral and Energy Board made thereunder shall be fined up to one hundred thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
Acts 2000, 2d Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1; Acts 2004, No. 578, §1, eff. July 1, 2004; Acts 2005, No. 449, §1, eff. July 11, 2005; Acts 2006, No. 520, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 861, §13.
Any person who makes or causes to be made a geophysical survey entailing the use of shot points in any lake, river, or stream bed or other bottoms, the title to which is in the public, shall obtain from the State Mineral and Energy Board a special permit therefor. This permit shall be granted under the rules and regulations which may from time to time be promulgated by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for the protection of oysters, fish, and wildlife.
Amended by Acts 1954, No. 175, §2; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
A. A nonexclusive permit to conduct seismic, geophysical, or geological surveying upon state-owned lands, including water bottoms, shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance. However, if operations commence within the year and are ceased due to unforeseen circumstances, the term may be extended for up to one year from the cessation of operations by the secretary of Department of Conservation and Energy. The permittee shall pay a fee to the office of mineral resources at the time of application for the seismic permit. The fee shall be determined by the State Mineral and Energy Board at least every twelve months or as often as necessary. The fee shall be based upon market value but shall be no more than thirty dollars and no less than five dollars per acre.
B. The secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries may object to an application for a nonexclusive permit to conduct seismic, geophysical, or geological surveying on lands, including water bottoms, under the jurisdiction of the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, including wildlife management areas, wildlife refuges, public shooting grounds, or outdoor recreation areas. Upon the secretary's objections, the application shall be presented for final determination to the State Mineral and Energy Board.
Acts 1983, No. 662, §1; Acts 2000, 2d Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1; Acts 2008, No. 283, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2013, No. 58, §1, eff. May 30, 2013; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. An exclusive geophysical permit entitles the holder to the exclusive right to conduct geophysical or geological surveys of any kind for the term and area specified in the permit.
B.(1) After receiving an application to conduct exclusive geological or geophysical survey, the office of mineral resources shall evaluate the prospective area of survey in order to set the minimum terms which shall then be recommended and presented to the State Mineral and Energy Board for approval or rejection.
(2) For applications that include lands, including water bottoms, under the jurisdiction of the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, including wildlife management areas, wildlife refuges, public shooting grounds, or outdoor recreation areas, the office of mineral resources shall evaluate the prospective area of survey in order to set the minimum terms which shall then be recommended and presented to the secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for approval or rejection. If the recommended minimum terms are rejected by the secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the office of mineral resources in cooperation and consultation with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shall immediately set minimum terms. If the office of mineral resources and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are unable to set minimum terms, the recommendations from both entities shall be presented for final determination to the State Mineral and Energy Board.
C.(1) Upon setting of the minimum terms, the board may offer by public bid a permit to conduct geophysical and geological surveys on all or a portion of the lands described in the application. The board shall publish in the official journal of the state, and in the official journal of the parish where the lands are located, an advertisement which must appear in these journals not more than sixty days and no less than thirty days prior to the date for the opening of bids. The board may publish other such advertisements in its discretion. The advertisement shall contain a description of the land proposed to be surveyed, the time and place sealed bids shall be received and publicly opened, a statement that the bid may be for the whole or any particularly described portion of the land advertised, and any other information that the board may consider necessary. If the lands are situated in two or more parishes, the advertisement shall appear in the official journals of all the parishes where the lands may be partly located. The advertisement and any other published by the board shall constitute judicial advertisement and legal notice within the provisions of Chapter 5 of Title 43 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
(2) The board may also cause notices to be sent to those whom the board determines would be interested in submitting bids. Upon the request of the board, the office of mineral resources shall prepare and mail the notice of publication. A reasonable fee adopted pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act to cover the cost of preparing the mailing of the notice of publication may be charged by the office of mineral resources. On its own motion and after complying with the policies adopted pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 36:354(A)(2), or at the request of the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy, the board shall advertise for bids for a permit in the same manner as if an application had been made therefor.
(3) At the time and place mentioned in the advertisement for the consideration of bids, the bids shall be publicly opened. Bids received by the mineral board may be opened at any state-owned buildings situated in the city in which the capitol is located. The mineral board has authority to accept the bid most advantageous to the state and may grant a permit upon whatever terms the board considers proper. The board may reject any and all bids or may grant a permit of a lesser quantity of property than advertised and withdraw the remainder of the property.
(4) If all written bids to survey lands, including water bottoms, under the jurisdiction of the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, including wildlife management areas, wildlife refuges, public shooting grounds, or outdoor recreation areas, are rejected, the State Mineral and Energy Board, with consultation and cooperation with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, may immediately offer for competitive bidding a permit upon all or any designated part of the land advertised, upon terms most advantageous to the state. On all other state-owned lands, including water bottoms, if all written bids are rejected, the board may immediately offer for competitive bidding a permit upon all or any designated part of the land advertised, upon terms appearing most advantageous to the state. These offerings shall be subject to the board's right to reject any and all bids.
Acts 2000, 2d Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A.(1) No person shall conduct geological surveys for oil, gas, or other minerals by means of a torsion balance, seismograph explosions, mechanical device, or any other method whatsoever, on any land, unless he has obtained the consent of either the owner or the party or parties authorized to execute geological surveys, leases, or permits as provided in the Louisiana Mineral Code.
(2) "Owner" as used herein shall not include a person or legal entity with only a surface or subsurface leasehold interest in the property.
(3) Whoever violates this Subsection shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not less than thirty days nor more than six months, or both.
B.(1) Prior to entering onto any property, the person wishing to conduct geological surveys for oil, gas, or other minerals, by means of a torsion balance, seismograph explosions, mechanical device, or any other method whatsoever, shall file with the office of the clerk of court of either parish where such geological surveying is to be conducted, along with the necessary filing fees, written notification of his intention to conduct such exploration operations, which shall include the surveyor's name and address, the parish, and a map clearly designating the area to be surveyed and the identity of the assessed landowner of such property and the person or entity granting the permit to survey such property as well as the estimated time period of such operation.
(2) Upon receipt of such notification of intention, the clerk of court in each parish shall maintain copies of same in the regular oil and gas record books. If no oil and gas records are kept, such intentions shall be filed in the mortgage record books.
(3) A copy of this information, along with a certified copy of the filing, shall be transmitted by certified mail or hand delivered, by the person wishing to prospect for oil, gas, or other minerals, to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and to the assessed landowner.
(4) If the geological surveyor is a corporation, partnership or other form of legal entity, filing shall be in the name of the legal entity, and the names and addresses of the employees shall not be required.
(5) Whoever violates the filing requirements of this Subsection shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars.
Amended by Acts 1977, No. 639, §2; Acts 1980, No. 435, §1; Acts 1983, No. 662, §1; Acts 1995, No. 296, §1.
No injunction shall issue against lessees of the state or state employees to restrain exploration for minerals on state lands. In all cases plaintiff's remedy shall be judicial sequestration of the product of the exploration or its proceeds until the rights of all claimants are determined.
The defendant may obtain release of the sequestered product or proceeds by giving bond. This bond shall be payable to the clerk of court and in an amount fixed by the judge as being the value of the product at the time of its release, with legal interest from final judgment.
Prior to the release on bond, the judge may on application by either party after hearing, issue an interlocutory decree ordering the sheriff to sell the minerals at the highest market price then obtainable and to deposit the proceeds in a separate account in a bank to be designated by the court. The bank paying the highest rate of interest pending the litigation shall be selected by the judge.
A. Any person who takes photographs from the air in this state for the purpose of making aerial maps or mosaics must file a list of these photographs or mosaics within thirty days after their completion with the State Department of Conservation. On request of the department a copy shall be furnished on the same scale as it is offered for sale to the public. The cost of these copies shall be borne by the department.
B. This Section does not apply to any federal agency or to any person making aerial photographs or mosaics for any federal agency.
C. Whoever violates this Section shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not less than thirty days nor more than six months, or both.
To insure the accuracy of all orifice-type meters used to measure the production of gaseous mineral hydrocarbons the differential pressure recording device of said meters shall be zeroed each chart changing date, the record thereof to be disclosed on the chart of each meter.
Acts 1958, No. 510, §1.
All equipment used for the measuring of the production from the lease of gaseous mineral hydrocarbons sold or otherwise utilized off the lease shall be tested, and repaired and corrected, if necessary, not less than one time within each 6-month period.
Acts 1958, No. 510, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2023, No. 345, §2, eff. Dec. 21, 2023.
Repealed by Acts 2023, No. 345, §2, eff. Dec. 21, 2023.
Repealed by Acts 2023, No. 345, §2, eff. Dec. 21, 2023.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1185, §8, eff. July 1, 2001.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1185, §8, eff. July 1, 2001.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1185, §8, eff. July 1, 2001.
Repealed by Acts 1989, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 6, §6, eff. July 14, 1989.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1185, §8, eff. July 1, 2001.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1185, §8, eff. July 1, 2001.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1185, §8, eff. July 1, 2001.
There is hereby created the Advisory Commission for Louisiana's Energy, Environment, and Restoration within the Department of Conservation and Energy. The commission shall support programs designed to demonstrate to the general public the importance of the Louisiana oil and natural gas exploration, production, and service industry; encourage the wise and efficient use of energy; promote environmentally sound production methods and technologies; develop existing supplies of Louisiana's oil and natural gas resources; support research and educational activities concerning the oil and gas exploration and production industry; cause remediation of historical oilfield environmental problems; and to have such other authority as provided by law.
Acts 2020, No. 62, §1, eff. June 5, 2020; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. The commission shall be composed of the following members:
(1)(a) One member appointed by the governor chosen from a list of three names submitted by the Louisiana Landowners Association board of directors.
(b) One member appointed by the governor chosen from a list of three names submitted by the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association board of directors.
(c) One member appointed by the governor chosen from a list of three names submitted by the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association board of directors.
(2) Two members appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives chosen from a list of six names submitted by the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association board of directors.
(3) Two members appointed by the president of the Senate chosen from a list of six names submitted by the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association board of directors.
B. The commission shall be domiciled in East Baton Rouge Parish.
C. At the first meeting, to be held no later than September 1, 2020, the board shall elect a chair and any other officers it considers necessary for the effective operation of the commission.
D. The terms of the members shall be concurrent with that of the governor. Members may be reappointed.
E. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
F. A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of taking any action. Actions of the commission may be taken by an affirmative vote of the members of the commission present.
G. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation.
Acts 2020, No. 62, §1, eff. June 5, 2020.
A. The commission shall develop an operational plan and legislative recommendations for the 2021 Regular Session of the Legislature necessary to implement the operational plan by July 1, 2021.
B. Department and legislative staff shall assist the commission in developing the operational plan and legislative recommendations.
C. The operational plan of the commission and legislative recommendations shall be presented to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment no later than March 1, 2021.
Acts 2020, No. 62, §1, eff. June 5, 2020.
A. In the event of failure to supply natural gas in Louisiana which is the direct result of compulsory reallocation or curtailment procedures, other than reallocation or curtailment procedures implemented pursuant to a statewide emergency declared by the governor in accordance with R.S. 30:571, or an emergency certified to the governor pursuant to R.S. 30:413, the former purchaser/recipient of the natural gas shall have a right and cause of action against the ultimate industrial user or users and/or the ultimate local distribution company to whom the natural gas was reallocated and who are knowing beneficiaries as a consequence of availing themselves of the use of such natural gas; provided that no ultimate local distribution company or ultimate industrial user or users shall be liable for damages as a knowing beneficiary under this Act by reason of the fact that such company or user is itself a victim of compulsory curtailment to a lesser extent than other users supplied by a common supplier under curtailment order.
B. Nonresident industrial users and local natural gas distribution companies not otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Louisiana, which are knowing beneficiaries as recipients of natural gas previously committed by contract for delivery in Louisiana, which natural gas was made available to and utilized by such knowing beneficiaries as a result of compulsory reallocation or curtailment, not otherwise excepted pursuant to Subsection A of this Section, shall, as a consequence of acceptance of the use of the state's natural resources, transmission facilities, processing plants and right-of-ways, be deemed to additionally accept the appointment of the secretary of state of Louisiana or his successor in office, to be his true and lawful attorney for service of process, upon whom may be served all lawful process in any action or proceeding arising as a result of failure to supply natural gas in Louisiana as to which such knowing beneficiary is made defendant. Such service shall be of the same legal force and effect as if served upon such defendant personally.
C. The service of the process authorized by this Section shall be made by serving a copy of the citation on the secretary of state, and such service shall be sufficient service upon said defendant, provided that notice of such service, together with a copy of the citation are forthwith sent by registered mail by the plaintiff to the defendant, or are actually delivered to the defendant and defendant's return receipt, in case notice is sent by registered mail, or affidavit of the party delivering the citation, in case notice is made by actual delivery, is filed in the proceedings before judgment can be entered against said defendant. The court in which the action is pending may order such continuance as may be necessary to afford the defendant reasonable opportunity to defend the action.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 674, §1.
When failure to supply natural gas pursuant to a contract is the result of compulsory reallocation or curtailment not otherwise excepted by this Part, the damages due to the former purchaser/recipient shall adhere to the following guidelines:
(1) The general rule is that damages are the amount of the loss the purchaser has sustained or the gain of which he has been deprived.
(2) Where applicable, the injured purchaser shall be entitled to recover the cost of alternate fuel based upon the cost of such alternate fuel suitably adjusted for loss of efficiency and increased maintenance costs.
(3) Where applicable, the injured purchaser shall be entitled to all reasonable costs of converting to any alternate fuel. This reimbursement for conversion shall cover charges for transportation, handling, storage, disposal, mechanical adjustments, and new equipment which the conversion necessitates.
(4) The injured purchaser shall be entitled to reimbursement of reasonable attorney's fees pursuant to any action hereunder.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 674, §1.
A. Whenever there is a compulsory reallocation or curtailment of natural gas resulting in a failure to supply natural gas in Louisiana pursuant to a contract, the secretary, on call of the governor, shall hold a public hearing for the purpose of determining whether, as a result of extreme shortages of natural gas an emergency condition exists within a locality, municipality, parish or region of the state or elsewhere within the United States.
B. In the event that such an emergency is determined to exist, the secretary shall certify such fact to the governor, who shall immediately thereafter issue an official order to that effect.
C. Upon issuance of such order the effect of this Part shall be suspended and inapplicable as regards any action for damages otherwise available herein and arising as a result of compulsory reallocation or curtailment pursuant to the emergency hereinabove declared.
D. This Section shall not preclude a purchaser of natural gas in Louisiana from instituting legal proceedings otherwise available in the event of failure of a supplier to deliver natural gas pursuant to a gas sales agreement with that purchaser if curtailment or reallocation of natural gas results in whole or part from the negligence of the supplier.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 674, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Whenever there has been a failure to supply natural gas as a result of compulsory reallocation or curtailment procedures other than as provided for at R.S. 30:413 and 571, the secretary shall call a public hearing pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act for the purpose of determining the reasons for the compulsory action, the sustained and impending harm to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the state as a result of the compulsory action, and the beneficiaries of the natural gas otherwise made available as a result of the compulsory action.
B. Evidence derived from the hearing shall be immediately made available to the governor for the purpose of determining the necessity of issuing emergency proclamations or orders, calling a special session of the legislature, or other action as may be necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the state, or to prevent the physical and economical waste of natural resources of the state.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 674, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The governor of Louisiana is hereby authorized, for and on behalf of the state, to join with the governor of any other state in declaring a liquefied petroleum gas emergency. When the declaration is issued, trucks and operators carrying liquefied petroleum gas and meeting all certification, permit, and licensing requirements of the federal government and their home state shall be permitted to transport liquefied petroleum gas in and through Louisiana without obtaining any license, permit, or certification required by this state.
B. This exception and waiver of Louisiana licensing, permitting, and certification requirements regarding trucks and operators transporting liquefied petroleum gas shall be valid only during the period of the declared emergency.
Acts 1990, No. 240, §1.
The provisions of this Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Natural Resources and Energy Act of 1973.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. It is the determination of the legislature that existing and impending shortages of natural gas and other fossil fuels caused by inadequate domestic production, environmental constraints, impediments to the intrastate transportation of natural gas, and the unavailability of imports sufficient to satisfy domestic demand have caused, and will cause curtailment of vital public services, severe economic dislocations and hardships, including loss of jobs, closing of factories and businesses, and reduction of crop planting and harvesting, and, thus, there exists a serious threat to the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the state of Louisiana creating a statewide energy emergency, which is part of a nationwide energy emergency. These conditions require that the state of Louisiana provide for an agency to assume primary governmental responsibility for developing and enforcing emergency energy shortage contingency plans; to implement and administer delegations of authority in this area to the state by the federal government; for dealing with existing and anticipated dislocations, shortages, distribution and transportation difficulties; to protect, conserve and replenish the natural resources of the state, and to prohibit and prevent the waste, wasteful use and wasteful utilization of natural gas, and to prevent the use of natural gas in such a manner and in such quantities as to threaten the premature exhaustion, extinction and destruction of the supply of natural gas in the state; to enforce the mandatory conservation, allocation, rationing, and safe and efficient transportation of these hydrocarbons and provide for an increase in available supplies of the state's energy resources, particularly the production, and safe and efficient transportation and use of natural gas, utilizing wholly intrastate facilities, in order to minimize the adverse effect of such shortages on the economy and industrial capacity of the state. The state must insure that measures will be taken to meet these existing emergencies and to conform as nearly as practical with national commitments and national requirements governing the transportation, distribution, and use of energy resources, and particularly to assure the best utilization for the benefit of the public of such natural gas as remains within the control and direction of the state of Louisiana.
B. The purpose for which this Chapter is enacted is to protect and conserve the natural energy resources of the state, and prevent the physical and economic waste, wasteful use and wasteful utilization thereof, through the development and implementation of a comprehensive energy policy for the state of Louisiana which will regulate the use, end-use, production, transportation, conservation, sale and prices of the state's energy resources, improve the available transportation facilities for movement of intrastate natural gas between the different parts of the state, provide for the equitable distribution of energy supplies to the residents and the commercial and industrial users of these energy supplies; and insure the maintenance of the highest practical level of energy supplies commensurate with the general health, safety, welfare and prosperity of the state.
C. This Chapter is enacted under the police power of the state, the residuum of the state's power not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States and the authority of the legislature under the Constitution of Louisiana, including Paragraphs (C) and (D) of Section 1 of Article VI of the Constitution of Louisiana.
D. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Chapter shall not apply to natural gas, not to exceed twenty five million cubic feet per day, owned or purchased by a person at or near the field where produced and transported by the purchaser through his own pipeline solely for his own consumption or to gas acquired, through an exchange of any portion of such gas, solely for his own consumption; provided that such gas may be made subject to the provisions of Part IV of this Chapter in cases where the secretary finds that an extreme emergency exists impairing gas otherwise required for the priorities set forth in R.S. 30:572(1)(a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) which cannot be substantially otherwise provided for.
E. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Parts IV, V, VI, and VII of this Chapter and provisions of Part III relating to excess capacity shall not apply to synthetic gas which is produced from coal, lignite, or petroleum coke for use and consumption solely within the state of Louisiana, and the heat content of which synthetic gas does not exceed 800 BTUs per standard cubic foot. All other provisions of this Chapter, however, shall be applicable to such gas.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 119, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
As used in this Chapter, the following words and phrases have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section except as otherwise provided in this Chapter or unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:
(1) "Commissioner" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(2) "Common carrier gas pipeline" is one which transports intrastate natural gas exclusively for hire by others.
(3) "Excess capacity" of intrastate gas pipelines is defined as that part of the capability of a pipeline system to transport intrastate natural gas from point to point along its line in excess of the immediate needs of the pipeline company or its subsidiaries or its parent or the subsidiary companies of its parent. In determining excess capacity, the secretary may disregard existing contracts for the transportation or sale of intrastate natural gas not then being performed or fulfilled. Excess capacity of intrastate pipelines may also be created as a result of intrastate natural gas delivery curtailment orders of the secretary in the implementation of the allocation, rationing and conservation measures governing the end-use of intrastate natural gas provided for in this Chapter.
(4) "Gas" means any gas derived from or composed of hydrocarbons, including synthetic gas which is produced from coal, lignite, or petroleum coke and the heat content of which synthetic gas does not exceed 800 BTUs per standard cubic foot.
(5) "Intrastate natural gas" is defined as that gas produced, transported, and utilized wholly within the state of Louisiana, through the use of intrastate pipelines or of interstate pipelines where such use of interstate pipelines is or may hereafter be exempt from the control of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under the Natural Gas Act and/or rules and regulations promulgated by the Federal Power Commission thereunder; and gas, wherever produced, which is or may be transported into this state and delivered to an intrastate pipeline in this state to be used or consumed wholly within this state.
(6) "Intrastate natural gas transporter" is defined as any person owning or operating an intrastate pipeline.
(7) "Intrastate pipeline" is defined as a pipeline which is located and operated in the state of Louisiana and is or may hereafter be exempt from the control of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
(8) "Master meter system" means a pipeline system for distributing gas within but not limited to a definable area such as a mobile home park, housing project, apartment complex, or postsecondary education institution where the operator purchases metered gas from an outside source for resale through a gas pipeline system. The gas distribution pipeline system supplies the ultimate consumer who either purchases the gas directly through a meter or by other means, such as by rents.
(9) "Natural gas distribution system" means a company, municipality, or political subdivision that purchases or receives natural gas, and through its own intrastate pipeline system, distributes natural gas to end users in Louisiana such as residential, commercial, industrial, and wholesale customers, and shall include master meter systems.
(10) "Natural gas transmission pipeline" is defined as one which transports natural gas in or through the state of Louisiana.
(11) "Person" means any natural person, corporation, political subdivision, association, partnership, limited liability company, receiver, tutor, curator, executor, administrator, fiduciary, or representative of any kind.
(12) "School system" means a pipeline system for distributing natural gas to a public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school, including any nonpublic pre-kindergarten. Upon request for a revision of service by the governing authority of a school or person authorized by the governing authority to make such a request, the local distribution company providing natural gas service to the school shall, within a reasonable period of time and upon mutual agreement, install a meter at the building wall of each building of the school that utilizes natural gas. The gas piping from the outlet of the meter to the inside of the building shall be installed above ground and shall be maintained by the school in accordance with the requirements of the office of state fire marshal. The outside piping that is upstream of the meter to the outlet of the meter shall be owned and maintained by the local distribution company in accordance with minimum pipeline safety regulations. The pipeline system of a school that does not request a revision of service as described by this Paragraph shall be deemed a special class system, and subject to the requirements of such system.
(13) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(14) "Special class system" means a pipeline system for distributing gas to a federal, state, or local government facility or to a private facility performing a government function through which the operator receives or purchases gas from an outside source and distributes the gas through a pipeline system to more than one outlet beyond the meter or regulator, which ultimate outlet may, but need not be, individually metered or charged a fee for the gas. Any exemption from pipeline safety regulations granted to master meter systems applies to special class systems.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 661, §1; Acts 1980, No. 108, §1; Acts 1985, No. 250, §2, eff. July 6, 1985; Acts 1988, No. 22, §1, eff. June 10, 1988; Acts 1992, No. 275, §1; Acts 1999, No. 358, §2, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2004, No. 224, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall administer, enforce and carry out the powers, duties and functions transferred to him by Part II of this Chapter or otherwise vested in him by this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. In order to merge and consolidate into one agency, under authority of Section 32 of Article III of the Constitution of 1921, certain executive and administrative offices, boards, commissions and agencies of the state of Louisiana whose duties and functions are of a similar nature or character, the following named offices, boards, commissions and agencies are merged and consolidated into the Department of Conservation and Energy:
(1) The natural gas committee or commission authorized by R.S. 30:401 et seq.
B. Repealed by Acts 1979, No. 449, §5, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
C. Except as otherwise provided herein, on and after April 1, 1974, the secretary shall exercise those functions of the state, authorized by the state, or now or hereafter authorized by the constitution and laws to be exercised which relate to the administration, management and operation of the functions, programs and facilities of the offices, boards, commissions, and agencies hereby merged and consolidated, as well as the functions, powers, and duties transferred to the secretary by Subsection B of this Section.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Under the transfer of functions provided for by this Part, any pending or unfinished business of any of said agencies shall be taken over and be completed by the commissioner with the same power and authority as the agencies from which the functions are transferred. The commissioner shall be the successor in every way to the agencies from which such functions are transferred, and every act done by the commissioner in the exercise of such functions shall be deemed to have the same force and effect under any provisions of the constitution and laws in effect on and after the effective date of this Part as if done by the agencies from which such functions are transferred.
B. Whenever any agency from which functions are transferred hereby is referred to or designated by the constitution or by any law or contract or other document, such reference or designation shall be deemed to apply to the commissioner. The legislature hereby specifically states that the provisions of this Part are in no way and to no extent intended to nor shall they be construed in any manner which will impair the contractual obligations of any agency heretofore existing, or of the state of Louisiana with respect to any such agencies. It is hereby specifically provided that all such obligations hereafter shall be deemed to be the obligations of the commissioner to the same extent as if originally made by the commissioner. In like manner, and in order to prevent any violation of the provisions, terms or conditions of any gift, donation, deed, will, trust, or other instrument or disposition by which property of any nature or description has been vested in any agency affected by this merger, consolidation and transfer, or diversion from the purposes for which such property was donated, deeded, devised or bequeathed or otherwise vested in any such agency, it is hereby specifically provided that each and every such instrument or disposition hereafter shall be deemed to have been vested in the commissioner in the same manner and to the same extent as if originally so done. In addition, the provisions of this Part shall not be construed or applied in such manner as to prevent full compliance by the state or any agency thereof with the requirements of any Act of the Congress of the United States or any regulation made thereunder by any officer or agency of the federal government by which federal aid or other federal assistance from the United States has been or is hereafter made available to this state or any subdivision or agency thereof, anything contained in this Part to the contrary notwithstanding, and such compliance hereafter shall be accomplished by the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
All books, paper, records, money, choses in action and other property of every kind and description, movable and immovable, real and personal, heretofore possessed, controlled or used by any of the agencies affected by this Part, in the exercise of functions hereby transferred, are hereby transferred to the State Department of Conservation.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
The secretary is designated as the sole agency of the state for accepting, administering and expending any and all federal funds awarded or allocated to the state of Louisiana for any purpose covered by any provision of this Chapter and for carrying out the purposes of any federal law concerning any matter covered by the provisions of this Chapter; however, each of said agencies shall remain in existence as agencies within the Department of Conservation and Energy and to the full extent required by any federal law or regulation shall serve as the agency of the state to accept federal funds and administer them in connection with their programs and functions as provided by law prior to this merger and consolidation.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
All employees heretofore engaged in the performance of duties in any agency in the exercise of functions transferred by this Part to the secretary shall be transferred with such functions to Department of Conservation and Energy to the full extent necessary to carry out the purposes of this Chapter and shall, so far as practicable and necessary, continue to perform the duties heretofore performed, subject to the state civil service laws and regulations and the laws and regulations governing the state employees retirement system.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
In order to effect an orderly transfer of the agencies and functions affected by this Part the following procedure shall be effected, to-wit:
(1) Not later than January 1, 1974, the governing authorities of each of the agencies herein merged, consolidated and transferred shall transmit to the governor, the commissioner of administration and the commissioner such information necessary to effect plans for such consolidation, merger and transfer as may be prescribed by the commissioner of administration, including but not limited to the following: (a) a complete list of all personnel, their salaries and job description, (b) a complete inventory of all furniture, fixtures and equipment of every kind and description whatsoever; (c) all financial and bookkeeping records; (d) a summary of all floor space in state office buildings or otherwise then being utilized.
(2) There then shall be prepared and transmitted to the governor and commissioner of administration a "transition plan for consolidation" not later than February 15, 1974. This plan shall include a detailed procedure for the consolidation and merger of offices and functions, including the transfer and utilization of jobs, personnel, funds, office space and equipment, and such other information as the governor may require. Said plan shall be used by the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter in effectuating and implementing the purposes of this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
The merger, consolidation and transfer of functions provided for by this Part shall commence on March 1, 1974, and shall be completed on or before thirty days thereafter, and it is hereby specifically provided that when and as the merger, consolidation and transfer of functions is effectuated as to each of the boards, commissions, agencies, and entities affected by this Part, all funds then remaining to the credit of each from legislative appropriations, and any funds budgeted for or otherwise available to or for the benefit of any agency, institution, facility or program to carry out the functions herein consolidated, merged and transferred, shall follow the functions and activities herein transferred to the commissioner. Thereafter the disbursement of and the accountability for said funds shall be the responsibility of the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
In the event that any other laws are enacted at this 1973 Extraordinary Session which create and provide for boards or other agencies charged with the functions of the administration, enforcement, management or operation of matters and facilities governed by this Chapter, each such board or agency and its functions are hereby merged, consolidated and transferred into the State Department of Conservation in the same manner and to the same extent as are the boards, commissions, agencies and offices enumerated in this Part, such merger, consolidation and transfer to be completed no later than April 1, 1974.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
To accomplish the purposes of this Chapter, the secretary is authorized to:
(1) Employ such officers, agents, employees, and professional personnel, including legal counsel, as he deems necessary for the performance of his powers and duties and prescribe the powers and duties and fix the compensation of such officers, agents, employees, and professional personnel.
(2) Contract, upon such terms as he may agree upon, for legal, financial, engineering, and other professional services necessary or expedient in the conduct of the affairs of the department under the provisions of this Chapter; however, counsel retained by the secretary to represent the interests of the state before the congress and the federal energy agencies and to advise the secretary regarding the same shall not be deemed to be a public employee within the meaning of Chapter 15 of Title 42 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
(3) Utilize the services of the other executive departments of the state upon mutually agreeable terms and conditions.
(4) Receive, by gift, grant, donation, or otherwise, any sum of money, aid, or assistance from any person or the United States, its agencies, the state of Louisiana, or any political subdivision thereof.
(5) Do any and all things necessary or proper for the development, regulation, and accomplishment of the purposes of this Chapter.
(6) Repealed by Acts 1979, No. 449, §5, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 482, §1, eff. July 13, 1977; Acts 1985, No. 1015, §1, eff. July 24, 1985; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, the provisions of R.S. 30:6, 30:8, 30:13, and 30:15 shall apply to the administration and enforcement of this Chapter.
B. The legal counsel employed or retained by the commissioner, when authorized by the commissioner, shall be entitled to represent the state and the commissioner and to appear in the courts and before agencies of this state or the agencies and courts of the United States and of other states, to carry out the purposes of this Chapter.
C. Whenever it appears to the commissioner that any person has engaged, is engaged, or is about to engage in any acts or practices constituting a violation of this Chapter or of any regulation, rule or order issued hereunder, the commissioner may bring an action in the court having jurisdiction, to enjoin such acts or practices and to enforce compliance with this Chapter or any rule, regulation, or order thereunder, and upon a proper showing a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent injunction shall be granted without bond. The relief sought may include a mandatory injunction commanding any person to comply with this Chapter or any such regulation, rule or order issued hereunder, and to make restitution of money received in violation of any such regulation, rule or order. The commissioner may transmit such evidence as may be available concerning such acts or practices or concerning apparent violations to the district attorney having jurisdiction over same who, in his discretion, may institute necessary criminal proceedings.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
If the commissioner fails to bring suit within ten days to restrain a violation as provided in Subsection C of R.S. 30:542 any person in interest adversely affected by the violation who has notified the commissioner in writing of the violation or threat thereof and has requested the commissioner to sue, may bring suit to prevent any or further violations, in the district court of any parish in which the commissioner could have brought suit. If the court holds that injunctive relief should be granted, the commissioner shall be made a party and shall be substituted for the person who brought the suit and the injunction shall be issued as if the commissioner had at all times been the complaining party.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A.(1) Any person who shall be determined by the secretary, after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, to have violated any provision of this Chapter or any rule, regulation, or order promulgated or issued under this Chapter shall be liable to the department for a civil penalty not to exceed two hundred thousand dollars for each violation for each day that the violation persists, except that the maximum civil penalty shall not exceed two million dollars for any related series of violations.
(2) The amount of the penalty shall be assessed by the secretary by written notice.
(3) In determining the amount of the penalty, the secretary shall consider the nature, circumstances, and gravity of the violation and, with respect to the person found to have committed the violation, the degree of culpability, any history of prior violations, the effect on ability to continue to do business, any good faith in attempting to achieve compliance, ability to pay the penalty, and such other matters as justice may require.
B. The legal counsel employed or retained by the secretary may recover the assessed civil penalty by bringing action against the person so assessed in the court having jurisdiction. The secretary may compromise the civil penalty.
C. Any person who willfully and knowingly violates this Chapter or any rule, regulation, or order issued under this Chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction, shall be subject for each offense to a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both, for each violation.
Acts 1990, No. 599, §1, eff. July 19, 1990; Acts 2018, No. 57, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Noncompliance with the provisions of this Chapter, or with rules, regulations, or orders issued by the commissioner under this Chapter may not be excused on the basis of any private contractual obligation. No person who complies with the provisions of this Chapter or with the rules, regulations or orders of the commissioner issued under this Chapter shall be liable in damages either ex contractu or ex delicto by reason of such compliance.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall have the powers and duties of:
(1) Developing a program for the equitable distribution of energy supplies in Louisiana.
(2) Preparing and implementing plans and procedures to carry out the policies and programs of all federal and state laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to the mandatory and voluntary conservation, allocation, rationing, and distribution of energy resources and supplies.
(3) Promulgating regulations for the mandatory allocation of the use and end-use of intrastate natural gas, and of such fossil fuels and other fuels as the state may be directed or requested by the federal government to allocate, ration, conserve, or otherwise control.
(4) Investigating and monitoring the users or end users of hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon products and the commodities produced, processed, or manufactured from hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon products produced or delivered in this state.
(5) Adopting and promulgating rules and regulations requiring the users or end users of hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon products to register with the secretary and report on the use or end use of hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon products in the processing, production, or manufacture of commodities, goods, or services.
(6) Preparing and implementing a natural gas storage plan by which surplus intrastate natural gas and state royalty gas received under validly existing mineral leases granted by the state, is placed in storage, whether above or below the surface of the earth, to be used during periods of shortages or emergencies.
B. The secretary shall have and exercise all necessary power and authority to supervise, govern, regulate and control the production, transportation, distribution, storage, sale, use and end-use of intrastate natural gas, including the power and authority to supervise, govern, regulate and control intrastate natural gas transporters and all aspects of sales of intrastate natural gas including direct sales to industrial users for fuel or for other uses; provided, however, the secretary shall have no authority to regulate the sale prices of intrastate natural gas except as authorized by the provisions of this Chapter with respect to prices on reallocated gas and prices under contracts executed after the effective date of this Chapter.
C. The secretary is empowered to take such actions, and promulgate such rules, regulations, and orders, as necessary to provide for the enforcement of the laws of the United States and regulations of appropriate federal agencies to the extent such enforcement, power, authority and responsibility is delegated to the state, for the mandatory allocation or rationing of natural gas, crude oil, residual fuel oil, refined petroleum products and other fuels.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 482, §1, eff. July 13, 1977; Acts 1979, No. 617, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The commissioner shall not have the authority to prohibit the extraction of ethane and heavier hydrocarbons from natural gas, nor shall these hydrocarbons be regulated as intrastate natural gas under this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
The secretary of conservation shall exercise his powers so as to provide, under the priorities hereinafter set forth, to the maximum extent practicable, for:
(1) Protection of public health, safety, and welfare (including maintenance of hospitals, juvenile and adult correctional institutions, nursing homes, dormitories, hotels, motels, and residential heating, such as individual homes, apartments, and similar occupied dwelling units);
(2) Maintenance of agricultural operations, and the processing of agricultural products, including farming, ranching, dairy, water conservation and commercial fishing activities, and services directly related thereto, and maintenance of food processing plants, businesses and facilities processing products for human consumption;
(3) Operations and encouragement of exploration, production, processing, and refining efforts to attain maximum production or extraction of oil, intrastate natural gas and other hydrocarbons;
(4) Maintenance of all public services (including facilities and services provided by municipal, cooperative, or investor owned utilities or by any state or local government or authority, and including transportation facilities and services which serve the public at large);
(5) Maintenance of commercial and industrial, business, plant and facility operations, particularly to minimize economic dislocation of business, and industry, and employment therein;
(6) Preservation of an economically sound and competitive petroleum, petro-chemical and chemical industry;
(7) Assistance to private industry in obtaining the most efficient and safe transportation of intrastate natural gas from the sources of supply and reserves to the different parts of the state through intrastate pipelines, regardless of the ownership of the intrastate pipelines, to obtain maximum utilization of all existing intrastate pipelines within the state of Louisiana, the intent of this Chapter being to encourage, direct, mandate and enforce the use of excess capacity of intrastate pipelines to foster the movement of intrastate gas about the state of Louisiana.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1974, No. 501, §2; Acts 1977, No. 547, §1, eff. July 15, 1977; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The commissioner shall be empowered to promulgate and enforce a uniform system of accounting by intrastate natural gas transporters, where deemed advisable by the commissioner, to assure that intrastate natural gas transporters accurately report the results of their operations thereby facilitating rate regulations in those instances where the commissioner is called upon to establish reasonable rates for the transportation and sale of gas.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
The commissioner shall be empowered to gather, analyze, maintain, and publish information on intrastate natural gas pipelines and producers, transporters, distributors, and users of intrastate natural gas and may serve as a clearinghouse to provide information to users of natural gas regarding the availability of supplies of natural gas.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 539, §1.
A. Pursuant to Article IX, Section 2(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana, the secretary shall be the authority to regulate natural gas and natural gas transporters and distribution companies as provided in this Chapter; provided, however, that the Louisiana Public Service Commission shall remain the authority to regulate the sale of natural gas moving by pipeline to local distributing systems for resale, and shall regulate resales by those distributing companies, for the purposes of fixing and regulating the rates and services charged and rendered by public utilities in such sale; except that those distribution companies or systems owned or operated by the governing authority of one or more political subdivisions or subject to regulation in accordance with the provisions of a home rule charter or plan of government shall be regulated, except as provided in Subsection B of this Section by the owning or operating governing authority or as provided by such home rule charter or plan of government.
B. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the secretary shall be the authority to regulate persons engaged in the transportation of gas or who own or operate intrastate pipeline facilities for the transportation of gas. The secretary shall establish by regulation minimum safety standards for pipeline facilities and the transportation of gas, and those regulations shall be consistent with the rules and regulations authorized by 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq.
C. The assistant secretary, as permitted by 49 U.S.C. 60105, may certify annually to the United States Department of Transportation that the state, through the Department of Conservation and Energy, has regulatory jurisdiction over the safety standards and practices of intrastate pipelines and liquefied natural gas facilities not otherwise regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the transportation of gas and liquefied natural gas associated with those facilities.
D. Except as provided in 49 U.S.C. 60104(c), nothing in this Section authorizes the secretary to adopt or enforce safety standards for interstate gas pipeline facilities or the transportation of gas associated with those facilities.
E. The secretary, as permitted by 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq., may certify annually to the United States Department of Transportation that the state, through the Department of Conservation and Energy, has regulatory jurisdiction over the safety standards and practices of intrastate underground gas storage facilities not otherwise regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the transportation of gas and the storage of gas at those facilities. The secretary, as permitted by 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq., may enter into an agency relationship with the United States Department of Transportation to enforce compliance with safety standards with respect to interstate gas storage facilities or the transportation of gas associated with those facilities.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1978, No. 669, §1; Acts 1985, No. 250, §1, eff. July 6, 1985; Acts 2015, No. 332, §1; Acts 2018, No. 60, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The commissioner shall have the power and authority to regulate the rates, services and facilities of any person certified as an intrastate natural gas transporter, and the commissioner, or his delegate, may certify to the Federal Power Commission that the commissioner has regulatory jurisdiction over the rates and services of such person and facilities and is exercising such jurisdiction, with the intent that such certificate shall constitute conclusive evidence of such regulatory power or jurisdiction as permitted by 15 U.S.C.A. Section 717(c).
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. The commissioner shall be empowered to investigate the need for using excess capacity of an intrastate pipeline and when appropriate, and if an intrastate natural gas transporter and a person owning an intrastate natural gas supply or reserve cannot by private contract agree upon arrangements for, and rates and charges for, the transportation of that person's intrastate natural gas, the commissioner may require an intrastate natural gas transporter to transport the intrastate natural gas of such person within the intrastate pipeline system from and to the points desired by that person, as long as the need therefor exists; provided however, that the transporter may terminate the contract or enforcement proceedings for use of its pipeline by that person upon giving the commissioner and that person ninety days notice that it will, in fact, have a specific need for the excess capacity of its pipeline, or a part thereof, to transport its own gas or the gas of its subsidiaries or of its parent or of a subsidiary of its parent, or to satisfy the requirements of its own transportation or sales contracts for which it then possesses adequate gas supplies to fulfill.
B. The commissioner shall be empowered to investigate the purported need of the transporter to so utilize its excess capacity and to disapprove the transporter's termination of the contract if, in fact, the transporter does not have a bona fide need for the excess capacity; or if, in the opinion of the commissioner, the public interest and the purposes of this Chapter would best be served by a continuation of the transportation of the gas of the other person user. It is deemed in the interest of the state to utilize the total maximum capacity of intrastate pipelines at all times for the movement of intrastate gas about the state of Louisiana with the transporter to receive adequate compensation as hereinafter provided for any such use of its pipeline.
C. The commissioner shall possess jurisdiction over all intrastate pipelines and all intrastate natural gas transporters and shall be empowered to require natural gas transporters to use and/or make available its excess capacity for transport of natural gas owned by others under the provisions of this Section.
D. Intrastate natural gas transporters which transport gas for others under the provisions of this Chapter shall be protected in their transporting of intrastate gas for the purposes of this Chapter from liability to their existing contract purchasers, as a result thereof, and shall not be liable to their contract purchasers under any circumstances from having utilized the excess capacity in their lines for the benefit of the public as defined in this Chapter. No natural gas contract purchaser will be entitled to claim losses, damages or compensation from a pipeline company as a result of the pipeline company having complied with the directions, mandates and orders of the commissioner.
The owner of intrastate natural gas transported under the provisions of this Section shall retain title thereto while the gas is in transit.
E. The commissioner shall be empowered to investigate and regulate the rates, charges and services for transport of intrastate natural gas in intrastate commerce on his own motion or upon the request of either a transporter or a person using or desiring to use the excess capacity of an intrastate pipeline. If a transporter and a person using or desiring to use the excess capacity of an intrastate pipeline cannot agree, then the commissioner may, after hearing or hearings involving interested parties, fix the rates and charges for the transportation of intrastate natural gas in intrastate pipelines on either a point to point basis within a pipeline or on a segment of a pipeline, with the rates to be fixed by the commissioner to be sufficient in amount to reimburse the transporter for the cost of furnishing the particular services in each instance, and to return to the transporter a reasonable profit for its services and use of its facilities, commensurate with the rates of return for similar services performed by the instant transporter and other transporters performing reasonably related and similar services in the state of Louisiana so far as deemed practicable under the circumstances; provided, that the total cost to the pipeline company of the pipeline company's entire intrastate pipeline system shall be considered in establishing the price for any transportation service performed, and also for establishing its cost for the transportation of its own gas for sale to others.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A.(1) The commissioner shall issue a certificate of transportation to each person applying therefor if, after a public hearing, he determines that it is or will be in the present or future public interest to do so; however, if any person has previously been issued a certificate of transportation by the commissioner, that certificate continues to remain valid and in force.
(2) All such persons receiving a certificate of transportation from the commissioner shall possess the right of expropriation with authority to expropriate private property under the general state expropriation laws; and shall have the right to lay, maintain, and operate pipelines, together with telegraph and telephone lines necessary and incidental to the operation of these pipelines, over private property thus expropriated; and have the further right to lay, maintain, and operate pipelines along, across, over, and under any navigable stream or public highway, street, bridge, or other public place; and also have the authority, under the right of expropriation herein conferred, to cross railroads, street railways, and other pipelines, by expropriating property necessary for the crossing under the general expropriation laws of this state. The right to run along, across, over, or under any public road, bridge, or highway, as before provided for, may be exercised only upon condition that the traffic thereon is not interfered with, and that such road or highway is promptly restored to its former condition of usefulness, at the expense of the pipeline owner, the restoration to be subject also to the supervision and approval of the proper local authorities.
(3) Anything in this Chapter, or in any rule, regulation, or order issued by the commissioner under this Chapter to the contrary notwithstanding, accepting or acting pursuant to a certificate of transportation issued under this Section, compliance with the provisions of this Chapter, or with rules, regulations, or orders issued by the commissioner under this Chapter, or voluntarily performing any act or acts which could be required by the commissioner pursuant to this Chapter, or rules, regulations, or orders issued by the commissioner under this Chapter, shall not (a) cause any intrastate natural gas transporter to become, or be classified as, a common carrier or a public utility for any purpose whatsoever; (b) subject such intrastate natural gas transporter to any duties, obligations, or liabilities as a common carrier or public utility, under the constitution and laws of this state; or (c) increase the liability of any intrastate natural gas transporter for any taxes otherwise due to the state of Louisiana in the absence of any additions or amendments to any tax laws of this state.
B. In the exercise of the privilege herein conferred, owners or operators of such pipelines shall compensate the parish, municipality or road district, respectively, for any damage done to such public road, in the laying of pipelines, telegraph or telephone lines, along, under, over or across the same. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to grant any transporter the right to use any public street or alley of any parish, incorporated city, town or village, except by express permission from the parish, city or other governing authority.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 115, §1; Acts 1979, No. 393, §1; Acts 1981 No. 497, §1; Acts 1981, HCR No. 208.
A. The commissioner shall examine periodically the status of the intrastate natural gas pipeline system to determine whether supplies of natural gas can be delivered to Louisiana natural gas users; however, he shall hold a hearing upon application for such hearing by any user of natural gas in Louisiana. Whenever the commissioner, after notice and opportunity for hearings, finds such action necessary or desirable in the public interest and to accomplish the purposes of this Chapter, he may by order direct an intrastate natural gas transporter to extend or improve its transportation facilities, to establish physical connection of its transportation facilities with a gas field gathering system or with the pipeline facilities of another pipeline company reasonably commensurate in size and distance with the quantity of natural gas available for transportation therein. The commissioner may determine that the exercise of the authority granted in this Section is in the public interest if a user of gas located in the state, a majority of which users' employees are Louisiana residents, or which user produces goods or services for Louisiana residents, is or will be unable to secure adequate supplies of natural gas to maintain employment or production levels without benefit of the provisions of this Section. Provided, however, that the commissioner shall have no authority to compel the enlargement of transportation facilities for such purposes, or to compel such transporter to establish physical connection when to do so would impair its ability to render adequate service to its intrastate users, regardless of whether such service is then being rendered either directly or through another pipeline.
B. No intrastate natural gas transporter shall abandon all or any portion of its facilities subject to the jurisdiction of the commissioner, or any service rendered by means of such facilities, without the permission and approval of the commissioner first had and obtained, after a finding by the commissioner that the available supply of natural gas is depleted to the extent that the continuance of service is unwarranted, or that the public interest and energy needs permit such abandonment. The commissioner shall be authorized to deny abandonment based upon satisfactory evidence that a user of gas located in the state, a majority of which users' employees are Louisiana residents, or which user produces goods or services for Louisiana residents, including gas or electric service, is or will be unable to secure adequate supplies of natural gas to maintain employment, production, or service levels if abandonment is granted.
C. No person shall engage in the transportation of intrastate natural gas for others, subject to the jurisdiction of the commissioner, or undertake the construction or extension of any facilities therefor, or acquire or operate any such facilities or extensions thereof, unless there is in force with respect to such person an order of the commissioner authorizing such acts or operations unless exempt therefrom under the terms of this Chapter or waived by the commissioner under the authorities granted hereunder. Provided, however, that if any such person or predecessor in interest was bona fide engaged in transportation of natural gas, subject to the jurisdiction of the commissioner, prior to the effective date of this Chapter, over the route or routes or within the area for which application is made and has so operated since that time, the commissioner shall issue such order without requiring further proof that the public interest will be served by such operation, and without further proceedings, if application for such order is made to the commissioner within ninety days after passage of this Chapter. Pending the determination of any such application, the continuance of such operation shall be lawful.
In all other cases the application shall be decided in accordance with the procedures otherwise provided in this Chapter, and such order shall be issued or denied accordingly. Provided, however, that the commissioner may issue a temporary order in cases of emergency, to assure maintenance of adequate service or to serve particular customers, without notice or hearing, pending the determination of an application for a permanent order, and may by regulation exempt from the requirements of this Section temporary acts or operations for which the issuance of an order therefor will not be required in the public interest.
D. Applications for orders as provided for in Paragraphs A, B and C above shall be made in writing to the commissioner, be verified under oath, and shall be in such form, contain such information, and notice thereof shall be served upon such interested parties in such manner as the commissioner shall, by regulation, require.
E. Except in the cases governed by the provisions contained in Subsection C of this Section, an order shall be issued to any qualified applicant, therefor, authorizing the whole or any part of the operation, service, construction, extension, or acquisition covered by the application, if it is found that the applicant is able and willing properly to do the acts and to perform the service proposed and to conform to the provisions of this Chapter and the requirements, rules, and regulations of the commissioner thereunder, and that the proposed service, operation, construction, extension, or acquisition, to the extent authorized by the order, is or will be required by the present or future public interest; otherwise, such application shall be denied. The commissioner shall have the power to attach to the issuance of the certificate and to the exercise of the rights granted thereunder such reasonable terms and conditions as the public interest may require.
F. The commissioner, after a hearing had upon his own motion or upon application, may determine the service area to which each authorization under this Section is to be limited. Within such service area as determined by the commissioner an intrastate natural gas transporter may enlarge or extend its facilities for the purpose of supplying increased market demands in such service area without further authorization.
G. Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed as a limitation upon the power of the commissioner to issue an order for service of an area already being served by another transporter.
H. No person shall connect its system with, move gas into, or receive gas from another pipeline system, including other pipelines or pipeline systems owned by the company, without prior approval of the commissioner.
I. Orders issued by the commissioner pursuant to Subsections C and H of R.S. 30:555 prior to the effective date of R.S. 30:554(A), 555(C), 555(H) shall be valid if issued in compliance with R.S. 30:554(A), 555(C), 555(H).
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 115, §§2, 3; Acts 1979, No. 549, §1; Acts 1979, No. 604, §1.
To encourage the construction, expansion, improvement or betterment of intrastate natural gas pipelines, particularly pipelines and related facilities necessary, incidental or useful to the connection of existing intrastate natural gas pipeline systems with gas producing wells or gas fields, gas wells or gas fields capable of producing gas in commercial quantities, and to assist in the gathering of either private "in-kind" royalty or state-owned "in-kind" royalty, or both, the commissioner may lease from any person, firm, corporation, partnership or association, under the best terms and conditions as the commissioner may be able to prudently negotiate, a pipeline system or systems, or parts thereof, presently existing or hereinafter being built, including pipelines, pumps, storage and all other facilities, structures, and projects incidental, necessary or useful in the production, transportation, distribution and delivery of intrastate natural gas and hydrocarbons, which, in the judgment of the commissioner may provide necessary facilities to make available supplies of intrastate natural gas to the residents, commercial businesses, and/or industries of Louisiana. The commissioner may also sublease to any person any pipeline which he may so acquire, upon the best terms and conditions as the commissioner may be able to prudently negotiate, including a rental based upon a scheduled payment to be made for each 1000 cubic feet of gas transported through the subleased line in amounts determined by the commissioner to reasonably assure payment of the rental under the lease from the anticipated supply of gas to be transported during the term of the lease. The commissioner is not authorized to enter into a lease as authorized herein until he has first determined that no other pipeline is or will be available to transport the particular supply of intrastate natural gas in question to the residents, commercial businesses, and/or industries of Louisiana, for the reason that this special power of the commissioner is to be utilized only for the purpose of making available to the residents, commercial businesses and/or industries of Louisiana supplies of intrastate natural gas which might otherwise not be made available for production and distribution or which might otherwise not be available for input into the intrastate pipeline distribution or transportation systems within the state of Louisiana.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. The secretary shall be empowered to plan, finance, construct in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 38:2211, develop, acquire, maintain and operate a pipeline system or systems, inclusive of pipelines, pumps, storage and all facilities, structures and properties incidental and necessary or useful in the transportation, distribution and delivery of natural gas and hydrocarbons from any and all points of production to points of consumption or to the points of distribution for consumption, within or without the state of Louisiana, inclusive of a pipeline system within the offshore area under the jurisdiction of the state, to facilitate the production, transportation, distribution and delivery of natural gas and hydrocarbons, including gas and hydrocarbons received as royalties "in-kind" by private land or mineral owners, under private leases, and by the state, pursuant to mineral leases by the state, its agencies and political subdivisions, and gas and hydrocarbons acquired by purchase or otherwise by the state from private land or mineral owners.
B. In order to provide for the financing, construction, development, maintenance and operation of said pipeline systems, the secretary may lease or rent to others, after advertisement in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 30:142, the facilities constructed pursuant to the authority conferred herein, and all facilities, structures and properties necessary and incidental, to facilitate the production, transportation, distribution and delivery of natural gas and other hydrocarbons from point of production to point of consumption or to the point of distribution for consumption.
C. The secretary may borrow funds not to exceed fifty million dollars for implementation of the purposes of this Section and mortgage and pledge any lease or leases granted by, assigned or subleased by the secretary.
D. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the secretary shall not exercise any of the rights or powers granted to him in Subsections A, B, and C of this Section, if private persons, firms, or corporations are performing the acts and services, or are constructing or have constructed the facilities to provide the services contemplated by this Section. Prior to exercising any of such rights or powers, the secretary shall publish in the official journal of the state a notice describing the acts, facilities, or services contemplated by the secretary, and any private persons, firms or corporations desiring to perform the acts or services or to construct the facilities to provide the services described in the notice, shall have a period of thirty days from the date of last publication of the notice within which to notify the secretary of their intention to perform the acts or services or to construct the facilities to provide the services described in the notice. In the absence of such notification by a private person, firm or corporation, or if such person, firm or corporation, having given notice of intention to perform the acts or services or to construct the facilities to provide the services contemplated by the secretary, fails to commence same within sixty days from the date of notification of the secretary of such intention, the secretary may proceed to perform the acts, construct the facilities or provide the services originally contemplated.
E. In exercising the rights and powers granted to him in this Section, the secretary shall be vested with authority to:
(1) Acquire by expropriation any properties necessary or useful for the purposes of this Section, in accordance with the general expropriation laws of the state. The secretary shall not have the authority to expropriate mineral leases, gas supplies, gas reserves, oil refineries, minerals, mineral rights or pipelines used in connection therewith. No person shall be granted a suspensive appeal from any judgment rendered by a district court in any expropriation action filed by the secretary hereunder in which it is held that a requested expropriation be approved.
(2) Provide such light, water, police protection and other services for the facilities as he deems advisable.
(3) Establish and collect reasonable fees, rates, tariffs, or other charges for the use of all facilities administered by him and for all services rendered by him.
F. In the exercise of the powers, duties and functions granted to the secretary in Subsection A of this Section, with respect to the production, transportation, distribution and delivery of natural gas and hydrocarbons received as royalties "in-kind" by private land or mineral owners under private leases and by the state pursuant to mineral leases by the state, its agencies and political subdivisions, the secretary shall allocate and/or ration all such natural gas and other hydrocarbons received as "in-kind" royalties in accordance with the priorities established in R.S. 30:572(1)(a) through (i) and, notwithstanding any other provisions of R.S. 30:572 or any other law to the contrary, the priorities established in R.S.:30:572(1)(a) through (i), without any change or modification thereof whatsoever, shall govern the allocation and/or rationing of natural gas and other hydrocarbons received as "in-kind" royalties unless the secretary determines such priority use is impractical under the circumstances.
G. Within ninety days after December 8, 1973, the secretary shall promulgate a set of rules and regulations for intrastate pipeline safety, using as a guideline those rules and regulations authorized by 49 U.S.C. 1671 through 1684 as established by the United States Secretary of Transportation.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.; Acts 1981, HCR No. 208; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. In order to finance capital improvements authorized by R.S. 30:557, the secretary shall have the power to borrow money not to exceed fifty million dollars and evidence the borrowing in the issuance and sale of bonds or other obligations of the Department of Conservation and Energy, the principal and interest of which shall be payable solely out of revenues herein authorized to be dedicated and pledged for such payment.
B. The bonds or other obligations issued under authority of this Section shall be solely the obligations of the Department of Conservation and Energy and shall recite on their face that they do not constitute obligations of the state of Louisiana or of any parish, municipality or other political subdivision of the state. The bonds or other obligations shall be authorized and issued by written authorization of the secretary and shall be of such series, bear such date or dates, mature at such time or times, bear interest at such rate or rates, be in such form, either coupon or fully registered without coupons, carry such registration and exchangeability privileges, be payable in such medium of payment and at such place or places, be subject to such terms of redemption and be entitled to such priorities on the revenues authorized by this Section to be pledged for the payment of principal and interest of such bonds or other obligations as such written authorization may provide. The bonds and the coupons, if any, attached thereto shall be executed in the form and manner provided by the secretary's written authorization.
C. The bonds or other obligations issued under authority of this Section shall be sold by the State Bond Commission in accordance with R.S. 39:1403, except as otherwise provided herein, to the highest bidder on sealed proposals at public sale at not less than par and accrued interest, after publication of notice of sale at least seven days in advance of the date of sale in newspapers or financial journals published at such places as the State Bond Commission may determine, reserving to the State Bond Commission the right to reject any and all bids.
D.(1) Any bonds or other obligations issued hereunder shall be payable from and be secured by the pledge of the revenues derived from the operation of the pipeline system or systems, as constructed, acquired, extended or improved with the proceeds of the bonds, subject only to prior payment of the reasonable and necessary expenses of operating and maintaining the system or systems. Any holder of the bonds or other obligations or of any of the coupons thereto attached may by appropriate legal action compel performance of all duties required of the secretary in order to enforce payment of the bonds when due. If any bonds or other obligations issued hereunder are permitted to go into default as to principal or interest, any court of competent jurisdiction may, pursuant to the application of the holder of the bonds or other obligations, appoint a receiver for the system or systems who shall operate the system or systems and collect and distribute the revenues thereof pursuant to the provisions and requirements of the secretary's written authorization for the bonds.
(2) If more than one series of bonds or other obligations is issued hereunder payable from the revenues of the system or systems, priority of lien on such revenues shall depend on the time of the delivery of the bonds or other obligations each series enjoying a lien prior and superior to that enjoyed by any series of bonds or other obligations subsequently delivered, except that where provision is made in the proceedings authorizing any issue or series of bonds or other obligations for the issuance of additional bonds or other obligations in the future on a parity therewith pursuant to procedure or restrictions provided in such proceedings, additional bonds or other obligations may be issued in the future on a parity with such issue or series in the manner so provided in such proceedings.
E. All bonds or other obligations issued under the provisions of this Section shall constitute negotiable instruments within the meaning of the Louisiana Negotiable Instruments Law. The bonds or other obligations and the income thereof shall be exempt from all taxation within the state of Louisiana.
F. When the secretary has issued bonds and pledged the revenues of the pipeline system or systems for the payment thereof as herein provided, the secretary shall operate and maintain the system or systems and shall impose and collect fees and charges for the services furnished by the system or systems, including those furnished to the Department of Conservation and Energy, in such amounts and at such rates as shall be fully sufficient at all times to pay the expenses of operating and maintaining the system or systems, provide a sinking fund sufficient to assure the prompt payment of principal of and interest on the bonds or other obligations as each falls due, provide such reasonable fund for contingencies as may be required by the secretary's written authorization for the bonds or other obligations, and provide an adequate depreciation fund for repairs, extensions and improvements to the system or systems necessary to assure adequate and efficient service to the public. No board or commission other than the secretary shall have authority to fix or supervise the making of such fees and charges, which shall be in amounts reasonably necessary for the purposes herein stated.
G. Any written authorization of the secretary authorizing the issuance of bonds or other obligations shall be published at least three times in ten days in a newspaper published in the city of Baton Rouge. For a period of thirty days from the date of the publication, any person in interest may contest the legality of the written authorization of the secretary and of the bonds or other obligations to be issued pursuant thereto and the provisions securing the bonds or other obligations, including the validity of any lease or other contract pledged to the payment thereof. After the expiration of thirty days no one shall have any right of action to contest the validity of the bonds or other obligations, the validity of the security pledged to the payment thereof or the provisions of the written authorization pursuant to which the bonds or other obligations were issued, and all the bonds or other obligations and all proceedings relating thereto shall be conclusively presumed to be legal, and no court shall thereafter have authority to inquire into such matters.
H. The secretary may by written authorization authorize the issuance of bonds or other obligations for the purpose of refunding, extending and unifying the whole or any part of the principal, interest and redemption premiums on any outstanding bonds or other obligations issued under the authority of this Section. The refunding bonds or other obligations may either be sold and the proceeds applied to or deposited in escrow for the retirement of the outstanding bonds or other obligations, or may be delivered in exchange for the outstanding bonds or other obligations. The refunding bonds or other obligations shall be authorized in all respects as original bonds or other obligations are herein required to be authorized. The secretary, in authorizing the refunding bonds or other obligations, shall provide for the security of the bonds or other obligations, the sources from which the bonds or other obligations are to be paid and for the rights of the holders thereof in all respects as herein provided for other bonds or other obligations issued under the authority of this Section. The secretary may also provide that the refunding bonds or other obligations shall have the same priority of lien on the revenues pledged for their payment as was enjoyed by the bonds or other obligations refunded.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The secretary may prescribe rules and regulations requiring that all persons operating, managing, or otherwise administering natural gas transmission pipelines or natural gas transmission pipeline companies register with the secretary.
B. It is declared that the business of transporting natural gas in or through the state of Louisiana is affected with a public interest and that state regulation of matters relating to the transportation of said natural gas is necessary in the public interest to conserve natural resources of the state and to prevent physical and economical waste.
C. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter or any other law to the contrary, the secretary may promulgate and enforce rules and regulations relative to natural gas transmission pipeline safety, including requirements for the performance of periodic hydrostatic pressure tests to confirm or revise maximum allowable operating pressures.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 661, §2; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. As used in this Section:
(1) "Distributor" means any person engaged in the transportation, distribution, or delivery of jurisdictional gas.
(2) "Jurisdictional gas" means natural gas, flammable gas, or gas which is toxic or corrosive.
B. There is hereby imposed upon all distributors of jurisdictional gas who own and operate any jurisdictional gas distribution system that comes under the supervision of the secretary pursuant to R.S. 30:551(B) an annual safety and odorization inspection fee not to exceed one dollar per service line, or four hundred dollars per pipeline facility, whichever is greater. The secretary shall annually review the fee amount and may revise it in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
C. There is hereby imposed upon all distributors of jurisdictional gas who own or operate any jurisdictional gas gathering or transmission system that comes under the supervision of the secretary pursuant to R.S. 30:551(B) an annual safety inspection fee not to exceed forty-four dollars and eighty cents per mile of pipeline used in a jurisdictional gas pipeline system, or eight hundred dollars per pipeline facility, whichever is greater. The secretary shall annually review the fee amount and may revise it in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
D. The annual inspection fees imposed by this Section are for the purpose of enforcing the natural gas pipeline safety standards and practice required by this Chapter and regulations promulgated thereunder. All fees collected by the secretary shall be reasonably related to the services provided and shall be used by the department solely for the purposes of that program.
Acts 1985, No. 250, §2, eff. July 6, 1985; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 86, §1; Acts 2003, No. 879, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2004, No. 223, §1; Acts 2016, No. 435, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The annual fees imposed by R.S. 30:560 shall be paid to the department no later than January fifteenth of each year on forms to be prescribed by the secretary.
B. If any person fails to pay the fees imposed by R.S. 30:560, the secretary may proceed to enforce the collection thereof by utilizing the remedies and procedures set forth in Chapter 1 of this Subtitle, specifically including any authority to obtain and audit information and authority to impose interest and penalties.
C. All money received or collected by the secretary under R.S. 30:560 and this Section shall be deposited immediately upon receipt in the state treasury and shall be credited to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Dedicated Fund Account.
Acts 1985, No. 250, §2, eff. July 6, 1985; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2; Acts 2003, No. 879, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 1992, No. 984, §18.
The governor of Louisiana shall have the authority pursuant to the police powers granted him by the constitution of this state, from time to time to declare a state of emergency as a result of extreme shortages of existing intrastate natural gas for human needs pursuant to R.S. 30:572(1)(a) through (e). In connection therewith, as soon as practicable, the secretary shall establish and promulgate a plan for statewide emergency intrastate natural gas conservation, allocation or rationing, which shall be implemented and enforced by the secretary under controls and enforcement procedures hereinafter provided. The plan shall remain in effect as implemented and changed from time to time by the secretary, until the governor, by proclamation, shall declare that a state energy emergency no longer exists. The plan shall maintain, preserve and protect all vital services in the state depending upon intrastate natural gas and, to the extent deemed practicable by the secretary, shall provide for the curtailment of unnecessary and lesser priority uses of intrastate natural gas.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The allocation or rationing and conservation program under the plan provided for by this Part shall include the following:
(1) A priority system and plan to be implemented without delay, for conservation, allocation, and/or rationing of intrastate natural gas qualitatively and quantitatively among distributors and consumers. To the extent practicable, such priority allocation or rationing programs shall include but not be limited to measures to insure that available intrastate natural gas will be distributed on a priority basis to users within the state to avoid or minimize adverse impacts on the public health, welfare, and economic well-being of the state; provided, however, that unless the secretary rules otherwise, in the event of a serious emergency and until hearings can be had as hereinafter provided for, the priorities of mandatory allocations and rationing shall, to the maximum extent practicable, be as follows:
(a) First priority shall be given to the protection of public health, safety, and welfare including maintenance of gas and electrical service for hospitals, juvenile and adult correctional institutions, nursing homes, dormitories, educational facilities, hotels, motels, and residences such as individual homes, apartments and similarly occupied dwelling units, publicly owned water, sewerage, and storm water drainage systems producing their own energy, which systems supply services to the aforesaid, and property owners who, through contract, lease, or otherwise, reserve unto themselves a share of the natural gas produced from their property to serve their needs. In order to ensure the protection of public health, safety, and the environment, the petroleum, petrochemical, and chemical industry that uses intrastate natural gas to operate facilities shall have a priority as long as the gas is used to the extent necessary to ensure the protection of public health, safety, and the environment.
(b) Second priority shall be given to the maintenance of agricultural operations, and the processing of agricultural products, including farming, ranching, dairy, water conservation and commercial fishing activities, and services directly related thereto, operations of food processing plants, businesses and facilities processing products for human consumption;
(c) Third priority shall be given to exploration, production, processing, and refining efforts to attain maximum production or extraction of oil, natural gas, other hydrocarbons, and minerals mined by the Frasch process;
(d) Fourth priority shall be given to the maintenance of commercial and industrial business activities utilizing less than 1 1/2 million cubic feet of gas on a peak day;
(e) Fifth priority shall be given to the maintenance of all public services, including facilities and services provided by municipal, cooperative, or investor-owned utilities required for customers who come under Paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) next above, or by any state or local government or authority, and including transportation facilities and services which serve the public at large. This priority shall not apply to those publicly owned water, sewer and storm water drainage systems referred to under Paragraph (a) next above, since those are of the first priority;
(f) Sixth priority shall be given to the preservation of an economically sound and competitive petroleum, petrochemical, and chemical industry, provided that, except in cases where the secretary finds that an extreme emergency exists and the above priority needs cannot be substantially otherwise provided for, those industries requiring the use of intrastate natural gas for plant protection, feedstock or process needs, and public utilities generating electricity for sale to consumers listed under Subparagraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) of this Paragraph, which own or have acquired at the wellhead their own source of intrastate natural gas supply or which acquires such gas supply or any portion thereof from a wholly owned subsidiary company and which are using such supply in the operation of their own facilities, shall, as long as they continue to use said gas for plant protection, feedstock or process needs, or for generating electricity for sale to consumers listed under Subparagraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) of this Paragraph, have and be recognized as possessing first priority, above all others, for use of said gas. Industrial companies not owning intrastate natural gas reserves for their own use for plant protection, feedstock or process needs shall be subject to curtailment first, and those companies owning intrastate natural gas reserves for their own use or which acquires such gas supply or any portion thereof from a wholly owned subsidiary company for such purposes shall be subject to curtailment second; provided, further, that any person to whom those industries requiring the use of intrastate natural gas for plant protection, feedstock or process needs which own their own source of intrastate natural gas may have heretofore contracted to sell a portion of their own gas for plant protection, feedstock or process needs shall have a priority for the use of said gas for plant protection, feedstock or process needs equal to the priority accorded to their vendor by this Paragraph;
(g) Seventh priority shall be given to the maintenance of industrial requirements not specified in Paragraph (f) next above, except for boiler fuel;
(h)(i) Subject to the priorities established in Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Paragraph, eighth priority shall be given to industrial plants, including electrical generating plants to the extent not provided for in Subparagraph (e) of this Paragraph, having a present requirement for use of intrastate natural gas for boiler fuel not possessing present alternate fuel capabilities. Such plants may, however, be required by the secretary to convert to alternate fuels within a reasonable time, considering all pertinent circumstances, or suffer curtailment by order of the secretary of its use of intrastate natural gas. Provided that, if a plant shall have commenced reasonable preparations to so convert, it shall not be required to convert or suffer curtailment as a consequence thereof before July 1, 1975. The secretary may require the industry affected to submit to him evidence as to why the industrial plant cannot convert to alternate fuels within the delay specified; and, if the user alleges otherwise, and if required by the secretary, why the industrial plant cannot be operated on a profitable basis with the use of alternate fuels.
(ii) The secretary may authorize the use of intrastate natural gas for use as boiler fuel if the industry demonstrates that it cannot convert to alternate fuel capability by reason of the fact that it is economically unfeasible, that the industrial plant would otherwise have to close, because it could not operate with a margin of profit considered reasonable in the particular industry, or that the cost of converting to alternate fuels is totally disproportionate to the existing investment in plant facilities. If the secretary determines that for those reasons the industrial plant cannot reasonably be converted to the use of alternate fuel capabilities and remain in business, the secretary may, if he determines that intrastate natural gas is available for such use, grant to that industry a higher priority of use than is herein provided.
(i)(i) Ninth priority shall be given to industrial plants, including electrical generating plants to the extent not provided for in Subparagraphs (e) and (h) of this Paragraph, having a present requirement for boiler fuel use, in those instances where alternate fuel capabilities now exist, or may be installed with relatively minimal cost and delay. Industries possessing existing alternate fuel capabilities or, if the secretary determines that alternate fuel capability can be installed with relatively minimal cost or delay, may be curtailed in their gas supply by the secretary, and directed by the secretary to change from use of intrastate natural gas to use of alternate fuels within a limited time to be fixed by the secretary considering all pertinent circumstances. The secretary may, if he determines that intrastate natural gas is available for such use, and if the secretary determines that it is economically unfeasible to operate a plant with alternate fuels, grant to the plant a higher priority of use.
(ii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter or any other law to the contrary, the secretary shall have the authority to order the husbanding and storage of intrastate natural gas to the extent that he deems necessary to protect the public interest.
(2) In the exercise of the powers, duties and functions granted to the secretary in this Chapter, with respect to the production, transportation, distribution and delivery of natural gas and hydrocarbons received as royalties "in-kind" by private land or mineral owners under private leases and by the state pursuant to mineral leases by the state, its agencies and political subdivisions, the secretary shall allocate and/or ration all such natural gas and other hydrocarbons received as "in-kind" royalties in accordance with the priorities established in Subparagraphs (1)(a) through (i) of this Section and, notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section or any other law to the contrary the priorities established in Subparagraphs (1)(a) through (i) of this Section, without any change or modification thereof whatsoever, shall govern the allocation and/or rationing of natural gas and other hydrocarbons received as "in-kind" royalties unless the secretary determines such priority in use is impractical under the circumstances.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 576, §1; Acts 1977, No. 611, §1; Acts 2006, No. 295, §1, eff. June 8, 2006; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The priorities of end-use deliveries set forth above shall be applied to the deliveries to all intrastate natural gas transporters during periods of curtailment on each transporter's system; except, however, that, upon a finding of extraordinary circumstances by the commissioner, exceptions to those priorities may be permitted.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. The commissioner is empowered to require intrastate natural gas transporters to curtail delivery of intrastate natural gas in conformance with the priorities for use of intrastate natural gas set forth in R.S. 30:572, and the commissioner shall be empowered to promulgate and enforce supply curtailment programs.
B. Notwithstanding the priorities for use of intrastate natural gas set forth in R.S. 30:572, the curtailment of deliveries of intrastate natural gas shall be accomplished by order by the commissioner whenever he determines that such curtailment is necessary in order to accomplish the purposes of this Chapter, provided that no such order for the curtailment, allocation, or redistribution of intrastate natural gas shall be issued by the commissioner unless and until the governor declares an extreme state of emergency pursuant to R.S. 30:571.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
The above list of priorities requires the full curtailment of the lower priority category volumes to be accomplished before curtailment of any higher priority volume is commenced, unless the commissioner finds exceptions to be in the public interest. Additionally, the above list required both the direct and indirect customers of a pipeline that use intrastate natural gas for similar purposes to be placed in the same category of priority.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
Any other provisions of this Chapter to the contrary notwithstanding, no daily allocation, curtailment or priority of intrastate natural gas shall result in a reduction of more than ten per cent of the maximum daily quantity of intrastate natural gas contracted to be delivered to a purchaser under any contract existing on the effective date of this Chapter, or to natural gas not in excess of 25,000,000 cubic feet of natural gas per day owned by a person at or near the field where produced and transported by said person through his own pipe line for his own consumption not in excess of 25,000,000 cubic feet of natural gas per day. This exception shall not apply to contracts for the purchase of gas hereafter executed. The price to be charged by the intrastate natural gas transporter to any person receiving reallocated natural gas shall be the arithmetic average of the price of intrastate natural gas delivered or deliverable pursuant to contracts entered into in the state of Louisiana within ninety days prior to such reallocation, and in the event that no such contract has been executed during that period, then the price shall be based upon similar contracts entered into within one hundred eighty days prior to such reallocation, but in no event shall such price be less than the price stipulated in such contract. Such allocation made pursuant to this Section shall be redistributed and only to those persons purchasing intrastate natural gas for use within priorities one through five as set forth in Paragraphs (a) through (e) inclusive of Subsection (1) of R.S. 30:572.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
If a contract for the sale of intrastate natural gas existing on December 8, 1973 is thereafter amended in any respect, such amendment or amendments shall not subject such contracts to any greater degree of curtailment than if such contracts had not been amended subsequent to December 8, 1973, unless the effect of such amendment or amendments is to increase the volume of intrastate natural gas contracted to be delivered to the purchaser under such contract. If any such amendment has the effect of increasing the volume of intrastate natural gas to be delivered to the purchaser under the contract, the provisions of R.S. 30:575.1 shall continue to apply to the volume of gas contracted for as of December 8, 1973, and shall continue to apply until the volume of gas contracted for as of December 8, 1973, has been delivered but shall not apply to the amount by which the volume of gas is increased over that volume.
Added by Acts 1974, No. 637, §2.
The commissioner shall prescribe the rules of order or procedure in hearings or other proceedings to be held in relation to this emergency gas shortage allocation plan. No change in the above listed priorities for allocation or rationing shall be accomplished by the commissioner, in the absence of a serious immediate emergency, except after a public hearing upon at least ten days' notice given in the form and manner and at a time and place prescribed by the commissioner. The commissioner may in his discretion designate a member of his staff to conduct public hearings in his behalf. Any person having an interest in the subject matter of the hearing shall be entitled to be heard.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. If the commissioner finds an emergency to exist which in his judgment requires a change in the above priorities for allocation or rationing of intrastate natural gas, without first having a hearing, his emergency order providing for such a change shall remain in force no longer than thirty days from its effective date, unless the commissioner had been physically unable to hold or complete public hearings on the matter by reason of the pressure of multiple public hearings being sought in such matters, in which event, the emergency order shall remain in effect until such time as the commissioner can physically conduct a hearing on the problem. However, such hearing in any case must be held within a maximum period of 120 days or such order will automatically expire. In any event, the emergency order shall expire when a rule, regulation or order made after notice and hearing with respect to the same subject matter becomes effective.
B. Any interested person directly affected by any curtailment procedures, rules, regulations or orders of the commissioner relating to the emergency gas shortage allocation plan has the right to request the commissioner to call a hearing for the purpose of taking action in respect to such matter by making a request thereof in writing. Upon receiving the request, the commissioner shall as soon as the physical circumstances of the commissioner will permit, considering especially pending hearings and requests for hearings, call a hearing. After the hearing, and with all convenient speed, and in any event within thirty days after the conclusion of the hearing, the commissioner shall take whatever action he deems appropriate with regard to the subject matter. In the event of failure or refusal of the commissioner to issue an order within the period of thirty days, he may be compelled to do so by mandamus at the suit of any interested persons.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. If the results of some aspects of the emergency gas shortage allocation plan promulgated by the commissioner are contrary to its stated intent, the person affected may request the commissioner to grant an exception on the basis of unintended results.
B. Notwithstanding the procedures set forth above, the commissioner shall possess express authority to alter the emergency gas shortage allocation plan as to individual situations in order to alleviate exceptional hardship cases in the event of serious immediate emergencies.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. No supplier shall discriminate against any purchaser by failing to make allocations as described under the emergency gas shortage allocation plan, or under any rules, regulation or order issued pursuant thereto, or by imposing terms or conditions on sales upon any single purchaser other than those imposed upon all other purchasers at an equivalent level of trade, except as may be lawful and normal in general practice.
B. It is the intent of this Section that suppliers shall deal with the purchasers of intrastate natural gas supplies under the priority allocation plan provided for by this Part and as it may be changed from time to time by the commissioner. The emergency gas shortage allocation plan shall not be construed to require intrastate natural gas suppliers to sell to others who do not arrange proper credit or payment for products. However, a supplier may not require or impose discriminatorily more stringent credit terms or payment schedules on purchasers of intrastate natural gas supplies than the supplier's normal business practice during the first half of 1972.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
Notwithstanding any provision of law or this Chapter to the contrary, no existing contract, agreement or understanding for the delivery and sale of intrastate natural gas involving a parish, municipality or other political subdivision, shall be altered, amended or changed by any action, order or directive of the commissioner or any provision hereof if the effect thereof reduces or could reduce the allocation of natural gas to be delivered or sold thereby below the allocation necessary to generate sufficient revenues to pay the debt-service requirements of any bonds of a parish, municipality or other political subdivision.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
As used in this Part, unless otherwise clearly indicated, the following term has the meaning ascribed to it below:
(1) "Natural gas company" means a person engaged in the production or sale of intrastate natural gas.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973 at 9:55 A.M.
A. It is declared that the business of selling intrastate natural gas is affected with a public interest, and that state regulation in matters relating to the sale of intrastate natural gas is necessary in the public interest to conserve the natural resources of the state and prevent the physical and economic waste, wasteful use and wasteful utilization thereof. It is further declared that the sale of intrastate natural gas at a price below the fair market value of such gas, especially as compared to the price of other fuels, is one of the primary causes of the present energy crisis in the state in that it has caused and is causing the physical and economic waste, wasteful use and wasteful utilization of intrastate natural gas.
B. The provisions of this Part shall only apply to contracts for the sale of intrastate natural gas executed and completed after December 8, 1973, except that in no case shall the provisions of this Part apply to the sale of intrastate natural gas at the wellhead.
C. If a contract for the sale of intrastate natural gas existing on December 8, 1973, is thereafter amended in any respect, such amendment or amendments shall not subject such contracts to the provisions of this Part to any greater extent than if such contracts had not been amended subsequent to December 8, 1973, unless the effect of such amendment or amendments is to increase the volume of intrastate natural gas to be delivered to the purchaser under such contract. If any such amendment has the effect of increasing the volume of intrastate natural gas to be delivered to the purchaser under the contract, the provisions of this Part shall not apply until the volume of gas contracted for as of December 8, 1973, has been delivered but the provisions of this Part shall apply to the amount by which the volume of gas is increased over that volume.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M. Amended by Acts 1974, No. 637, §1.
The commissioner shall have the power and authority to supervise, govern, regulate and control minimum sales prices of intrastate natural gas direct to industrial users whether for fuel, or for utilization in any manufacturing process or otherwise.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
The provisions of this Part shall apply to purchase prices of intrastate natural gas in purchases by privately or publicly owned public utilities. The provisions of this Part shall apply to sale prices of intrastate natural gas in sales by privately or publicly owned public utilities direct to industrial users, but shall not apply to sales of such gas by such utilities to other users.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
The provisions of this Part shall not apply to any contract agreement or understanding that involves or affects less than one billion cubic feet of natural gas to be produced, transported, delivered or sold within a twelve month period; provided, that for good cause shown the commissioner may, if he considers it necessary to the accomplishment of the purposes of this Chapter, decrease the amount of gas which may be produced, transported, delivered or sold under this exemption; and, further provided that no such contract shall be exempt from the filing provisions of this Part.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
The commissioner may waive any requirement of this Part when upon reasonable cause shown he finds that the application of enforcement thereof will work an undue hardship on the person affected or will seriously impede the efficiency of his administration of this Part, and that the application or enforcement thereof is not necessary to the accomplishment of the purposes of this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
Any provision of this Part to the contrary notwithstanding, as to any contract, agreement or understanding or proposed contract, agreement or understanding affecting the purchase or sale of natural gas, the parties thereto may furnish the commissioner with notice thereof, in a form and under conditions to be established by the commissioner, and unless the commissioner gives notice to the contrary to the parties thereto, within fifteen days after the receipt of such notice, the same shall be deemed to have been accepted by the commissioner without objection and to be in compliance with the provisions of this Part. If, however, the commissioner deems it advisable to consider the proposal further, the commissioner shall notify the parties accordingly and the matter shall thereafter be processed by the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of this Part.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. No prices charged, demanded, or received under future contracts by any natural gas company for or in connection with the sale of intrastate natural gas shall be less than the just and reasonable minimum price accepted by the commissioner under R.S. 30:597 or as determined by the commissioner under R.S. 30:599, and any other price not so accepted or determined is declared to be unlawful. All rules and regulations affecting or pertaining to such prices shall be just and reasonable.
B. Except as ordered by the commissioner to effectuate the purposes of this Chapter, no natural gas company shall, with respect to any sale of intrastate natural gas (1) make or grant any undue preference or advantage to any person or subject any person to any undue prejudice or disadvantage, or (2) maintain any prices or service, contrary to the purposes of this Chapter.
C. Under such rules and regulations as the commissioner may prescribe, every natural gas company shall file with the commissioner within such time (not less than ninety days after the effective date of this Chapter) and in such form as the commissioner may designate, schedules showing all prices for any sale of intrastate natural gas and the classifications, practices, and regulations affecting such prices, together with all contracts which in any manner affect or relate to such prices.
D. Unless the commissioner otherwise orders, no change shall be made by any natural gas company in any such price or in any rule, regulation, or contract relating thereto, except after thirty days' notice to the commissioner and to the public. Such notice shall be given by filing with the commissioner new schedules stating plainly the change or changes to be made in the schedule or schedules then in force and the time when the change or changes will go into effect. The commissioner, for good cause shown, may allow changes to take effect without requiring the thirty days' notice herein provided for by an order specifying the changes so to be made and the time when they shall take effect and the manner in which they shall be filed and published.
E. Whenever any such new schedule is filed, the commissioner shall have authority, either upon complaint of any party to a contract affected thereby, or upon his own initiative without complaint, at once, and if he so orders, without answer or formal pleading by the natural gas company, but upon reasonable notice, to enter upon a hearing concerning the lawfulness of such prices; and pending such hearing and the decision thereon, the commissioner, upon filing with such schedules and delivering to the natural gas company affected thereby a statement in writing of his reasons for such suspension, may suspend the operation of such schedule and defer the use of such prices, but not for a longer period than six months beyond the time when it would otherwise go into effect, and after full hearings, either completed before or after the price goes into effect, the commissioner may make such orders with reference thereto as would be proper in a proceeding initiated after it had become effective. If the proceeding has not been concluded and an order made at the expiration of the suspension period, on motion of the natural gas company making the filing, the proposed change of price shall go into effect, unless the commissioner shall by order further extend the delay. At any hearing involving a price sought to be changed, the burden of proof to show that the proposed change is lawful and is not contrary to the purposes of this Chapter, shall be upon the natural gas company, and the commissioner shall give to the hearing and decision of such questions preference over other questions pending before him and decide the same as speedily as possible.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
Whenever the commissioner, after a hearing had upon his own motion or upon complaint of any party to a contract, shall find that any price demanded, charged, or collected thereunder by any natural gas company in connection with any sale of intrastate natural gas is below the just and reasonable minimum price determined by the commissioner, considering the fair market value of intrastate natural gas of like kind, quality and character, to be necessary to prevent the physical and economic waste, wasteful use and wasteful utilization thereof, or that any rule, regulation, practice or contract affecting such price is unjust, unreasonable, unduly discriminatory, or preferential, or is otherwise contrary to the purposes of this Chapter, the commissioner shall determine the just and reasonable minimum price, rule, regulation, practice or contract which will effectuate the purposes of this Chapter, to be thereafter observed and in force, and shall fix the same by order. The commissioner shall have the power to order an increase in any price contained in the currently effective schedule of such natural gas company on file with the commissioner, but shall not have the power to decrease such price. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Part or any other law to the contrary, the commissioner shall have no authority to fix the minimum sales prices of intrastate natural gas on a statewide basis, but, rather, shall fix said prices on either a contract by contract basis or on a field by field basis in any instance at the discretion of the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. Every natural gas company shall file with the commissioner such annual and other periodic or special reports as the commissioner may by rules and regulations or order prescribe as necessary or appropriate to assist the commissioner in the proper administration of this Part. The commissioner may prescribe the manner and form in which such reports shall be made.
B. It shall be unlawful for any natural gas company willfully to hinder, delay, or obstruct the making, filing, or keeping of any information, document, report, memorandum, record, or account required to be made, filed, or kept under this Part or any rule, regulation, or order hereunder.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
In carrying out the purposes of this Part, the commissioner shall, so far as practicable, avail himself of the services, records, reports, and information of the executive departments and other agencies of the government, and the governor may, from time to time, direct that such services and facilities be made available to the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
Any party to a contract of sale complaining of anything done or omitted to be done by any natural gas company in contravention of the provisions of this Part may apply to the commissioner by petition, which shall briefly state the facts, whereupon a statement of the complaint thus made shall be forwarded by the commissioner to such natural gas company, which shall be called upon to satisfy the complaint or to answer the same in writing within a reasonable time to be specified by the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. The secretary may investigate any facts, conditions, practices, or matters which he may find necessary or proper in order to determine whether any person has violated or is about to violate any provision of this Part or any rule, regulation, or order thereunder, or to aid in the enforcement of the provisions of this Part or in prescribing rules or regulations hereunder, or in obtaining information to serve as a basis for recommending further legislation to the legislature. The secretary may permit any person to file with him a statement in writing, under oath or otherwise, as he shall determine, as to any or all facts and circumstances concerning a matter which may be the subject of investigation.
B. For the purpose of any investigation or any other proceeding under this Part, the secretary or any officer or employee of the Department of Conservation and Energy designated by him is empowered to administer oaths and affirmations, subpoena witnesses, compel their attendance, take evidence, and require the production of any books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, contracts, agreements, or other records which the secretary finds relevant or material to the inquiry. Witnesses summoned by the secretary to appear before him shall be paid the same fees and mileage that are paid witnesses in the courts of the state.
C. In case of contumacy by, or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to, any person, the secretary may invoke the aid of any court of competent jurisdiction in requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, contracts, agreements, and other records. Such court may issue an order requiring such person to appear before the secretary or officer or employee of the Department of Conservation and Energy designated by the secretary, there to produce records, if so ordered, or to give testimony touching the matter under investigation or in question; and any failure to obey such order of the court may be punished by such court as a contempt thereof. All process in any such case may be served in the judicial district whereof such person is an inhabitant or wherever he may be found or may be doing business. Any person who willfully shall fail or refuse to attend and testify or to answer any lawful inquiry or to produce books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, contracts, agreements, or other records, if in his or its power so to do, in obedience to the subpoena of the secretary, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be subject to a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or both.
D. The testimony of any witness may be taken at the instance of a party, in any proceeding or investigation pending before the secretary, by deposition at any time after the proceeding is at issue. The secretary may also order testimony to be taken by deposition in any proceeding or investigation pending before him at any stage of such proceeding or investigation. Such depositions may be taken before any person authorized to administer oaths not being of counsel or attorney to either of the parties, nor interested in the proceeding or investigation. Reasonable notice must first be given in writing by the party or his attorney proposing to take such deposition to the opposite party or his attorney of record, as either may be nearest, which notice shall state the name of the witness and the time and place of the taking of his deposition. Any person may be compelled to appear and depose, and to produce documentary evidence, in the same manner as witnesses may be compelled to appear and testify and produce documentary evidence before the secretary, as hereinbefore provided. Such testimony shall be reduced to writing by the person taking deposition, or under his direction, and shall, after it has been reduced to writing, be subscribed by the deponent.
E. If a witness whose testimony may be desired to be taken by deposition be in a foreign country, the deposition may be taken before an officer or person designated by the secretary, or agreed upon by the parties by stipulation in writing to be filed with the secretary. All depositions must be promptly filed with the secretary.
F. Witnesses whose depositions are taken as authorized in this Part, and the person or officer taking the same, shall be entitled to the same fees as are paid for like services in the courts of the state.
G. No person shall be excused from attending and testifying or from producing books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, contracts, agreements, or other records and documents before the secretary, or in obedience to the subpoena of the secretary or any officer or employee of the Department of Conservation and Energy designated by him, or in any cause or proceeding instituted by the secretary, on the ground that the testimony or evidence, documentary or otherwise, required of him may tend to incriminate him or subject him to a penalty or forfeiture; but no individual shall be prosecuted or subject to any penalty or forfeiture for or on account of any transaction, matter, or thing concerning which he is compelled to testify or produce evidence, documentary or otherwise, after having claimed his privilege against self-incrimination, except that such individual so testifying shall not be exempt from prosecution and punishment for perjury committed in so testifying.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Hearings under this Part may be held before the secretary, or any officer or employee of the Department of Conservation and Energy designated by him, and appropriate records thereof shall be kept.
B. All hearings, investigations, and proceedings under this Part shall be governed by rules of practice and procedure to be adopted by the secretary, and in the conduct thereof the technical rules of evidence need not be applied. No informality in any hearing, investigation, or proceeding or in the manner of taking testimony shall invalidate any order, decision, rule or regulation issued under the authority of this Part.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The commissioner shall have power to perform any and all acts, and to prescribe, issue, make, amend and rescind such orders, rules and regulations as he may find necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this Part. Among other things, such rules and regulations may define accounting, technical, and trade terms used in this Part; and may prescribe the form or forms of all statements, declarations, applications, and reports to be filed with the commissioner, the information which they shall contain, and the time within which they shall be filed. Unless a different date is specified therein, rules and regulations of the commissioner shall be effective thirty days after publication in the manner which the commissioner shall prescribe. Orders of the commissioner shall be effective on the date and in the manner which the commissioner shall prescribe. For the purposes of its rules and regulations, the commissioner may classify persons and matters within his jurisdiction and prescribe different requirements for different classes of persons or matters. All rules and regulations of the commissioner shall be filed at the office of the commissioner and shall be kept open in convenient form for public inspection and examination during reasonable business hours.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
A. Any party to an intrastate natural gas sale contract aggrieved by an order issued by the commissioner in a proceeding under this Part may apply for a rehearing within thirty days after the issuance of such order. The application for rehearing shall set forth specifically the ground or grounds upon which such application is based. Upon such application the commissioner shall have power to grant or deny rehearing or to abrogate or modify his order without further hearing. Unless the commissioner acts upon the application for rehearing within thirty days after it is filed, such application may be deemed to have been denied. No proceeding to review any order of the commissioner shall be brought by any person unless such person shall have made application to the commissioner for a rehearing thereon. Until the record in a proceeding shall have been filed in a court under Subsection (B) of this Section, the commissioner may at any time, upon reasonable notice and in such manner as he shall deem proper, modify or set aside, in whole or in part, any finding or order made or issued by him under the provisions of this Part.
B. Any party to a proceeding under this Part aggrieved by an order issued by the commissioner in such proceeding may obtain a review of such order in the district court having jurisdiction, by filing in such court, within sixty days after the order of the commissioner upon the application for rehearing, or within sixty days following the period the application for rehearing may be deemed to have been denied because of the failure of the commissioner to act, a written petition praying that the order of the commissioner be modified or set aside in whole or in part. A copy of such petition shall forthwith be transmitted by the clerk of the court to the commissioner and thereupon the commissioner shall file with the court the record upon which the order complained of was entered. Upon the filing of such petition such court shall have jurisdiction to affirm, modify, or set aside such order in whole or in part. No objection to the order of the commissioner shall be considered by the court unless such objection shall have been urged before the commissioner in the application for rehearing unless there is reasonable ground for failure so to do. The finding of the commissioner as to facts, if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive. If any party shall apply to the court for leave to adduce additional evidence, and shall show to the satisfaction of the court that such additional evidence is material and that there were reasonable grounds for failure to adduce such evidence in the proceedings before the commissioner, the court may order such additional evidence to be taken before the commissioner and to be adduced upon the hearing in such manner and upon terms and conditions as the court may deem proper. The commissioner may modify his findings as to the facts by reason of the additional evidence so taken, and he shall file with the court such modified or new findings, which if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive, and his recommendation, if any, for the modification or setting aside of the original order. The judgment and decree of the court, affirming, modifying, or setting aside, in whole or in part, any such order of the commissioner, shall be final, subject to review by the appellate court under the laws relating to appeals and subject to review by the Supreme Court of Louisiana upon its writs of certiorari.
C. The filing of an application for rehearing under Subsection (A) of this Section shall not, unless specifically ordered by the commissioner, operate as a stay of the commissioner's order. The commencement of proceedings under Subsection (B) of this Section shall not, unless specifically ordered by the court, operate as a stay of the commissioner's order.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 8, §1, eff. May 13, 1999.
Repealed by Acts 1997, Nos. 181, §1 and 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, Nos. 181, §1 and 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, Nos. 181, §1 and 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, Nos. 181, §1 and 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, Nos. 181, §1 and 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, Nos. 181, §1 and 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, Nos. 181, §1 and 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, Nos. 181, §1 and 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1977, No. 482, §2 eff. July 13, 1977
The Legislature of Louisiana hereby finds that:
(1) The state of Louisiana and the nation are rapidly depleting their reserves of oil and natural gas upon which the United States as a whole is heavily dependent for its energy requirements.
(2) States and the federal government are beginning to study the feasibility of alternative energy supplies to supplement the declining oil and gas reserves.
(3) Preliminary studies by professional staffs at Louisiana universities and by private firms within the state indicate that Louisiana may have within its borders uniquely large reservoirs of superheated, highly pressurized water which may also be saturated with natural gas in solution.
(4) These reservoirs can be a potential source of commercial quantities of energy in the form of steam, hot water, and natural gas.
(5) Professional staffs at Louisiana State University have obtained a small grant from the federal Energy Research and Development Administration to begin studies to determine the location of commercial size reservoirs by utilizing the services of state geologists in the Department of Conservation and Energy to examine and chart the massive numbers of well logs available.
(6) Parallel research efforts should be instituted simultaneously with the above mentioned study to tap known reservoirs to determine pressures, temperatures, and extent of gas saturation as well as numerous other scientific experiments necessary to provide an adequate basis from which to draw conclusions.
(7) Additionally, this potential energy resource opens a new area of legal consequences which must be examined and a determination made of the ramifications and effects of the development of this resource on private and public rights.
(8) By Act No. 16 of the 1973 Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature, the Louisiana Legislature created the Louisiana Energy Commission and included in its duties the authorization to undertake or contract for studies and research regarding alternate fuel resources for the state; that the secretary, by Act 16, is authorized to prepare all necessary studies on the sources of energy available to Louisiana and to conduct appropriate research in connection therewith; and that the Department of Conservation and Energy is staffed and administratively capable of exercising this authority.
(9) This Act is intended to provide the framework and guidelines for the state, through the Department of Conservation and Energy, to begin a concerted effort to exploit this potential geothermal and geopressure energy resource.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 735, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
1R.S. 30:681.
For the purpose of this Subpart:
(1) "Commissioner" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(2) "Department" means the Department of Conservation and Energy of the state of Louisiana.
(3) "Geothermal resources" means:
(a) all products of geothermal processes, embracing indigenous steam, hot water, and hot brines;
(b) steam and other gases, hot water, and hot brines resulting from water, gas, or other fluids artificially introduced into geothermal formations;
(c) heat, dissolved natural gas, or other associated energy found in geothermal formations; and
(d) any byproduct derived from them.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 735, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The State Department of Conservation shall be responsible for the effective management and coordination of a state geothermal and geopressure energy research and development program.
B. Such program shall include:
(1) the determination and evaluation of the resource base;
(2) research and development with respect to exploration, extraction, and utilization technologies, which shall include research toward development of reliable predictive methods and control techniques for the production of geothermal and geopressure resources from reservoirs or aquifers;
(3) determination of the environmental ramifications of the production of this energy resource; and
(4) examination of the legal, social, and economic consequences of development of this resource for the purpose of developing policy and providing a framework of policy alternatives for the commercial utilization of this resource.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 735, §1.
A. The department is authorized to utilize the expertise, knowledge, equipment, and personnel available from other state agencies, from the federal government, or from the private sector in carrying out its responsibilities under this Subpart, either from a voluntary standpoint or under contract from funds made available therefor, and to that extent the commissioner is authorized to enter into contracts for services to be provided in connection with the goals of this program.
B. In addition to funds made available by the legislature the department is authorized to accept gifts, grants, and donations from whatever source available.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 735, §1.
The department shall maintain accurate records of the progress of this program and shall make annual reports to the governor and the Joint Legislative Committee on Natural Resources as to such progress, discoveries, and needed legislation.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 735, §1.
"Intrastate liquefied petroleum gas" is defined as those gases derived from petroleum or natural gas which are in a gaseous state at normal temperature and pressure and those maintained in the liquid state at normal atmospheric temperature by means of suitable pressure, exclusive of anhydrous ammonia, when such gas is produced, transported and utilized wholly within the state of Louisiana where the transportation thereof is exempt from federal regulation.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
Except as may otherwise specifically be provided in the constitution of this state, the provisions of this Chapter, including the powers, duties and functions of the commissioner and the Louisiana Energy Commission, shall apply to intrastate liquefied petroleum gas.
Added by Acts 1973, Ex.Sess., No. 16, §1, emerg. eff. Dec. 8, 1973, at 9:55 A.M.
This Part shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Law".
Acts 1987, No. 794, §1.
As used in this Part, the following words and phrases have the meanings hereinafter ascribed to them:
(1) "Hazardous liquid" means:
(a) Petroleum or any petroleum product, except as specifically excluded in this Paragraph, and
(b) Any substance or material which is in liquid state, excluding liquefied natural gas and hydrocarbons incidental thereto, when transported by pipeline facilities and which, as determined by the secretary by rule or regulation in accordance with R.S. 49:950 et seq., may pose an unreasonable risk to life or property when transported by pipeline facilities.
(2) "Intrastate pipeline facility" means pipeline facilities situated wholly within the boundaries of this state and which are used in the transportation of hazardous liquids in intrastate commerce.
(3) "Person" means any individual, firm, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association, any political subdivision of this state, municipality, cooperative association, or joint stock association, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee or personal representative thereof.
(4) "Pipeline facility" means and shall include, without limitation, new and existing pipe, right of way, and any equipment, facility, or building used or intended for use in the transportation of hazardous liquids; but, rights of way as used in this Chapter does not authorize the secretary to prescribe the location or the routing of any pipeline facility.
(5) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(6) "Transportation of hazardous liquids" means the movement of hazardous liquids by pipeline, or their storage incidental to such movement, in or affecting intrastate commerce; however, it shall not include any such movement through gathering lines in rural locations, onshore production, refining, or manufacturing facilities, or storage or in-plant piping systems associated with any of such facilities.
Acts 1987, No. 794, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The secretary shall be the authority to regulate persons engaged in the transportation of hazardous liquids or who own or operate intrastate pipeline facilities for the transportation of hazardous liquids. The secretary shall establish by regulation minimum safety standards for pipeline facilities and the transportation of hazardous liquids and shall be consistent with those rules and regulations authorized by 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq.
B. The secretary, as permitted by 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq., may certify annually to the secretary of the United States Department of Transportation that the state, through the Department of Conservation and Energy, has regulatory jurisdiction over the safety standards and practice of intrastate pipeline facilities and the transportation of hazardous liquids associated with those facilities. The secretary, as permitted by 49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq., may enter into an agency relationship with the United States Department of Transportation to enforce compliance with safety standards with respect to interstate pipeline facilities or the transportation of hazardous liquids associated with those facilities.
Acts 1987, No. 794, §1; Acts 2015, No. 332, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Except as otherwise provided in this Part, the provisions of R.S. 30:6, 30:8, 30:13, 30:15 and 30:21 shall apply to the administration and enforcement of this Part.
B. The secretary may employ such officers, agents, employees, and professional personnel, including legal counsel, as he deems necessary for the performance of his powers and duties and prescribe the powers and duties and fix the compensation of such officers, employees, and professional personnel.
C. The legal counsel employed or retained by the secretary, when authorized by the secretary, shall be entitled to represent the state and the secretary and to appear in the courts and before agencies of this state, the United States, and other states in order to carry out the purposes of this Part.
D. Whenever it appears to the secretary that any person has engaged, is engaged, or is about to engage in any act or practice constituting a violation of this Part or of any regulation, rule, or order issued hereunder, the secretary may bring an action in the court having jurisdiction, to enjoin such acts or practices and to enforce compliance with this Part or any rule, regulation, or order issued thereunder. Upon a proper showing a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent injunction shall be granted without bond. The relief sought may include a mandatory injunction commanding any person to comply with this Part or any such regulation, rule, or order issued hereunder, and to make restitution of money received in violation of any such regulation, rule, or order. The secretary may transmit such evidence as may be available concerning such acts or practice or concerning apparent violations to the district attorney having jurisdiction over same who, in his discretion, may institute appropriate criminal proceedings.
E. Upon application by any person engaged in the transportation of hazardous liquids or the operation of intrastate pipeline facilities, the secretary shall, by order, after notice and opportunity for hearing and under such terms and conditions and to such extent as the secretary may deem reasonable and proper, waive in whole or in part compliance with any standard established under this Part, if he determines that compliance with such standard works a substantial hardship on an owner or operator of pipeline facilities or is not in the public interest and a waiver of compliance with such standard is not inconsistent with pipeline safety, provided that such waiver shall not be effective until the requirements of 49 U.S.C.A. Section 2001 et seq. relative to such a waiver have first been satisfied.
Acts 1987, No. 794, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1) Any person who shall be determined by the secretary, after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, to have violated any provision of this Part or any final rule, final regulation promulgated or order issued under this Part shall be liable to the department for a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars for each violation for each day that the violation persists except that the maximum civil penalty shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars for any related series of violations.
(2) The amount of the penalty shall be assessed by the secretary by written notice.
(3) In determining the amount of the penalty, the secretary shall consider the nature, circumstances, and gravity of the violation; and, with respect to the person found to have committed the violation, the degree of culpability, any history of prior violations, the effect on ability to continue to do business, any good faith in attempting to achieve compliance, ability to pay the penalty, and such other matters as justice may require.
B. The legal counsel employed or retained by the secretary may recover the assessed civil penalty by bringing action against the person so assessed in the court having jurisdiction. The secretary may compromise the civil penalty.
C. Any person who willfully and knowingly violates this Part or any rule, regulation, or order issued under this Part shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor; and, upon conviction, shall be subject for each offense to a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
Acts 1987, No. 794, §1; Acts 1990, No. 599, §1, eff. July 19, 1990; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
In order to implement this Part, every person engaged in the transportation of hazardous liquids or who owns or operates intrastate pipeline facilities for the transportation of hazardous liquids shall be assessed an annual fee which shall not exceed forty-four dollars and eighty cents for each mile or fraction thereof of pipeline operated or eight hundred dollars per pipeline facility, whichever is greater. The secretary shall annually review the fee amount and may revise it not to exceed forty-four dollars and eighty cents per mile in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. All fees collected by the secretary shall be reasonably related to the services provided and shall be used by the department solely for the purposes of that program.
Acts 1987, No. 794, §1; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 86, §1; Acts 2003, No. 711, §1, eff. June 27, 2003; Acts 2004, No. 222, §1; Acts 2016, No. 435, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The annual fees imposed by R.S. 30:706 shall be paid to the department no later than January fifteenth of each year on forms to be prescribed by the secretary. If any person fails to pay the fees imposed by this Part, the secretary may proceed to enforce the collection thereof by utilizing the remedies and procedures set forth in Chapter 1 of this Title, specifically including any authority to obtain and audit information and authority to impose interest and penalties.
B. All money received or collected by the secretary under R.S. 30:706 and this Section shall be deposited immediately upon receipt in the state treasury and shall be credited to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Dedicated Fund Account.
Acts 1987, No. 794, §1; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2; Acts 2003, No. 711, §1, eff. June 27, 2003; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
"Coal or lignite slurry transportation" is defined as the transportation through a pipeline in the state of Louisiana of coal, lignite or any mixture of substances which includes coal or lignite, in any form.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 561, §1.
A. Except as may otherwise be specifically provided by the constitution of this state, the provisions of Parts I, II and III of this Chapter, including the powers, duties and functions of the secretary, shall apply to coal or lignite slurry transportation.
B. The secretary shall promulgate regulations governing the licensing and operation of slurry pipelines in this state and shall implement procedures necessary for the orderly and efficient administration of this Part, including assessment of reasonable fees to cover the costs of administration.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 561, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Subject to the provisions of R.S. 19:8, coal or lignite slurry pipeline owners or operators otherwise licensed and permitted to operate in Louisiana by order of the secretary shall possess the right of expropriation with authority to expropriate private property under the general state expropriation laws, and shall have the right to lay, maintain, and operate pipelines, together with telegraph and telephone lines necessary and incidental to the operation of these pipelines, over private property thus expropriated, and have the further right to lay, maintain, and operate pipelines along, across, over and under any navigable stream or public highway, street, bridge, or other public place, and also have the authority, under the right of expropriation herein conferred, to cross railroads, street railways, and other pipelines, by expropriating property necessary for the crossing under the general expropriation laws of this state. The right to run along, across, over, or under any public road, bridge or highway, as before provided for, may be exercised only upon condition that the traffic thereon is not interfered with, and that such road or highway is promptly restored to its former condition of usefulness, at the expense of the pipeline owner, the restoration to be subject also to the supervision and approval of the proper local authorities.
B. In the exercise of the privilege herein conferred, owners or operators of such pipelines shall compensate the state, parish, municipality, or road district, respectively, for any damage done to such public road, in the laying of pipelines, telegraph, or telephone lines, along, under, over, or across the same. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to grant any transporter the right to use any public street or alley of any parish, incorporated city, town, or village, except by express permission from the parish, city or other governing authority.
C. With respect to private property, a servitude acquired by the use of eminent domain shall be limited to an area not to exceed during construction whatever space is engineeringly necessary for the construction of the pipeline in question; however in no event shall said working space width exceed one hundred fifty feet except where extra space is required for road crossings, stream crossings, canal crossings, pipeline crossings or the like, and the permanent right of way area after construction is completed shall be fifteen feet in width, being seven and one-half feet on each side of a center line, with right of ingress and egress to, from and along such permanent right of way area. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to grant to any transporter the right to expropriate any property, or any interest therein, for use as a pit for the discharge of coal or lignite slurry or for use as a pumping station.
D. In expropriation proceedings commenced pursuant to the authority herein conferred, the issue of public purpose and necessity for the proposed taking shall be a judicial question pursuant to Section 4 of Article I of the constitution of Louisiana.
E. In the event property is acquired for coal or lignite slurry pipeline construction through the use of eminent domain and subsequent thereto the party acquiring said rights fails to construct the pipeline due to inability to obtain the required state and/or federal permits for construction, then in that event said party shall have no right to the return of the funds paid to the landowner for the rights acquired, and said party shall have no right to use any such property acquired for any other purpose than that stated by the judgment of acquisition.
F.(1) Nothing in this Part or under the general expropriation laws of this state shall be construed as permitting the expropriation of water or water rights for use in transportation of coal by pipeline. No Louisiana water from any source shall be used in connection with the transportation, maintenance or operation of a coal slurry pipeline within the state, except water used for drinking, toilet, bath, or other personal uses, unless the secretary shall have determined, after public hearing, that such use will not be detrimental to the water supply of the area from which the water is sought to be extracted. In that event, nothing in this Part shall authorize expropriation of water or water rights.
(2) In the event the secretary shall have authorized use of water as provided herein, he shall annually thereafter, and so long as such use continues, review the use of such water in order to determine if such continued use will be detrimental to the water supply of the area from which the water is being extracted. Further, if the local governing body of the parish from which the water is being extracted shall make a formal motion to the secretary suggesting that continued use of such water will be detrimental to the water supply of the area from which the water is being extracted, then in that event the secretary shall immediately call a public hearing to determine whether such continued use will be detrimental to the water supply of such area.
G. Water used in the transportation of coal by pipeline to any point in Louisiana shall conform to regulations of the Stream Control Commission and the Department of Conservation and Energy prior to its discharge into rivers or streams or holding pits from which seepage can occur.
H. In the event the price for product or services is not regulated by a state or federal agency charged with that responsibility then when the owner or owners of any pipeline constructed pursuant to this act and deemed interstate in character shall enter into a contract to provide its product or service to any person, firm or corporation in the state of Louisiana, such contract shall provide for rates and charges for such product or service that are nondiscriminatory and offer no preference insofar as the said rates and charges for such product or service are determined and charged any other users of its product or service in any other state. The secretary shall promulgate regulations to implement and enforce the provisions of this Subsection.
I. If, during construction, a coal or lignite slurry pipeline owner or operator or his employee, agent or contractor uses property of the landowner outside of the limits of the construction right of way expropriated from said landowner, the landowner shall be entitled to recover in civil action, damages from the coal or lignite slurry pipeline owner or operator in an amount not less than that determined by dividing the amount of the compensation awarded by the expropriation judgement by the number of square feet included in the property expropriated and multiplying that result by five times the number of square feet used by the coal or lignite slurry pipeline owner or operator outside of that portion of the property expropriated.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 561, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Unless otherwise specified in the original right of way agreement, only one pipeline shall be located on the right of way. Additional pipelines may be located thereon only with the written permission of the landowner.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 561, §1.
As used in this Part, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings hereinafter ascribed to them:
(1) "Compressed natural gas" means natural gas designated for vehicular use that is under pressures exceeding twenty-four hundred pounds per square inch.
(2) "Compression and conversion equipment" means all equipment used in the compression, storage, transmission, and decompression of natural gas for the purpose of powering motor vehicles.
(3) " Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.
Acts 1990, No. 927, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
{{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1990, NO. 927, §3.}}
The secretary shall have the authority to regulate all activities related to the safety of compressed natural gas and shall establish by regulation minimum safety standards for compressed natural gas compression and conversion equipment including the installation and operation of such equipment. For vehicles equipped for and capable of using liquefied petroleum gas, each vehicle shall first be inspected for safety of operation by an inspector of the Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission.
Acts 1990, No. 927, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
{{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1990, NO. 927, §3.}}
It is declared to be the policy of Louisiana that:
(1) The rapid and orderly development of geothermal resources within the state of Louisiana is in the interest of the people of the state of Louisiana;
(2) In developing the state's geothermal resources, the primary purpose is to provide a dependable supply of electrical energy and process heat at reasonable rates for the people of the state of Louisiana;
(3) Maximum possible consideration shall be afforded to protection of the environment and to conservation of natural resources by all agencies and officials of the state of Louisiana involved in prescribing rules and regulations governing the development, production and distribution of geothermal energy in Louisiana.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1.
(1) "Geothermal resources" means:
(a) All products of geothermal processes, including both "hydropressured" reservoirs (normal or below normal pressure) and "geopressured" reservoirs (above normal), embracing indigenous steam, hot water, hot brines and hydropressured or geopressured waters or both excepting, however, waters produced incidental to oil or gas exploration or production, and potable water produced from residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, or other wells where the heat pressure, or dissolved natural gas, or any combination thereof, are not extracted or used for energy purposes.
(b) Steam and other gasses, hot water, and hot brines resulting from water, gas or other fluids artificially introduced into geothermal, hydropressured or geopressured water formations, or any combination thereof.
(c) Heat, natural gas dissolved in formation water or which was dissolved in formation water and is produced at the geothermal, hydropressured or geopressured well bore, or any combination thereof, or other associated energy found in geothermal, hydropressured or geopressured water formations, or any combination thereof.
(d) Any by-product derived therefrom.
(2) "By-product" means any mineral or minerals, excluding oil and natural gas, which are found in solution or in association with a geothermal resource and which (a) have a value less than seventy-five percent of the value of the total geothermal resource, if utilized or not, because of quantity, quality, or technical difficulties in extraction and production or (b) are not of sufficient value to warrant extraction and production by themselves or (c) the production of which will waste the geothermal resource.
(3) "Geothermal lease" is a contract by which the lessee is granted the right for exploration, drilling, development, production and distribution of geothermal resources and byproducts.
(4) "Geothermal operation" includes the exploration for, drilling for, development of, production of and distribution of geothermal resources as defined in this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1; Acts 1980, No. 742, §1.
A. Full regulatory authority over all geothermal exploration, drilling, development, and production as well as subsurface disposal of geothermal waters and/or waste is hereby vested in the Department of Conservation and Energy. The provisions of the Louisiana Conservation Act, R.S. 30:1 et seq., including particularly, but without limitation, R.S. 30:5 and 9 thereof, are hereby extended to all geothermal operations. The secretary is further authorized to promulgate such additional rules and regulations relating specifically to geothermal operations that are deemed by him to be needed in the interest of conservation if they are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Chapter. All geothermal operations shall be exempt from the provisions of R.S. 38:3091 et seq.
B. Any disposal of any kind or nature made pursuant to this Chapter into any navigable or nonnavigable streams or waters shall be done under the supervision of the Stream Control Commission of the state.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
In all cases, a lessee under a geothermal lease or an owner shall conduct his exploration, drilling, development, production operations and disposal methods using all reasonable precautions to protect the environment and to prevent pollution of state waters, other environmental damages, or waste of geothermal resources.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1.
The State Mineral and Energy Board is hereby vested with exclusive authority to lease for the exploration, development, production, and distribution of geothermal resources and the byproducts thereof any lands belonging to the state, or the title to which is in the public domain, including road beds, water bottoms, and lands adjudicated to the state at tax sale. To the extent applicable, the mineral board is also vested with the same powers of supervision and management of all geothermal leases granted by the state that are vested in the board under R.S. 30:129 with respect to leases granted for minerals, oil, and gas.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1; Acts 2009, No. 196, §2, eff. July 1, 2009.
Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, applications for state geothermal leases, the inspection of the lands, the quantity of land to be obtained in a single lease, the advertisement for bids, the bidding procedures and the board's authority to accept or reject bids all shall be governed by the provisions of R.S. 30:125 through R.S. 30:129 both inclusive.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1.
A. All state geothermal leases shall be granted for a maximum primary term of ten years and so long thereafter as geothermal operations are being conducted or geothermal resources are being produced or utilized in commercial quantities.
B. Where a state geothermal lease provides for delay rentals, the annual rental shall be for not less than one dollar per acre or one-half the cash bonus, whichever is greater.
C. Royalties on production obtained from a state geothermal lease shall be not less than the following:
(1) A royalty of not less than ten percent of the price received for all geothermal resources produced and saved or utilized.
(2) A royalty of not less than five percent of the value of any byproduct produced and saved or utilized.
D. The term rental or royalty obtained by the state from a geothermal lease shall not affect or limit the compensation negotiated by the owners of adjoining or nearby property which may be affected or exploited by the lessee.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1.
The mineral board is hereby authorized to incorporate such additional customary provisions in a state geothermal lease and to adopt such additional regulations governing the administration and management of such leases that are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1.
A. The maintenance of records, the execution of division orders and other documents and the handling and distribution of all bonuses, rentals, royalties, shut-in payments or other sums payable to the state under a geothermal lease shall be handled as provided for in R.S. 30:130 as now enacted or hereafter amended.
B. The allocations of all proceeds described in Subsection A of this Section shall be made as provided for in R.S. 30:136(B) as now enacted, or hereafter amended, and to the extent necessary, all remaining funds, after making appropriate deductions, are hereby dedicated and allocated in the same manner as provided by existing law for the dedication and allocation of oil and gas revenues.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 784, §1. Amended by Acts 1976, No. 134, §1.
A. The respective rights of the lessees under oil, gas, and mineral leases and of the lessees under geothermal leases are intended to be compatible and to be exercised reasonably by one with due regard to the other. However, in the event of conflict, the rights of the lessee under any oil, gas, or mineral lease heretofore issued on lands as set forth in Section 804 hereof and in effect on September 12, 1975, shall not be diminished or limited by virtue of this Chapter or any provisions hereof.
B. With respect to those leases executed on and after January 1, 1991, the rights of the lessee under any oil, gas, or mineral lease shall govern the production of any oil, gas, or mineral which may be considered a geothermal resource; and, unless specifically excluded in the lease, the lessee shall not be required to obtain a geothermal lease.
C. The provisions of this Chapter are not intended and should not be construed to deny the legal right or remedy of any owner for the protection of his property interests that is otherwise available to such owner under the law.
Acts 1990, No. 684, §1.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Surface Mining and Reclamation Act."
Added by Acts 1976, No. 141, §1.
The legislature finds and declares that:
A. The extraction of lignite and other forms of coal by surface mining operations is a basic and essential activity making an important contribution to the economic wellbeing of the state and nation.
B. Proper reclamation of surface mined lands is necessary to prevent unreasonable degradation of land and water resources that would be detrimental to the general welfare, health, safety, and property rights of the citizens of this state.
C. Surface mining takes place in diverse areas where the geologic, topographic, climatic, biological, and social conditions are significantly different and that reclamation operations and the specifications therefor must vary accordingly.
D. Regulation of surface mining is in the public interest and will benefit the public health, safety, welfare and economy of the state of Louisiana and will prevent the destruction or diminishing of the utility of land for commercial, industrial, residential, recreational, agricultural, and forestry purposes by preventing unreasonable erosion, landslides, floods, water pollution, destruction of fish and wildlife habitat and impairment of natural beauty, and will benefit governmental programs and efforts to conserve soil, water, and other natural resources.
E. Reclamation of surface mined land as provided by this Act will allow the mining of valuable lignite and other forms of coal in a manner designed for the protection and subsequent beneficial use of these lands.
F. The Congress of the United States has enacted Public Law 95-87,1 the "Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977", which provides for the establishment of a nationwide program to regulate surface coal mining and reclamation and which vests exclusive authority in the Department of the Interior over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation within the United States.
G. Section 503 of Public Law 95-872 provides that each state may assume and retain exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations within such state by obtaining approval of a state program of regulation which demonstrates that the state has the capability of carrying out the provisions and meeting the purposes of Public Law 95-87.
H. Section 503 of Public Law 95-87 further provides that a state wishing to assume exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations within the state must have a state law which provides for the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations in accordance with the requirements of Public Law 95-87.
I. The State of Louisiana, to accomplish the purposes for which the Louisiana Surface Mining and Reclamation Act was adopted, wishes to assume exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations within the state pursuant to Public Law 95-87.
Added by Acts 1976, No. 141, §1. Amended by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
130 U.S.C.A. §1201 et seq.
230 U.S.C.A. §1253.
A. It is hereby declared to be the purpose of this Chapter to avoid the adverse effects to society and the environment resulting from unregulated surface mining operations, as defined herein; to assure that surface mining operations are not conducted where reclamation as required by this Chapter is not possible; to assure that surface mining operations are so conducted as to prevent unreasonable degradation to land and water resources; to assure that reclamation of all surface mined lands is accomplished as contemporaneously as practicable with the surface mining, recognizing that the extraction of lignite and other forms of coal by responsible mining operations is an essential and beneficial economic activity; to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources of the state; to prohibit and prevent the waste, wasteful use, and wasteful utilization of lignite and other forms of coal; and to prevent the use of lignite and other forms of coal in such a manner and in such quantities as to threaten the premature exhaustion, extinction, and destruction of the supply of lignite and other forms of coal in the state.
B. It is further declared to be the purpose of this Chapter to promote the reclamation of mined areas that were left without adequate reclamation prior to the enactment of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, 30 U.S.C. 1201, et seq., and that continue, in their unreclaimed condition, to substantially degrade the quality of the environment, to prevent or damage the beneficial use of land or water resources, or to endanger the health or safety of the public.
Added by Acts 1976, No. 141, §1. Acts 1983, No. 573, §1.
(1) "Act" means the Louisiana Surface Mining and Reclamation Act.
(2) "Approximate original contour" means that surface configuration achieved by backfilling and grading of the mined area so that the reclaimed area, including any terracing or access roads, closely resembles the general surface configuration of the land prior to mining and blends into and complements the drainage pattern of the surrounding terrain, with all highwalls and spoil piles eliminated; water impoundments may be permitted where the secretary determines that they are in compliance with R.S. 30:915(B)(8).
(3) "Coal" includes all forms of coal, including lignite.
(4) "Commissioner" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy, or such other person or persons who may from time to time be designated by the secretary to administer and enforce the provisions of this Chapter.
(5) "Department of Conservation and Energy" and "department" means the Department of Conservation and Energy of the state of Louisiana.
(6) "Development operations" means all or any part of the process of removing, by power earth moving equipment, coal or overburden for the purpose of determining coal quality or quantity or coal mining feasibility; Provided, that if more than twenty-five thousand tons of coal or ten surface acres of overburden will be removed then such operations shall be considered coal mining operations.
(7) "Development operations permit" means the certification by the secretary that the named person may conduct the development operations described in the certification during the term of the development operations permit and in the manner established in the certification.
(8) Repealed by Acts 1985, No. 281, §2.
(9) "Exploration operations" means the drilling of test holes or core holes for the purpose of or related to the determining of the location, quantity or quality of a coal deposit under a permit to be issued by the secretary and any other coal exploration operations that will substantially disturb the surface and are not otherwise covered by this Act.
(10) "Imminent danger to the health and safety of the public" means the existence of any condition or practice, or any violation of a permit or other requirement of this Chapter in a surface coal mining and reclamation operation, which condition, practice, or violation could reasonably be expected to cause substantial physical harm to persons outside the permit area before such condition, practice, or violation can be abated. A reasonable expectation of death or serious injury before abatement exists if a rational person, subjected to the same conditions or practices giving rise to the peril, would not expose himself or herself to the danger during the time necessary for abatement.
(11) "Operator" means any person, partnership, or corporation engaged in coal mining who removes or intends to remove more than two hundred and fifty tons of coal from the earth by surface coal mining methods within twelve consecutive calendar months in any one location.
(12) "Permit" means a permit to conduct surface coal mining and reclamation operations issued by the secretary, but does not include exploration and development permits.
(13) "Permit applicant" or "applicant" means a person applying for a permit.
(14) "Permit area" means the area of land indicated on the approved map submitted by the operator with his application, which area of land shall be covered by the operator's bond as required by R.S. 30:909 and shall be readily identifiable by appropriate markers on the site.
(15) "Permittee" means a person holding a permit.
(16) "Person" means an individual, partnership, association, society, joint stock company, firm, company, corporation, or other business organization.
(17) The term "prime farmland" shall have the same meaning as that prescribed by the United States Secretary of Agriculture on the basis of such factors as moisture availability, temperature regime, chemical balance, permeability, surface layer composition, susceptibility to flooding, and erosion characteristics, and which historically have been used for intensive agricultural purposes, and as published in the Federal Register.
(18) "Public Law 95-87" means the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.*
(19) "Reclamation plan" means a plan submitted by an applicant for a permit which sets forth a plan for reclamation of the proposed surface coal mining operations pursuant to R.S. 30:908.
(20) "Secretary of natural resources" or "secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy of the state of Louisiana.
(21) "Secretary of the Interior" means the Secretary of the Interior of the Department of Interior of the United States.
(22) "Surface coal mining and reclamation operations" means surface mining operations and all activities necessary and incident to the reclamation of such operations after the date of enactment of this Chapter.
(23) "Surface coal mining operations" means
(a) Activities conducted on the surface of lands in connection with a surface coal mine, the products of which enter commerce or the operations of which directly or indirectly affect commerce. Such activities include excavation for the purpose of obtaining coal including such common methods as contour, strip, auger, mountaintop removal, box cut, open pit, and area mining, the uses of explosives and blasting, and in situ distillation or retorting, leaching or other chemical or physical processing, and the cleaning, concentrating, or other processing or preparation, loading of coal at or near the mine site: Provided, however, that such activities do not include the extraction of coal incidental to the extraction of other minerals where coal does not exceed 16 2/3 per centum of the tonnage of minerals removed for purposes of commercial use or sale or coal exploration or development subject to R.S. 30:912, and
(b) The areas upon which such activities occur or where such activities disturb the natural land surface. Such areas shall also include any adjacent land the use of which is incidental to any such activities, all lands affected by the construction of new roads or the improvement or use of existing roads to gain access to the site of such activities and for haulage, and excavations, workings, impoundments, dams, ventilation shafts, entryways, refuse banks, dumps, stockpiles, overburden piles, spoil banks, culm banks, tailings, holes or depressions, repair areas, storage areas, processing areas, shipping areas and other areas upon which are sited structures, facilities, or other property or materials on the surface, resulting from or incident to such activities, and
(24) "Unwarranted failure to comply" means the failure of a permittee to prevent the occurrence of any violation of his permit or any requirement of this Chapter due to indifference, lack of diligence, or lack of reasonable care, or the failure to abate any violation of such permit or the Chapter due to indifference, lack of diligence, or lack of reasonable care.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Acts 1983, No. 573, §1; Acts 1985, No. 281, §2; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
*30 U.S.C.A. §1201 et seq.
A. The Department of Conservation and Energy, or such persons as may be designated by the secretary, are hereby designated as the official agency whose duty it is to administer the regulations and guidelines contained in this Chapter and to institute other reasonable regulations and guidelines, after notice and public hearing, as may become necessary pursuant to this Chapter to protect state and private lands from unreasonable degradation by any operator engaged in surface coal mining operations. Exclusive jurisdiction over all aspects of surface coal mining and reclamation shall be vested in the Department of Conservation and Energy. The secretary of natural resources shall be responsible for the policies of the state relating to the development of the state's lignite reserves, including the transportation and utilization thereof, and shall formulate plans and shall advise the governor and the legislature with respect to short and long term policies of the state concerning the development of the state's lignite reserves, including the transportation and utilization thereof, and the integration of the development of the state's lignite reserves into the development of the state's fuel sources. The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall establish, for the purpose of avoiding duplication, a process for coordinating the review and issuance of permits for surface coal mining and reclamation operations with any other federal or state permit process applicable to the proposed operations.
B. The authority shall be vested in the secretary, and such other persons as may be designated by the secretary, to administer and enforce the provisions of this Chapter, and the secretary shall seek the accomplishment of the purposes of this Chapter by all practicable and economically feasible methods and in so doing shall have the following duties and powers:
(1) To make those expenditures which he deems necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Chapter.
(2) To adopt, amend, and issue rules and regulations in accordance with the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, except where the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act are in conflict with the provisions of this Chapter, in which case the provisions of this Chapter and the regulations issued by the secretary pursuant to this Chapter shall govern, pertaining to surface coal mining and reclamation operations consistent with the general intent and purposes of this Chapter, including regulations consistent with regulations issued by the secretary of the Interior pursuant to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, as amended as required for the state to assume and retain exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations pursuant to Section 503 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, as amended. The secretary may issue regulations without public notice and hearing in the event regulations must be issued to ensure timely action by the state in the assumption or retention by the state of exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations pursuant to Section 503 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, as amended.
(3) To issue permits pursuant to the provisions herein.
(4) To conduct hearings pursuant to the provisions herein.
(5) To issue or modify orders reasonably necessary or take such actions as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this Chapter and regulations adopted hereunder.
(6) To receive by gift, grant, donation or otherwise any sum of money, and/or assistance from any person or the United States, its agencies, the state of Louisiana or any political subdivision thereof for the enactment and enforcement of this Chapter and the mining and reclamation of land affected by surface coal mining operations.
(7) To employ such officers, agents, employees, and professional personnel, including legal counsel, as he deems necessary for the performance of his powers and duties and prescribe the powers and duties and fix the compensation of such officers, agents, employees, and professional personnel.
(8) To issue an order, ordering a cessation of surface coal mining and/or reclamation operations, or revoking the permit of an operator who has failed to comply with an order of the secretary to take any action required by this Chapter or rules and regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter. In the event the permit is revoked, the operator's performance bond or cash or collateral securities shall be forfeited if it is determined that this is necessary to reclaim the area of land affected by the operator's surface coal mining operation.
(9) To contract, upon terms as the secretary may agree upon, for legal, financial, engineering, and other professional services necessary to expedite the conduct of the affairs of the Department of Conservation and Energy, under the provisions of this Act.
(10) To enter into contracts with state boards, agencies and soil and water conservation districts having expertise for the purposes of obtaining professional and technical services necessary to implement the provisions of this Chapter.
(11) To exercise discretionary review pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter over all aspects of surface coal mining and reclamation operations performed within this State.
(12) To personally or through his authorized legal counsel represent the State in all matters involving or affecting the interest of the State and its residents relative to proceedings before any federal agencies, offices and congressional committees and in all judicial actions arising out of the proceedings of such agencies, offices and committees or in relation thereto and to appear in the courts and before agencies of this State or of other states in order to carry out the purposes of this Chapter.
(13) To commence and prosecute legal actions as authorized in this Act, including legal actions against the Secretary of the Interior and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement as authorized by this Chapter.
(14) To take those steps necessary to enable the state to participate to the fullest extent practicable in the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program provided in Title IV of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, as amended, 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.
C. A rule, regulation or order, or any amendment thereof, adopted by the secretary may differ in its terms and provisions as between particular conditions, particular mining techniques, particular areas of the state or any other conditions that appear relevant and necessary so long as the action taken is consistent with the attainment of the general intent and purpose of this Chapter. In adopting rules, regulations and orders the secretary shall give due recognition to the fact that although certain surface coal mining and reclamation operations may cause a need for particular regulatory control in one area of the state, such control may not be necessary or desirable for another area of the state due to the unique characteristics of each type of surface mining and the various economic and environmental factors relating to same, and the secretary shall take into account, in this connection, all factors found by him to be proper and just, including the existing climatology, topography, vegetation and all other physical conditions, populations, mining and reclamation techniques, the economic and social impact of the proposed rule, regulation or order, and the fact that the rule, regulation or order and the degrees of conformance therewith which may be proper as to one area of the state may not be proper or practicable as to another area of the state.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 121, §1, eff. June 27, 1980. Acts 1983, No. 573, §1; Acts 2008, No. 278, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The secretary is authorized to take all action necessary to ensure Louisiana's participation to the fullest extent practicable in the abandoned mines reclamation fund established by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq., as amended, and the Department of Conservation and Energy shall function as the state's agency for participation. Pursuant to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq., as amended, the secretary shall by rule establish priorities that meet the terms of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq., as amended, and applicable federal regulations for the expenditure of those funds; designate the land and water eligible for reclamation or abatement expenditures; submit reclamation plans, annual projects, and applications to the appropriate authorities; undertake emergency reclamation projects pursuant to the terms of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq., as amended, and applicable federal regulations; and administer all money received for abandoned mine reclamation or related purposes.
B.(1) The following funds shall be deposited immediately upon receipt into the state treasury:
(a) Monies granted by the secretary of the United States Department of the Interior for purposes of this Chapter.
(b) Monies appropriated by the legislature for purposes of this Chapter.
(c) Monies donated from sources, including but not limited to persons, corporations, or associations, for purposes of this Chapter, except as provided in Article VII, Section 9(A)(1) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
(d) Monies recovered through liens filed against privately owned land under this Chapter.
(e) Fines collected from violations of this Chapter, or any rule, regulation, or order issued under this Chapter.
(2) After compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, and prior to monies being placed in the state general fund, an amount equal to that deposited as required by this Subsection shall be credited to the department.
C. Appropriation of monies by the legislature from these funds shall be for expenditures on eligible lands and water with priority given first to addressing the impacts of past coal mining practices and then to the impacts of past solid mineral development.
D. Lands and water eligible for reclamation or drainage abatement expenditures under this Section are those which were mined, or which were affected by such mining, abandoned or left in an inadequate reclamation status, and for which there is no continuing reclamation responsibility under state or federal laws.
Added by Acts 1983, No. 573, §1; Acts 2008, No. 278, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The office of conservation will submit to the secretary of the Interior a state reclamation plan to carry out the purposes of this Section.
B. The state reclamation plan shall generally identify both coal and non-coal problem areas to be reclaimed, the purposes for which the reclamation is proposed, the relationship of the lands to be reclaimed and the proposed reclamation to surrounding areas, the specific criteria for ranking and identifying projects to be funded, and the legal authority and programmatic capability to perform this work in conformance with the provisions of this Chapter.
C. The office may submit an annual application for the support of the state program and implementation of specific reclamation projects to the secretary of the interior. These annual requests shall include such information as may be requested by the secretary.
D. The office may provide annual and other reports required by the secretary of the Interior to accompany the annual request for support required in Subsection C of this Section.
E. The costs for each proposed project under this Section shall include: actual construction costs, actual operation and maintenance costs of permanent facilities, planning and engineering costs, construction inspection costs, and other necessary administrative expenses.
Acts 1985, No. 281, §1; Acts 2008, No. 278, §§1, 3.
A.(1) If the secretary, after notice and hearing, makes a finding of fact that:
(a) Land or water resources have been adversely affected by past solid mineral development practices;
(b) The adverse effects are at a stage where, in the public interest, action to restore, reclaim, abate, control, or prevent should be taken;
(c) The owners of the land or water resources where entry must be made to restore, reclaim, abate, control, or prevent the adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices are not known or readily available, or the owners will not give permission for the state or its political subdivisions, their agents, employees, or contractors to enter upon the property to restore, reclaim, abate, control, or prevent the adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices.
(2) Then, upon giving notice by mail to the owners, if known, or if not known, by posting notice upon the premises and advertising once in a newspaper of general circulation, designated as the official journal by the governing authority, in the parish in which the land lies, the agents, employees, or contractors of the office shall have the right to enter the property adversely affected by past solid mineral development practices and any other property to have access to that property to do all things necessary or expedient to restore, reclaim, abate, control, or prevent the adverse effects. This entry shall be construed as an exercise of the police power for the protection of public health, safety, and general welfare and shall not be construed as an act of condemnation of property nor of trespass on it. The monies expended for this work and the benefits accruing to the premises so entered upon shall be chargeable against the land and shall mitigate or offset any claim in or any action brought by any owner of any interest in these premises for any alleged damages by virtue of the entry, but this provision is not intended to create new rights of action or eliminate existing immunities.
B. The agents, employees, or contractors of the department shall have the right to enter upon any property for the purpose of conducting studies or exploratory work to determine the existence of adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices and to determine the feasibility of restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of these adverse effects. This entry shall be construed as an exercise of the police power for the protection of public health, safety, and general welfare and shall not be construed as an act of condemnation of property nor trespass on it.
C. The state may acquire any land by purchase, donation, or condemnation which is adversely affected by past solid mineral development practices if the secretary, after notice and hearing, determines that acquisition of this land is necessary to successful reclamation and that:
(1) The acquired land, after restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of the adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices, will serve recreation and historic purposes, conservation and reclamation purposes, or provide open space benefits; and
(2) Permanent facilities such as a treatment plant or a relocated stream channel will be constructed on the land for the restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of the adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices; or
(3) Acquisitions of mineral refuse disposal sites and all mineral refuse on same will serve the purposes of this Chapter or that public ownership is desirable to meet emergency situations and prevent recurrences of the adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices.
D. Title to all lands acquired under this Section shall be in the name of the state. The price paid for land acquired under this Section shall reflect the market value of the land as adversely affected by past solid mineral development practices.
E.(1) Where land acquired under this Section is deemed to be suitable for industrial, commercial, residential, or recreational development the secretary may sell this land by public sale under a system of competitive bidding, at not less than fair market value, and under such other regulations promulgated to insure that the land is put to proper use consistent with local and state land use plans.
(2) The state, when requested after appropriate public notice, shall hold a public hearing with the appropriate notice, in the parish or parishes or the appropriate political subdivisions of the state in which lands acquired under this Section are located. The hearing shall be held at a time which shall afford local citizens and governments the maximum opportunity to participate in the decision concerning the use or disposition of the lands after restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of the adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices.
F. The state through the Department of Conservation and Energy and the secretary of natural resources may accept lands acquired and reclaimed by the secretary of the Interior pursuant to Section 407(h) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act as amended. In addition, the office may accept grants from the secretary to carry out the purposes of Section 407(h) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act as amended.
G.(1) Within six months after the completion of projects to restore, reclaim, abate, control, or prevent adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices on privately owned land, the office shall itemize the monies so expended and may file a statement of same in the office of the clerk of court of the parish in which the land lies, together with a notarized appraisal by an independent appraiser of the value of the land before the restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices if the monies so expended shall result in a significant increase in property value.
(2) This statement shall constitute a lien upon the land described in it. The lien shall not exceed the amount determined by the appraisal to be the increase in the market value of the land as a result of the restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of the adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices.
(3) No lien shall be filed against the property of any person, in accordance with this Subsection who neither consented to nor participated in nor exercised control over the mining operation which necessitated the reclamation performed.
H. The landowner may proceed to petition within sixty days after the filing of the lien to determine the increase in the market value of the land as a result of the restoration, reclamation, abatement, control, or prevention of the adverse effects of past solid mineral development practices. The amount reported to be the increase in value of the premises shall constitute the amount of the lien and shall be recorded with the statement provided for in Subsection G of this Section. Any party aggrieved by the decision may appeal as provided by law.
I. The lien provided in this Section shall be recorded in the office of the clerk of court of the parish in which the land lies. The statement shall constitute a lien upon the land as of the date of the expenditure of the monies and shall have priority as a lien second only to the lien of real estate taxes imposed upon the land.
J.(1) The office may fill any voids, seal any abandoned tunnels, shafts, and entryways, and reclaim surface impacts of underground or surface mines which the office determines could endanger life and property, constitute a hazard to the public health and safety, or degrade the environment.
(2) The office may make expenditures and carry out the purposes of this Section without regard to the provisions of R.S. 30:905.1(D) only after all reclamation with respect to abandoned coal lands or coal development impacts has been met, except for those reclamation projects relating to the protection of the public health or safety.
(3) In those instances where mine waste piles are being reworked for conservation purposes, the incremental costs of disposing of the wastes from these operations by filling voids and sealing tunnels may be eligible for funding if the disposal of these wastes meets the purposes of this Section.
(4) The office may acquire by purchase, donation, easement, or otherwise such interests in land as it determines necessary to carry out the provisions of this Section.
K. Repealed by Acts 2008, No. 278, §2.
L.(1) The office may request the attorney general, who is hereby authorized to initiate, in addition to any other remedies provided for in this Chapter, in any court of competent jurisdiction, an action in equity for an injunction to restrain any interference with the exercise of the right to enter or to conduct any work provided in this Section.
(2) The office in conjunction with appropriate state agencies as determined in implementing regulations, may construct and operate a plant or plants for the control and treatment of water pollution resulting from mine drainage. The extent of this control and treatment of water pollution may be dependent upon the ultimate use of the water; but the above provisions of this Subsection shall not be deemed in any way to repeal or supersede any portion of the federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C.A. 1151, et seq., as amended) and no control or treatment under this Section shall in any way be less than that required under the federal Water Pollution Control Act. The construction of a plant or plants may include major interceptors and other facilities appurtenant to the plant.
(3) The office may transfer funds to other appropriate state agencies, in order to carry out the reclamation activities authorized by this Chapter.
Acts 1985, No. 281, §1; Acts 2008, No. 278, §§1, 2, 3; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Nothing in this Chapter shall be construed as affecting in any way the right of any person to enforce or protect, under applicable law, his interest in water resources affected by a surface coal mining operation.
B. The operator of a surface coal mine shall replace the water supply of an owner of interest in real property who obtains all or part of his supply of water for domestic, agricultural, industrial, or other legitimate use from an underground or surface source where this supply has been affected by contamination, diminution, or interruption proximately resulting from the surface coal mine operation.
Acts 1985, No. 281, §1; Acts 2008, No. 278, §3.
A. No person shall engage in or carry out on lands within the State any surface coal mining operations unless such person has first obtained a permit issued by the commissioner pursuant to this Chapter.
B. All permits issued pursuant to the requirements of this Chapter shall be issued for a term not to exceed five years. If the applicant demonstrates that a specified longer term is reasonably needed to allow the applicant to obtain necessary financing for equipment and the opening of the operation and if the application is full and complete for such specified longer term, the commissioner may grant a permit for such longer term. A successor in interest to a permittee who applies for a new permit within thirty days of succeeding to such interest and who is able to obtain the bond coverage of the original permittee may continue surface coal mining and reclamation operations according to the approved mining and reclamation plan of the original permittee until such successor's application is granted or denied.
C. A permit shall terminate if the permittee has not commenced the surface coal mining operations covered by such permit within three years of the issuance of the permit: Provided, that the commissioner may grant reasonable extensions of time upon a showing that such extensions are necessary by reason of litigation precluding such commencement or threatening substantial economic loss to the permittee, or by reason of conditions beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the permittee: Provided further, that with respect to coal to be mined for use in a synthetic fuel facility or specific major electric generating facility, the permittee shall be deemed to have commenced surface mining operations at such time as the construction of the synthetic fuel or generating facility is initiated.
D.(1) Any valid permit issued pursuant to this Chapter shall carry with it the right of successive renewal upon expiration with respect to areas within the boundaries of the existing permit. The holders of the permit may apply for renewal and such renewal shall be issued (provided that on application for renewal the burden shall be on the opponents of renewal), subsequent to fulfillment of the public notice requirements of Sections 913 and 914, unless it is established that and written findings by the commissioner are made that
(a) The terms and conditions of the existing permit are not being satisfactorily met.
(b) The present surface coal mining and reclamation operation is not in compliance with the environmental protection standards of this Chapter and regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter.
(c) The renewal requested substantially jeopardizes the operator's continuing responsibility on existing permit areas.
(d) The operator has not provided evidence that the performance bond in effect for such operation will continue in full force and effect for any renewal requested in such application as well as any additional bond the commissioner might require pursuant to Section 909, or
(e) Any additional revised or updated information required by the commissioner by regulation has not been provided. Prior to the approval of any renewal of permit the commissioner shall provide notice to the appropriate public authorities.
(2) If an application for renewal of a valid permit includes a proposal to extend the mining operations beyond the boundaries authorized in the existing permit, the portion of the application for renewal of a valid permit which addresses any new land areas shall be subject to the full standards applicable to new applications under this Chapter.
(3) Any permit renewal shall be for a term not to exceed the period of the original permit established by this Chapter. Application for permit renewal shall be made at least one hundred twenty days prior to the expiration of the valid permit. The commissioner shall issue regulations which provide for a procedure which will give the permittee sufficient time prior to the expiration of the present term of the permit to correct or commence to correct any condition which the commissioner finds will prevent issuance of a permit renewal.
E. No person shall conduct any underground or auger coal mining operations if such operations would be subject to Public Law 95-87 until the state has implemented a program regulating such operations pursuant to Public Law 95-87* or the Department of Interior has implemented a federal program regulating such operations. Any person desiring to conduct any such operations described shall notify the commissioner at least 36 months prior to the time such operations are planned to begin in order that the commissioner may initiate appropriate legislation and adopt such rules as are necessary to implement such program.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 553, §1; Acts 1980, No. 121, §2, eff. June 27, 1980.
*30 U.S.C.A. §1201 et seq.
There is hereby imposed on all permittees under the supervision of the secretary pursuant to this Chapter, Surface Mining and Reclamation Act, an annual regulatory fee of eight cents per ton on all coal and lignite mined in this state and an annual reclamation fee of six dollars for each acre of land included within the approved mine permit area. The revenue received from these fees shall be used for the purpose of enforcing the Louisiana Surface Mining and Reclamation Act and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Acts 1986, No. 351, §1; Acts 2019, No. 150, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The surface mining and reclamation regulatory fee shall be paid to the secretary of the Department of Revenue on a monthly basis and shall begin to accrue on July 1, 1986, and shall be paid using forms to be prescribed by the secretary of the Department of Revenue.
B. If any permittee fails to pay the surface mining and reclamation regulatory fee, the secretary of the Department of Revenue may proceed to enforce the collection thereof by utilizing the remedies and procedures set forth in Chapter 18 of Subtitle II of Title 47, specifically including any authority to obtain and audit information and impose interest and penalties.
Acts 1986, No. 351, §1; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2.
A. Funds received by the Department of Revenue in the form of surface mining and reclamation fees shall be deposited immediately upon receipt to the state treasury.
B, C. Repealed by Acts 1992, No. 984, §18.
Acts 1986, No. 351, §1; Acts 1992, No. 984, §18; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2.
A. Each application for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit pursuant to this Chapter shall be accompanied by a fee as determined by the secretary, with such fee not to exceed the actual or anticipated cost of reviewing, administering and enforcing such permit.
B. The permit application shall be submitted in a manner satisfactory to the secretary and shall contain, among other things:
(1) The names and addresses of:
(a) The permit applicant.
(b) Every legal owner of record of the property (surface and mineral), to be mined.
(c) The holders of record of any leasehold interest in the property.
(d) The purchaser of record of the property under a real estate contract.
(e) The operator if he is a person different than the applicant, and
(f) If any of these are business entities other than a single proprietor, the names and addresses of the principals, officers, and resident agent.
(2) The names and addresses of the owners of record of all surface and subsurface areas adjacent to any area of the permit area or within the permit area but on which, at the time of filing the permit application, the applicant does not have the legal right to enter and commence surface coal mining operations.
(3) A statement of any current or previous surface coal mining permits in the United States held by the applicant and the permit identification and each pending application.
(4) If the applicant is a partnership, corporation, association, or other business entity, the following where applicable: The names and addresses of every officer, partner, director, or person performing a function similar to a director, of the applicant, together with the name and address of any person owning of record ten percentum or more of any class of voting stock of the applicant, and a list of all names under which the applicant, partner, or principal shareholder previously operated a surface mining operation within the United States within the five year period preceding the date of submission of the application.
(5) A statement of whether the applicant, any subsidiary, affiliate, or persons controlled by or under common control with the applicant, has ever held a Federal or State mining permit which in the five year period prior to the date of submission of the application has been suspended or revoked or has had a mining bond or similar security deposit in lieu of bond forfeited and, if so, a brief description of the facts involved.
(6) A copy of the applicant's advertisement to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the locality of the proposed site at least once a week for four successive weeks, which advertisement shall include the ownership and a description of the exact location and boundaries of the proposed site sufficient so that the proposed operation may be readily located by local residents, and the location of where the application is available for public inspection.
(7) A description of the type and method of coal mining operation that is proposed, the engineering techniques proposed, and the equipment proposed to be used; if applicable a description of the alternative type and method of coal mining and reclamation operation that is proposed in the event the applicant is unable to obtain the legal right to enter and commence surface coal mining operations on any tracts of land within the proposed permit area.
(8) The anticipated starting and termination dates of each phase of the mining operation and the number of acres of land to be affected.
(9) An accurate map or plan, to an appropriate scale, clearly showing the land to be affected as of the date of the application, the area of land within the permit area upon which the applicant has the legal right to enter and commence surface mining operations and a statement of those documents upon which the applicant bases his legal right to enter and commence surface mining operations on the area affected, and whether that right is the subject of pending court litigation: Provided, that nothing in this Chapter shall be construed as vesting in the secretary the jurisdiction to adjudicate property title disputes.
(10) The names of the watershed and location of the surface stream or tributary into which surface and pit drainage may be discharged.
(11) A determination of the probable hydrologic consequences of the mining and reclamation operations both on and off the mine site with respect to the hydrologic regime, quantity and quality of water in surface and ground water systems including the dissolved and suspended solids under seasonal flow conditions and the collection of sufficient data for the mine site and surrounding areas so that an assessment can be made by the secretary of the probable cumulative impacts of all anticipated mining in the area upon the hydrology of the area and particularly upon water availability: Provided, however, that this determination shall not be required until such time as hydrologic information on the general area prior to mining is made available from an appropriate federal or state agency: Provided further, that the permit shall not be approved until such information is available and is incorporated into the application.
(12) When requested by the secretary, the climatological factors that are peculiar to the locality of the land to be affected, including the average seasonal precipitation, the average direction and velocity of prevailing winds, and the seasonal temperature ranges.
(13) Accurate maps to an appropriate scale clearly showing:
(a) The land to be affected as of the date of the application and
(b) All types of information set forth on topographical maps of the United States Geological Survey of a scale of 1:24,000 or 1:25,000 or larger, including all manmade features and significant known archeological sites existing on the date of application. Such a map or plan shall among other things specified by the secretary show all boundaries of the land to be affected, the boundary lines and name of present owners of record of all surface areas abutting the permit areas, and the location of all buildings within one thousand feet of the permit area.
(14) Cross section maps or plans of the land to be affected including the actual area to be mined, prepared by or under the direction of and certified by a qualified registered professional engineer, or professional geologist with assistance from experts in related fields such as land surveying and landscape architecture, showing pertinent elevation and location of test borings or core samplings and depicting the following information: the nature and depth of the various strata of overburden; the location of subsurface water if encountered, and its quality; the nature and thickness of any coal or rider seam above the coal seam to be mined; the nature of the stratum immediately beneath the coal seam to be mined; all mineral crops lines and the strike and dip of the coal to be mined within the area of land to be affected; existing or previous surface mining limits; the location and extent of known workings of any underground mines, including mine openings to the surface; the location of aquifers; the estimated elevation of the watertable; the location of spoil, waste, or refuge areas and top soil preservation areas; the location of all impoundments for waste or erosion control; any settling or water treatment facility; constructed or natural drainways and the location of any discharges to any surface body of water on the area of land to be affected or adjacent thereto; and profiles at appropriate cross sections of the anticipated final surface configuration that will be achieved pursuant to the operator's proposed reclamation plan.
(15) A statement of the result of test borings or core samplings from the permit area, including logs of the drill holes; the thickness of the coal seam found; an analysis of the chemical properties of such coal; the sulphur content of any coal seam; chemical analysis of potentially acid or toxic forming sections of the overburden; and chemical analysis of the stratum lying immediately underneath the coal to be mined, except that the provisions of this Paragraph may be waived by the secretary with respect to the specific application by a written determination that such requirements are unnecessary.
(16) For those lands in the permit application which a reconnaissance inspection suggests may be prime farmlands, a soil survey shall be made or obtained according to standards established by the secretary of agriculture in order to confirm the exact location of such prime farmlands, if any.
(17) A description of the nature of cultural, historical, and archaeological resources listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and known archaeological features within the proposed mine plan and adjacent areas. The description shall be based on all available information including but not limited to data of state and local archaeological, historical, and cultural preservation agencies. Each plan shall describe the measures to be used to prevent adverse impact to any publicly owned parks or any places listed on the National Register of Historic Places that may be adversely affected by the proposed operation. However, if joint agency approval is to be obtained or if there are valid existing rights in the public parks or historic places, the plan shall describe the measures to be used to minimize adverse impact to such public parks or historic places. The department may require the applicant to protect historic or archaeological properties listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places through appropriate mitigation and treatment measures. At the time of its issuance, a surface mining permit may require that appropriate mitigation and treatment be required to be taken after permit issuance, provided that the required measures are completed before the properties are affected by any mining operation.
(18) A description of fish and wildlife resource information for the permit area and adjacent area. The scope and level of detail for such information shall be determined by the department in consultation with state and federal agencies with responsibilities for fish and wildlife. Site specific resource information necessary to address the respective species or habitats shall be required when the permit area or adjacent area is likely to include listed or proposed endangered or threatened species of plants or animals or their critical habitats listed by the secretary of the Interior under the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq., or those species or habitats protected by state statutes, habitats of unusually high value for fish and wildlife such as important streams, wetlands, riparian areas, cliffs supporting raptors, areas offering special shelter or protection, migration routes, or reproduction and wintering areas, or other species or habitats identified through agency consultation as requiring special protection under state or federal law.
(19) A description of how, to the extent possible using the best technology available, the operator will minimize disturbances and adverse impact on fish, wildlife, and related environmental values, including compliance with the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq., during the surface coal mining and reclamation operations and how enhancement of these resources will be achieved where practicable. This description shall apply, at a minimum, to species and habitats identified in Paragraph (18) of this Subsection and include protective measures that will be used during the active mining phase of operation. Such measures may include the establishment of buffer zones, the selective location and special design of haul roads and power lines, the monitoring of surface water quality and quantity, and enhancement measures that will be used during the reclamation and post-mining phase of operation to develop aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Such measures may also include restoration of streams and other wetlands, retention of ponds and impoundments, establishment of vegetation for wildlife food and cover, and the replacement of perches and nest boxes. When the plan does not include enhancement measures, a statement shall be given explaining why enhancement is not practicable.
C.(1) If the secretary finds that the probable total annual production at all locations of any coal surface mining operator will not exceed three hundred thousand tons, the determination of probable hydrologic consequences, including the engineering analyses and designs necessary for the determination, required by Paragraph (B)(11) of this Section, cross-section maps and plans required by Paragraph (B)(14) of this Section, the drilling and statement of the result of test borings or core samplings required by Paragraph (B)(15) of this Section, the collection of archaeological and historical information and related plans required by Paragraph (B)(17) of this Section, the collection of site-specific resources information required by Paragraph (B)(18) of this Section, the production of protection and enhancement plans for fish and wildlife habitats required by Paragraph (B)(19) of this Section, and information and plans for any other environmental values required by the department and this Chapter, and pre-blast surveys required by R.S. 30:915(B)(15) shall, upon the written request of the operator, be performed by a qualified public or private laboratory designated by the secretary and the cost of the preparation of such determination and statement shall be assumed by the secretary.
(2) Information pertaining to coal seams, test borings, core samplings, or soil samples as required by this Section shall be made available to any person with an interest which is or may be adversely affected. However, that information which pertains only to the analysis of the chemical and physical properties of the coal, except information regarding such mineral or elemental content which is potentially toxic in the environment, shall be kept confidential and not be made a matter of public record.
D. Each applicant for a permit shall be required to submit to the secretary as part of the permit application a reclamation plan which shall meet the requirements of this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter.
E. Each applicant for a permit shall file a copy of his application for public inspection with the clerk of court in each parish where the mining is proposed to occur, except for that information pertaining to the coal seam itself and that information which shall be kept confidential pursuant to this Chapter.
F. Each applicant for a permit shall submit to the secretary as part of the permit application a certificate issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in Louisiana certifying that the applicant has a public liability insurance policy in force for the surface mining and reclamation operations for which such permit is sought, or evidence that the applicant has satisfied other state or federal self insurance requirements. Such policy shall provide for personal injury and property damage protection in an amount adequate to compensate any persons damaged as a result of surface coal mining and reclamation operations, including use of explosives, and entitled to compensation under the applicable provisions of state law. Such policy shall be maintained in full force and effect during the term of the permit, or any renewal, including the length of all reclamation operations.
G. Each applicant for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit shall submit to the secretary as part of the permit application a blasting plan which shall outline the procedures and standards by which the operator will meet the provisions of R.S. 30:915(B)(15).
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1002, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. Each reclamation plan submitted as part of a permit application under the provisions of this Chapter shall include, in the degree of detail necessary to demonstrate that reclamation required by this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter can be accomplished, a statement of:
(1) The identification of the lands subject to surface coal mining operations over the estimated life of those operations and the size, sequence, and timing of the subareas for which it is anticipated that individual permits for mining will be sought.
(2) The condition of the land to be covered by the permit prior to any mining including:
(a) The uses existing at the time of the application, and if the land has a history of previous mining, the uses which preceded any mining, and
(b) The capability of the land prior to any mining to support a variety of uses giving consideration to soil and foundation characteristics, topography, and vegetative cover, and, if applicable, a soil survey prepared pursuant to R.S. 30:907(B)(16), and
(c) The productivity of the land prior to mining, including appropriate classification as prime farm lands, as well as the average yield of food, fiber, forage, or wood products from such lands obtained under high levels of management.
(3) The use which is proposed to be made of the land following reclamation, including a discussion of the utility and capacity of the reclaimed land to support a variety of alternative uses and the relationship of such use to existing land use policies and plans, and the comments of any owner of the surface and state and local governments or agencies thereof which would have to initiate, implement, approve or authorize the proposed use of the land following reclamation.
(4) A detailed description of how the proposed postmining land use is to be achieved and the necessary support activities which may be needed to achieve the proposed land use.
(5) The engineering techniques proposed to be used in mining and reclamation and a description of the major equipment proposed to be used; a plan for the control of surface water drainage and of water accumulation; a plan, where appropriate, for backfilling, soil stabilization, compacting, grading, and appropriate revegetation; a plan for soil reconstruction, replacement, and stabilization, pursuant to the performance standards in R.S. 30:915(B)(7)(a), (b), (c), and (d), for those food, forage, and forest lands identified in R.S. 30:915(B)(7); an estimate of the cost per acre of the reclamation, including a statement as to how the permittee plans to comply with each of the requirements set out in R.S. 30:915.
(6) The consideration which has been given to maximize the utilization and conservation of the solid fuel resource being recovered so that reaffecting the land in the future can be minimized.
(7) A detailed estimated timetable for the accomplishment of each major step in the reclamation plan.
(8) The consideration which has been given to making the surface mining and reclamation operations consistent with surface owner plans and applicable state and local land use plans and programs.
(9) The steps to be taken to comply with applicable air and water quality laws and regulations and any applicable health and safety standards.
(10) The consideration which has been given to developing the reclamation plan in a manner consistent with local physical, environmental and climatological conditions.
(11) All lands, interests in lands, or options on such interests held by the applicant or pending bids on interests in lands by the applicant, which lands are contiguous to the area to be covered by the permit.
(12) The results of test boring which the applicant has made at the area to be covered by the permit, or other equivalent information and data in a form satisfactory to the secretary, including the location of subsurface water, and an analysis of the chemical properties including acid forming properties of the minerals and overburden: Provided, that information which pertains only to the analysis of the chemical and physical properties of the coal (excepting information regarding such mineral or elemental contents which is potentially toxic in the environment) shall be kept confidential and not made a matter of public record.
(13) A detailed description of the measures to be taken during the mining and reclamation process to assure the protection of:
(a) The quality of surface and ground water systems, both on site and off site, from adverse effects of the mining and reclamation process.
(b) The rights of present users to such water, and
(c) The quantity of surface and ground water systems, both on site and off site, from adverse effects of the mining and reclamation process or to provide alternative sources of water where such protection of quantity cannot be assured.
(14) Such other requirements as the regulatory authority shall prescribe by regulations.
B. Any information required by this Section which is not on public file pursuant to state law shall be held in confidence by the secretary.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. After a surface coal mining and reclamation permit application has been approved but before such a permit is issued, the applicant shall file with the commissioner on a form prescribed and furnished by the commissioner a bond for performance payable, as appropriate, to the state, and conditioned upon faithful performance of all the requirements of this Act and the permit. The bond shall cover that area of land within the permit area upon which the operator will initiate and conduct surface coal mining and reclamation operations within the initial term of the permit. As succeeding increments of surface coal mining and reclamation operations are to be initiated and conducted within the permit area, the permittee shall file with the commissioner an additional bond or bonds to cover such increments in accordance with this section. The amount of the bond required for each bonded area shall depend upon the reclamation requirements of the approved permit; shall reflect the probable difficulty of reclamation giving consideration to such factors as topography, geology of the site, hydrology, and revegetation potential, and shall be determined by the commissioner. The amount of the bond shall be sufficient to assure the completion of the reclamation plan if the work had to be performed by the commissioner in the event of forfeiture and in no case shall the bond for the entire area under one permit be less than $10,000.
B. Liability under the bond shall be for the duration of the surface coal mining and reclamation operation and for a period coincident with the operator's responsibility for revegetation requirements in Section 915. The bond shall be executed by the operator and a corporate surety licensed to do business in the state, except that the operator may elect to deposit cash, negotiable bonds of the United States government or state, or negotiable certificates of deposit of any bank organized or transacting business in the State. The cash deposit or market value of such securities shall be equal to or greater than the amount of the bond required for the bonded area.
C. The commissioner may accept the bond of the applicant itself without separate surety when the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the commissioner the existence of a suitable agent to receive service of process and a history of financial solvency and continuous operation sufficient for authorization to self-insure or bond such amount.
D. Cash or securities so deposited shall be deposited upon the same terms upon which surety bonds may be deposited. Such securities shall be security for the repayment of such negotiable certificate of deposit.
E. The amount of the bond or deposit required and the terms of each acceptance of the applicant's bond shall be adjusted by the commissioner from time to time as affected land acreages are increased or decreased or where the cost of future reclamation changes.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
A. Upon the basis of a complete mining application and reclamation plan or a revision or renewal thereof, as required by this Chapter, including public notification and an opportunity for a public hearing as required by R.S. 30:913, the commissioner shall grant, require modification of, or deny the application for a permit in a reasonable time set by the commissioner, and notify the applicant in writing. The applicant for a permit, or revision of a permit, shall have the burden of establishing that his application is in compliance with all the requirements of this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter. Within ten days after the granting of a permit, the commissioner shall notify the police jury in the parishes, and the local governmental officials in any other local political subdivision, in which the area of land to be affected is located that a permit has been issued and shall describe the location of the land.
B. The permit or revision application shall be approved when, but only when, the application affirmatively demonstrates and the commissioner finds in writing on the basis of the information set forth in the application or from information otherwise available which will be documented in the approval, and made available to the applicant, that
(1) The permit application is accurate and complete and that all the requirements of this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter have been complied with.
(2) The applicant has demonstrated that reclamation as required by this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter can be accomplished under the reclamation plan contained in the permit application.
(3) The assessment of the probable cumulative impact of all anticipated mining in the area on the hydrologic balance specified in R.S. 30:907(B) has been made by the commissioner and the proposed operation thereof has been designed to prevent material damage to the hydrologic balance outside the permit area.
(4) The area proposed to be mined is not included within an area designated unsuitable for surface coal mining pursuant to R.S. 30:922 of this Chapter or is not within an area under study for such designation in an administrative proceeding commenced pursuant to R.S. 30:922(A)(4)(c) or (B), unless in such an area as to which an administrative proceeding has commenced pursuant to R.S. 30:922(A)(4)(c), the operator making the permit application demonstrates that, prior to January 1, 1977, he has made substantial legal and financial commitments in relation to the operation for which he is applying for a permit.
(5) In cases where the private mineral estate has been severed from the private surface estate, as to tracts within the permit area on which the applicant has the legal right to enter and commence surface mining operations, the applicant has submitted to the commissioner
(a) The written consent of the surface owner to the extraction of coal by surface mining methods; or
(b) A conveyance that expressly grants or reserves the right to extract the coal by surface mining methods; or
(c) If the conveyance does not expressly grant the right to extract coal by surface mining methods, the surface-subsurface legal relationship shall be determined in accordance with State law: Provided, that nothing in this Chapter shall be construed to authorize the commissioner to adjudicate property rights disputes.
C. The applicant shall file with his permit application a schedule listing any and all notices of violations of this Chapter and any applicable law, rule, or regulation of the state or the United States, or of any department or agency of the state or the United States, pertaining to air or water environmental protection incurred by the applicant in connection with any surface coal mining operation during the three-year period prior to the date of application. The schedule shall also indicate the final resolution of any such notice of violation. Where the schedule or other information available to the commissioner indicates that any surface coal mining operation owned or controlled by the applicant is currently in violation of this Chapter or such other laws referred to in this Subsection, the permit shall not be issued until the applicant submits proof that such violation has been corrected or is in the process of being corrected to the satisfaction of the regulatory authority, department, or agency which has jurisdiction over such violation, and no permit shall be issued to an applicant after a finding by the commissioner, after opportunity for hearing, that the applicant, or the operator specified in the application, controls or has controlled mining operations with a demonstrated pattern of willful violations of this Chapter or such other laws referred to in this Subsection of such nature and duration with such resulting irreparable damage to the environment as to indicate an intent not to comply with the provisions of this Chapter.
D. In addition to finding the application in compliance with Subsection B of this Section, if the area proposed to be mined contains prime farmland pursuant to R.S. 30:907(B)(16), the commissioner shall, after consultation with the secretary of the Department of Agriculture, pursuant to the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter, grant a permit to mine on prime farmland if the commissioner finds in writing that the operator has the technological capability to restore such mined area, within a reasonable time, to equivalent or higher levels of yield as non-mined prime farmland in the surrounding area under equivalent levels of management and can meet the soil reconstruction standards in R.S. 30:915(B)(7).
E. Approval of a permit or revision to a permit may not be denied for the reason that the applicant does not, at the time of filing of the application for a permit, have the legal right to enter and commence surface mining operations on all tracts of land within the permit area: Provided, that the applicant has demonstrated that the permit area can be mined in accordance with this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter without mining of the tracts on which the applicant does not have the legal right to enter and commence surface mining operations: Provided further, that the permittee shall notify the commissioner when the permittee has obtained the legal right to enter and commence surface mining operations on such tracts.
F. A permit may contain only such conditions as are expressly provided for in regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
A.(1) During the term of the permit the permittee may submit an application for a revision of the permit, together with a revised reclamation plan, to the commissioner.
(2) An application for a revision of a permit shall not be approved unless the commissioner finds that reclamation as required by this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter can be accomplished under the revised reclamation plan. The revision shall be approved or disapproved within a period of time established by the commissioner. The commissioner shall establish guidelines for a determination of the scale or extent of a revision request for which all permit application information requirements and procedures, including notice and hearings, shall apply. Any revisions which propose significant alterations in the reclamation plan shall, at a minimum, be subject to notice and hearing requirements. Insignificant departures, as permitted by regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter, in a permitted mining and reclamation plan which will not adversely affect the environmental impact of the surface coal mining and reclamation operations shall not require the revision of a permit pursuant to this Section. Notice of all such insignificant departures in a mining and reclamation plan shall be submitted to the commissioner in the operator's next monthly report and the commissioner may, within thirty days after receipt of the operator's monthly report, require the operator to submit an application for a permit revision pursuant to this Section.
(3) Any extensions to the area covered by the permit except incidental boundary revisions must be made by application for another permit.
B. No transfer, assignment, or sale of the rights granted under any permit issued pursuant to this Chapter shall be made without the written approval of the commissioner; Provided, that the commissioner shall approve a transfer, assignment or sale to the parent or a subsidiary of the permittee, or to an affiliate of, or a person controlled by or under common control with, the permittee, if the permittee satisfies the commissioner that the transfer, assignment or sale will not jeopardize the accomplishment of the objectives of this Chapter.
C. The commissioner shall, within a time limit prescribed in the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter, review outstanding permits and may require reasonable revision or modification of the permit provisions during the term of such permit: Provided, that such revision or modification shall be based upon a written finding and subject to notice and hearing requirements established by the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 121, §3, eff. June 27, 1980.
A. Any person planning to conduct exploration operations as defined in this Chapter shall obtain an exploration permit from the commissioner prior to conducting such exploration operations. The commissioner shall adopt regulations controlling the issuance of such permits, and such regulations shall require at a minimum that:
(1) An application for an exploration permit include a description of the proposed exploration area and the period of the proposed exploration.
(2) All lands disturbed by exploration operations which substantially disturb the surface be reclaimed in accordance with the performance standards in Section 915 of Chapter 9. The term "land disturbed" shall include excavations, roads, drill holes, and the removal of necessary facilities and equipment.
(3) The exploration permittee properly plug all holes before abandonment and submit a report to the commissioner within six months after expiration of the permit stating and attesting further that each hole has been properly plugged when abandoned.
(4) The applicant submits an application fee of $50.00.
(5) The applicant submits such reasonable bond with security as the commissioner may require to assure performance of the required reclamation and plugging obligations, said bond to be released when the report required above has been submitted and the reclamation and plugging obligations have been satisfied.
Within thirty days after receipt of a complete application, application fee and bond the commissioner shall issue an exploration permit, with a term not to exceed one year. All logs and core analyses obtained by any person conducting exploration activities pursuant to this subsection shall be furnished to the commissioner within five years after expiration of the applicable exploration permits unless such data will be or is intended to be submitted as part of an application for a mining permit.
B. Any person planning to conduct development operations as defined in this Chapter shall obtain a development operations permit from the commissioner prior to conducting any development operations. The commissioner shall adopt regulations controlling the issuance of such permits, and such regulations shall require at a minimum that:
(1) An application for a development operations permit include a description of the area of the proposed development operations and the period of the proposed operations.
(2) All land disturbed by the development operations, including excavations, roads, drill holes and the removal of necessary facilities and equipment, be reclaimed in accordance with the performance standards in Section 915 of Chapter 9.
(3) An application contain a reclamation plan, including a description of the means to be used and an estimate of the cost of reclamation per acre.
(4) The applicant submit a $75 application fee and a reasonable bond with sufficient security to assure performance of the reclamation duties required by Chapter 9. The bond shall be released when the reclamation requirements have been completed.
Within thirty days after receipt of a complete application, application fee and bond the commissioner shall issue a development operations permit with a term not to exceed 18 months.
C. Any person who conducts any coal exploration and/or development activities which substantially disturb the natural land surface in violation of this section or regulations issued pursuant thereto shall be subject to the provisions of Section 918.
D. Coal exploration on Federal lands shall be governed by Section 4 of the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1975 (90 Stat. 1085).1
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
130 U.S.C.A. §201(b).
A. At the time of submission of an application for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit, or revision of an existing permit, pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, the applicant shall submit to the commissioner a copy of his advertisement of the ownership, precise location, and boundaries of the land to be affected. At the time of submission such advertisement shall be placed by the applicant in a local newspaper of general circulation in the locality of the proposed surface mine at least once a week for four consecutive weeks. The commissioner shall notify various affected local governmental bodies, planning agencies, sewage and water treatment authorities and water companies in the locality in which the proposed surface mining will take place, notifying them of the operator's intention to surface mine a particularly described tract of land and indicating the application's permit number and where a copy of the proposed mining and reclamation plan may be inspected. These local bodies, agencies, authorities or companies may submit written comments within a reasonable period established by the commissioner on the mining application with respect to the effect of the proposed operation on the environment which are within their area of responsibility. Such comments shall immediately be transmitted to the applicant by the commissioner and shall be made available to the public at the same locations as are the mining applications.
B. Any person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected or the officer or head of any state, federal or local governmental agency or authority shall have the right to file written objections to the proposed initial or revised application for a permit for surface coal mining and reclamation operations with the commissioner within thirty days after the last publication of the above notice. Such objections shall immediately be transmitted to the applicant by the commissioner and shall be made available to the public. If written objections are filed and an informal conference requested, the commissioner shall then hold an informal conference in the locality of the proposed mining if requested within a reasonable time of the receipt of such objections or request. The date, time and location of such informal conference shall be advertised by the commissioner in a newspaper of general circulation in the locality of the proposed mining operation at least two weeks prior to the scheduled conference date. The commissioner may arrange with the applicant upon request by any party to the administrative proceeding access to the proposed mining area for the purpose of gathering information relevant to the proceeding. An electronic or stenographic record shall be made of the conference proceeding, unless waived by all parties. Such record shall be maintained and shall be accessible to the parties until final release of the applicant's performance bond. In the event all parties requesting the informal conference stipulate agreement prior to the requested informal conference and withdraw their request, such informal conference need not be held.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
A. If an informal conference has been held pursuant to Section 913B, the commissioner shall, within sixty days after such conference, issue and furnish the applicant for a permit and persons who are parties to the administrative proceedings with the written finding of the commissioner granting or denying the permit in whole or in part and stating the reasons therefor.
B. If there has been no informal conference held pursuant to Section 913B, the commissioner shall notify the applicant for a permit within a reasonable time as determined by the commissioner and set forth in regulations, taking into account the time needed for proper investigation of the site, the complexity of the permit application, and whether or not written objection to the application has been filed, but not later than sixty days after the last publication of the notice required in Section 913A, whether the application has been approved or disapproved in whole or in part.
C. If the application is approved, the permit shall be issued. If the application is disapproved, specific reasons therefor must be set forth in the notification. Within thirty days after the applicant is notified of the final decision of the commissioner on the permit application, the applicant or any person with an interest which is or may be adversely affected may request a hearing before the commissioner on the reasons for the final determination. The commissioner or his representative shall hold a hearing within thirty days of such request and provide notification to all interested parties at the time that the applicant is so notified. Such hearing shall be of record and adjudicatory in nature, and no person who presided at a conference under Section 913B shall either preside at the hearing or participate in the decision thereon or in any administrative appeal therefrom. Within thirty days after the hearing the commissioner shall issue and furnish the applicant, and all persons who participated in the hearing, with the written decision of the commissioner granting or denying the permit in whole or in part and stating the reasons therefor.
D. Where a hearing is requested pursuant to Subsection C, the commissioner may, under such conditions as he may prescribe, grant such temporary relief as he deems appropriate pending final determination of the proceedings if:
(1) All parties to the proceedings have been notified and given an opportunity to be heard on a request for temporary relief.
(2) The person requesting such relief shows that there is a substantial likelihood that he will prevail on the merits of the final determination of the proceeding, and
(3) Such relief will not adversely affect the public health or safety or cause significant imminent environmental harm to land, air, or water resources.
E. For the purpose of such hearing, the commissioner or his representative may administer oaths, subpoena witnesses or written or printed materials, compel attendance of the witnesses or production of the materials and take evidence including but not limited to site inspections of the land to be affected and other surface coal mining operations carried on by the applicant in the general vicinity of the proposed operation. A verbatim record of each public hearing required by this Chapter shall be made, and a transcript made available on the motion of any party or by order of the commissioner.
F. Any applicant or any person with an interest which is or may be adversely affected who has participated in the administrative proceedings as an objector, and who is aggrieved by the decision of the commissioner, or if the commissioner fails to act within the time limits specified in this Chapter, shall have the right to appeal in accordance with Section 926.
Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
A. Any permit issued pursuant to this Chapter to conduct surface coal mining operations shall require that such surface coal mining operations will meet all applicable performance standards of this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter.
B. General performance standards shall be applicable to all surface coal mining and reclamation operations and shall require the operator as a minimum to:
(1) Conduct surface coal mining operations so as to maximize the utilization and conservation of the solid fuel resource being recovered so that reaffecting the land in the future through surface coal mining can be minimized.
(2) Restore the land affected to a condition capable of supporting the uses which it was capable of supporting prior to any mining, or higher or better uses of which there is reasonable likelihood, so long as such use or uses do not present any actual or probable hazard to public health or safety or pose any actual or probable threat of water diminution or pollution, and the permit applicant's declared proposed land use following reclamation is not deemed to be impractical or unreasonable, inconsistent with applicable land use policies and plans, involves unreasonable delay in implementation, or is violative of State, Federal or local law.
(3) Except as provided in Subsection C of this Section with respect to all surface coal mining operations backfill, compact (where advisable to insure stability or to prevent leaching of toxic materials), and grade in order to restore the approximate original contour of the land with all highwalls, spoil piles, and depressions eliminated, unless small depressions are needed in order to retain moisture to assist revegetation or as otherwise authorized pursuant to this Chapter: Provided, that in surface coal mining which is carried out at the same location over a substantial period of time where the operation transects the coal deposit, and the thickness of the coal deposits relative to the volume of the overburden is large and where the operator demonstrates that the overburden and other spoil and waste materials at a particular point in the permit area or otherwise available from the entire permit area is insufficient, giving due consideration to volumetric expansion, to restore the approximate original contour, the operator, at a minimum, shall backfill, grade, and compact, where advisable, using all available overburden and other spoil and waste materials to attain the lowest practicable grade but not more than the angle of repose, to provide adequate drainage and to cover all acid-forming and other toxic materials, in order to achieve an ecologically sound land use compatible with the surrounding region: Provided further, that in surface coal mining where the volume of overburden is large relative to the thickness of the coal deposit and where the operator demonstrates that due to volumetric expansion the amount of overburden and other spoil and waste materials removed in the course of the mining operation is more than sufficient to restore the approximate original contour, the operator shall, after restoring the approximate contour, backfill, grade, and compact (where advisable) the excess overburden and other spoil and waste materials to attain the lowest grade but not more than the angle of repose, and to cover all acid-forming and other toxic materials, in order to achieve an ecologically sound land use compatible with the surrounding region and that such overburden or spoil shall be shaped and graded in such a way as to prevent slides, erosion, and water pollution and is revegetated in accordance with the requirements of this Chapter.
(4) Stabilize and protect all surface areas including spoil piles affected by the surface coal mining and reclamation operation to effectively control erosion and attendant air and water pollution.
(5) Remove the topsoil from the land in a separate layer, replace it on the backfill area, or if not utilized immediately, segregate it in a separate pile from other spoil and when the topsoil is not replaced on a backfill area within a time short enough to avoid deterioration of the topsoil, maintain a successful cover by quick growing plant or other means thereafter so that the topsoil is preserved from wind and water erosion, remains free of any contamination by other acid or toxic material, and is in a usable condition for sustaining vegetation when restored during reclamation, except if topsoil is of insufficient quantity or of poor quality for sustaining vegetation, or if other strata can be shown to be more suitable for vegetation requirements, then the operator shall remove, segregate, and preserve in a like manner such other strata which is best able to support vegetation.
(6) Restore the topsoil or the best available subsoil which is best able to support vegetation.
(7) For all prime farmlands as identified in R.S. 30:907(B)(16) to be mined and reclaimed, specifications for soil removal, storage, replacement, and reconstruction shall be established by the secretary, and the operator shall, as a minimum, be required to:
(a) Segregate the A horizon of the natural soil, except where it can be shown that other available soil materials will create a final soil having a greater productive capacity; and if not utilized immediately, stockpile this material separately from other spoil, and provide needed protection from wind and water erosion or contamination by other acid or toxic material.
(b) Segregate the B horizon of the natural soil, or underlying C horizons or other strata, or a combination of such horizons or other strata that are shown to be both texturally and chemically suitable for plant growth and that can be shown to be equally or more favorable for plant growth than the B horizon, in sufficient quantities to create in the regraded final soil a root zone of comparable depth and quality to that which existed in the natural soil; and if not utilized immediately, stockpile this material separately from other spoil, and provide needed protection from wind and water erosion or contamination by other acid or toxic material.
(c) Replace and regrade the root zone material described in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph with proper compaction and uniform depth over the regraded spoil material, and
(d) Redistribute and grade in a uniform manner the surface soil horizon described in Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph.
(8) Create, if authorized in the approved mining and reclamation plan and permit, permanent impoundments of water on mining sites as part of reclamation activities only when it is adequately demonstrated that:
(a) The size of the impoundment is adequate for its intended purposes.
(b) The impoundment dam construction will be so designed as to achieve necessary stability with an adequate margin of safety compatible with that of structures constructed under United States Public Law 83-566, 16 U.S.C. 1006.
(c) The quality of impounded water will be suitable on a permanent basis for its intended use and that discharges from the impoundment will not degrade the water quality below water quality standards established pursuant to applicable Federal and State law in the receiving stream.
(d) The level of water will be reasonably stable.
(e) Final grading will provide adequate safety and access for proposed water users, and
(f) Such water impoundments will not result in the diminution of the quality or quantity of water utilized by adjacent or surrounding landowners for agricultural, industrial, recreational, or domestic uses.
(9) Conducting any augering operation associated with surface mining in a manner to maximize recoverability of mineral reserves remaining after the operation and reclamation are complete; and seal all auger holes with an impervious and noncombustible material in order to prevent drainage except where the secretary determines that the resulting impoundment of water in such auger holes may create a hazard to the environment or the public health or safety: Provided, that the secretary may prohibit augering if necessary to maximize the utilization, recoverability or conservation of the solid fuel resources or to protect against adverse water quality impacts.
(10) Minimize the disturbances to the prevailing hydrologic balance at the mine-site and in associated offsite areas and to the quality and quantity of water in surface and ground water systems both during and after surface coal mining operations and during reclamation by:
(a) Avoiding acid or other toxic mine drainage by such measures as, but not limited to:
(i) Preventing or removing water from contact with toxic producing deposits.
(ii) Treating drainage to reduce toxic content which adversely affects downstream water upon being released to water courses.
(iii) Casing, sealing, or otherwise managing boreholes, shafts and wells and keep acid or other toxic drainage from entering ground and surface waters.
(b)(i) Conducting surface coal mining operations so as to prevent, to the extent possible using the best technology currently available, additional contributions of suspended solids to streamflow, or runoff outside the permit area, but in no event shall contributions be in excess of requirements set by applicable State or Federal law.
(ii) Constructing any siltation structures pursuant to Item (i) of this Subparagraph prior to commencement of surface coal mining operations, such structures to be certified by a qualified registered engineer to be constructed as designed and as approved in the reclamation plan.
(c) Cleaning out and removing temporary or large settling ponds or other siltation structures from drainways after disturbed areas are revegetated and stabilized; and depositing the silt and debris at a site and in a manner approved by the regulatory authority.
(d) Restoring recharge capacity of the mined area to approximate premining conditions.
(e) Avoiding channel deepening or enlargement in operations requiring the discharge of water from mines.
(f) Such other actions as the secretary may prescribe.
(11) With respect to surface disposal of mine wastes, tailings, coal processing wastes, and other wastes in areas other than the mine working or excavations, stabilize all waste piles in designated areas through construction in compacted layers including the use of incombustible and impervious materials if necessary and assure the final contour of the waste pile will be compatible with natural surroundings and that the site can and will be stabilized and revegetated according to the provisions of this Chapter.
(12) Refrain from surface coal mining within five hundred feet from active and abandoned underground mines in order to prevent breakthroughs and to protect health or safety of miners: Provided, that the secretary shall permit an operator to mine near, through or partially through an abandoned underground mine or closer to an active underground mine if (a) the nature, timing, and sequencing of the approximate coincidence of specific surface mine activities with specific underground mine activities are jointly approved by the regulatory authorities concerned with surface mine regulation and the health and safety of underground miners, and (b) such operations will result in improved resource recovery, abatement of water pollution, or elimination of hazards to the health and safety of the public.
(13) Design, locate, construct, operate, maintain, enlarge, modify, and remove or abandon, in accordance with the standards and criteria developed by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to Section 515(f) of Public Law 95-87,* all existing and new coal mine waste piles consisting of mine wastes, tailings, coal processing wastes, or other liquid and solid wastes, and used either temporarily or permanently as dams or embankments.
(14) Insure that all debris, acid-forming materials, toxic materials, or materials constituting a fire hazard are treated or buried and compacted or otherwise disposed of in a manner designed to prevent contamination of ground or surface waters and that contingency plans are developed to prevent sustained combustion.
(15) Insure that explosives are used only in accordance with existing state and federal law and the regulations issued by the secretary pursuant to this Chapter, which shall include provisions to:
(a) Provide adequate advance written notice to local governments and residents who might be affected by the use of such explosives by publication of the planned blasting schedule in a newspaper of general circulation in the locality and by mailing a copy of the proposed blasting schedule to every resident living within one-half mile of the proposed blasting site and by providing daily notice to resident/occupiers in such areas prior to any blasting.
(b) Maintain for a period of at least three years and make available for public inspection upon request a log detailing the location of the blasts, the pattern and depth of the drill holes, the amount of explosives used per hole, and the order and length of delay in the blasts.
(c) Limit the type of explosives and detonating equipment, the size, the timing and frequency of blasts based upon the physical conditions of the site so as to prevent (i) injury to persons, (ii) damage to public and private property outside the permit area, (iii) adverse impacts on any underground mine, and (iv) change in the course, channel, or availability of ground or surface water outside the permit area.
(d) Require the training, examination, and certification of persons engaging in or directly responsible for blasting or use of explosives in surface coal mining operations.
(e) Provide that upon the request of a resident or owner of a man-made dwelling or structure within one-half mile of any portion of the permitted area the applicant or permittee shall conduct a pre-blasting survey of such structures and submit the survey to the secretary and a copy to the resident or owner making the request. The area of the survey shall be decided by the secretary and shall include such provisions as the secretary shall promulgate.
(16) Insure that all reclamation efforts proceed in an environmentally sound manner and as contemporaneously as practicable with the surface coal mining operations.
(17) Insure that the construction, maintenance, and postmining conditions of access roads into and across the site of operations will control or prevent erosion and siltation, pollution of water, damage to fish or wildlife or their habitat, or public or private property.
(18) Refrain from the construction of roads or other access ways up a stream bed or drainage channel or in such proximity to such channel so as to seriously alter the normal flow of water.
(19) Establish on the regraded areas, and all other lands affected, a diverse, effective, and permanent vegetative cover of the same seasonal variety native to the area of land to be affected and capable of self-regeneration and plant succession at least equal in extent of cover to the natural vegetation of the area; except, that introduced species may be used in the revegetation process where desirable and necessary to achieve the approved postmining land use plan; and provided that as to vines, the plan shall prohibit the planting of Kudzu, pueraria lobata, or any vine of the Kudzu family.
(20) Assume the responsibility for successful revegetation, as required by Paragraph (19) of this Subsection, for a period of five full years after the last year of augmented seeding, fertilizing, irrigation, or other work in order to assure compliance with Paragraph (19) of this Subsection: Provided, that when the secretary approves a long-term intensive agricultural postmining land use, the applicable five year period of responsibility for revegetation shall commence at the date of initial planting of such long-term intensive agricultural postmining land use: Provided further, that when the secretary issues a written finding approving a long-term, intensive, agricultural postmining land use as part of the mining and reclamation plan, the secretary may grant exception to the provisions of Paragraph (19) of this Subsection.
(21) Protect offsite areas from slides or damage occurring during the surface coal mining and reclamation operations, and not deposit spoil material or locate any part of the operations or waste accumulations outside the permit area.
(22) Place all excess spoil material resulting from coal surface mining and reclamation activities in such a manner that:
(a) Spoil is transported and placed in a controlled manner in position for concurrent compaction and in such a way to assure mass stability and to prevent mass movement.
(b) The areas of disposal are within the bonded permit areas and all organic matter shall be removed immediately prior to spoil placement.
(c) Appropriate surface and internal drainage systems and diversion ditches are used so as to prevent spoil erosion and movement.
(d) The disposal area does not contain springs, natural water courses or wet weather seeps unless lateral drains are constructed from the wet areas to the main underdrains in such a manner that filtration of the water into the spoil pile will be prevented.
(e) If placed on a slope, the spoil is placed upon the most moderate slope among those upon which, in the judgment of the secretary, the spoil could be placed in compliance with all the requirements of this Chapter, and shall be placed, where possible, upon, or above, a natural terrace, bench, or berm, if such placement provides additional stability and prevents mass movement.
(f) Where the toe of the spoil rests on a downslope, a rock toe buttress, of sufficient size to prevent mass movement, is constructed.
(g) The final configuration is compatible with the natural drainage pattern and surroundings and suitable for intended uses.
(h) Design of the spoil disposal area is certified by a qualified registered professional engineer in conformance with professional standards, and
(i) All other provisions of this Chapter are met.
(23) Meet such other criteria as are necessary to achieve reclamation in accordance with the purposes of this Chapter, taking into consideration the physical, climatological, and other characteristics of the site.
(24) To the extent possible, using the best technology currently available, minimize disturbances and adverse impacts of the operation on fish, wildlife, and related environmental values, and achieve enhancement of such resources where practicable.
(25) Provide for an undisturbed natural barrier beginning at the elevation of the lowest coal seam to be mined and extending from the outslope for such distance as the secretary shall determine shall be retained in place as a barrier to slides and erosion.
C.(1) Where an applicant meets the requirements of Paragraphs (2) and (3) of this Subsection a permit without regard to the requirement to restore to approximate original contour set forth in Paragraph (B)(3) or (D)(2) or (3) of this Section may be granted for the surface mining of coal where the mining operation will remove an entire coal seam or seams running through the upper fraction of a mountain, ridge, or hill, except as provided in Subparagraph (3)(a) of this Subsection, by removing all of the overburden and creating a level plateau or a gently rolling contour with no highwalls remaining, and capable of supporting postmining uses in accord with the requirements of this Subsection.
(2) In cases where an industrial, commercial, agricultural, residential or public facility, including recreational facilities, use is proposed for the postmining use of the affected land, the secretary may grant a permit for a surface mining operation of the nature described in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection where:
(a) After consultation with the appropriate land use planning agencies, if any, the proposed postmining land use is deemed to constitute an equal or better economic or public use of the affected land, as compared with premining use.
(b) The applicant presents specific plans for the proposed postmining land use and appropriate assurances that such use will be:
(i) Compatible with adjacent land uses.
(ii) Obtainable according to data regarding expected need and market.
(iii) Assured of investment in necessary public facilities.
(iv) Supported by commitments from public agencies where appropriate.
(v) Practicable with respect to private financial capacity for completion of the proposed use.
(vi) Planned pursuant to a schedule attached to the reclamation plan so as to integrate the mining operation and reclamation with the postmining land use, and
(vii) Designed by a registered engineer in conformance with professional standards established to assure the stability, drainage, and configuration necessary for the intended use of the site.
(c) The proposed use would be consistent with adjacent land uses, and existing state and local land use plans and programs.
(d) The secretary provides the police jury of the parish in which the land is located and any state or federal agency which the secretary, in his discretion, determines to have an interest in the proposed use, an opportunity of not more than sixty days to review and comment on the proposed use.
(e) All other requirements of this Act will be met.
(3) In granting any permit pursuant to this Subsection the secretary shall require that:
(a) The toe of the lowest coal seam and the overburden associated with it are retained in place as a barrier to slides and erosion.
(b) The reclaimed area is stable.
(c) The resulting plateau or rolling contour drains inward from the outslopes except at specified points.
(d) No damage will be done to natural watercourses.
(e) Spoil will be placed on the mountain top bench as is necessary to achieve the planned postmining land use: Provided, that all excess spoil material not retained on the mountaintop shall be placed in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph (B)(22) of this Section.
(f) Insure stability of the spoil retained on the mountaintop and meet the other requirements of this Chapter.
(4) The secretary shall promulgate specific regulations to govern the granting of permits in accord with the provisions of this Subsection, and may impose such additional requirements as he deems to be necessary.
(5) All permits granted under the provisions of this Subsection shall be reviewed not more than three years from the date of issuance of the permit, unless the applicant affirmatively demonstrates that the proposed development is proceeding in accordance with the terms of the approved schedule and reclamation plan.
D. The following performance standards shall be applicable to steep-slope surface coal mining and shall be in addition to those general performance standards required by this Section: Provided, however, that the provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to those situations in which an operator is mining on flat or gently rolling terrain, on which an occasional steep slope is encountered through which the mining operation is to proceed, leaving a plain or predominantly flat area or where an operator is in compliance with provisions of Subsection C of this Section:
(1) Insure that when performing surface coal mining on steep slopes, no debris, abandoned or disabled equipment, spoil material, or waste mineral matter be placed on the downslope below the bench or mining cut: Provided, that spoil material in excess of that required for the reconstruction of the approximate original contour under the provisions of Paragraph (B)(3) of this Section or Paragraph (2) of this Subsection shall be permanently stored pursuant to Paragraph (B)(22) of this Section.
(2) Complete backfilling with spoil material shall be required to cover completely the highwall and return the site to the appropriate original contour, which material will maintain stability following mining and reclamation.
(3) The operator may not disturb land above the top of the highwall unless the secretary finds that such disturbances will facilitate compliance with the environmental protection standards of this Section: Provided, that the land disturbed above the highwall shall be limited to that amount necessary to facilitate said compliance.
(4) For the purposes of this Subsection, the term "steep slope" is any slope above twenty degrees or such lesser slope as may be defined by the secretary after consideration of soil, climate, and other characteristics of a region.
E.(1) The secretary may permit variances for the purposes set forth in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection, provided that the watershed control of the area is improved; and further provided complete backfilling with spoil material shall be required to cover completely the highwall which material will maintain stability following mining and reclamation.
(2) Where an applicant meets the requirements of Paragraphs (3) and (4) of this Subsection a variance from the requirement to restore to approximate original contour set forth in Paragraph (D)(2) of this Section may be granted for the surface mining of coal where the owner of the surface knowingly requests in writing, as a part of the permit application, that such a variance be granted so as to render the land, after reclamation, suitable for an industrial, commercial, residential, or public use, including recreational facilities, in accord with the further provisions of Paragraphs (3) and (4) of this Subsection.
(3)(a) After consultation with the appropriate land use planning agencies, if any, the potential use of the affected land is deemed to constitute an equal or better economic or public use.
(b) Is designed and certified by a qualified registered professional engineer in conformance with professional standards established to assure the stability, drainage, and configuration necessary for the intended use of the site, and
(c) After approval of the appropriate state environmental agencies, the watershed of the affected land is deemed to be improved.
(4) In granting a variance pursuant to this Subsection the secretary shall require that only such amount of spoil will be placed off the mine bench as is necessary to achieve the planned postmining land use, insure stability of the spoil retained on the bench, meet all other requirements of this Chapter, and all spoil placement off the mine bench must comply with Paragraph (B)(22) of this Section.
(5) The secretary shall promulgate specific regulations to govern the granting of variances in accord with the provisions of this Subsection, and may impose such additional requirements as he deems to be necessary.
(6) All exceptions granted under the provisions of this Subsection shall be reviewed not more than three years from the date of issuance of the permit, unless the permittee affirmatively demonstrates that the proposed development is proceeding in accordance with the terms of the reclamation plan.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
*30 U.S.C.A. §1265(f).
Information submitted to the office of conservation pursuant to R.S. 30:912 as confidential concerning trade secrets or privileged commercial or financial information which relates to competitive rights shall not be available for public examination.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 553, §2.
A. For the purpose of the administration and enforcement of any permit under this Chapter, or of determining whether any person is in violation of any requirement of this Chapter:
(1) The secretary shall require any permittee to (a) establish and maintain appropriate records, (b) make monthly reports to the secretary, (c) install, use, and maintain any necessary monitoring equipment or methods, (d) evaluate results in accordance with such methods, at such locations, intervals, and in such manner as the secretary shall prescribe, and (e) provide such other information relative to surface coal mining and reclamation operations as the secretary deems reasonable and necessary.
(2)(a) For those surface coal mining and reclamation operations which remove or disturb strata that serve as aquifers which significantly insure the hydrologic balance of water use either on or off the mining site, the secretary shall specify those:
(i) Monitoring sites to record the quantity and quality of surface drainage above and below the minesite as well as in the potential zone of influence.
(ii) Monitoring sites to record level, amount, and samples of ground water and aquifers potentially affected by the mining and also directly below the lowermost, deepest, coal seam to be mined.
(iii) Records of well logs and borehole data to be maintained, and
(iv) Monitoring sites to record precipitation.
(b) The monitoring data collection and analysis required by this Section shall be conducted according to standards and procedures set forth by the secretary in order to assure their reliability and validity.
(3) The authorized representatives of the secretary without advance notice and upon presentation of appropriate credentials (a) shall have the right of entry to, upon, or through any surface coal mining and reclamation operations or any premises in which any records required to be maintained under Paragraph (1) of this Subsection are located; and (b) may at reasonable times, and without delay, have access to and copy any records, inspect any monitoring equipment or method of operation required under this Chapter.
B. The inspections by the secretary shall (1) occur on an irregular basis averaging not less than one partial inspection per month and one complete inspection per calendar quarter for the surface coal mining and reclamation operation covered by each permit; (2) occur without prior notice to the permittee or his agents or employees except for necessary onsite meetings with the permittee; and (3) include the filing of inspection reports adequate to enforce the requirements of and to carry out the terms and purposes of this Chapter.
C. Each permittee shall conspicuously maintain at the entrances to the surface coal mining and reclamation operations a clearly visible sign which sets forth the name, business address, and phone number of the permittee and the permit number of the surface coal mining and reclamation operations.
D. Each inspector, upon detection of each violation of any requirement of this Chapter or the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter, shall forthwith inform the operator in writing, and shall report in writing any such violation to the secretary.
E. Copies of any records, reports, inspection materials, or information obtained under this Chapter by the secretary shall be made immediately available to the public at central and sufficient locations in the parish of the area of mining so that they are conveniently available to residents in the areas of mining.
F. After the state has assumed exclusive jurisdiction of surface coal mining operations as provided in Section 503 of P.L. 95-87, and as long as the state retains such jurisdiction, then no employee of the department performing any function or duty under this Chapter shall have a direct or indirect financial interest in any surface coal mining operation. Whoever knowingly violates the provisions of this Subsection shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment of not more than one year, or by both. The secretary shall by regulation establish methods by which the provisions of this Subsection will be monitored and enforced by the secretary, including appropriate provisions for the filing by such employees in the review of statements and supplements thereto concerning any financial interest which may be effected by this Subsection. This Subsection shall not be given effect (1) if the Secretary of the Interior does not require the inclusion of similar provisions in state laws as a condition for approval by the Secretary of the Interior of state programs of regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations pursuant to Section 503 of P.L. 95-87 or (2) if any such requirement of the Secretary of the Interior is declared invalid by final decree of a court of competent jurisdiction: Provided, that if similar provisions are required by the Secretary of the Interior to be included in state laws, the Secretary of Natural Resources and the secretary may commence and prosecute an action in the appropriate federal court to have the regulation requiring inclusion declared invalid.
G.(1) Any person who is or may be adversely affected by a surface coal mining operation may notify the secretary or any representative of the secretary responsible for conducting the inspection, in writing, of any violation of this Chapter which he has reason to believe exists at the surface mining site. The secretary shall, by regulation, establish procedures for informal review of any refusal by a representative of the secretary to issue a citation with respect to any such alleged violation. The secretary shall furnish such persons requesting the review a written statement of the reasons for the secretary's final disposition of the case.
(2) The secretary shall also, by regulation, establish procedures to insure that adequate and complete inspections are made. Any such person may notify the secretary of any failure to make such inspections, after which the secretary shall determine whether adequate and complete inspections have been made. The secretary shall furnish such persons a written statement of the reasons for the secretary's determination that adequate and complete inspections have or have not been conducted.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
130 U.S.C.A. §1253.
A. Any permittee who violates any permit condition or who violates any other provision of this Chapter, may be assessed a civil penalty by the commissioner, except that if such violation leads to the issuance of a cessation order under section 921, the civil penalty shall be assessed. Such penalty shall not exceed $5,000 for each violation. Each day of continuing violation may be deemed a separate violation for purposes of penalty assessments. In determining the amount of the penalty, consideration shall be given to the permittee's history of previous violations at the particular surface coal mining operation; the seriousness of the violation, including any irreparable harm to the environment and any hazard to the health or safety of the public; whether the permittee was negligent; and the demonstrated good faith of the permittee charged in attempting to achieve rapid compliance after notification of the violation.
B. A civil penalty shall be assessed by the commissioner only after the person charged with a violation described under Subsection A of this Section has been given an opportunity for a public hearing. Where such a public hearing has been held, the commissioner shall make findings of fact, and he shall issue a written decision as to the occurrence of the violation and the amount of the penalty which is warranted, incorporating, when appropriate, an order therein requiring that the penalty be paid. When appropriate, the commissioner shall consolidate such hearings with other proceedings under Section 921 of this Chapter. Any hearing under this Section shall be of record and shall be subject to the Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act, except where the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act are in conflict with this Chapter and the regulations issued by the commissioner pursuant to the Chapter, in which case the provisions of this Chapter and the regulations issued hereunder shall govern. Where the person charged with such a violation fails to avail himself of the opportunity for a public hearing, a civil penalty shall be assessed by the commissioner after the commissioner has determined that a violation did occur, and the amount of the penalty which is warranted, and has issued an order requiring that the penalty be paid.
C. Upon the issuance of a notice or order charging that a violation of Chapter 9 has occurred, the commissioner shall inform the operator within thirty days of the proposed amount of said penalty. The person charged with the penalty shall then have thirty days to pay the proposed penalty in full or, if the person wishes to contest either the amount of the penalty or the fact of the violation, forward the proposed amount to the commissioner for placement in an escrow account. If through administrative or judicial review of the proposed penalty, it is determined that no violation occurred, or that the amount of the penalty should be reduced, the commissioner shall within thirty days remit the appropriate amount to the person, with interest at the rate of 6 percent per annum. Failure to forward the money to the commissioner within thirty days shall result in a waiver of all legal rights to contest the violation or the amount of the penalty.
D. Any person who willfully and knowingly violates a condition of a permit issued pursuant to this Chapter or fails or refuses to comply with any order issued under Section 921 or Section 926 of this Chapter, or any order incorporated in a final decision issued by the commissioner under this Chapter, except an order incorporated in a decision issued under Subsection B of this Section or Subsection C of Section 921 of this Chapter, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.
E. Whenever a corporate permittee violates a condition of a permit issued pursuant to this Chapter or fails or refuses to comply with any order issued under Section 921 of this Chapter, or any order incorporated in a final decision issued by the Commissioner under this Chapter except an order incorporated in a decision issued under Subsection B of this Section or Section 928 of this Chapter, any director, officer, or agent of such corporation who willfully and knowingly authorized, ordered, or carried out such violation, failure, or refusal shall be subject to the same civil penalties, fines, and imprisonment that may be imposed upon a person under subsections A and D of this Section.
F. Whoever knowingly makes any false statement, representation, or certification, or knowingly fails to make any statement, representation, or certification in any application, record, report, plant, or other document filed or required to be maintained pursuant to this Chapter or any regulation issued pursuant to this Chapter or any order or decision issued by the commissioner under this Chapter, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year or both.
G. Any operator who fails to correct a violation for which a citation has been issued under Section 921A within the period permitted for its correction, which period shall not end until the entry of a final order by the commissioner in the case of any review proceedings under Section 925 initiated by the operator wherein the commissioner orders, after an expedited hearing, the suspension of the abatement requirements of the citation after determining that the operator will suffer irreparable loss or damage from the application of those requirements, or until the entry of an order of the court, in the case of any review proceedings under Section 926 initiated by the operator wherein the court orders the suspension of the abatement requirements of the citation, shall be assessed a civil penalty of not less than $750 for each day during which such failure or violation continues.
H. The commissioner may commence and prosecute civil actions to recover civil penalties owed under this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 121, §4, eff. June 27, 1980.
A. The permittee may file a request with the commissioner for the release of all or part of a performance bond or deposit. Within thirty days after any application for bond or deposit release has been filed with the commissioner, the operator shall submit a copy of an advertisement placed at least once a week for four successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the locality of the surface coal mining operation. Such advertisement shall be considered part of any bond release application and shall contain a notification of the precise location of the land affected, the number of acres, the permit and the date approved, the amount of the bond filed and the portion sought to be released, and the type and appropriate dates of reclamation work performed, and a description of the results achieved as they relate to the operator's approved reclamation plan. In addition, as part of any bond release application, the applicant shall submit copies of letters which he has sent to adjoining property owners, local governmental bodies, planning agencies, and sewage and water treatment authorities, or water companies in the locality in which the surface coal mining and reclamation activities took place, notifying them of his intention to seek release from the bond.
B. Upon receipt of the notification and request, the commissioner shall within thirty days conduct an inspection and evaluation of the reclamation work involved. Such evaluation shall consider, among other things, the degree of difficulty to complete any remaining reclamation, whether pollution of surface and subsurface water is occurring, the probability of continuance of future occurrence of such pollution, and the estimated cost of abating such pollution. The commissioner shall notify the permittee in writing of its decision to release or not to release all or part of the performance bond or deposit within sixty days from the filing of the request, if no public hearing is held pursuant to Subsection F of this Section, and if there has been a public hearing held pursuant to Subsection F of this Section, within thirty days thereafter.
C. The commissioner shall release in whole or in part said bond or deposit if the commissioner is satisfied the reclamation covered by the bond or deposit or portion thereof has been accomplished as required by this Chapter according to the following schedule:
(1) When the operator completes the backfilling, regrading, and drainage control of a bonded area in accordance with his approved reclamation plan, the release of 60 per centum of the bond or collateral for the applicable permit area.
(2) After revegetation has been established on the regraded mined lands in accordance with the approved reclamation plan. When determining the amount of bond to be released after successful revegetation has been established, the commissioner shall retain that amount of bond for the revegetated area which would be sufficient for a third party to cover the cost of reestablishing revegetation for the period specified for operator responsibility in R.S. 30:915 of reestablishing revegetation. No part of the bond or deposit shall be released under this Paragraph so long as the lands to which the release would be applicable are contributing suspended solids to streamflow or runoff outside the permit area in excess of the requirements set by R.S. 30:915(B)(10) or until soil productivity for prime farmlands has returned to equivalent levels of yield as nonmined land of the same soil type in the surrounding area under equivalent management practices as determined from the soil survey performed pursuant to R.S. 30:907(B)(16). Where a silt dam is to be retained as a permanent impoundment pursuant to R.S. 30:915(B)(8), the portion of bond may be released under this Paragraph so long as provisions for sound future maintenance by the operator or the landowner have been made with the commissioner.
(3) When the operator has completed successfully all surface coal mining and reclamation activities, the release of the remaining portion of the bond, but not before the expiration of the period specified for operator responsibility in R.S. 30:915: Provided, That no bond shall be fully released until all reclamation requirements of this Chapter are fully met.
D. If the commissioner disapproves the application for release of the bond or portion thereof, the commissioner shall notify the permittee, in writing, stating the reasons for disapproval and recommending corrective actions necessary to secure said release and allowing opportunity for a public hearing.
E. When any application for total or partial bond release is filed with the commissioner, the commissioner shall notify the municipality in which a surface coal mining operation is located by certified mail at least thirty days prior to the release of all or a portion of the bond.
F. Any person with a valid legal interest which might be adversely affected by release of the bond or the responsible officer or head of any State, Federal or local governmental agency which has jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental, social, or economic impact involved in the operation, or is authorized to develop and enforce environmental standards with respect to such operations, shall have the right to file written objections to the proposed release from bond to the commissioner within thirty days after the last publication of the above notice. If written objections are filed, and a hearing requested, the commissioner shall inform all the interested parties of the time and place of the hearing, and hold a public hearing in the locality of the surface coal mining operation proposed for bond release within thirty days of the request for such hearing. The date, time, and location of such public hearings shall be advertised by the commissioner in a newspaper of general circulation in the locality for two consecutive weeks, and the commissioner shall hold a public hearing in the locality of the surface coal mining operation proposed for bond release or at the State capital at the option of the objector, within thirty days of the request for such hearing.
G. Without prejudice to the rights of the objectors, the applicant, or the responsibilities of the commissioner pursuant to this section, the commissioner may establish an informal conference as provided in R.S. 30:913 to resolve such written objections.
H. For the purpose of such hearing the commissioner shall have the authority and is hereby empowered to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses, or written or printed materials, compel the attendance of witnesses, or production of the materials, and take evidence including but not limited to inspections of the land affected and other surface coal mining operations carried on by the applicant in the general vicinity. A verbatim record of each public hearing required by this Chapter shall be made, and a transcript made available on the motion of any party or by order of the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
A. After the state has assumed exclusive jurisdiction of surface coal mining operations as provided in Section 503 of Public Law 95-87,* and as long as the state retains such jurisdiction, then, except as provided in Subsection B of this Section, and subject to the provisions of Subsection G of this Section, any person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected may commence a civil action in a court of the state on his own behalf to compel compliance with this Chapter--
(1) Against the state or a state instrumentality or agency which is alleged to be in violation of the provisions of this Chapter or of any rule, regulation, order or permit issued pursuant to this Chapter, or against any other person who is alleged to be in violation of any rule, regulation, order or permit issued pursuant to this Chapter, or
(2) Against the commissioner where there is alleged a failure of the commissioner to perform any act or duty under this Chapter which is not discretionary with the commissioner.
B. No action may be commenced
(1) Under Paragraph (A)(1) of this Section
(a) Prior to sixty days after the plaintiff has given notice in writing of the violation (i) to the commissioner and (ii) to any alleged violator; or
(b) If the commissioner has commenced and is diligently prosecuting a civil action in a court of the state to require compliance with the provisions of this Chapter; but in any such action any such person shall have the right to intervene, or
(2) Under Paragraph (A)(2) of this Section prior to sixty days after the plaintiff has given notice in writing of such action to the commissioner in such manner as the commissioner shall by regulation prescribe, except that such action may be brought immediately after such notification in the case where the violation or order complained of constitutes an imminent threat to the health or safety of the plaintiff or would immediately affect a legal interest of the plaintiff.
C.(1) Any action respecting a violation of this Chapter or the regulations thereunder may be brought only in the judicial district in which the surface coal mining operation complained of is located.
(2) In such action under this Section, the commissioner, if not a party, may intervene as a matter of right.
D. The court, in issuing any final order in any action brought pursuant to Subsection A of this Section, may award costs of litigation, including attorney and expert witness fees, to any party whenever the court determines such award is appropriate. The court may, if a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction is sought, require the filing of a bond or equivalent security in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure.
E. Nothing in this Section shall restrict any right which any person, or class of persons, may have under any statute or law to seek enforcement of any of the provisions of this Chapter and the regulations thereunder, or to seek any other relief, including relief against the commissioner.
F. Any person who is injured in his person or property through the violation by any operator of any rule, regulation, order, or permit issued pursuant to this Chapter may bring an action for damages, including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees, only in the judicial district in which the surface coal mining operation complained of is located. Nothing in this Subsection shall affect the rights established by or limits imposed under the State's Worker's Compensation laws.**
G. This Section shall not be given effect (1) if the Secretary of the Interior does not require the inclusion of similar provisions in state laws as a condition for approval by the Secretary of the Interior of state programs of regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations pursuant to Section 503 of Public Law 95-87* or (2) if any such requirement of the Secretary of the Interior is declared invalid by final decree of a court of competent jurisdiction: Provided, that if similar provisions are required by the Secretary of the Interior to be included in state laws, the Secretary of Natural Resources and the Commissioner may commence and prosecute an action in the appropriate Federal court to have the regulation requiring inclusion declared invalid.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 553, §3; Acts 1983, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 1, §6.
*30 U.S.C.A. §1253
**R.S. 23:1021 et seq.
A.(1) Whenever, on the basis of any information available to him, including receipt of information from any person, the secretary has reason to believe that any person is in violation of any requirement of this Chapter or any permit condition required by this Chapter, the secretary shall immediately order inspection of the surface coal mining operation at which the alleged violation is occurring unless the information available to the secretary is a result of a previous inspection of such surface coal mining operation. When the inspection results from information provided to the secretary by any person, the secretary shall notify such person when the inspection is proposed to be carried out and such person shall be allowed to accompany the inspector during the inspection.
(2) When, on the basis of any inspection, the secretary or his authorized representative determines that any condition or practices exist, or that any permittee is in violation of any requirement of this Chapter or any permit condition required by this Chapter, which condition, practice, or violation also creates an imminent danger to the health or safety of the public, or is causing, or can reasonably be expected to cause significant, imminent environmental harm to land, air, or water resources, the secretary or his authorized representative shall immediately order a cessation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations or the portion thereof relevant to the condition, practice or violation. Such cessation order shall remain in effect until the secretary or his authorized representative determines that the condition, practice, or violation has been abated, or until modified, vacated, or terminated by the secretary or his authorized representative pursuant to Paragraph (5) of this Subsection. Where the secretary finds that the ordered cessation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations, or any portion thereof, will not completely abate the imminent danger to health or safety of the public or the significant imminent environmental harm to land, air, or water resources, the secretary shall, in addition to the cessation order, impose affirmative obligations on the operator requiring him to take whatever steps the secretary deems necessary to abate the imminent danger or the significant environmental harm.
(3)(a) When, on the basis of an inspection, the secretary or his authorized representative determines that any permittee is in violation of any requirement of this Chapter or any permit condition required by this Chapter, but such violation does not create an imminent danger to the health or safety of the public, or cannot be reasonably expected to cause significant, imminent environmental harm to land, air, or water resources, the secretary or authorized representative shall issue a notice to the permittee or his agent fixing a reasonable time but not more than ninety days for the abatement of the violation and providing opportunity for public hearing.
(b) If, upon expiration of the period of time as originally fixed or subsequently extended, for good cause shown and upon the written finding of the secretary or his authorized representative, the secretary or his authorized representative finds that the violation has not been abated, he shall immediately order a cessation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations or the portion thereof relevant to the violation. Such cessation order shall remain in effect until the secretary or his authorized representative determines that the violation has been abated, or until modified, vacated, or terminated by the secretary or his authorized representative pursuant to Paragraph (5) of this Subsection. In the order of cessation issued by the secretary under this Subsection, the secretary shall determine the steps necessary to abate the violation in the most expeditious manner possible, and shall include the necessary measures in the order.
(4) When, on the basis of an inspection, the secretary or his authorized representative determines that a pattern of violations of any requirements of this Chapter or any permit conditions required by this Chapter exists or has existed, and if the secretary or his authorized representative also finds that such violations are caused by the unwarranted failure of the permittee to comply with any requirements of this Chapter or any permit conditions, or that such violations are willfully caused by the permittee, the secretary or his authorized representative shall forthwith issue an order to the permittee to show cause as to why the permit should not be suspended or revoked and shall provide opportunity for a public hearing. If a hearing is requested the secretary shall inform all interested parties of the time and place of the hearing. Upon the permittee's failure to show cause as to why the permit should not be suspended or revoked, the secretary or his authorized representative shall forthwith suspend or revoke the permit.
(5) Notices and orders issued pursuant to this Section shall set forth with reasonable specificity the nature of the violation and the remedial action required, the period of time established for abatement, and a reasonable description of the portion of the surface coal mining and reclamation operation to which the notice or order applies. Each notice or order issued under this Section shall be given promptly to the permittee or his agent by the secretary or his authorized representative who issues such notice or order, and all such notices and orders shall be in writing and shall be signed by such authorized representatives. Any notice or order issued pursuant to this Section may be modified, vacated, or terminated by the secretary or his authorized representative. Provided, that any notice or order issued pursuant to this Section which requires cessation of mining by the operator shall expire within thirty days of actual notice to the operator unless a public hearing is held at the site or within such reasonable proximity to the site that any viewings of the site can be conducted during the course of public hearing.
B. The secretary may institute a civil action for relief, including a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order, or any other appropriate order in the district court for the parish in which the surface coal mining and reclamation operation is located or in which the permittee thereof has his principal office, whenever such permittee or his agent (a) violates or fails or refuses to comply with any order or decision issued by the secretary under this Chapter, or (b) interferes with, hinders, or delays the secretary or his authorized representatives in carrying out the provisions of this Chapter, or (c) refuses to admit such authorized representative to the mine, or (d) refuses to permit inspection of the mine by such authorized representative, or (e) refuses to furnish any information or report requested by the secretary in furtherance of the provisions of this Chapter, or (f) refuses to permit access to, and copying of, such records as the secretary determines necessary in carrying out the provisions of this Chapter. Such court shall have jurisdiction to provide such relief as may be appropriate. Temporary restraining orders may be issued in accordance with the Louisiana Rules of Civil Procedure. Any relief granted by the court to enforce an order under clause (a) of this Section shall continue in effect until the completion or final termination of all proceedings for review of such order under this Title, unless, prior thereto, the district court granting such relief sets it aside or modifies it.
C. Any person who shall, except as permitted by law, willfully resist, prevent, impede, or interfere with the secretary or any of his agents in the performance of duties required by this Chapter or regulations thereunder shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 553, §4; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1) The commissioner shall establish a planning process enabling objective decisions to be made based upon competent and scientifically sound data and information as to which, if any, land areas of the State are unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining operations pursuant to the standards set forth in Paragraphs (2) and (3) of this Subsection, but such designation shall not prevent the mineral exploration pursuant to Chapter 9 of any area so designated.
(2) Upon petition pursuant to Subsection B of this Section, the commissioner shall designate an area as unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining operations if the commissioner determines that reclamation pursuant to the requirements of this Chapter is not technologically and economically feasible.
(3) Upon petition pursuant to Subsection B of this Section, a surface area may be designated unsuitable for certain types of surface coal mining operations if such operations will
(a) Be incompatible with existing state or local land use plans or programs; or
(b) Affect fragile or historic lands in which such operations could result in significant damage to important historic, cultural, scientific, and esthetic values and natural systems; or
(c) Affect renewable resource lands in which such operations could result in a substantial loss or reduction of long-range productivity of water supply or of food or fiber products, and such lands to include aquifers and aquifer recharge areas; or
(d) Affect natural hazard lands in which such operations could substantially endanger life and property, such lands to include areas subject to frequent flooding and areas of unstable geology.
(4) The commissioner shall be responsible for surface coal mining lands review, and shall develop
(a) A data base and an inventory system which will permit proper evaluation of the capacity of different land areas of the State to support and permit reclamation of surface coal mining operations.
(b) A method or methods for implementing land use planning decisions concerning surface coal mining operations, and
(c) Proper notice, opportunities for public participation, including a public hearing prior to making any designation or redesignation, pursuant to this Section.
(5) Determinations of the unsuitability of land for surface coal mining, as provided for in this Section, shall be integrated as closely as possible with present and future land use planning and regulation processes at the federal, state, and local levels.
(6) The requirements of this Section shall not apply to lands on which surface coal mining operations are being conducted under a permit issued pursuant to this Chapter, or where substantial legal and financial commitments in such operation were in existence prior to January 4, 1977.
B. Any person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected shall have the right to petition the commissioner to have an area designated as unsuitable for surface coal mining operations, or to have such a designation terminated. Such a petition shall contain allegations of facts with supporting evidence which would tend to establish the allegations. Within ten months after receipt of the petition the commissioner shall hold a public hearing in the locality of the affected area, after appropriate notice and publication of the date, time, and location of such hearing. After a person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected has filed a petition and before the hearing, as required by this Subsection, any person may intervene by filing allegations of facts with supporting evidence which would tend to establish the allegations. Within sixty days after such hearing, the commissioner shall issue and furnish to the petitioner and any other party to the hearing, a written decision regarding the petition, and the reasons therefor. In the event that all the petitioners stipulate agreement prior to the requested hearing, and withdraw their request, such hearing need not be held.
C. Prior to designating any land areas as unsuitable for surface coal mining operations, the commissioner shall prepare a detailed statement on (i) the potential coal resources of the area, (ii) the demand for coal resources, and (iii) the impact of such designation on the environment, the economy, and the supply of coal.
D. After the enactment of this Chapter and subject to valid rights existing prior to August 3, 1977, no surface coal mining operations1 shall be permitted:
(1) On any lands within the boundaries of units of the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge Systems, the National System of Trails, the National Wilderness Preservation System, the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, including study rivers designated under Section 5(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act2 and National Recreation Areas designated by Act of Congress;
(2) On any Federal lands within the boundaries of any national forest, except as permitted by Section 522(e)(2) of Public Law 95-87;
(3) Which will adversely affect any publicly owned park or places included in the National Register of Historic Sites unless approved jointly by the commissioner and the federal, state, or local agency with jurisdiction over the park or the historic site.
(4) Within one hundred feet of the outside right-of-way line of any public road, except where mine access roads or haulage roads join such right-of-way line and except that the commissioner may permit such roads to be relocated or the area affected to lie within one hundred feet of such road, if after public notice and opportunity for public hearing in the locality a written finding is made that the interests of the public and the landowners affected thereby will be protected; or
(5) Within three hundred feet from any occupied dwelling, unless waived by the owner thereof, or within three hundred feet of any public building, school, church, community, or institutional building, public park, or within one hundred feet of a cemetery.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 121, §5, eff. June 27, 1980.
116 U.S.C.A. §1276(a).
230 U.S.C.A. §1272(e)(2).
The commissioner may elect to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary of the Interior to provide for state regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations on federal lands within the state, in which event the provisions and requirements of Section 513(c) of Public Law 95-871 shall apply as applicable to Sections 913, 914, and 910 of this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
130 U.S.C.A. §1263(c).
Any agency, unit, or instrumentality of federal, state, or local government, including any publicly owned utility or publicly owned corporation of federal, state, or local government, which proposes to engage in surface coal mining operations shall comply with the provisions of this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
A.(1) A permittee issued a notice or order by the commissioner pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:921(A)(2) and (3), or any person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected by such notice or order or by any modification, vacation, or termination of such notice or order, may apply to the commissioner for review of the notice or order within thirty days of receipt thereof or within thirty days of its modification, vacation, or termination. Upon receipt of such application, the commissioner shall cause such investigation to be made as he deems appropriate. Such investigation shall provide an opportunity for a public hearing, at the request of the applicant or the person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected, to enable the applicant or such person to present information relating to the issuance and continuance of such notice or order or the modification, vacation, or termination thereof. The filing of an application for review under this Subsection shall not operate as a stay of any order or notice.
(2) The permittee and other interested persons shall be given written notice of the time and place of the hearing at least five days prior thereto. Any such hearing shall be of record and shall be subject to the Administrative Procedure Act except where the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act are in conflict with the provisions of this Chapter and the regulations issued by the commissioner pursuant to this Chapter, in which case the provisions of this Chapter and the regulations issued by the commissioner hereunder shall govern.
B. Upon receiving the report of such investigation, the commissioner shall make findings of fact, and shall issue a written decision, incorporating therein an order vacating, affirming, modifying, or terminating the notice or order, or the modification, vacation, or termination of such notice or order complained of and incorporate his findings therein. Where the application for review concerns an order for cessation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations issued pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:921(A)(2) or (3), the commissioner shall issue the written decision within thirty days of the receipt of the application for review, unless temporary relief has been granted by the commissioner pursuant to Subsection C of this Section or by the court pursuant to R.S. 30:926(C).
C. Pending completion of the investigation and hearing required by this section, the applicant may file with the commissioner a written request that the commissioner grant temporary relief from any notice or order issued under R.S. 30:921, together with a detailed statement giving reasons for granting such relief. The commissioner shall issue an order or decision granting or denying such relief expeditiously: Provided, that where the applicant requests relief from an order for cessation of coal mining and reclamation operations issued pursuant to R.S. 30:921(A)(2) and (3), the order or decision on such a request shall be issued within five days of its receipt. The commissioner may grant such relief, under such conditions as he may prescribe, if:
(1) A hearing has been held in the locality of the permit area on the request for temporary relief in which all parties were given an opportunity to be heard.
(2) The applicant shows that there is substantial likelihood that the findings of the commissioner will be favorable to him, and
(3) Such relief will not adversely affect the health or safety of the public or cause significant, imminent environmental harm to land, air, or water resources.
D. Following the issuance of an order to show cause as to why a permit should not be suspended or revoked pursuant to R.S. 30:921, the commissioner shall hold a public hearing after giving written notice of the time, place, and date thereof. Any such hearing shall be of record and shall be subject to the Administrative Procedure Act, except where the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act are in conflict with the provisions of this Chapter and the regulations issued by the commissioner pursuant to this Chapter, in which case the provisions of this Chapter and the regulations issued by the commissioner shall govern. Within sixty days following the public hearing, the commissioner shall issue and furnish to the permittee and all other parties to the hearing a written decision, and the reasons therefor, concerning suspension or revocation of the permit. If the commissioner revokes the permit, the permittee shall immediately cease surface coal mining operations on the permit area and shall complete reclamation within a period specified by the commissioner, or the commissioner shall declare as forfeited the performance bonds for the operation.
E. Whenever an order is issued under this Section, or as a result of any administrative proceeding under this Chapter, at the request of any person, a sum equal to the aggregate amount of all costs and expenses, including attorney fees, as determined by the commissioner to have been reasonably incurred by such person for or in connection with his participation in such proceedings, including any judicial review of agency actions, may be assessed against either party as the court, resulting from judicial review or the commissioner, resulting from administrative proceedings, deems proper.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 121, §6, eff. June 27, 1980.
A. Any person affected who is aggrieved by a rule, regulation, or order issued by the commissioner hereunder, or by an act done or threatened thereunder, and who has exhausted his administrative remedy, may obtain judicial review thereof in a suit instituted in the district court of the parish of East Baton Rouge or in the parish where the operations occur which give rise to the rule, regulation, order, or act. Such suit shall be filed within thirty days after the challenged rule, regulation, order, or other act is promulgated or taken and shall be tried summarily, in term or vacation. In such trials the validity of any rule, regulation, or order made or promulgated hereunder shall be deemed prima facie valid and the court shall be limited in its consideration to a review of the record of the proceedings before the commissioner and no new or additional evidence shall be received.
The reviewing court shall limit its consideration to the following:
(1) Whether the rule, regulation, order, or act is constitutional;
(2) Whether the commissioner lacked jurisdiction to adopt the rule, regulation, or order or do the act or whether the rule, regulation, order, or act exceeds the commissioner's jurisdiction.
(3) Whether the rule, regulation, order, or act was procured by fraud;
(4) Whether the rule, regulation, order, or act is reasonable;
(5) Whether the commissioner's decision to adopt the rule, regulation, or order or do the act is supported by substantial evidence.
B. A rule, regulation or order issued by the commissioner pursuant to this Chapter may only be reviewed judicially pursuant to this Section. The courts of the State shall have no jurisdiction to hear and determine actions contesting the validity of a rule, regulation or order issued by the commissioner except as provided in this Section.
C. In the case of a proceeding to review any order or decision issued by the commissioner under this Chapter, including an order or decision issued pursuant to R.S. 30:925(C) or (D) pertaining to any order issued under R.S. 30:921(A)(2), (3), or (4) for cessation of coal mining and reclamation operations, the court may, under such conditions as it may prescribe, grant such temporary relief as it deems appropriate pending final determination of the proceedings if:
(1) All parties to the proceedings have been notified and given an opportunity to be heard on a request for temporary relief.
(2) The person requesting such relief shows that there is a substantial likelihood that he will prevail on the merits of the final determination of the proceeding, and
(3) Such relief will not adversely affect the public health or safety or cause significant imminent environmental harm to land, air, or water resources.
D. The commencement of a proceeding under this Section shall not, unless specifically ordered by the court, operate as a stay of the action, order, or decision of the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 553, §5.
The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to any of the following activities:
(1) The extraction of coal by a landowner for his own noncommercial use from land owned or leased by him.
(2) The extraction of coal incidental to the extraction of other minerals where coal does not exceed sixteen and two thirds percent of the total tonnage of coal and other minerals removed for purposes of commercial use or sale.
(3) The extraction of coal as an incidental part of Federal, State or local government-financed highway or other construction under regulations established by the commissioner.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1002, §1.
A. After the state has assumed exclusive jurisdiction of surface coal mining operations as provided in section 503 of Public Law 95-87,1 and as long as the state retains such jurisdiction, then, no person shall discharge, or in any other way discriminate against, or cause to be fired or discriminated against, any employee or any authorized representative of employees by reason of the fact that such employee or representative has filed, instituted, or caused to be filed or instituted any proceeding under this Chapter, or has testified or is about to testify in any proceeding resulting from the administration or enforcement of the provisions of this Chapter.
B. Any employee or a representative of employees who believes that he has been fired or otherwise discriminated against by any person in violation of Subsection A of this Section may, within thirty days after such alleged violation occurs, apply to the commissioner for a review of such firing or alleged discrimination. A copy of the application shall be sent to the person or operator who will be the respondent. Upon receipt of such application, the commissioner shall cause such investigation to be made as he deems appropriate. Such investigation shall provide an opportunity for a public hearing at the request of any party to such review to enable the parties to present information relating to the alleged violation. The parties shall be given written notice of the time and place of the hearing at least five days prior to the hearing. Any such hearing shall be of record and shall be subject to the Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act. Upon receiving the report of such investigation the commissioner shall make findings of fact. If he finds that a violation did occur, he shall issue a decision incorporating therein his findings and an order requiring the party committing the violation to take such affirmative action to abate the violation as the commissioner deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, the rehiring or reinstatement of the employee or representative of employees to his former position with compensation. If he finds that there was no violation, he will issue a finding. Orders issued by the commissioner under this Subsection shall be subject to judicial review in the same manner as orders and decisions of the commissioner are subject to judicial review under this Chapter.
C. Whenever an order is issued under this Section to abate any violation, at the request of the applicant a sum equal to the aggregate amount of all costs and expenses (including attorneys' fees) to have been reasonably incurred by the applicant for, or in connection with, the institution and prosecution of such proceedings, shall be assessed against the persons committing the violation.
D. This Section shall not be given effect (1) if the Secretary of the Interior does not require the inclusion of similar provisions in state laws as a condition for approval by the Secretary of the Interior of state programs of regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations pursuant to Section 503 of Public Law 95-871 or (2) if any such requirement of the Secretary of the Interior is declared invalid by final decree of a court of competent jurisdiction: Provided, that if similar provisions are required by the Secretary of the Interior to be included in state laws, the Secretary of Natural Resources and the commissioner may commence and prosecute an action in the appropriate federal court to have the regulation requiring inclusion declared invalid.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
130 U.S.C.A. §1253.
In order to encourage advances in mining and reclamation practices or to allow postmining land use for industrial, commercial, residential, or public use, including recreational facilities, the commissioner with approval by the Secretary of the Interior may authorize departures in individual cases on an experimental basis from the environmental protection performance standards promulgated under Section 915 of this Chapter. Such departures may be authorized if (i) the experimental practices are potentially more or at least as environmentally protective, during and after mining operations, as those required by promulgated standards; (ii) the mining operations approved for particular land use or other purposes are not larger or more numerous than necessary to determine the effectiveness and economic feasibility of the experimental practices; and (iii) the experimental practices do not reduce the protection afforded public health and safety below that provided by promulgated standards.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 121, §7, eff. June 27, 1980.
A. After the state has assumed exclusive jurisdiction of surface coal mining operations as provided in Section 503 of Public Law 95-87,1 and as long as the state retains such jurisdiction, then, nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting in any way the right of any person to enforce or protect, under applicable law, his interest in water resources affected by a surface coal mining operation.
B. The operator of a surface coal mine shall replace the water supply of an owner of interest in real property who obtains all or part of his supply of water for domestic, agricultural, industrial or other legitimate use from an underground or surface source where such supply has been affected by contamination, diminution, or interruption proximately resulting from such surface coal mine operation.
C. This Section shall not be given effect (1) if the Secretary of the Interior does not require the inclusion of similar provisions in state laws as a condition for approval by the Secretary of the Interior of state programs of regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations pursuant to Section 503 of Public Law 95-871 or (2) if any such requirement of the Secretary of the Interior is declared invalid by final decree of a court of competent jurisdiction: Provided, that if similar provisions are required by the Secretary of the Interior to be included in state laws, the Secretary of Natural Resources and the commissioner may commence and prosecute an action in the appropriate Federal court to have the regulation requiring inclusion declared invalid.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
130 U.S.C.A. §1253.
This Chapter shall be effective upon final approval of the State's program of regulations by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to Section 503 of Public Law 95-87,1 provided that the commissioner shall, upon signing of this Chapter by the Governor of the State, immediately issue regulations pursuant to this Chapter as required to insure approval of the State program of regulations by the Secretary of the Interior. The regulations shall be effective upon the effective date of this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
130 U.S.C.A. §1253.
The commissioner shall have the right to grant variances to the requirements of this Chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to this Chapter in the issuance of any permit pursuant to this Chapter, or, upon application of a permittee, to amend an issued permit to allow such a variance, when such variances are permitted by an amendment to Public Law 95-871 subsequent to the enactment of this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 406, §1.
130 U.S.C.A. §1201 et seq.
A. The Legislature of Louisiana finds and declares that:
(1) Within the state mining for solid minerals constitutes a significant aspect of the state's economy;
(2) In addition to the present salt mining, sulphur mining, and sand and gravel mining, the surface mining of lignite will soon commence in the state as a new industry;
(3) The Interstate Mining Compact was confected in 1966 to provide a forum for states having significant solid mineral mining to exchange ideas on mining technology, conservation, and reclamation practices and to generate consensus policies for use as desired by member states and for input at the congressional and federal regulatory level of government;
(4) Membership in the Compact by the state will provide the governor, as the representative of the state on the Interstate Mining Commission, direct input on significant solid mineral mining issues and policies and access to ideas and sources of information, not otherwise available, which may enable the state to initiate progressive or desired policies and mining control techniques that will enure to the benefit of the citizens of Louisiana and the mining industry.
B. The purposes of the Interstate Mining Compact are recognized to be to:
Advance the protection and restoration of land, water, and other resources affected by mining.
Assist in the reduction, elimination, or counteracting of pollution or deterioration of land, water, and air attributable to mining.
Encourage, with due recognition of relevant regional, physical, and other differences, programs in each of the party states which will achieve comparable results in protecting, conserving, and improving the usefulness of natural resources, to the end that the most desirable conduct of mining and related operations may be universally facilitated.
Assist the party states in their efforts to facilitate the use of land and other resources affected by mining, so that such use may be consistent with sound land use, public health, and public safety, and to this end to study and recommend, wherever desirable, techniques for the improvement, restoration, or protection of such land and other resources.
Assist in achieving and maintaining an efficient and productive mining industry and in increasing economic and other benefits attributable to mining.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 714, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979.
Pursuant to the findings of the legislature and subject to the limitations hereinafter set forth, the Interstate Mining Compact is hereby enacted into law and the state through the office of the governor is authorized to join and participate in the Interstate Mining Compact through membership on the Interstate Mining Commission.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 714, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979.
A. No provisions of the Interstate Mining Compact, nor any policies of the Interstate Mining Commission, shall be construed to limit, repeal, or supersede any law of the state of Louisiana.
B. The governor and the legislature, or agents of either, shall have the right to inspect the books and accounts of the Interstate Mining Commission at any reasonable time while the state is a member.
C. A copy of the bylaws of the Interstate Mining Commission shall be placed on file with the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy and be available for inspection at any reasonable time by the legislature or any interested citizen.
D. A report of the preceding year's activities of the Interstate Mining Commission shall be made to the governor and the legislature annually.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 714, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
Dues and expenses incurred as a consequence of membership by the state in the Interstate Mining Compact shall be paid only pursuant to appropriations therefor by the legislature.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 714, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979.
A. Within the limitations of this Chapter the governor shall be entitled to exercise all of the power of his office necessary in his judgment to maintain the state in good standing as a member and to participate fully therein.
B. After the governor has given one year's notice in writing to the governors of all other member states, the legislature, by appropriate repealing legislation, may withdraw the state from the Interstate Mining Compact.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 714, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979.
A. As provided by this Chapter and except as otherwise provided by law, a person or entity may enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water as described in this Chapter. The cooperative endeavor agreement shall prohibit the resale of withdrawn running surface water for a price greater than provided for in the agreement; however, a person or entity may receive compensation for the transportation, manufacturing, or processing of withdrawn running surface water. Unless otherwise provided by law, all cooperative endeavor agreements to withdraw running surface water, and any assignment of such agreement, shall be approved by the secretary as provided in this Chapter. No provision contained in this Chapter should be construed as a requirement for any person or entity to enter into any cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water. This Chapter shall have no effect on the rights provided for in Civil Code Articles 657 and 658 or any rights held by riparian owners in accordance with the laws of this state. It is also the intent of the legislature that should any portion of this Chapter be found to be unconstitutional that the remaining parts shall continue in force and effect.
B. No agency or subdivision of the state otherwise authorized to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water, or assignment of such shall do so unless the agreement is in writing, provides for fair market value to the state, is in the public interest, and is contained on a uniform form developed and prescribed by the State Mineral and Energy Board and approved by the attorney general. Except when water is withdrawn from bodies of water managed by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and determined by the office of fisheries to be negatively impacted by invasive aquatic vegetation, fair market value to the state shall include but not be limited to the economic development, employment, and increased tax revenues created by the activities associated with the withdrawal of running surface water. No such cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water shall be valid unless and until such agreement is approved by the secretary following the submission of an application for approval, which the secretary shall develop and prescribe. The secretary shall conduct the evaluation provided for in Subsection D of this Section and take action on the application within sixty days of the application being deemed complete. If the secretary denies the application, the secretary shall provide written reasons for the denial at the time of the denial.
C. Unless otherwise provided by law, the secretary is authorized to enter into any cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water, provided that any such agreement complies with the prohibition against gratuitous donation of state property by ensuring that the state receives fair market value for any water removed, and the substance of the agreement is contained within a written cooperative endeavor agreement as provided for in Article VII, Section 14 of the Constitution of Louisiana.
D. The secretary shall evaluate each application for a cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water and each such cooperative endeavor that he may enter to ensure that each is in the public interest. The secretary shall ensure the proposed agreement is based on best management practices and sound science, and is consistent with the required balancing of environmental and ecological impacts with the economic and social benefits found in Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana. In his evaluation, the secretary shall also ensure that all cooperative endeavor agreements to withdraw running surface water, or assignments of such, adequately consider the potential and real effects of such contracted activity on the sustainability of the water body and on navigation. Any assignment of any such cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water may be approved by the secretary in the same manner as an agreement as provided in this Section, unless otherwise provided for by law.
E.(1) A cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water, or an assignment of such, entered into pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter shall have an initial term not to exceed two years. Existing agreements may be renewed in two-year increments.
(2) A person or entity who has entered into a cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface waters or has obtained an assignment of such, may terminate such agreement after December 31, 2022. In order to be effective, the person or entity seeking to terminate shall provide written notice by certified mail to the secretary at least thirty days prior to termination.
F. The secretary may act to protect the natural resources of the state by reducing any withdrawal of water from the running surface waters of the state otherwise agreed to be withdrawn pursuant to an agreement entered into pursuant to this Chapter, or make other conditions, including the suspension or termination of such withdrawal of water when such an action is required to protect the resource and to maintain sustainability and environmental and ecological balance. If the secretary acts to reduce or suspend the volume of water agreed to be withdrawn, he shall do so in such a manner that the total necessary reductions are proportionally borne by all users of the running surface waters, subject to this Chapter, in the area for which a reduction is required. Prior to approval, the secretary shall ensure that each contract or agreement or assignment thereof that involved the withdrawal of the running surface waters of the state provides for the secretary's authority, without liability for damages, in this regard.
G.(1) The secretary, in deciding whether to approve or require changes in an application for a cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water, or assignment of such, shall consider the various existing and potential users of the resource and shall give appropriate consideration and priority to the following users or uses in the following order of priority:
(a) Human consumption by means of a public water system or a private water system that provides domestic potable water service.
(b) Agricultural uses that provide sustenance to animals or irrigation to plants.
(c) Any commercial purpose or other industrial or mining activity.
(2) The secretary shall also consider the impact of any proposed contract, agreement, assignment, or use on resource planning. By way of illustration but not limitation, these would include any potential project or use that impacts:
(a) Stream or water flow energy.
(b) Sediment load and distribution.
(c) Navigation.
(d) Aquatic life.
(e) Other vegetation or wildlife.
(3) The management of cooperative endeavor agreements to withdraw running surface water shall be consistent with the comprehensive master plan for coastal restoration and protection as approved by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board and the legislature.
H. Approval of an application for a cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water or assignment of such pursuant to this Chapter does not obviate the need for other permits or authorizations required by law for any proposed activity.
I. Any cooperative endeavor agreement approved or entered into by the secretary pursuant to the Section which provides for the withdrawal of running surface water for use outside the boundaries of the state of Louisiana shall require the approval of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. In determining whether to approve such agreement, the committees shall consider the reasonableness of the withdrawal, whether the withdrawal is contrary to the conservation and uses of the running surface water, and whether the withdrawal is detrimental to the environment or the public welfare.
J. The state shall be reimbursed at fair market value for all use or withdrawal of running surface water from bodies of water managed by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and determined by the office of fisheries to be negatively impacted by invasive aquatic vegetation. Fair market value as used in this Subsection shall be at a rate of not more than fifteen cents per thousand gallons, and shall not include the economic development, employment, and increased tax revenues created by the activities associated with the withdrawal of running surface water.
K. All monies collected by the state pursuant to this Chapter as a result of the use or withdrawal of surface water shall be deposited into the Aquatic Plant Control Dedicated Fund Account as established in R.S. 56:10.1, and shall be used for the treatment of aquatic weed, preferably on the body of water from which revenues were generated.
Acts 2010, No. 955, §1, eff. July 2, 2010; Acts 2012, No. 261, §1; Acts 2014, No. 285, §1; Acts 2014, No. 556, §1; Acts 2016, No. 248, §1; Acts 2016, No. 430, §2; Acts 2018, No. 500, §1; Acts 2020, No. 66, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
As used in this Chapter, the following words, terms, and phrases have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
(1) "Running surface waters" means the running waters of the state, including the waters of navigable water bodies and state owned lakes.
(2) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy and his designees.
Acts 2010, No. 955, §1, eff. July 2, 2010; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Department of Conservation and Energy shall be the state agency charged with managing and monitoring the implementation of all cooperative endeavor agreements to withdraw running surface water or assignments thereof. The secretary shall have the authority to designate where within his agency the various functions of this Chapter are to be performed, to issue contracts or enter into agreements with other public entities when required in his opinion for the efficient administration of this Chapter, and to establish any necessary policy or promulgate, in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, any regulations that in his opinion are necessary for the efficient implementation of this Chapter.
B. The secretary may negotiate and enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement to withdraw running surface water under terms which the secretary deems to be most advantageous to the state and which is consistent with the policies and regulations implemented pursuant to this Chapter.
C. Where there exists a governmental entity to manage, preserve, conserve, and protect running surface water that lacks the authority to enter into cooperative endeavor agreements to withdraw running surface water, such entities may provide, by resolution, their recommendations to the secretary of any requested terms of such contracts or agreements entered into by the secretary.
Acts 2010, No. 955, §1, eff. July 2, 2010; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1993, No. 245, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1978, No. 594, §3
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 8, §1, eff. May 13, 1999.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 8, §1, eff. May 13, 1999.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 8, §1, eff. May 13, 1999.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 8, §1, eff. May 13, 1999.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 8, §1, eff. May 13, 1999.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 8, §1, eff. May 13, 1999.
§§1008 to 1010 Repealed by Acts 1978, No. 594, §3
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 8, §1, eff. May 13, 1999.
§§1051 to 1150 .96 redesignated as Subtitle II of Title 30 (R.S. 30:2001 to 2396)
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Act".
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2.
A. It is declared to be in the public interest for a public purpose and the policy of Louisiana that:
(1) Carbon dioxide is a valuable commodity to the citizens of the state.
(2) It is the public policy of Louisiana and the purpose of this Chapter to provide for a coordinated statewide program related to the storage of carbon dioxide and to also fulfill the state's primary responsibility for assuring compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, including any amendments thereto related to the underground injection of carbon dioxide.
B. The secretary shall have jurisdiction and authority over all persons and property necessary to enforce effectively the provisions of this Chapter relating to the geologic storage of carbon dioxide and subsequent withdrawal of stored carbon dioxide.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the words defined in this Section have the following meaning when found in this Chapter:
(1) "Area of review" means the region surrounding a geologic sequestration project where underground sources of drinking water may be endangered by the injection activity and is delineated using computational modeling that accounts for the physical and chemical properties of all phases of the injected carbon dioxide stream and displaced fluids and is based on available site characterization, monitoring, and operational data.
(2) "Carbon dioxide" means naturally occurring, geologically sourced, or anthropogenically sourced carbon dioxide including its derivatives and all mixtures, combinations, and phases, whether liquid or gaseous, stripped, segregated, or divided from any other fluid stream thereof.
(3) "Common carrier" means a transporter of carbon dioxide by pipeline for storage where there exists a reasonable probability that the pipeline will serve the public by transporting carbon dioxide for storage for one or more third parties.
(4) "Confidential business information" means any information accepted or determined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to be subject to confidential treatment.
(5) "Gas" has the same meaning as provided in R.S. 30:3.
(6) "Geologic sequestration project" means an injection well or wells used to emplace a carbon dioxide stream beneath the lowermost formation containing an underground source of drinking water or wells used for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide that have received an expansion to the areal extent of an existing Class II enhanced oil recovery or enhanced gas recovery aquifer exemption and includes the subsurface three-dimensional extent of the carbon dioxide plume, associated area of elevated pressure, and displaced fluids and the surface area above that delineated region.
(7) "Geologic storage" means the long- or short-term underground storage of carbon dioxide in a reservoir.
(8) "Interested person" means any person who presently owns an interest within the area of, or proximate to, the tracts directly affected by the storage facility.
(9) "Landowner" means any person who owns the surface and subsurface of land or water bottoms used for geologic storage, injection, or transportation of carbon dioxide who is not the owner or operator of the storage facility or carbon dioxide transmission pipeline or the generator of the carbon dioxide being handled by either the facility or pipeline. The term "landowner" as used in this Chapter does not include the state.
(10) Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
(11) "Oil" has the same meaning as provided in R.S. 30:3.
(12) "Person" means any natural person, corporation, association, partnership, limited liability company, or other entity, receiver, tutor, curator, executor, administrator, fiduciary, or representative of any kind.
(13) "Reservoir" means that portion of any underground geologic stratum, formation, aquifer, or cavity or void, whether natural or artificially created, including oil and gas reservoirs, salt domes or other saline formations, and coal and coalbed methane seams, suitable for or capable of being made suitable for the injection and storage of carbon dioxide therein.
(14) "Storage facility" means the underground reservoir, carbon dioxide injection wells, monitoring wells, underground equipment, and surface buildings and equipment utilized in the storage operation. The underground reservoir component of the storage facility includes any necessary and reasonable aerial buffer and subsurface monitoring zones designated by the secretary for the purpose of ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the storage facility for the storage of carbon dioxide and shall be chosen to protect against pollution, and escape or migration of carbon dioxide.
(15) "Storage operator" means the person recognized by the secretary as the operator of a proposed or existing storage facility. A storage operator can, but need not be, the owner of carbon dioxide injected into a storage facility. Ownership of carbon dioxide and use of geologic storage is a matter of private contract between the storage operator and owner, shipper, or generator of carbon dioxide, as applicable.
(16) "Waste", in addition to its ordinary meaning, means "physical waste" as that term is generally understood in the storage industry.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2020, No. 61, §1; Acts 2021, No. 326, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, No. 461, §1; Acts 2024, No. 620, §2; Acts 2024, No. 702, §1, eff. June 19, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §§1, 11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The department's actions under this Chapter shall be directed and controlled by the secretary. The secretary shall have authority to:
(1) Regulate the development and operation of storage facilities and pipelines transporting carbon dioxide to storage facilities, including unitization in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 30:1104.2 and the issuance of certificates of public convenience and necessity for storage facilities and pipelines in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 30:1107.
(2) Make, after notice and hearings as provided in this Chapter, any reasonable rules, regulations, and orders that are necessary from time to time in the proper administration and enforcement of this Chapter, including rules, regulations, or orders for the following purposes:
(a) To require the drilling, casing, and plugging of wells to be done in such a manner as to prevent the escape of carbon dioxide out of one stratum to another.
(b) To prevent the intrusion of carbon dioxide into oil, gas, salt formation, or other commercial mineral strata.
(c) To prevent the pollution of fresh water supplies by oil, gas, salt water, or carbon dioxide.
(d) To require the plugging of each abandoned well and the closure of associated surface facilities, the removal of equipment, structures, and trash, and to otherwise require a general site cleanup of such abandoned wells.
(3) Make such inquiries as he deems proper to determine whether or not waste, over which he has jurisdiction, exists or is imminent. In the exercise of this power the secretary has the authority to collect data; to make investigations and inspections; to examine properties, papers, books, and records; to examine, survey, check, test, and gauge injection, withdrawal and other wells used in connection with carbon storage; to examine, survey, check, test, and gauge tanks, and modes of transportation; to hold hearings; to provide for the keeping of records and the making of reports; to require the submission of an emergency phone number by which the operator may be contacted in case of an emergency; and to take any action as reasonably appears to him to be necessary to enforce this Chapter.
(4) Require the making of reports showing the location of all wells used in connection with a storage facility, and the filing of logs, electrical surveys, and other drilling records.
(5) Prevent wells from being drilled and operated in a manner which may cause injury to neighboring leases or property.
(6) Prevent blowouts, caving, and seepage in the sense that conditions indicated by these terms are generally understood in the storage business.
(7) Identify the ownership of all wells used in connection with a storage facility, tanks, plants, structures, and all other storage and transportation equipment and facilities.
(8) Nothing in this Chapter shall prevent an enhanced oil and gas recovery project utilizing injection of carbon dioxide as approved under R.S. 30:4.
(9) Approve conversion to geologic storage facilities of hydrocarbon-bearing formations, including depleted oil formations as well as existing or pre-existing enhanced oil or gas recovery operations, if necessary, taking into consideration prior approvals of the secretary regarding such enhanced oil recovery operations.
(10) Promulgate rules and regulations requiring storage operators to place monitoring equipment of a type approved by the secretary on all storage facilities, and ancillary equipment necessary and proper to monitor, verify carbon dioxide injections, and to prevent waste. It shall be a violation of this Chapter for any operator to refuse to attach or install a monitor within a reasonable period of time when ordered to do so by the secretary, or in any way to tamper with the monitors so as to produce a false or inaccurate reading.
(11) Regulate by rules, the drilling, casing, cementing, injection interval, monitoring, plugging and permitting of injection, withdrawal and other wells which are used in connection with a storage facility and to regulate all surface facilities incidental to such storage operation.
(12) Require the plugging of each abandoned well or each well which is of no further use and the closure of associated surface facilities, the removal of equipment, structures, and trash, and other general site cleanup of such abandoned or unused well sites.
(13) Promulgate rules related to the setting and collection of fees and civil penalties pursuant to this Chapter.
B. Unless that person is also the owner or operator of the facility or activity regulated under the provisions of this Chapter, the owner, shipper, or generator of carbon dioxide shall not be deemed responsible for the performance of any actions required by the secretary under this Chapter.
C. Prior to the use of any reservoir for the storage of carbon dioxide and prior to the exercise of eminent domain pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 19:2(11) and R.S. 30:1108 by any person, firm, or corporation having such right under laws of the state of Louisiana, and as a condition precedent to such use or to the exercise of such rights of eminent domain pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 19:2(11) and R.S. 30:1108, the secretary, after public hearing pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:6, held in the parish where the storage facility is to be located, shall have found at least one of the following:
(1) That the reservoir sought to be used for the injection, storage, and withdrawal of carbon dioxide is suitable and feasible for such use, provided no reservoir, any part of which is producing or is capable of producing oil, gas, condensate, or other commercial mineral in paying quantities, shall be subject to such use, unless any of the following applies:
(a) The reservoir or any part thereof sought to be used for storage under this Chapter is producing or is capable of producing oil, gas, condensate, or other commercial mineral in paying quantities, and all owners in such reservoir or relevant part thereof have agreed to such use.
(b) The volumes of original reservoir, oil, gas, condensate, salt, or other commercial mineral therein which are capable of being produced in paying quantities have all been produced.
(c) Such reservoir has a greater value or utility as a reservoir for carbon dioxide storage than for the production of the remaining volumes of original reservoir oil, gas, condensate, or other commercial mineral, and at least three-fourths of the owners, in interest, exclusive of any "lessor" defined in R.S. 30:148.1, have consented to such use in writing.
(2) That the use of the reservoir for the storage of carbon dioxide will not contaminate other formations containing fresh water, oil, gas, or other commercial mineral deposits.
(3) That the proposed storage will not endanger human lives or cause a hazardous condition to property.
D. The secretary shall determine with respect to any such reservoir proposed to be used as a storage reservoir, whether or not such reservoir is fully depleted of the original commercially recoverable natural gas, condensate, or other commercial mineral therein. If the secretary finds that such reservoir has not been fully depleted, the secretary shall determine the amount of the remaining commercially recoverable natural gas, condensate, or other commercial mineral of such reservoir.
E. The secretary may issue any necessary order providing that all carbon dioxide which has previously been reduced to possession and which is subsequently injected into a storage reservoir shall at all times be deemed the property of the party that owns such carbon dioxide, whether at the time of injection or pursuant to a change of ownership by agreement while the carbon dioxide is located in the storage facility, his successors and assigns; and in no event shall such carbon dioxide be subject to the right of the owner of the surface of the lands or of any mineral interest therein under which such storage reservoir shall lie or be adjacent to or of any person other than the owner, his successors, and assigns to produce, take, reduce to possession, waste, or otherwise interfere with or exercise any control there over, provided that the owner, his successors, and assigns shall have no right to gas, liquid hydrocarbons, salt, or other commercially recoverable minerals in any stratum or portion thereof not determined by the secretary to constitute an approved storage reservoir. The secretary shall issue such orders, rules, and regulations as may be necessary for the purpose of protecting any such storage reservoir, strata, or formations against pollution or against the escape of carbon dioxide therefrom, including such necessary rules and regulations as may pertain to the drilling into or through such storage reservoir.
F. Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2019, No. 297, §1; Acts 2020, No. 61, §1; Acts 2021, No. 326, §1; Acts 2024, No. 461, §1; Acts 2024, No. 620, §2; Acts 2024, No. 645, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §§1, 11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The applicant for a permit for a Class VI injection well shall submit an environmental analysis as part of the permit application.
B. The environmental analysis required by this Section shall be used to satisfy the public trustee requirements of Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and shall address the following questions regarding the proposed permit activity:
(1) Have the potential and real adverse environmental effects of the proposed permit activity been avoided to the maximum extent possible?
(2) Does a cost-benefit analysis of the environmental impact costs versus the social and economic benefits of the proposed activities demonstrate that the latter outweighs the former?
(3) Are there alternative activities which would offer more protection to the environment than the proposed activity without unduly curtailing nonenvironmental benefits?
(4) Are there alternative sites which would offer more protection to the environment than the proposed site without unduly curtailing nonenvironmental benefits?
(5) Are there mitigating measures which would offer more protection to the environment than the proposed activity without unduly curtailing nonenvironmental benefits?
Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023.
A. In order to promote the orderly development of the state's geologic storage resources, to ensure that these resources are developed in an efficient, fair, and equitable manner, and to prevent waste thereof, upon the application of a storage operator, the commissioner is authorized and empowered to enter an order requiring the unit operation of a storage unit, as that term is defined in this Section, in addition to any reasonable and necessary areal buffer and subsurface monitoring zones, and in connection with such an order of unit operation, the commissioner shall have the right to unitize, pool, and consolidate all separately owned tracts and other property interests within a storage unit for geologic storage.
B. An order for unit operation shall be issued only after notice, public hearing, and a finding by the commissioner that it is for a public and necessary purpose. In order to consider a unit application, the commissioner shall find that at least eighty-five percent of the owners in interest within the proposed storage unit have consented in writing to geologic storage. The required eighty-five percent of the owners in interest shall be on the basis of, and in proportion to, the surface acreage content of the entire storage unit and, if a tract within the storage unit is subject to ownership in indivision, credited by multiplying the acreage of the tract by the undivided ownership interest of the parties who have consented in writing to geologic storage.
C. An order for unit operation shall provide for just and equitable sharing of the benefits generated from use of such tracts for geologic storage and shall provide for just and equitable compensation to all owners in interest, including the storage operator, other owners in interest who consented in writing to geologic storage, and owners in interest who did not consent in writing to geologic storage, except that the order shall not vary, alter, or otherwise apply a standard of benefit sharing or compensation to the terms of any contracts between the storage operator and any owner in interest. The order shall set forth the method, formula, or other basis by which the just and equitable sharing of the benefits shall be determined, including the timing of payments thereof. In determining the method, formula, or other basis, the commissioner may take into consideration such factors that include but are not limited to the computational modeling submitted by an existing or proposed storage operator, whether there is an impact to a tract, the extent of any impact to a tract, each separately owned tract's proportionate share of the total surface acreage contributed to the storage unit, the costs required to perform the unit operation, and the viability of any third-party geologic storage projects within the storage unit and any associated third-party contracts executed by an owner in interest.
D. Judicial review of orders, rules, and regulations issued by the commissioner pursuant to this Section shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions and requirements of R.S. 30:12. Additionally, subject to timely filing for court review pursuant to R.S. 30:12, the proposed storage unit operator or any owner in interest who has not entered into an agreement for geologic storage with the proposed storage unit operator shall have the right to have the reviewing court determine whether the purpose for the storage unit is public and necessary, whether the compensation provided for is just, and, if not, the amount of just compensation due. As to any owner in interest having the right to have a reviewing court determine whether the compensation is just under this Subsection, the court's review in those instances shall be limited to the compensation affecting that specific owner in interest. The review of whether the compensation is just may be heard through a trial by jury if timely requested by any party. Judicial reviews conducted under this Subsection shall be tried by preference and shall be conducted with the greatest possible dispatch.
E. Upon application by the storage operator or at the commissioner's discretion and after notice, public hearing, and consideration of available geological, engineering, and other relevant evidence, the commissioner, to the extent required by such evidence, may by order revise, amend, enlarge, reduce, confirm, or dissolve any storage unit provided for under this Section or modify any provision of any order issued pursuant to this Section, without the consent required by Subsection B of this Section. An order enlarging or reducing the areal extent of an existing storage unit shall provide for just and equitable compensation to all owners in interest as to any acreage added to the storage unit and may also provide for adjustments to compensation and the sharing of benefits as are just and equitable for all owners in interest as to the area encompassed by the enlarged or reduced storage unit. In any order issued pursuant to this Subsection providing for compensation, the commissioner shall use the same method, formula, or other basis used to determine the just and equitable share pursuant to Subsection C of this Section. However, no order issued pursuant to this Subsection shall vary, alter, or otherwise apply a standard of benefit sharing or compensation to the terms of any contracts between the storage operator and any owner in interest.
F. Operations on or injection in the storage unit for geologic storage shall be considered operations on or injection in each separate tract in the storage unit.
G. The commissioner shall prescribe, issue, amend, and rescind such orders, rules, and regulations as the commissioner may find necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this Section, including establishing the methodology for determining or adjusting just and equitable compensation to owners in interest that have not entered into a contract with the storage operator, including the storage operator, other owners in interest who consented in writing to geologic storage, and owners in interest who did not consent in writing to geologic storage, including in the event that a storage unit is enlarged or reduced. However, no order, rule, or regulation issued pursuant to this Subsection shall vary, alter, or otherwise apply a standard of benefit sharing or compensation to the terms of any contracts between the storage operator and any owner in interest. The same requirements and procedures to challenge such an order, rule, or regulation that are stated in Subsection D of this Section shall also apply to this Subsection.
H. For the purposes of this Section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Owner in interest" shall mean any party who owns or otherwise has the right to use the subsurface of a tract within the storage unit for geologic storage, regardless of whether such party is the surface owner of the tract or has acquired the right from the surface owner, or is a successor or assign of such right.
(2) "Storage unit" shall mean the area encompassing the underground reservoir or portion thereof, and all associated top and bottom seals, which comprise the carbon dioxide plume, as that term is defined in administrative rules and regulations providing for Class VI injection wells, based on computational modeling submitted in the unit application by the existing or proposed storage operator, as approved by the commissioner.
I. Except as provided in R.S. 30:1108(B)(2), nothing in this Section shall prevent persons having the right to do so from drilling through the storage unit in such manner as shall comply with the rules of the commissioner issued for the purpose of protecting the storage unit or an associated storage facility against pollution or invasion and against the escape or migration of carbon dioxide.
J. No Class VI injection wellhead shall be located within five hundred feet of any inhabited dwelling not owned by the storage operator or any owner in interest bound by a contract with the storage operator that allows for the location of a Class VI injection wellhead within five hundred feet of an inhabited dwelling.
K. If this Section, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is finally determined by a court of law to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the right to exercise the power of eminent domain and expropriate reservoir storage rights for geologic storage shall be reinstated, subject to the storage operator obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the commissioner pursuant to R.S. 30:1107(A).
Acts 2024, No. 645, §1; Acts 2025, No. 414, §1.
A. All public hearings under this Chapter shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:6. In addition to the requirements of R.S. 30:6, any notice required pursuant to this Chapter shall also be provided to the governing authority of any affected parish. Notice may be made by electronic mail to the parish president, police jury president, or mayor-president, depending on the form of parish government.
B. All rules, regulations, and orders made by the commissioner under this Chapter shall be in writing and shall be entered in full by him in a book kept for that purpose. This book shall be a public record and shall be open for inspection at all times during reasonable office hours and shall be available on the Department of Conservation and Energy website. A copy of a rule, regulation, or order certified by the commissioner shall be received in evidence in all courts of this state with the same effect as the original.
C. Any interested person has the right to have the commissioner call a hearing for the purpose of taking action in respect to a matter within the jurisdiction of the commissioner as provided in this Section by making a request therefor in writing and paying the hearing fee set by the commissioner, as provided by law for hearing conducted pursuant to R.S. 30:6. Upon receiving the request and payment of the required fees the commissioner shall promptly call a hearing. After the hearing and with all convenient speed and within thirty days after the conclusion of the hearing, the commissioner shall take whatever action he deems appropriate with regard to the subject matter.
D. The commissioner shall give substantial consideration to local government comments, oral or written, when determining the appropriate course of action to take in any matter requiring a public comment period or public hearing pursuant to this Chapter or rules adopted pursuant to this Chapter.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 407, §1, eff. June 20, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 414, §1.
A. The commissioner shall have authority to perform any and all acts necessary to carry out the purposes and requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended, relating to this state's participation in the underground injection control program established under that act with respect to the storage and sequestration of carbon dioxide. To that end, the commissioner is authorized and empowered to adopt, modify, repeal, and enforce procedural, interpretive, and administrative rules in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter.
B. Whenever the commissioner or an authorized representative of the commissioner determines that a violation of any requirement of this Chapter has occurred or is about to occur, the commissioner or his authorized representative shall either issue an order requiring compliance within a specified time period or shall commence a civil action for appropriate relief, including a temporary or permanent injunction.
C. Any compliance order issued under this Chapter shall state with reasonable specificity the nature of the violation and specify a time for compliance and, in the event of noncompliance, assess a civil penalty, if any, which the commissioner determines is reasonable, taking into account the seriousness of the violation and any good faith efforts to comply with the applicable requirements.
D.(1) Except as otherwise provided by law, any person to whom a compliance order is issued and who fails to take corrective action within the time specified in the order or any person found by the commissioner to be in violation of any requirement of this Chapter may be liable for a civil penalty to be assessed by the commissioner or court, of not more than two hundred thousand dollars per day for each day of violation and for each act of violation. The commissioner in order to enforce the provisions of this Section may suspend or revoke any permit, compliance order, license, or variance that has been issued to said person in accordance with law.
(2) No penalty shall be assessed until the person charged has been given notice and an opportunity for a hearing on such charge. In determining whether or not a civil penalty is to be assessed and in determining the amount of the penalty, or the amount agreed upon in compromise, the gravity of the violation and the demonstrated good faith of the person charged in attempting to achieve rapid compliance, after notification of a violation, shall be considered.
E. The commissioner, or attorney general if requested by the commissioner, shall have charge of and shall prosecute all civil cases arising out of violation of any provision of this Section including the recovery of penalties.
F. Except as otherwise provided herein, the commissioner may settle or resolve as he may deem advantageous to the state any suits, disputes, or claims for any penalty under any provisions of this Section or the regulations or permit license terms and conditions applicable thereto.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2025, No. 397, §1, eff. June 20, 2025.
A.(1) The secretary shall issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity or a certificate of completion of injection operations to each person applying therefor if, after a public hearing pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:6 held in the parish where the storage facility is to be located, the secretary determines that it is required by the present or future public convenience and necessity, and such decision is based upon the following criteria:
(a) The proposed storage facility meets the requirements of R.S. 30:1104(C).
(b) The proposed storage facility meets the requirements of any rules adopted under this Chapter.
(2) However, if any person has previously been issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity or a certificate of completion of injection operations by the secretary, that certificate continues to remain valid and in force.
B. The secretary may issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity to a transporter of carbon dioxide applying therefor, whether or not such transporter is also the storage operator, for the laying, maintaining, and operating of a pipeline for the transportation of carbon dioxide to a storage facility, and such rights necessary and incidental thereto if, after a public hearing pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:6, the secretary determines that it is or will be in the present or future public interest to do so and finds one of the following:
(1) The applicant requires the use of expropriation due solely to the presence of absentee owners that cannot be located after a reasonable attempt to do so.
(2) The applicant is or intends to operate as a common carrier.
C. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection B of this Section, if any transporter of carbon dioxide has previously been issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity prior to June 20, 2025, that certificate shall continue to remain valid and in force.
D. The secretary shall issue a certificate of completion of injection operations to the operator applying therefor if, after a public hearing pursuant to R.S. 30:6, it is determined that such operator has met all of the conditions required for such certificate, including the requirements of R.S. 30:1109.
E. Notwithstanding any provision of this Chapter or any rule, regulation, or order issued by the commissioner under this Chapter to the contrary, accepting or acting pursuant to a certificate of public convenience and necessity or a certificate of completion of injection operations issued under this Chapter; compliance with the provisions of this Chapter or with rules, regulations, or orders issued by the secretary under this Chapter; or voluntarily performing any act which could be required by the secretary pursuant to this Chapter or rules, regulations, or orders issued by the secretary under this Chapter shall not have the following consequences:
(1) Cause any storage operator or transporter of carbon dioxide for storage to become or be classified as a common carrier or a public utility for any purpose whatsoever.
(2) Subject any storage operator or transporter of carbon dioxide for storage to any duties, obligations, or liabilities as a common carrier or public utility under the constitution and laws of this state.
(3) Increase the liability of any storage operator or transporter of carbon dioxide for storage for any taxes otherwise due to the state of Louisiana in the absence of any additions or amendments to any tax laws of this state.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2024, No. 620, §2; Acts 2025, No. 407, §1, eff. June 20, 2025; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The owner or operator of a permitted Class VI well shall provide quarterly reports to the commissioner containing, at a minimum, the following:
(1) Any changes to the physical, chemical, and other relevant characteristics of the carbon dioxide stream from the proposed operating data or parameters.
(2) Monthly average, maximum, and minimum values for injection pressure, flow rate and volume, and annular pressure.
(3) The monthly volume or mass of the carbon dioxide stream injected over the reporting period and the volume injected cumulatively over the life of the project.
(4) Additional reporting as required by applicable administrative rules.
B. At a minimum, the owner or operator of a permitted Class VI well shall provide a report within twenty-four hours of the occurrence of any of the following:
(1) Evidence that the injected carbon dioxide stream or associated pressure front may endanger an underground source of drinking water.
(2) Noncompliance with a permit condition, or malfunction of the injection system, which may cause fluid migration into or between underground sources of drinking water.
(3) Failure to maintain mechanical integrity.
(4) Any equipment malfunction that could lead to the release of stored carbon dioxide.
(5) Any release of stored carbon dioxide.
C. Reports required by Subsection B of this Section shall, at a minimum, include:
(1) The precise location of the incident.
(2) A description of the incident, including its cause, when possible.
(3) Potential risks to public health, water sources, and land stability.
(4) Immediate mitigation steps taken in response.
(5) A timeline for corrective action.
D. Owners or operators of Class VI wells shall retain records as required by applicable administrative rules.
E.(1) Any report required by Subsection B of this Section shall be disclosed by the operator to the following persons and entities:
(a) All emergency response teams, local law enforcement, and local governing officials within the affected area.
(b) The general public through an official press release.
(2) The department shall publish all reports required by Subsection B of this Section on its website.
F. Civil penalties. Failure to comply with the requirements of this Section or with any reporting or recordkeeping required by the department pursuant to administrative rules shall subject the storage operator to the remedies authorized by R.S. 30:1106.
Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 397, §1, eff. June 20, 2025.
A. Prior to the commencement of carbon dioxide injection, an owner or operator of a storage facility shall have in place an emergency and remedial response plan as required by the administrative rules regarding Class VI injection wells and shall provide a copy of the plan to the parish president, police jury president, or mayor-president, depending on the form of parish government, for each parish within the area of review for dissemination to the office of homeland security, local emergency preparedness committee, or other appropriate emergency preparedness or response agencies.
B. In addition to any other requirements imposed by administrative rules, the emergency and remedial response plan shall provide for continuing training programs for operating and maintenance personnel regarding potential hazards, risk scenarios, and response actions.
C. The owner or operator shall also conduct at least one tabletop exercise for each storage facility prior to the commencement of injection to simulate emergency situations and responses thereto in coordination with the appropriate emergency preparedness and response agencies, as designated by the parish president, police jury president, or mayor-president, depending on the form of parish government, for each parish within the area of review.
Acts 2024, No. 702, §1, eff. June 19, 2024.
A.(1) Any storage operator is hereby authorized, after obtaining any permit and any certificate of public convenience and necessity from the secretary required by this Chapter, to exercise the power of eminent domain and expropriate needed property to acquire surface and subsurface rights and property interests necessary or useful for the purpose of constructing, operating, or modifying a storage facility and the necessary infrastructure including the laying, maintaining, and operating of pipelines for the transportation of carbon dioxide to a storage facility, together with utility, telegraph, and telephone lines necessary and incidental to the operation of these storage facilities and pipelines, over private property thus expropriated; and have the further right to construct and develop storage facilities and the necessary infrastructure, including the laying, maintaining, and operating of pipelines along, across, over, and under any navigable stream or public highway, street, bridge, or other public place; and also have the authority, under the right of expropriation herein conferred, to cross railroads, street railways, and other pipelines, by expropriating property necessary for the crossing under the general expropriation laws of this state. The right to run along, across, over, or under any public road, bridge, or highway, as before provided for, may be exercised only upon condition that the traffic thereon is not interfered with, and that such road or highway is promptly restored to its former condition of usefulness, at the expense of the storage facility and the pipeline owner if different from the storage operator, the restoration to be subject also to the supervision and approval of the proper local authorities. (2) The exercise of eminent domain or expropriation powers under this Section shall not allow for the expropriation of reservoir storage rights for geologic storage. This prohibition against the use of expropriation of reservoir storage rights for geologic storage shall not apply to the exercise of expropriation powers in connection with any parish as to which Paragraph (B)(2) of this Section is applicable.
(3) In the exercise of the privilege conferred by this Section, owners or operators of such storage facilities and pipelines shall compensate the parish, municipality, or road district, respectively, for any damage done to a public road, in the construction of storage facilities, and the laying of pipelines, utility, telegraph, or telephone lines, along, under, over, or across the road. Nothing in this Chapter shall be construed to grant any transporter the right to use any public street or alley of any parish, incorporated city, town, or village, except by express permission from the parish, city, or other governing authority.
B.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, the exercise of the right of eminent domain granted in this Chapter shall not prevent persons having the right to do so from drilling through the storage facility in such manner as shall comply with the rules of the secretary issued for the purpose of protecting the storage facility against pollution or invasion and against the escape or migration of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, the right of eminent domain set out in this Section shall not prejudice the rights of the owners of the lands or minerals as to all other uses not acquired for the storage facility and not reasonably necessary for the use of the acquired property.
(2) The exercise of the right of eminent domain granted in this Section may prohibit persons having the right to do so from drilling through the storage facility located in Caldwell Parish only when the following requirements are satisfied:
(a) A period of five years has elapsed from the actual drilling or operation of any oil or gas well within the boundaries of the storage facility to depths below the base of the underground reservoir component of the storage facility as determined by the secretary.
(b) All reservoirs below the underground reservoir component of the storage facility that were drilled to and produced in any oil or gas well located within the boundaries of the storage facility are no longer capable of producing minerals in paying quantities as determined by the secretary.
(3) If a party who has the right to explore for and produce minerals from depths below the base of the underground reservoir component of the storage facility is prohibited from drilling through the storage facility under Paragraph (2) of this Subsection by the exercise of the right of eminent domain granted in this Section, that prohibition shall terminate upon a finding by the secretary, after notice and hearing conducted in accordance with R.S. 30:1105(C), that the storage facility operator abandoned all reasonable efforts to use, or cause others to use, the storage facility prior to any use of the underground reservoir component of the storage facility for the storage of carbon dioxide.
C.(1) In addition to the requirements of Paragraph (2) of this Subsection and any other power of eminent domain authorized by law, eminent domain authority authorized under this Chapter shall be exercised pursuant to the procedures found in R.S. 19:2. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, expropriation hearings conducted pursuant to this Chapter shall be heard in the parish in which the property subject to the expropriation is situated.
(2) Prior to initiating any eminent domain proceedings, the owner or operator of a carbon sequestration storage facility or pipeline shall comply with the following requirements:
(a) Provide written notice to the landowner of the intent to acquire property or property rights. The notice shall be sent to all property owners whose addresses are known, unless those owners have jointly designated a representative to receive such communications. The notice shall include:
(i) A clear statement of the owner or operator’s interest in the property.
(ii) An explanation of the owner's or operator's obligation to obtain one or more appraisals of the property.
(iii) Any additional information reasonably necessary to inform the landowner of the process and their rights.
(b) Provide the landowner or designated representative a reasonable opportunity to be present during any inspection of the property conducted for appraisal purposes. The landowner or representative shall be allowed to provide input regarding the condition and features of the property to the appraiser.
(c) Engage in good faith negotiations with the landowner or their representative. Such negotiations shall include no fewer than five in-person meetings or documented attempts to meet in person.
(d) Submit a written offer to the landowner or their representative that includes:
(i) The amount offered as just compensation.
(ii) A legal description of the property and the specific interest to be acquired.
(iii) A list and description of any buildings or improvements located on the property to be affected by the acquisition.
(e) Allow the landowner or their representative at least ten calendar days from receipt of the written offer to respond with additional information or a counteroffer.
(f) The act of the landowner or his designated representative providing additional information or a counteroffer, or the act of the owner or operator of a storage facility or pipeline responding in writing to the additional information or counteroffer shall not extend or affect the thirty-day time period for filing a petition for expropriation as provided in R.S. 19:2.2(C).
D. The secretary is neither a necessary nor indispensable party to an eminent domain proceeding, and if named as a party or third party has an absolute right to be dismissed from said action at the expense of the party who names the secretary. The secretary shall recover all costs reasonably incurred to be dismissed from the action, including attorney fees.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2020, No. 61, §1; Acts 2022, No. 163, §1; Acts 2024, No. 620, §2; Acts 2025, No. 179, §1; Acts 2025, No. 414, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A.(1) Fifty years after cessation of injection into a storage facility, or any other time frame established on a site-specific basis by application of the rules regarding the time frame for a storage operator's post-injection site care and site closure plan, the secretary shall issue a certificate of completion of injection operations, upon a showing by the current storage operator of all of the following:
(a) The reservoir is reasonably expected to retain mechanical integrity.
(b) The carbon dioxide will reasonably remain emplaced.
(c) The storage facility does not pose an endangerment to underground sources of drinking water or the health and safety of the public.
(d) The current storage operator has complied with all applicable regulations related to post-injection monitoring and the issuance of the certificate of completion of injection operations.
(e) The storage facility has been closed in accordance with all applicable regulations related to site closure.
(2) Upon issuance of the certificate of completion of injection operations, ownership to the remaining project including the stored carbon dioxide transfers to the state.
(3) Upon the issuance of the certificate of completion of injection operations, the storage operator, all generators of any injected carbon dioxide, all owners of carbon dioxide stored in the storage facility, landowners, and all owners otherwise having any interest in the storage facility shall be released from any and all future duties or obligations under this Chapter and any and all liability associated with or related to that storage facility which arises after the issuance of the certificate of completion of injection operations. The release from duties or obligations under this Chapter shall not apply to a current or former owner or operator of a storage facility when the duties or obligations arise from that owner or operator's noncompliance with applicable underground injection control laws and regulations prior to issuance of the certificate of completion of injection operations.
(4) Provided the provisions pertaining to site-specific trust accounts are not applicable, the release from liability will not apply to the owner or last operator of record of a storage facility if the Carbon Dioxide Geologic Storage Trust Fund has been depleted of funds such that it contains inadequate funds to address or remediate any duty, obligation, or liability that may arise after issuance of the certificate of completion of injection operations.
(5) The release provided in Paragraphs (3) and (4) of this Subsection shall not apply to any owner of a storage facility, any storage operator, any operator of a carbon dioxide transmission pipeline, or any generator of the carbon dioxide being handled by either the storage facility or the carbon dioxide transmission pipeline if it is demonstrated that the owner, storage operator, operator, or generator intentionally and knowingly concealed or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented material facts related to the mechanical integrity of the storage facility or the chemical composition of any injected carbon dioxide. In addition, upon the issuance of the certificate of completion of injection operations, continued monitoring of the site, including remediation of any well leakage, shall become the principal responsibility of the Carbon Dioxide Geologic Storage Trust Fund.
(6) It is the intent of this Section that the state shall not assume or have any liability by the mere act of assuming ownership of a storage facility after issuance of a certificate of completion of injection operations.
B.(1) In any civil liability action against the owner or operator of a storage facility, carbon dioxide transmission pipeline, or the generator of the carbon dioxide being handled by either the facility or pipeline, the maximum amount recoverable as compensatory damages for noneconomic loss shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars per person, except where the damages for noneconomic loss suffered by the plaintiff were for wrongful death; permanent and substantial physical deformity; loss of use of a limb or loss of a bodily organ system; or permanent physical or mental functional injury that permanently prevents the injured person from being able to independently care for himself or herself and perform life-sustaining activities. In such cases, the maximum amount recoverable as compensatory damages for noneconomic loss shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars per person.
(2) If Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is finally determined by a court of law to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the maximum amount recoverable as damages for noneconomic loss shall thereafter not exceed one million dollars per person. This provision shall not supersede any contractual agreement with respect to liability between a plaintiff and an owner or operator of a storage facility, a carbon dioxide transmission pipeline, or the generator of the carbon dioxide.
C. Nothing in this Chapter shall establish or create any liability or responsibility on the part of the secretary or the state to pay any costs associated with site restoration from any source other than the funds or trusts created by this Chapter, nor shall the secretary or the state of Louisiana have any liability or responsibility to make any payments for costs associated with site restoration if the trusts created herein are insufficient to do so.
D. The secretary or his agents, on proper identification, may enter the land of another for purposes of site assessment or restoration.
E. The secretary and his agents are not liable for any damages arising from an act or omission if the act or omission is part of a good faith effort to carry out the purpose of this Chapter.
F. No party contracting with the Department of Conservation and Energy, or the secretary under the provisions of this Chapter shall be deemed to be a public employee or an employee otherwise subject to the provisions of Parts I through IV of Chapter 15 of Title 42 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
G. The secretary shall implement this Section in a manner consistent with and as the secretary deems necessary to carry out the purposes and requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended, relating to the state's participation in the underground injection control program established under that Act with respect to the storage and sequestration of carbon dioxide, including but not limited to the state's authority to restrain any person from engaging in any unauthorized activity which is endangering or causing damage to public health or the environment.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2024, No. 415, §1; Acts 2024, No. 461, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. A landowner shall not assume or have any liability associated with or related to carbon dioxide, at any time, by the mere fact of being a landowner or by the mere fact of entering a contract to allow his property to be used for geologic storage, injection, or transportation of carbon dioxide.
B. Nothing in this Section shall alter the terms of or supersede any contractual agreement between a landowner and an owner or operator of a storage facility, a carbon dioxide transmission pipeline, or a generator of the carbon dioxide.
Acts 2024, No. 461, §1.
A.(1) There is hereby established a fund in the custody of the state treasurer to be known as the Carbon Dioxide Geologic Storage Trust Fund, hereinafter referred to as the "fund", which shall constitute a special custodial trust fund which shall be administered by the secretary, who shall make disbursements from the fund solely in accordance with the purposes and uses authorized by this Chapter.
(2) After compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, and after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all of the obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within any fiscal year, the treasurer shall pay into the fund, an amount equal to the monies received by the state treasury pursuant to this Chapter. The monies in this fund shall be used solely as provided in this Section and only in the amount appropriated by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies remaining in this fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. The monies in the fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund and all returns of such investment shall be deposited to the fund. At the request of the Natural Resources Trust Authority, the state treasurer may invest monies in the fund, or any portion thereof, in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 33:2955, including the use of the Louisiana Asset Management Pool, and any interest earned on such investments shall be credited to the fund. The funds received shall be placed in the special trust fund in the custody of the state treasurer to be used only in accordance with this Chapter and shall not be placed in the general fund. The funds provided to the secretary pursuant to this Section shall at all times be and remain the property of the secretary. The funds shall be used only for the purposes set forth in this Chapter and for no other governmental purposes, nor shall any branch of government be allowed to borrow any portion of the funds. It is the intent of the legislature that this fund and its increments shall remain intact and inviolate.
B. The following monies shall be placed into the fund:
(1) The fees, penalties, and bond forfeitures collected pursuant to this Chapter. All fees and self-generated revenue remaining on deposit for the department at the end of any fiscal year shall be deposited into the fund.
(2) Private contributions.
(3) Interest earned on the funds deposited in the fund.
(4) Civil penalties for violation of any rules or permit conditions imposed under this Chapter, or costs recovered from responsible parties for geologic storage facility closure or remediation pursuant to this Section and R.S. 30:1104, 1105, and 1106.
(5) Any grants, donations, and sums allocated from any source, public or private, for the purposes of this Chapter.
(6) Site-specific trust accounts; however, the monies of such accounts shall not be used for any geologic storage facility other than that specified for each respective account.
C. The secretary is hereby authorized to levy on each storage facility the following fees or costs for the purpose of funding the fund:
(1) A fee payable to the department, in a form and schedule prescribed by the department, for each ton of carbon dioxide injected for storage into that storage facility. This fee is to be determined based upon the following formula:
(a) F x 144 < M.
(b) "F" is a per unit fee in dollars per ton set by the department.
(c) "144" is the minimum number of months over which a fee is to be collected.
(d) "M" is the maximum payment of five million dollars and is the total amount of fees to be collected before the payment of the fee can be suspended as provided in this Section.
(e) The fee cannot exceed five million dollars divided by one hundred forty-four divided by the total tonnage of carbon dioxide to be injected, (($5,000,000/ 144)/ total injection tonnage of carbon dioxide).
(f) Once five million dollars has been contributed to the fund for a storage facility, the fee assessments to that storage facility under this Section shall cease until such time as funds begin to be expended for that storage facility. The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall certify to the secretary the date on which the balance in the fund for a storage facility equals or exceeds five million dollars. The fund fees shall not be collected or required to be paid on or after the first day of the second month following the certification, except that the secretary shall resume collecting the fees on receipt of a certification from the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy that, based on the expenditures or commitments to expend monies, the fund has fallen below four million dollars for that storage facility.
(g) Notwithstanding the total number of storage facilities owned or operated by a storage operator, once ten million dollars has been contributed to the fund by a storage operator, the fee assessment to that storage operator under this Section shall cease until such time as funds begin to be expended for any storage facility owned or operated by that storage operator. The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall certify to the secretary the date on which the balance in the fund for a storage operator equals or exceeds ten million dollars. The fund fees shall not be collected or required to be paid on or after the first day of the second month following the certification, except that the secretary shall resume collecting the fees upon receipt of a certification from the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy that, based on the expenditures or commitments to expend monies, the fund has fallen below eight million dollars for that storage operator.
(h) At the end of each fiscal year, the fee may be redetermined by the secretary based upon the estimated cost of administering and enforcing this Chapter for the upcoming year divided by the tonnage of carbon dioxide expected to be injected during the upcoming year. The total fee assessed shall be sufficient to assure a balance in the fund not to exceed five million dollars for any active storage facility within the state at the beginning of each fiscal year. Any amount received that exceeds the annual balance required shall be deposited in the fund, but appropriate credits shall be given against future fees or fees associated with other storage facilities operated by the same storage operator.
(2) An annual regulatory fee for storage facilities that have not received a certificate of completion of injection operations payable to the department, in a form and schedule prescribed by the department, on the carbon dioxide storage facility in an amount not to exceed fifty thousand dollars for Fiscal Year 2010-2011 and thereafter. Such fee shall be based upon the annual projected costs to the department for oversight and regulation of such storage facilities.
(3) An application fee payable to the department, in a form and schedule prescribed by the department, by industries under the jurisdiction of the department. The secretary may, by rule in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, charge a fee that shall not exceed the actual or anticipated cost to the state for the review of the permit or application.
D. The provisions of the Louisiana Tax Code shall apply to the administration, collection, and enforcement of the fees imposed herein, and the penalties provided by that code shall apply to any person who fails to pay or report the fees. Proceeds from the fees, including any penalties and interest collected in connection with the fees, shall be deposited into the fund.
E. The fund shall be used solely for the following purposes:
(1) Operational and long-term inspecting, testing, and monitoring of the site, including remaining surface facilities and wells.
(2) Remediation associated with, arising from, or related to the site, including remediation of property and of any mechanical problems associated with remaining wells and site infrastructure.
(3) Repairing mechanical leaks at the site.
(4) Plugging and abandoning remaining wells or conversion for use as observation wells.
(5) Administration of this Chapter.
(6) Payment of fees and costs associated with the administration of the fund or site-specific accounts.
(7) Payment of fees and costs associated with the acquisition of appropriate insurance for future storage facility liability if it should become available, either commercially or through government funding.
F. No additional purposes for use of the fund may be added unless approved by a two-thirds vote of the elected members of each house of the legislature.
G. The secretary is authorized to enter into agreements and contracts and to expend money in the fund for the following purposes:
(1) To fund research and development in connection with carbon sequestration technology and methods.
(2) To monitor any remaining surface facilities and wells.
(3) To remediate any mechanical problems associated with remaining wells or site infrastructure, or any other remediation associated with, arising from, or related to the site, including remediation of property.
(4) To repair mechanical leaks at the storage facility.
(5) To contract with a private legal entity pursuant to this Chapter.
(6) To plug and abandon remaining wells except for those wells to be used as observation wells.
(7) To contract for professional services to assist with permit or application reviews.
H. The secretary shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements related to the administration of the fund and site-specific trust funds and shall make a specific annual report addressing the administration of the funds to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment, and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality before March first.
I. Every five years the secretary shall submit a report to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment, and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality before March first that assesses the effectiveness of the fund and other related provisions in this Chapter and provides other information as may be requested by the legislature to allow the legislature to assess the effectiveness of this Chapter.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2020, No. 61, §1; Acts 2021, No. 326, §1; Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. If a storage facility site is transferred from one party to another, not including a transfer to the state pursuant to R.S. 30:1109, a site-specific trust account may be established to separately account for each such site for the purpose of providing a source of funds for long-term maintenance, monitoring, and site closure or remediation of that storage facility site at such time in the future when closure or remediation of that storage facility site is required. For purposes of this Chapter, a transfer shall be deemed to have been made once there is a change in ownership of any kind at a storage facility site. Once established, the site-specific trust account shall survive until completion of site closure or remediation of the associated storage facility site.
B. In the event the parties to a transfer elect to establish a site-specific trust account under this Section, the commissioner shall require a storage facility long-term maintenance, monitoring, and site closure assessment to be made to determine the long-term maintenance, monitoring, and site closure requirements existing at the time of the transfer, or at the time the site-specific trust account is established. The storage facility long-term maintenance, monitoring, and site closure assessment shall be conducted by approved site assessment contractors appearing on a list approved by the commissioner or acceptable to the commissioner. The storage facility long-term maintenance, monitoring, and site closure assessment shall specifically detail the long-term maintenance, monitoring, and site closure needs and shall provide an estimate of the long-term maintenance, monitoring and site closure costs needed to maintain and restore the storage facility site based on the conditions existing at the time of transfer, or at the time the site-specific trust account is established.
C. The party or parties to the transfer shall, based upon the long-term maintenance and site restoration assessment, propose a funding schedule which will provide for the site-specific trust account. The funding schedule shall consider the uniqueness of each transfer, acquiring party, and storage facility site. Funding of the site-specific trust account shall include some contribution to the account at the time of transfer and at least quarterly payments to the account. Cash or bonds in a form and of a type acceptable to the commissioner, or any combination thereof, may also be considered for funding. The commissioner shall monitor each trust account to assure that it is being properly funded. The funds in each trust account shall remain the property of the commissioner.
D. The commissioner may approve the site-specific trust account for a storage facility site upon review of the assessment and the site-specific trust account that has been proposed for that storage facility site as provided in the regulations. Such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
E. When transfers of storage facility sites occur subsequent to the formation of site-specific trust accounts but prior to the end of their economic life, the commissioner and the acquiring party shall, in the manner provided for in this Section, again redetermine cost and agree upon a funding schedule. The balance of any site-specific trust account at the time of subsequent transfer shall remain with the storage facility site and shall be a factor in the redetermination.
F. Once the commissioner has approved the site-specific trust account, and the account is fully funded, the party transferring the storage facility site and all prior owners, operators, and working interest owners shall not thereafter be held liable by the state for any site closure costs or actions associated with the transferred storage facility site. The party acquiring the storage facility site shall thereafter be the responsible party for the purposes of this Part.
G. The failure of a transferring party to make a good faith disclosure of all material storage facility site conditions existing at the time of the transfer may render that party liable for the costs to address such undisclosed conditions to regulatory standards in excess of the balance of the site-specific trust fund.
H. Except as provided in Subsection E of this Section, the parties to a transfer may elect not to establish a site-specific trust account; however, in the absence of such account, the parties shall not be exempt from liability as set forth in Subsection F of this Section.
I. After site closure has been completed and approved by the commissioner, funds from a site-specific trust account shall be disbursed as follows:
(1) The balance of the account existing in the site-specific trust account will be remitted to the responsible party.
(2) Such account shall thereafter be closed.
J. The provisions of this Chapter regarding the implementation of site-specific trust accounts shall not be implemented until the rules and regulations pertaining to such trust accounts are finally adopted.
Acts 2009, No. 517, §2.
A. Notice of geologic storage agreement.
(1) In lieu of recording an agreement for the geologic storage of carbon dioxide or any amendment or modification thereof, as provided by Civil Code Article 3338, a party may record a notice of geologic storage agreement signed by the grantor who executed the agreement.
(2) Recordation of a notice shall make the geologic storage agreement and any subsequent amendment or modification effective as to third persons to the same extent as recordation of the instrument.
(3) The notice of geologic storage agreement shall contain the following:
(a) A declaration that the property is subject to the geologic storage agreement and the names and addresses of the parties who executed the agreement.
(b) A description of the surface and depths covered by the geologic storage agreement.
(c) The effective date of the geologic storage agreement, its term, and the provisions of any other extensions and renewals of the term provided for in the agreement.
(d) A description of any restrictions on drilling through or otherwise penetrating the carbon dioxide storage reservoir for purposes of exploring, developing, or producing minerals from or below the reservoir.
(4)(a) A change in a geologic storage agreement with respect to any matter that is required to be included in a notice of geologic storage agreement pursuant to Paragraph (3) of this Subsection is not effective as to third persons unless the parties record a signed amendment to the notice that describes the change.
(b) Notwithstanding Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, if the change is a transfer of a party's rights, the parties may do either of the following:
(i) Record an amendment to the notice signed by the transferor and transferee evidencing the transfer.
(ii) Record the instrument transferring the party's rights.
(5) The effect of recordation of a notice of geologic storage agreement ceases on occurrence of either of the following:
(a) Upon recordation of an instrument signed by the parties to the agreement or their successors declaring that the geologic storage agreement has terminated.
(b) On the date that the geologic storage agreement may finally terminate as set forth in the notice of geologic storage agreement.
(6) The provisions of this Subsection authorizing the filing of a notice of geologic storage agreement are remedial and shall be applied retroactively to any notice of geologic storage agreement filed for record prior to June 16, 2023, which is in substantial compliance with the provisions of this Subsection, and such a notice shall affect third persons as of the date of recordation.
(7) The grantee of any recorded notice of geologic storage agreement shall notify the governing authority of the parish in which the instrument is recorded within thirty days after recordation. Notice may be made by electronic mail to the parish president, police jury president, or mayor-president, depending on the form of parish government.
B. Notice of Class VI injection well permit.
After the issuance of a Class VI injection well permit, the owner or operator of the storage facility shall record a notice of the permit with the clerk of court for any parish included in the area of review for the permit application. The notice shall include the office of conservation permit number and the serial number of the Class VI injection well associated with the permit.
C. Maps.
(1) After the issuance of a Class VI injection well permit, the owner or operator of the storage facility shall record with the clerk of court for each parish within the area of review a map or maps bearing the office of conservation permit number containing the location or proposed location for the following items, but only to the extent that this information is also required under Statewide Order 29-N-6:
(a) Injection wells.
(b) Monitoring wells.
(c) Producing wells.
(d) Abandoned and orphan wells.
(e) Plugged wells and dry holes.
(f) Known and suspected faults.
(g) Water wells.
(h) Surface bodies of water.
(i) Natural springs.
(j) Aquifers.
(k) Structures intended for human occupancy.
(l) Roads.
(m) State and parish boundaries.
(2) The owner or operator shall notify the governing authority of each parish in which the maps are recorded within thirty days after recordation. Notice may be made by electronic mail to the parish president, police jury president, or mayor-president, depending on the form of parish government.
Acts 2023, No. 378, §1, eff. June 14, 2023; Acts 2024, No. 702, §1, eff. June 19, 2024.
No Class VI injection wellhead shall be located within five hundred feet of the following:
(1) Inhabited dwellings not owned by the storage operator or any owner in interest bound by a contract with the storage operator that allows for location of a Class VI injection well within five hundred feet of an inhabited dwelling.
(2) Schools.
(3) Healthcare facilities.
Acts 2024, No. 702, §1, eff. June 19, 2024.
The owner or operator of a storage facility shall conduct periodic testing and monitoring of ground water quality above the confining zone and shall report the testing and monitoring conducted to the commissioner semiannually.
Acts 2024, No. 702, §1, eff. June 19, 2024.
A. Every applicant for a Class VI permit or Class V permit related to a geologic sequestration project shall comply with the following:
(1) In order for an application for a Class VI permit to be deemed administratively complete, the owner or operator shall make a reasonable search and a good faith effort to provide notice of the submission of the application via United States mail to all of the following located within the surface or subsurface extent of the area of review delineated in the permit application:
(a) The last operator of record for any oil or gas well.
(b) All mineral servitude owners, mineral lessees, and operators acting on behalf of such mineral interest owners.
(c) All surface owners.
(2) In order for an application for a Class V stratigraphic test well permit to be considered complete, the owner or operator shall make a reasonable search and a good faith effort to provide notice of the submission of the application via United States certified mail to all of the following located within five hundred feet of the proposed well:
(a) The last operator of record for any oil or gas well.
(b) All mineral servitude owners, mineral lessees, and operators acting on behalf of such mineral interest owners.
(c) All surface owners.
(3) Notice to all surface owners as required by this Section may be satisfied by notifying all persons shown on the parish assessor's rolls as the current owner of the surface rights for the land included within the applicable area of required notice.
B. The department shall also publish on its website a notice of each application for a Class VI permit or Class V permit related to a geologic sequestration project.
Acts 2024, No. 645, §1; Acts 2025, No. 414, §1; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. No battery used for renewable energy storage facilities shall be installed without the operator first obtaining a permit for installation from the Department of Conservation and Energy.
B. No permit shall be issued without proof of financial security and a decommissioning plan.
C. The secretary shall promulgate and adopt such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement this Section by August 31, 2026.
D. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to apply to renewable energy storage for residential property use.
Acts 2025, No. 279, §1.
A. No onshore wind project shall be constructed or completed without a permit issued by the Department of Conservation and Energy.
B. No permit shall be issued without proof of financial security and a decommissioning plan.
C. The secretary shall promulgate and adopt such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement this Section by August 31, 2026.
D. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to apply to wind projects for residential property use.
E. As used in this Part, "onshore" shall mean land-based wind turbines and those that are located on inland water bodies.
Acts 2025, No. 279, §1.
A. The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall have jurisdiction over all persons and property, and shall have the authority to perform all acts necessary to enforce the provisions of this Part and any rules adopted pursuant to this Part.
B. Any parish that has adopted solar ordinances may by resolution opt out of the siting requirements of this Part. Upon submission of such resolution so passed to the department, the siting standards of this Part shall not apply to that parish.
Acts 2025, No. 279, §1.
A. No person shall construct, install, or operate a solar power generation facility with a footprint of seventy-five or more acres without holding a permit issued by the department pursuant to this Part.
B. The Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries may submit comments regarding construction, installation, and operation of any power generation facility to the department.
Acts 2025, No. 279, §1.
A. Any solar power generation facility with a footprint of seventy-five acres or more which is not located wholly within an industrial-zoned area or a Louisiana Economic Development certified site shall comply with the standards set forth in this Section.
B.(1) There shall be a buffer around the perimeter of each solar power generation facility that includes setbacks and a vegetative barrier to screen the facility from view. The vegetative barrier shall be comprised of native vegetation, shall ensure an opaque visual barrier year round, and shall be designed to conceal the development from view from adjoining properties. Stamped landscape plans by a licensed landscape architect or landscape horticulturalist shall be required for permitting. Existing vegetation on-site may be retained undisturbed in satisfaction of the vegetative barrier requirement if it otherwise meets the requirements of this Section.
(2) For residential property, unless provided otherwise by written agreement between the property owner and the facility operator, there shall be a three hundred foot setback from the residential property line to the nearest solar device, with one of the following:
(a) A thirty-five foot deep vegetative barrier composed of new plant material.
(b) A fifty foot deep vegetative barrier composed of natural plant material.
(3) For natural and navigable water bodies, there shall be a one hundred foot setback from the ordinary low water mark to the nearest solar device.
(4) For public roads, there shall be a fifty foot setback from the edge of the paved road surface to the nearest solar device, with a thirty-five foot vegetative barrier.
C. Noise levels at the property line of the facility shall not exceed ten A-weighted decibels (dbA) above the ambient noise level present at the property line prior to operation of the facility.
D. The provisions of this Section shall apply to any solar power generation facility for which construction begins after January 1, 2026.
Acts 2025, No. 279, §1.
Any chemical that is not approved for agricultural application shall not be sprayed for maintenance of a solar power generation facility site.
Acts 2025, No. 279, §1.
As used in this Chapter:
(1) "Passive thermal system" means a system which utilizes the structural elements of a building and is not augmented by mechanical components to provide for collection, storage, and distribution of solar energy or coolness.
(2) "Semipassive thermal system" means a system which utilizes the structural elements of a building and is augmented by mechanical components to provide for collection, storage, distribution of solar energy or coolness.
(3) "Solar device" means the equipment associated with the collection, transfer, distribution, storage, and control of solar energy.
(4) "Solar system" means the integrated use of solar devices for the functions of collection, transfer, storage, and distribution of solar energy.
(5) "Standard" means a specification of design, performance, and procedure, or of the instrumentation, equipment, surrounding conditions, and skills required during the conduct of a procedure.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 542, §1; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
A. The secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy or his designee, hereafter in this Chapter referred to as the "secretary," shall develop and coordinate a program of research and development in solar energy supply, consumption, and conservation and the technology of siting facilities and shall give priority to those forms of research and development which are of particular importance to the state, including but not limited to all of the following:
(1)(a) Expansion and accelerated development of alternative sources of energy, including geothermal and solar resources, including, but not limited to, participation in large-scale demonstrations of alternative energy systems sited in Louisiana in cooperation with federal agencies, regional compacts, other state governments, and other participants.
(b) For purposes of this Paragraph, "participation" shall be defined as any of the following: direct interest in a project; research and development to insure acceptable resolution of environmental and other impacts of alternative energy systems; research and development to improve siting and permitting methodology for alternative energy systems; experiments utilizing the alternative energy systems; and research and development of appropriate methods to insure the widespread utilization of economically useful alternative energy systems.
(c) "Large-scale demonstrations of alternative energy systems" are exemplified by the one hundred kilowatt to ten kilowatt range demonstrations of solar, wind, and geothermal systems contemplated by federal agencies, regional compacts, other state governments, and other participants.
(2) Improved methods of construction, design, and operation of solar energy facilities.
B. To accomplish the purposes of Paragraph (A)(1) of this Section, an amount not more than one-half of the total state funds appropriated for the solar energy research and development program shall be allocated for large-scale demonstration of alternative energy systems.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
The secretary shall carry out technical assessment studies on all forms of solar energy and energy-related problems in order to influence federal research and development priorities and to be informed on future energy options and their impacts.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
A. The secretary shall develop and adopt, in cooperation with affected utility, agricultural, and solar industries; landowners; and consumer representatives and after one or more public hearings, regulations governing solar power generation facilities and property leases for the exploration, development, and production of solar energy. The regulations shall be designed to encourage the development and use of solar energy and to provide maximum information to the public concerning solar devices and solar power generation facilities. The regulations may include all of the following:
(1) Standards for testing, inspection, certification, sizing, capacity, and installation of solar devices, including spacing between installations and setbacks.
(2) Provisions for the enforcement of the standards.
(3) Accreditation of laboratories to test and certify solar devices.
(4) Requirements for on-site inspection of solar devices, including specifying methods for inspection, to determine compliance or noncompliance with the standards.
(5) Requirements for submission of any data resulting from the testing and inspection of solar devices.
(6) Prohibitions on the sale of solar devices that do not meet minimum requirements for safety, capacity, and durability as established by the secretary.
(7) Dissemination of the results of the testing, inspection, and certification program to the public.
(8) Minimum requirements for property leases for the exploration, development, and production of solar energy, including but not limited to acreage, access, and maintenance of the property during the lease, decommissioning, and final site closure upon termination of the lease, and placement of this program within the department. The rules provided for in this Paragraph shall be promulgated by the secretary, but not implemented until the secretary identifies funding through fees, federal grants, or other sources.
(9)(a) Requirements for a permit to construct or operate a solar power generation facility shall include a bond or other acceptable financial security in an amount determined by the secretary to ensure proper site closure. Any bond shall be executed by the permittee and a corporate surety licensed to do business in the state. The bond or other instrument shall be payable to the Department of Conservation and Energy, except the secretary may accept any financial security provided to the landowner or lessor for facilities exempted from permit fees pursuant to Paragraph (D)(3) of this Section. Any bond or other instrument shall ensure the following:
(i) Substantial compliance with this Section and any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to this Section.
(ii) Compliance with any permit issued or enforced pursuant to this Section.
(iii) Compliance, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, with provisions of the property lease for the exploration, development, and production of solar energy on which the facility is located and that the violation would require closure of the facility. The department shall notify the lessor of any enforcement action against a permittee or upon a claim against the bond or other instrument.
(b) In determining the adequacy of the amount or other specific requirements of the bond or other financial security, the secretary shall consider the following:
(i) The assets, debts, and compliance history of the applicant or permittee.
(ii) The condition and capacity of the facilities to be covered by such security.
(iii) The estimated cost of site closure and remediation that includes the estimated cost of removing the solar power generation facility and associated infrastructure from the property and restoring the property to as near as reasonably possible to the condition of the property prior to the commencement of construction of the facility. The secretary may consider only the salvage value of the facility and associated infrastructure in determining the estimated cost of site closure and remediation if the materials are available in decommissioning during a bankruptcy of the facility owner or operator. The secretary shall adjust the estimated cost based upon any updated decommissioning plan submitted pursuant to Paragraph (D)(2) of this Section. Any increase in the amount of financial security required shall be secured by the permit holder within thirty days of notification of the increase.
(c) Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Paragraph shall not apply to the following solar power generation facilities that are owned by an electric utility provider regulated by the Public Service Commission or the council of the city of New Orleans:
(i) Facilities located on land owned by the electric utility provider and the provider is capable of demonstrating a decommissioning plan to the regulator.
(ii) Facilities located on land leased by the electric utility provider and that meet both of the following conditions:
(aa) The regulated electric utility provider guarantees to the landowner or lessor that the regulated electric utility provider will pay the cost of the decommissioning plan provided for in Paragraph (D)(2) of this Section and the guarantee is acceptable to the secretary.
(bb) The lease between the landowner or lessor and the regulated electric utility provider provides for site decommissioning at the end of the facility's life, at the termination of the lease, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, and upon other circumstance that requires closure of the facility.
(d) If a solar power generation facility is sold or otherwise transferred, the secretary shall not release the bond or other financial security of the seller or transferor until the buyer or transferee provides a bond or other acceptable financial security in accordance with the provisions of this Section.
B. The secretary shall give due consideration to the effects of the regulations on the cost of purchasing, installing, operating, and maintaining solar devices in a solar power generation facility and shall reassess and amend the regulations as often as deemed necessary considering their effect upon the benefits and disadvantages to the widespread adoption of solar energy systems and the need to encourage creativity and innovative adaptations of solar energy.
C. Under no circumstances may the secretary preclude any person from developing, installing, or operating a solar device on his own property for residential use or collect any fee for such use.
D.(1) No person shall construct or operate a solar power generation facility that has a footprint of ten or more acres without holding a permit issued pursuant to the rules and regulations provided for in this Section. A permit issued pursuant to this Subsection shall only pertain to the implementation of the decommissioning plan as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, and financial security required pursuant to Paragraph (A)(9) of this Section. In addition to other requirements for the issuance of a permit, the department shall collect the following fees:
(a) An application fee not to exceed fifteen dollars per acre of the solar power generation facility footprint.
(b) An application processing fee not to exceed five hundred dollars for the entire project.
(c) An annual monitoring and maintenance fee beginning the year after issuance of the permit and every year thereafter not to exceed fifteen dollars per acre of the facility footprint.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Paragraph, no applicant or permit holder shall be charged a fee that exceeds the department's budgeted costs of implementing and administering the provisions of this Section for the fiscal year in which the fee is charged.
(2) Any application for a permit shall include a decommissioning plan for the facility that plans for closure at the end of life of the facility as well as closure in the event of a disaster making operation of the power generation facility impossible. The decommissioning plan shall be updated every five years after the initial submission. All submitted plans shall be reviewed for sufficiency by the department and approved by the secretary.
(3) Any solar power generation facility that is certified by the Public Service Commission or the council of the city of New Orleans on or before August 2, 2022, shall be exempt from the fees provided for in this Section, shall register with the department by January 1, 2023, and shall comply with the requirements of this Section and any rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this Section by June 30, 2024.
(4) All of the monies collected from the fees provided for in this Subsection shall be deposited in the Mineral and Energy Operation Fund.
E. For purposes of this Section, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Subsection, unless the context or use clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Salvage value" means the actual or estimated scrap value of the raw materials once removed from the facility and ready for sale.
(2) "Solar device" means a solar energy collector or solar energy system that provides for the collection of solar energy or the subsequent use of that energy as thermal, mechanical, or electrical energy.
(3) "Solar power generation facility" means one or more solar devices and any facility or equipment used to support the operation of the solar devices, including any underground or above-ground electrical transmission or communications line located within the footprint of the facility, an electric transformer, a battery storage facility, an energy storage facility, telecommunications equipment, a road, a meteorological tower, or a maintenance yard.
F. Any violation of any regulation adopted by the secretary pursuant to this Section may be enjoined in the manner prescribed by law.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2021, No. 301, §1; Acts 2022, No. 555, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 2022; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
The secretary shall prepare for mass market deployment of solar systems by developing designs and specifications for prototype housing to utilize passive or semipassive thermal systems for heating or heating and cooling purposes.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
The secretary shall develop a manual of design types, costs, performance, and evaluation procedures for passive and semipassive thermal systems. The evaluation procedures shall be such as will facilitate the determination of the performance of different passive and semipassive designs in different regions of Louisiana. The secretary shall also procure thermal performance data from monitoring a number of existing passive or semipassive thermal systems in buildings in Louisiana to generate data for the manual.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
The secretary shall confer with officials of federal agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Bureau of Standards, the Energy Research and Development Administration, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to coordinate adoption of regulations pursuant to R.S. 30:1154 and 30:1155.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
The secretary may, in adopting regulations pursuant to this Chapter, specify the date when the regulations shall take effect. The secretary may specify different dates for different regulations.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
For purposes of carrying out the provisions of this Chapter, the secretary may, subject to departmental contract management, contract with any person for materials and services that cannot be performed by his staff or other state agencies and may apply for federal grants or any other funding.
Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 455, §2, eff. June 28, 2023.
A "renewable energy lease" is a lease of immovable property that is entered for the primary purpose of the lessee's engaging in the production of wind, solar, or hydroelectric energy using the leased immovable and any other lease pursuant to which the lessee's primary activity on the leased immovable is the production of wind, solar, or hydroelectric energy. A renewable energy lease is not a mineral lease. The lessee's rights in a renewable energy lease and his rights in the buildings, improvements, and other constructions on the leased immovable are susceptible of mortgage.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
The owner of land burdened by a renewable energy lease and the lessee of a renewable energy lease shall exercise their respective rights with reasonable regard for those of the other. Subject to the laws of registry, the lessee of a renewable energy lease shall not unreasonably interfere with the rights of others lawfully exercising their rights in the land.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
A lessee of a renewable energy lease is not under a fiduciary obligation to his lessor, but the lessee is bound to perform the contract in good faith and to develop and operate the property leased as a reasonably prudent operator for the mutual benefit of himself and his lessor. Parties may stipulate what shall constitute reasonably prudent conduct of the lessee to develop and operate the leased property.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
The lessee's interest in a renewable energy lease may be assigned or subleased in whole or in part, unless the lease expressly prohibits assignments or subleases. If a renewable energy lease contains a provision that expressly prohibits either assignments or subleases, then unless the lease language clearly shows a contrary intent, the provision will be interpreted as prohibiting both assignments and subleases.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
A. To the extent of the interest acquired, an assignee or sublessee acquires the rights and powers of the lessee and becomes responsible directly to the lessor for performance of the lessee's obligations. Except as otherwise expressly agreed to in writing by the lessor, an assignor or sublessor is not relieved of his obligations or liabilities under a renewable energy lease unless the lessor has discharged him expressly and in writing in a separate instrument executed at the time of the assignment or sublease or thereafter. The lessor shall not unreasonably withhold the discharge. A partial assignment or partial sublease does not divide a renewable energy lease. A renewable energy lease lessor shall accept performance by an assignee or sublessee whether or not the assignment or sublease is filed for registry.
B. If the assignor assigns his rights in the renewable energy lease, the assignor shall provide to the lessor a notice of assignment containing the name, address, phone number, and email address of the assignee. The assignee or his operator shall comply with all applicable requirements of R.S. 30:1154.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
An assignee or sublessee is bound by any notice or demand by the lessor on the lessee unless the lessor has been given written notice of the assignment or sublease. If notice has been given, any subsequent notice or demand by the lessor shall be made on the assignee or sublessee.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
A renewable energy lease terminates at the expiration of the agreed term or upon the occurrence of an express resolutory condition.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
If a renewable energy lease is violated, an aggrieved party shall be entitled to any appropriate relief provided by law. Parties may stipulate what constitutes appropriate relief.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
The provisions of the Civil Code concerning putting in default are applicable to renewable energy leases subject to the modifications in this Part.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
If a renewable energy lessor seeks relief from his lessee for any claim that the lessee has failed to develop and operate the property leased as a prudent operator, the lessor shall give his lessee written notice of the asserted breach of performance and allow a reasonable time for performance by the lessee as a prerequisite to a judicial demand for damages or dissolution of the lease. If a lessee is found to have had actual or constructive knowledge of its failure to perform as a prudent operator and is held responsible for consequent damages, the damages may be computed from the time a reasonably prudent operator would have remedied the failure to perform. In other cases where notice is required by this Part, damages may be computed only from the time the written notice was received by the lessee. The parties may stipulate what constitutes a reasonable time for performance under this Section.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
If a renewable energy lessor seeks relief for the failure of his lessee to make timely or proper payment of rent or royalties, the lessor shall give his lessee written notice of the failure as a prerequisite to a judicial demand for damages or dissolution of the lease.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
The lessee shall have thirty days after receipt of the required notice to pay the rent or royalties due or to respond by stating in writing a reasonable cause for nonpayment. The payment or nonpayment of the rent or royalties or stating or failing to state a reasonable cause for nonpayment within this period has the following effect on the remedies of dissolution and damages:
(1) If the lessee pays the rent or royalties due within thirty days of receiving the required notice, the remedy of dissolution shall be unavailable unless it is found that the original failure to pay was fraudulent. The lessee also remains liable for interest from the time the payments were due under the lease.
(2) If the lessee pays the rent or royalties due within thirty days of receiving the required notice but the original failure to pay rent or royalties was either fraudulent or willful and without reasonable grounds, the court may in its discretion award as additional damages an amount not to exceed the amount of rent or royalties that were not timely or properly paid, interest on that sum from the date due, and reasonable attorney fees. In all other cases, such as mere oversight or neglect, damages shall be limited to interest on the rent or royalties computed from the date due and reasonable attorney fees if the interest is not paid within thirty days of the written demand.
(3) If the lessee fails to pay rent or royalties due and fails to inform the lessor of a reasonable cause for failure to pay in response to the required notice, the court may dissolve the lease. In addition, the court may award as damages the amount of rent or royalties due, interest on that sum from the date due, and reasonable attorney fees, regardless of the cause for the original failure to pay.
(4) The parties may stipulate a time period longer than thirty days within which the lessee shall pay rent or royalties due following written notice for payment thereof by the lessor, but in no circumstance shall the time period be greater than sixty days from delivery of the written notice to the lessee.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
For any written notice required under this Chapter, the parties to a renewable energy lease may stipulate the conditions, manner, and method by which delivery of the written notice to the lessee shall be made.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
A renewable energy lessee cannot be evicted by summary process.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
A renewable energy lease may be dissolved partially or in its entirety. A decree of partial dissolution may be made as to those portions of the land subject to a renewable energy lease on which construction of the renewable energy facility has not commenced within ten years of the effective date of the lease, or in any other fashion which may provide appropriate justice in the judgment of the court.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
The lessor of a renewable energy lease has, for the payment of his rent and other obligations of the lease, a privilege on all equipment, machinery, and other property of the lessee on or attached to the property leased. The right also extends to equipment, machinery, and other property of a sublessee on or attached to the property leased, but only to the extent that the sublessee is indebted to his sublessor at the time the lessor exercises his right.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
The renewable energy lessor may seize the property subject to his privilege before the lessee removes it from the leased premises or within fifteen days after it has been removed by the lessee without the consent of the lessor, if it continues to be the property of the lessee and can be identified.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
The renewable energy lessor may enforce his privilege in the same manner as the privilege accorded other lessors.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
Unless incorporated by reference into an agreement, this Chapter shall not apply to offshore wind energy agreements entered into by the state.
Acts 2023, No. 455, §1, eff. June 28, 2023.
A. The legislature finds that the development and implementation of laws, policies, programs, and procedures to conserve and improve efficiency in the use of energy will have an immediate and substantial effect in reducing the rate of growth of energy demands in this state and minimizing the adverse social and economic impact of the decline in the oil and gas reserves of the state, further the unique economic, climatic, and geographic conditions of this state are of paramount importance in the formulation and implementation of a state energy conservation program and state energy efficiency standards for buildings, and it is in the public interest and within the police power of the state to develop energy efficiency standards designed to reduce energy consumption in residential, commercial, and public buildings.
B. It is the policy of this state to develop a state energy conservation plan to reduce the total amount of energy consumed in this state by five percent or more from the projected energy consumption for this state in 1980.
C. The purpose of this Chapter is to develop thermal and lighting efficiency standards for residential, commercial, and public buildings in this state that are designed to meet the unique economic and environmental conditions and requirements of this state.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 715, §1.
Except where the context clearly indicates otherwise, as used in this Chapter:
(1) "Building" means any structure which includes provisions for a heating or cooling system, or both, or for a hot water system.
(2) "Commercial building" means any building other than a residential building, including any building developed for industrial or public purposes.
(3) "Energy analyst" means a person who determines the thermal or lighting efficiency of a building which is to be constructed or renovated.
(4) "Energy auditor" means a person who conducts and certifies an energy audit to determine the thermal or lighting efficiency of a building.
(5) "Light commercial building" means any commercial building of less than five thousand square feet in gross floor area and three or less stories in height.
(6) "Public building" means any building which is open to the public during normal business hours.
(7) "Residential building" means any structure which is constructed and developed for residential occupancy.
(8) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy or his designee.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 715, §1. Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. The secretary is authorized to develop rules establishing minimum thermal efficiency standards for new residential and light commercial buildings, minimum thermal and lighting efficiency standards for new and renovated commercial buildings, minimum lighting efficiency standards for existing public buildings, procedures for the issuance of certificates certifying compliance with energy efficiency standards for buildings, and procedures for the examination and certification of energy auditors and energy analysts. The lighting and thermal efficiency standards shall allow a single design of a building based on total building performance, and the thermal efficiency standards for new residential shall describe acceptable building and construction practices.
B. The secretary shall devise such rules before August 1, 1979, in conformance with the Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act.
C. The secretary is authorized to employ, from funds appropriated or otherwise available to the department, technical consultants and other persons whose advice and assistance is deemed necessary to formulate such rules.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 715, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1981, No. 873, §4, eff. Oct. 1, 1981
The following buildings shall be exempt from the provisions of this Chapter: buildings owned or leased by the United States, buildings not heated or cooled by fuel, and buildings of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, or culture that are listed in the National Register or the State Register.
Added by Acts 1978, No. 715, §1.
In order to promote the use of renewable energy in Louisiana, it is hereby declared in the public interest to encourage participation of the private sector in the development of a production system for alcohol fuels, to reduce the reliance of the citizens of Louisiana and of the United States on foreign sources of energy; to continue Louisiana's role as a major producer of energy for the nation; to provide a clean, efficient, and renewable energy source; to assist in maintaining Louisiana's sugar cane industry as a viable producer of sugar; to encourage the utilization of sugar cane and other agricultural commodities for energy purposes.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 793, §1.
The following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
(1) "Alcohol" shall mean alcohol fuels distilled in Louisiana from agricultural commodities.
(2) "Gasohol" shall mean a new product composed of a blend of gasoline and not less than ten percent alcohol.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 793, §1.
A. All existing industrial incentives are to be applied to projects consistent with the purposes of this Chapter.
B. All state-owned motor fuel supply stations shall supply gasohol for use by state vehicles whenever possible.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 793, §1.
Any political subdivision of the state may make, extend, amend, adopt, and carry out plans to promote the purposes of this Chapter.
Added by Acts 1979, No. 793, §1.
This Chapter may be cited as the Energy Impacted Area Assistance Act of 1981.
Added by Acts 1981, No. 824, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1981.
A. The legislature declares that there now exists in certain areas of Louisiana, where lignite and lignite-related developments are occurring, the need for adequate and safe water, sewer, educational facilities, police and fire protection, and other public services and facilities to serve the citizens of the affected governmental units. This need has arisen because of the impact of the development of the state's lignite resources and the consequent rapid growth without adequate planning or financial assistance.
B. The legislature finds and declares that problems associated with rapid growth cannot be dealt with by some governmental units because of their inadequate bonding capacity, the lag time between development and the generation of revenue, the financial burden placed upon the area's low-income citizens by high millage assessments required for financing of public projects, and because private financial sources consider such loans to such areas to be risky. It is further found that the United States government has provided programs through the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Farmers Home Administration, and similar other agencies of the federal government for public services and facilities development and construction, and that such programs are inadequate and do not anticipate or provide funding and assistance for problems arising from rapid lignite related development.
C. The legislature hereby finds and declares that to aid in remedying these conditions and to help alleviate the shortage of sanitary, safe, and adequate local government services, the state should provide financial assistance. A program should be created to review proposals and to designate priorities among the proposals submitted by various governmental units and make recommendations to the governor and legislature for approval and financing under the provisions of this Chapter. This financial assistance will alleviate many of the problems arising from the rapid growth in areas near the development of lignite resources.
Added by Acts 1981, No. 824, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1981.
The purpose of this Chapter is to provide financial assistance to eligible governmental units which must expand the availability of public facilities and services as a consequence of large scale lignite resource development.
Added by Acts 1981, No. 824, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1981.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Administrator" means the administrator provided for in R.S. 30:1355. The secretary or his designee shall be the administrator.
(2) "Eligible activities" means the providing of basic public services and facilities in energy impacted areas, including but not limited to, the providing of the following: publicly owned sewer and water systems, schools, hospitals, public buildings, libraries, waste disposal systems, fire and police protection, and jails.
(3) "Eligible applicant" means a governmental unit certified by the administrator to be substantially impacted by lignite resource development. Any applicant previously designated as an eligible applicant under Section 601 of the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978, Public Law 95-620, shall be an eligible applicant.
(4) "Energy impacted area" means a geographic area or political subdivision of the state which demonstrates actual or anticipated extraordinary expenditures caused by lignite resource development and growth incidental thereto. The parishes of Bienville, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, and Sabine shall be deemed to be energy impacted areas. Additional energy impacted areas may be designated by the administrator.
(5) "Governmental unit" means a parish, municipality, or political subdivision of the state or of local government having taxing authority
(6) "Lignite resource development" means the mining of lignite and industries directly related to the processing of lignite, including, but not limited to, the generation of electricity from lignite or lignite products, lignite gasification, and lignite liquefaction.
(7) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.
Added by Acts 1981, No. 824, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1981. Acts 1983, No. 705, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. The secretary or his designee shall administer the provisions of this Chapter and appoint necessary personnel, all in accordance with applicable civil service rules and regulations and departmental budgetary and personnel policies.
B. The administrator shall provide monies from funds appropriated therefor to eligible applicants in the form of loans and/or grants for the purpose of providing and maintaining public services and facilities within energy impacted areas where such services and facilities have been adversely affected by lignite resources development.
C. In addition, the administrator shall:
(1) Designate energy impacted areas and eligible applicants. Criteria for these designations shall be established not later than one hundred twenty days after the effective date of the Chapter, and copies thereof shall be made available on request.
(2) Establish rules governing the application for and disbursal of loans and/or grants to eligible applicants. These rules shall be promulgated not later than one hundred and eighty days after the effective date of this Chapter, and copies thereof shall be made available on request.
(3) Solicit and receive applications from eligible applicants for loans and/or grants.
(4) Develop a list of eligible projects and a recommended level of funding for each annually, and present this list, after review by the office of the governor, to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment for approval.
(5) Conduct or cause to be conducted investigations, studies, planning, and research in the assessment of impacts associated with lignite resource development.
(6) Provide necessary technical expertise to fulfill requests for information within the limitations established under the provisions of this Chapter.
(7) Coordinate closely with the secretary and local, state, and federal agencies with respect to lignite resource development.
D. The administrator is authorized to:
(1) Request information from appropriate state agencies to fulfill information requests.
(2) Coordinate with and request information from private industries engaged in lignite resources development in Louisiana in an effort to assess the level of lignite-associated impacts.
(3) Make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the requirements of this Chapter.
(4) Provide technical assistance to local governmental units requesting information on lignite resources development.
(5) Conduct such activities or make such decisions as may be delegated or authorized by the secretary.
(6) Apply to any appropriate agency of the United States Government for participation in and receipt of aid from any program designed to assist areas of rapid growth resulting from energy resource development.
(7) Administer federal and other funds which are received, controlled or disbursed for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Chapter.
(8) Do any and all things necessary or convenient to carry out its purpose and exercise the powers granted under the provisions of this Chapter.
E. Repealed by Acts 1983, No. 705, §7.
Added by Acts 1981, No. 824, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1981. Acts 1983, No. 705, §§2, 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
Any rule, regulation, or guideline shall be proposed or adopted pursuant to the rulemaking procedures set forth in the Administrative Procedure Act and shall be subject to approval by the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and Senate Committee on Natural Resources. Such approval shall be presumed unless either committee submits objections in writing within fifteen days after receipt of the proposed rule, regulation, or guideline, provided that such written objections shall be subject to override by the governor within five days after receipt of the objections by the governor.
Added by Acts 1981, No. 824, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1981; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. The legislature finds that the state of Louisiana has received millions of dollars in federal oil overcharge refund monies as a result of violations, alleged and actual, of federal price controls and allocation laws. Further, the subject of oil overcharge refunds is complicated by the lack of uniformity of terms and conditions among the congressional directives, consent orders, remedial orders, settlements, and judgments awarding the refunds.
B. With the approval of the United States Department of Energy, the Department of Conservation and Energy administers the federal oil overcharge monies due the state, as appropriated by the legislature. Early legislative input and recommendations on state expenditure plans will maximize efficient delivery of services and benefits to Louisiana's consumers, particularly those interest groups including low income persons, educational institutions, and hospitals, served by mandated federal programs.
C. The legislature finds and declares that in order to provide legislators with information as to expenditure restrictions and to encourage interaction among the Department of Conservation and Energy, the legislature, and the United States Department of Energy, a special joint legislative committee on federal oil overcharge monies shall be created.
Acts 1987, No. 508, §1, eff. July 9, 1987; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. A joint legislative committee, the Joint Committee on Federal Oil Overcharge Monies, shall consist of twelve members including the president of the Senate; and a member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, a member of the Senate Education Committee, a member of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, a member of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, and a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, all appointed by the president; the speaker of the House of Representatives; and a member of the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, a member of the House Education Committee, a member of the House Committee on Health and Welfare, a member of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, and a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, all appointed by the speaker. The joint committee shall be co-chaired by the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House.
B. The Joint Committee on Federal Oil Overcharge Monies shall review the oil overcharge refund program as a whole and provide legislative guidance to the Department of Conservation and Energy relative to the development of state plans to expend federal oil overcharge refund monies.
C. The members of the Joint Committee on Federal Oil Overcharge Monies shall receive the same per diem and travel allowance in the performance of their duties as is provided for them as members of the legislature.
D. In the conduct of its studies and proceedings, the Joint Committee on Federal Oil Overcharge Monies shall utilize the personnel and services of the staff of the Senate and House of Representatives. The Department of Conservation and Energy shall assist the committee in the performance of its duties and functions as the committee shall request.
Acts 1987, No. 508, §1, eff. July 9, 1987; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. The legislature finds that since 1983 federal oil overcharge refund monies from a number of cases have been deposited to the Federal Energy Settlement Fund within the state treasury. The differing terms and conditions applied to these monies by congressional directives, consent orders, remedial orders, settlements, and judgments have made further segregation of the funds imperative.
B. The state treasurer will provide a separate fund within the state treasury for the deposit of refund monies from each individual oil overcharge case. All such refund monies allocated to the state shall be credited to this separate fund and disbursements from the fund shall be made by the legislature only in accordance with Article III, Section 16 of the Louisiana Constitution.
Acts 1987, No. 508, §1, eff. July 9, 1987.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, unless context clearly indicates a different meaning:
(1) "Affordable" shall mean the lowest reasonable cost method of providing electricity is used, factoring in the true and total cost of each generation source.
(2) "Dispatchable" shall mean a source of electricity that is readily available for use on demand and whose output can be deployed upon request of a power grid operator or one whose power output can be adjusted according to market needs, except during routine maintenance or repairs.
(3) "Foreign adversary nation" shall mean any country specified in 10 U.S.C. 4872(f)(2).
(4) "Reliable" shall mean a source of electricity that contributes to the stability, adequacy, and operability of the power generation asset, accounting for the resource's design role, responsiveness to dispatch, contribution to voltage or frequency regulation, and ability to perform during grid stress events. Reliability shall not be defined solely by availability or forced outage metrics, but rather by a resource's capacity to fulfill its intended operational function within the portfolio, including both baseload and flexible, fast-ramping assets.
Acts 2025, No. 462, §1.
A. The Department of Conservation and Energy shall work with the Public Service Commission and Louisiana Economic Development to prioritize affordable, reliable, and clean energy security within the state of Louisiana by:
(1) Ensuring that, except as to nuclear resources and generation, the state prioritizes fuel sources primarily produced domestically within the United States.
(2) Minimizing reliance on foreign nations for critical materials or manufacturing by prioritizing infrastructure necessary to deliver energy to Louisiana customers.
(3) Ensuring Louisiana has a sufficient supply of renewable energy production sources, as provided in 42 U.S.C. 15852(b), to satisfy the demand for the state's business and industry.
B. Energy sources shall:
(1) Be affordable.
(2) Be reliable.
(3) Deliver cost savings to residential and commercial customers relative to energy sources as listed in 42 U.S.C. 15852(b) based on the average cost per unit of energy output calculated to exclude any direct or indirect payment by any level of government for the past five years. This Section does not apply to advanced nuclear resources or advanced nuclear generation.
(4) Be dispatchable.
(5) Use energy generated by hydrocarbons as a resource.
C.(1) Reliable energy sources shall meet all of the following criteria:
(a) Be dispatchable to meet the demands of residential and commercial customers at all times of day and during all seasons of the year with minimal interruptions during high usage periods.
(b) Include energy generated by hydrocarbons.
(2) Energy resources used for power generation shall:
(a) Enable a stable energy grid that:
(i) Has a continuously dispatchable electricity output.
(ii) Has the capability to increase or decrease electricity generation within a reasonable period of time to stabilize the electrical grid.
(b) Complement the balance of energy resources on the electrical grid in such a way as to optimize the balance of energy resources with respect to the needs of the grid.
D.(1) Green energy is any energy generated by utilizing those energy sources listed in 42 U.S.C. 15852(b) or hydrocarbons which, when combusted for the purpose of electricity generation meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under the authority of the Clean Air Act, and shall include:
(a) Energy generated by nuclear reactors.
(b) Energy generated using natural gas.
(2) Green energy as defined in this Subsection shall be applicable to all state programs that fund "green energy" or "clean energy" initiatives.
Acts 2025, No. 462, §1.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 743, §6B, eff. July 1, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2008, No. 606, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4, eff. July 1, 2018.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 570, §4.
This Subtitle shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Environmental Quality Act."
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
The legislature finds and declares that:
(1) The maintenance of a healthful and safe environment for the people of Louisiana is a matter of critical state concern.
(2) It is necessary and desirable for the protection of the public welfare and property of the people of Louisiana that there be maintained at all times, both now and in the future, clean air and water resources, preservation of the scenic beauty and ecological regimen of certain free flowing streams, and strictly enforced programs for the safe and sanitary disposal of solid waste, for the management of hazardous waste, for the control of hazards due to natural and man-made radiation, considering sound policies regarding employment and economic development in Louisiana.
(3) It is necessary and essential to the success of the regulatory program established in this Subtitle that the enforcement procedures include unannounced regular inspections of all facilities which may be regulated by this Subtitle or any facility in violation of this Subtitle.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
A. The maintenance of a healthful and safe environment in Louisiana requires governmental regulation and control over the areas of water quality, air quality, solid and hazardous waste, scenic rivers and streams, and radiation.
B. In order to accomplish these goals most efficiently, it is necessary to provide for comprehensive policies on a statewide basis to unify, coordinate, and implement programs to provide for the most advantageous use of the resources of the state and to preserve, protect, and enhance the quality of the environment in Louisiana.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 2003, No. 933, §3.
The following terms as used in this Subtitle, unless the context otherwise requires or unless redefined by a particular Chapter of this Subtitle, shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Abandoned site fund" shall mean the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund as created by R.S. 30:2205 and formerly known as the Abandoned Hazardous Waste Site Fund.
(2) "Adjudication" means formal or informal proceedings for the formulation of a decision or order.
(3) "Aggrieved person" means a natural or juridical person who has a real and actual interest that is or may be adversely affected by a final action under this Subtitle.
(4) "Assistant secretary" means the assistant secretary to whom a given function or responsibility has been allocated by this Subtitle or delegated by the secretary.
(5) "Compliance order" means an order issued by the secretary or an assistant secretary requiring a respondent to comply with specified provisions of this Subtitle, a rule, or a permit within a specified period of time.
(6) "Department" means the Department of Environmental Quality.
(7) "Discharge" means the placing, releasing, spilling, percolating, draining, pumping, leaking, seeping, emitting, or other escaping of pollutants into the air, waters, subsurface water, or ground as the result of a prior act or omission; or the placing of pollutants into pits, drums, barrels, or similar containers under conditions and circumstances that leaking, seeping, draining, or escaping of the pollutants can be reasonably anticipated.
(8) "Facility" means a pollution source or any public or private property or facility where an activity is conducted which is required to be regulated under this Subtitle and which does or has the potential to do any of the following:
(a) Emit air contaminants into the atmosphere.
(b) Discharge pollutants into waters of the state.
(c) Use or control radioactive materials and waste.
(d) Transport, process, or dispose of solid wastes.
(e) Generate, transport, treat, store, or dispose of hazardous wastes.
(9) "Implementation plan" means any pollution control or other environmental regulatory plan prepared by a state agency in compliance with the terms of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act(42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.), or other federal environmental legislation.
(10) "Natural resources committees" means the Natural Resources and Environment Committee of the House of Representatives and the Environmental Quality Committee of the Senate of the Louisiana Legislature.
(11) "Person" means any individual, municipality, public or private corporation, partnership, firm, the United States Government, and any agent or subdivision thereof or any other juridical person, which shall include, but not be limited to, trusts, joint stock companies, associations, the state of Louisiana, political subdivisions of the state of Louisiana, commissions, and interstate bodies.
(12) "Pollutant" means those elements or compounds defined or identified as hazardous, toxic, or noxious, or as hazardous, solid, or radioactive wastes under this Subtitle and regulations, or by the secretary, consistent with applicable laws and regulations. For the purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, as defined in R.S. 30:2073, "pollutant" means dredged spoil; solid waste; incinerator residue; filter backwash; sewage; garbage; sewage sludge; munitions; chemical wastes; biological materials; radioactive materials, except those regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq., as amended; heat; wrecked or discarded equipment; rock; sand; cellar dirt; and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. For the purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, as defined in R.S. 30:2073, "pollutant" does not mean:
(a) Water, gas, waste, or other material which is injected into a well for disposal in accordance with a permit approved by the Department of Conservation and Energy or the Department of Environmental Quality.
(b) Water, gas, or other material which is injected into a well to facilitate production of oil or gas, or water derived in association with oil and gas production and disposed of in a well, if the well used either to facilitate production or for disposal purposes is approved by authority of the state in which the well is located, and if the state determines that the injection or disposal will not result in the degradation of ground or surface water resources.
(13) "Pollution source" means the immediate site or location of a discharge or potential discharge, including such surrounding property necessary to secure or quarantine the area from access by the general public.
(14) "Respondent" means the person against whom an enforcement action is directed.
(15) "Response account" means the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account created in R.S. 30:2015.
(16) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality.
(17) "Small refinery" means a refinery for which the average aggregate daily crude oil throughput for a calendar year, as determined by dividing the aggregate throughput for the calendar year by the number of days in the calendar year, does not exceed seventy-five thousand barrels.
(18) "Variance" means a special authorization granted to a person for a limited period of time which allows that person a specified date for compliance with a requirement pursuant to the provisions of this Subtitle.
(19) "Violation" means a failure to comply with the requirements of this Subtitle, the rules issued under this Subtitle, and conditions of permits under this Subtitle.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 194, §1; Acts 1981, No. 198, §1; Acts 1982, No. 655, §1; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 467, §1, eff. July 6, 1983; Acts 1984, No. 116, §1, eff. June 22, 1984; Acts 1989, No. 392, §1, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 708, §1; Acts 1995, No. 947, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 26, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2022, No. 72, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1137, §1.
A.(1) There is hereby created the Department of Environmental Quality which shall be the primary agency in the state concerned with environmental protection and regulation. The department shall have jurisdiction over matters affecting the regulation of the environment within the state, including but not limited to the regulation of air quality, noise pollution control, water pollution control, the regulation of solid waste disposal, the protection and preservation of the scenic rivers and streams of the state, the regulation and control of radiation, the management of hazardous waste, and the regulation of those programs which encourage, assist, and result in the reduction of wastes generated within Louisiana.
(2) However, the jurisdiction of the department relative to the regulation of noise pollution control shall not prevent local governments from adopting local noise pollution control ordinances which are at least as strict as state regulations pertaining to the regulation of noise pollution.
(3) The department is authorized and empowered to administer, maintain, and operate the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as created and provided in R.S. 30:2301 et seq. In connection with such administration, maintenance, and operation, the department is authorized to incur debt and issue bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, and is authorized to pledge the sums in, credited to, or payable to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as security for the debt of other entities, and is authorized to arrange, provide for, and pay the cost of credit enhancement devices for its debt and the debt of other entities in order to provide funds in connection with the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program. Any such evidence of indebtedness, guarantee, pledge, or credit enhancement device shall be authorized, executed, and delivered by the secretary or his designee in accordance with the provisions and subject to the limitations provided in R.S. 30:2011(D)(23) and 2301 et seq. for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
B. The department shall be headed by the secretary who shall be appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate. The secretary shall serve at the pleasure of the governor and shall be paid a salary which shall be fixed by the governor as provided in R.S. 36:233.
C.(1) The department shall be divided into offices.
(a)(i) The executive office of the secretary shall provide for the general oversight and supervision of the department in addition to providing internal audits, technical advisors, and communications.
(ii) The executive office of the secretary shall also include a legal division which shall provide legal consultation and representation to the various offices of the department with regard to permitting, enforcement, grants, contracts, personnel, legislation, intergovernment agreements, or such other matters as may be necessary.
(b) The office of environmental assessment shall provide for environmental air quality assessment and water quality assessment, and shall administer underground storage tank service activities, all remediation services, and such duties as delegated by the secretary.
(c) The office of environmental compliance shall provide for surveillance of the regulated community, enforcement of the environmental laws, and the issuance of necessary licenses, registrations, exemptions, and certifications of radiation sources.
(d) The office of environmental services shall provide for environmental assistance and the issuance of necessary permits, licenses, registrations, variances, exemptions, and certifications, except as provided in Subparagraph (c) of this Paragraph.
(2) Each of the above offices except for the executive office of the secretary shall be under the immediate supervision and direction of an assistant secretary who shall be appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate. The assistant secretary shall serve at the pleasure of the governor and shall be paid a salary which shall be fixed by the governor as provided in R.S. 36:237.
D. The secretary shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To adopt, amend, or repeal all rules, regulations, and standards for the protection of the environment as is provided by this Subtitle. All rules and regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with the procedure set forth in R.S. 49:950 et seq. Prior to the adoption of any rule or regulation, the secretary shall hold a public hearing to receive comments and recommendations from all interested parties and the public.
(2) To grant or deny permits, licenses, registrations, variances, or compliance schedules as are provided for in this Subtitle. The secretary shall have the general power to require such conditions in individual instances as are necessary to assure compliance with applicable federal laws and regulations relating to this Subtitle. In those instances in which a permit or license is required prior to construction of a new or modified facility, the secretary may issue construction authorizations prior to issuance of a permit in appropriate circumstances where there is a positive human health or environmental benefit. The secretary may establish an escrow account, to be maintained in accordance with regulations adopted hereunder, which account shall be utilized by the secretary for receipt and disbursement of deposits supplied by any environmental quality permit applicant to defray specific costs of holding an adjudicatory hearing on that applicant's permit. The secretary shall promulgate regulations regarding such account and requiring such deposits.
(3) To delegate the power to grant or deny permits, licenses, registrations, variances, or compliance schedules to the appropriate assistant secretary. The authority to execute minor permit actions and to issue registrations, certifications, notices of deficiency, and notification of inclusion under a general permit or regulatory permit may be delegated by the secretary or the appropriate assistant secretary to an authorized representative, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.26.
(4) To apply for and accept grants of money from the United States Environmental Protection Agency or other federal agencies for the purpose of making funds available to eligible recipients in this state for the planning, design, construction, and rehabilitation of wastewater treatment facilities or other eligible activities. The department may contract to receive such grants, agree to match the grant in whole or in part when required, and to comply with applicable federal laws and regulations in order to secure the grants. Money received through these grants and state matching funds shall be deposited into the Clean Water State Revolving Fund or used for appropriate administrative purposes.
(5) To hold meetings or hearings on his own motion or upon complaint for purposes of fact-finding, receiving public comments, conducting inquiries and investigations, or other purposes under this Subtitle, and, in connection therewith, to issue subpoenas in accordance with R.S. 30:2025(I) requiring the attendance of such witnesses and the production of such documents as are related to the meeting or hearing. The secretary shall hold no less than three public fact-finding hearings in the state to investigate issues concerning environmental equity in the administration of department programs with respect to resident populations who do not have the economic resources to participate in the environmental decisionmaking affecting their area. The secretary shall prepare and file a report to the legislature on the findings of such hearings, along with recommendations within sixty days of the final hearing.
(6) To issue such orders or determinations as may be necessary to effectuate the purpose of this Subtitle, to issue cease and desist orders as provided in R.S. 30:2025, and to delegate the power to issue such orders to the appropriate assistant secretary.
(7) To advise, consult, and cooperate with other agencies of the state, the federal government, other states, and interstate agencies and with affected groups, political subdivisions, interested agricultural, industrial, professional, and environmental groups and individuals in furtherance of the purposes of this Subtitle.
(8) To encourage, participate in, or conduct, studies, investigations, training programs, research, and demonstrations to further the purposes of this Subtitle.
(9) To collect and disseminate information on certain aspects of environmental protection and control; notwithstanding R.S. 43:31(A), such information may be disseminated by publication of bulletins, circulars, house organs, leaflets, newsletters, or reports. However, no advertisement shall be allowed in such publications.
(10) To receive and budget duly appropriated monies and to accept, receive, and administer grants or other funds or gifts from public and private agencies, including the federal government, to carry out the provisions and purposes of this Subtitle. The department may match federal grants in whole or in part when required and may agree to comply with applicable federal laws and regulations in order to secure the grants.
(11) To assume authority, when such authority is delegated, for the administration of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Program and the Construction Grants Program, as well as any other such programs existing under the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, or any other federal environmental legislation. Upon delegation of the Construction Grants Program to the state, the department shall utilize such Construction Grants funds as may be authorized by federal regulations to supplement costs of administering the program.
(12) To assume authority, when such authority is delegated, for the program administration and issuance of required permits of the New Source Review (NSR) that is directed at construction in Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) areas, and to assume authority to implement and enforce the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) for stationary sources located in the state, as well as any other such programs existing under the provisions of the Clean Air Act of 1972, as amended.
(13) To conduct inspections and investigations and enter facilities as provided in R.S. 30:2012.
(14) To exercise all incidental powers necessary or proper to carry out the purposes of this Subtitle.
(15) To formulate contingency plans for environmental emergencies, including interagency agreements with state, local, and federal agencies and with private agencies and persons.
(16) To prepare and present to the United States Environmental Protection Agency a priority list for funding of treatment works under the Construction Grants Program and the criteria used to develop the priority list as required under both Section 106 and Section 303 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, and any other sections of that act requiring the ranking of applicants for grants for construction of treatment works. The criteria and any modifications thereof shall be submitted to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and to the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality for their consideration.
(17) To assign certain duties to hearing officers.
(18)(a) To require the owners or operators of each facility subject to the provisions of this Subtitle to submit to the secretary the name of a facility environmental coordinator or the names of the members of the facility environmental committee.
(b) To require the owners or operators of each facility subject to the provisions of this Subtitle to notify the secretary of any change of the facility environmental coordinator or members of the facility environmental committee.
(c) To maintain a register on which the names and addresses of the facility environmental coordinators shall be listed by owner or operator represented.
(19) To make grants to colleges and universities within Louisiana for theoretical and practical research and development of alternative and environmentally sound methods and technologies for reducing, destroying, recycling, neutralizing, and, to the least extent possible, disposing of hazardous waste from those funds generated from the imposition of the fee provided for in R.S. 30:2014(C).
(20) To develop and implement a nonpoint source management and groundwater quality protection program and a conservation and management plan for estuaries, to receive federal funds for this purpose and provide matching state funds when required, and to comply with terms and conditions necessary to receive federal grants. The nonpoint source conservation and management plan, the groundwater protection plan, and the plan for estuaries shall be developed in coordination with, and with the concurrence of, the appropriate state agencies, including but not limited to the Department of Conservation and Energy, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission in those areas pertaining to their respective jurisdictions.
(21) To create the division of local programs and public participation with the following powers and duties:
(a) To prepare and implement a general plan to enhance public access to nonconfidential information in the department's files, consistent with R.S. 30:2030.
(b) To develop programs to assist local governments in developing and implementing local environmental programs consistent with the department's statewide programs that would assist the state in its planning and public participation efforts. Such programs shall include local governments. Such local governments shall be selected for inclusion in the programs based upon but not limited to the following criteria: necessity for planning for solid and hazardous waste management and capacity, necessity for planning for adequate sewage treatment, necessity for planning for and implementation of the beneficial reuse of sewage sludge, number of public buildings potentially requiring asbestos removal, and such other criteria as the secretary deems appropriate.
(c) To assist the local governments included in establishing guidelines for the environmental programs of parishes and cities consistent with the department's statewide programs.
(d) Nothing herein shall authorize the division of local programs and public participation to adopt or enforce any rule or regulation or enforce a statute, or require any political subdivision to comply with such rules, regulations, or statutes.
(e) The secretary shall provide a detailed report to the legislative oversight committees of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality on June first of each year. This report shall include specific activities, accomplishments, and recommendations on these programs. It shall include comments provided by individuals, organizations, private business, local governments, municipalities, or others affected by this Section.
(22)(a) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations providing for certification of commercial laboratories providing chemical analysis, analytical results, or other appropriate test data to the department which is required as a part of any permit application, required by order of the agency, required to be included on any monitoring reports submitted to the agency, or otherwise required by the regulations adopted pursuant to this Subtitle. For the purpose of this Paragraph, "commercial laboratory" means a laboratory which performs analyses or tests for third parties for a fee or other compensation, except those commercial laboratories certified by the Louisiana Department of Health pursuant to R.S. 49:1001 et seq.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2014(D)(3) or R.S. 49:971(A), the secretary is hereby authorized to establish a fee schedule in accordance with Subparagraph (c) of this Paragraph for any application for accreditation by a commercial laboratory under the provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph.
(c) The fee schedule authorized by Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph shall not exceed the following amounts:
(i) Accreditation application fee $ 726.00
payable every scope amendment
and every three-year renewal.
(ii)(aa) Per major test category per $ 363.00
matrix payable every year, or
(bb) Minor conventional category $ 290.00
payable every year.
(iii) Annual surveillance and evaluation $ 363.00
applicable to minor conventional
facilities and facilities applying for
only one category of accreditation.
(iv) Annual fee for dependent mobile lab $ 363.00
laboratories, per mobile
(v)(aa) Proficiency samples biannually to be
purchased by the laboratory.
(bb) Bioassay/biomonitoring annually to
be purchased by the laboratory.
(vi) Third party audit to be billed directly to
the laboratory.
(vii) The accreditation fees for in-state laboratories
receiving national accreditation will be one and
one-half times the regular fees.
(viii) The accreditation fees for out-of-state laboratories
receiving state accreditation will be
one and one-half times the regular fees.
(ix) The accreditation fees for out-of-state laboratories
receiving national accreditation will be
two times the regular fees.
(x) Interim accreditation application fees will be
two times the regular fees.
(23) To authorize by executive order, the issuance, sale, execution, and delivery of bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness of the department, obligations representing guarantees by the department of the debt of other entities, and the granting of pledges of the sums deposited in, credited to, or payable to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as created and provided in R.S. 30:2301 et seq., including sums to be received pursuant to letters of credit, as security for the debts of other entities, subject to the approval of the State Bond Commission.
(24)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary, the secretary shall issue no permit that authorizes the construction or operation of any new or expanded commercial hazardous waste incineration facility of any type until rules and regulations are promulgated which govern the design, siting, construction, operation, emissions limitations, and the disposal methods of incineration facilities.
(b) The prohibition in this Paragraph shall not apply to the regulation or permitting of any such facility possessing a permit or an interim permit on July 24, 1991. Any interim permit issued to a commercial hazardous waste incineration facility by the secretary on or after July 24, 1991 shall expire within ninety days after the date of the promulgation of the regulations governing the design, siting, construction, operation, emissions limitations, and disposal methods of incineration facilities.
(c) In no event shall any such permit be issued without the following:
(i) Prior notification of legislators representing the area which includes the proposed site of the facility.
(ii) Prior public hearing in that area.
(d) If rules and regulations which govern the design, siting, construction, operation, emissions limitations, and disposal methods of commercial hazardous waste incineration facilities are not promulgated by April 1, 1992, the secretary shall issue or reissue any permit or interim permit previously issued to any commercial incineration facility under the existing rules and regulations.
(e) The provisions of this Paragraph shall not apply to the construction or operation of a medical waste incinerator which is permitted pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:2154(C).
(25) To promulgate rules and regulations providing for conducting requested reviews of environmental conditions of a specified tract of immovable property, including but not limited to requests for no further action letters. Such rules may provide for a fee for each request by the landowner or a party with an interest in a real estate transaction involving the specified property not to exceed the maximum per hour overtime salary, including associated-related benefits, of a civil service employee of the department per hour or portion thereof required to conduct the review plus reasonable indirect costs calculated as a percentage of the hourly fee. Such percentage shall be determined annually by agreement between the department and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for use on grants and contracts. However, the department shall require a requestor to pay a minimum fee not exceeding one thousand six hundred fifty dollars prior to conducting the review.
(26) Repealed by Acts 2016, No. 378, §3.
E. The department shall succeed to and perform all of the powers and duties of the office of science, technology, and environmental policy relating to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, serving as environmental advisor to the governor, and on other matters relating to the protection and improvement of environmental quality within the state of Louisiana.
F. The basic personnel and necessary scientific, technical, administrative, and operational services, including laboratory facilities as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Subtitle, shall be employed or provided by the department; however, the department may, by contract, secure such services as it may deem necessary from any other department, board, or agency of the state government, any educational institution, or the federal government; may arrange for compensation for such services; and may employ and compensate, within appropriations available therefor, such consultants and legal and technical assistance on a full or part-time basis as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Subtitle, and prescribe their duties.
G. The assistant secretaries shall have such powers and duties as are assigned to them by the secretary or by law.
Acts 1990, No. 594, §1, eff. July 18, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 846, §1, eff. July 23, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 993, §1, eff. July 24, 1991; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9; Acts 1993, No. 622, §1; Acts 1993, No. 767, §1; Acts 1995, No. 806, §1, eff. June 27, 1995; Acts 1995, No. 947, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1997, No. 480, §1, eff. June 30, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 1119, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1345, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 134, §1, eff. July 1, 2002 and §2, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 67, §1, eff. May 28, 2003; Acts 2005, No. 21, §1; Acts 2006, No. 445, §§1, 2, eff. June 15, 2006; Acts 2006, No. 445, §3, eff. July 1, 2007; Acts 2006, No. 778, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2008, No. 920, §3, eff. July 14, 2008; Acts 2010, No. 48, §§1, 2; Acts 2010, No. 49, §1; Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010; Acts 2016, No. 378, §§2, 3; Acts 2016, No. 451, §1; Acts 2020, No. 163, §1, eff. June 9, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 405, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. The department shall prepare and disseminate an annual toxics release inventory (TRI) report presenting data submitted by manufacturing facilities within the state reporting the releases and transfers during the previous calendar year of chemicals designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as toxic.
B. The annual TRI report shall be used by the department in its efforts to improve the quality of the environment and to provide summary information for the education of the public.
C. The annual TRI report shall include summary information as follows: background information on the federal requirements for annual TRI reporting, businesses required to report releases, the types of data which must be reported, explanations of the types of releases, amounts of releases by media, releases by parish, releases by facility for the highest volume manufacturers, and any other data and information reasonably necessary to enhance the public's understanding of the TRI information. The department shall also present such data in tabular and chart formats to facilitate its use and understanding.
D. The department shall not impose any new or additional fees upon the regulated community in order to prepare, publish, and disseminate the annual toxics release inventory report.
Acts 1995, No. 290, §1.
A. The department shall examine and study the relationship between the emission of air pollutants and the discharge of wastes by facilities located in or near residential areas. The study shall determine the amount of such emissions and discharges in each residential area of the state. The study shall include permitted and unpermitted emissions and discharges. The study shall determine and set out any correlations that may exist between the emissions and discharges and residential areas.
B. The department shall deliver the report to the members of the House Committee on the Environment and to the members of the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality no later than February 1, 1998. The legislative committees are hereby authorized to meet to receive testimony with regard to the report.
C. The department shall not commence the study authorized in this Section until funds have been specifically approved for the study by the legislature. The department shall not divert existing funds or fees from other budgeted programs to fund this study but may provide in-kind services to match any federal grants received.
Acts 1997, No. 995, §1.
A. The protection of the environment and public health requires timely and meaningful inspections of all facilities subject to the provisions of this Subtitle. Inspections of such facilities are essential to assure compliance with this Subtitle and the regulations issued pursuant thereto. The purpose of such inspections is to determine whether any of the following conditions exist:
(1) Environmental standards have been achieved.
(2) There is an emergency under the provisions of this Subtitle.
(3) There is a present or potential danger to the health or environment.
(4) A violation of the provisions of this Subtitle or rules, regulations, or orders issued pursuant thereto has occurred.
(5) Under the provisions of this Subtitle, there is an abandoned waste site.
B. Every permit shall as a matter of law be conditioned upon the right of the secretary or his representative to make an annual monitoring inspection and, when appropriate, an exigent inspection of the facility operating thereunder.
C.(1) In order to assure effective enforcement of the provisions of this Subtitle and the rules and regulations issued pursuant thereto, the inspections may be made without obtaining a warrant from the courts.
(2) When an inspection is authorized by this Section or by the regulations adopted pursuant hereto, the secretary or his authorized representative shall:
(a) Upon announcing the purpose of the inspection, have a reasonable right of entry to, upon, or through any premises of a permittee or of an industrial user of a publicly owned treatment works in which premises an effluent source is located. Any such right of entry shall be subject to the reasonable safety rules of the affected permittee or industrial user.
(b) At reasonable times, have access to and be entitled to copy at his expense, records required to be maintained under the permit, this Subtitle, or rules adopted pursuant thereto. Such inspections of records generally shall be made during normal working hours when the custodian of such records is available. The secretary shall allow a reasonable time to locate the records.
(c) Have access to and sample any discharges of any pollutants to state waters or to publicly owned treatment works resulting from the activities or operations of the permittee or an industrial user.
(d) Inspect any monitoring equipment, control equipment, and practices or operations regulated or required by law or by permit.
D.(1) Monitoring inspections of facilities operating with a permit issued pursuant to this Subtitle shall be conducted to assure compliance with this Subtitle and the regulations issued pursuant thereto. The secretary shall prepare, implement, and revise, as needed, a compliance monitoring strategy designed to achieve meaningful environmental results. Inspections shall be both intensive, designed to accomplish meaningful environmental results and routine to ensure a compliance presence in the field. The compliance monitoring strategy shall explicitly recognize that a variety of compliance monitoring tools including but not limited to self-certifications, deviation reports, stack testing reports, discharge monitoring reports, semiannual monitoring reports, and on-site inspections are available and should be used to evaluate compliance. The strategy must address inspection frequency and in doing so, the secretary shall consider the following:
(a) Facility compliance history.
(b) Location of facility.
(c) Potential environmental impact.
(d) Operational practices being steady state or seasonal.
(e) Any grant or funding commitments made by the department.
(f) Any other relevant environmental, health, or enforcement factors.
(2) The strategy shall provide for reasonable times during which inspections may be conducted.
E. Whenever there exists an imminent danger to the environment or health, an emergency under this Subtitle, an abandoned hazardous waste site, or a violation of this Subtitle or the rules or regulations issued pursuant thereto, the secretary may cause a special inspection to be made of the facility where such exigent conditions are reasonably believed to exist. While conducting the inspection the inspector shall inform the owner, operator, or any responsible person at the facility of the particular exigent condition believed to exist. The scope of the inspection shall be limited to those matters which are reasonably related to the exigent condition. However, this limitation shall not preclude the prosecution of any other violation discovered in the course of the investigation.
F. The secretary may institute a civil action to compel inspections under this Section and to obtain a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order, or any other appropriate order. The venue of such an action shall be in East Baton Rouge Parish or in the parish in which the facility is located or has an office. The court shall enter, ex parte or after a hearing, an appropriate order or decree upon a showing that the owner or operator of the facility has acted to or is about to do any of the following:
(1) Interfere with the secretary or his authorized representative in carrying out the provisions of this Subtitle.
(2) Refuse to admit the secretary or his representative to a facility as necessary for the enforcement of the Subtitle.
(3) Refuse to furnish information requested by the secretary or his representative as necessary for the enforcement of this Subtitle.
(4) Refuse access to, or the copying of, such records as the secretary or his representative determines are necessary for the enforcement of this Subtitle or refuse to provide reasonable copies of such records within a reasonable time.
G. Any person who in any way impedes an inspection authorized under this Section shall be liable for the penalties provided in this Subtitle unless a court finds that the inspection was unconstitutional. In any such action involving a refusal to provide copies as provided in Subsection (F)(4) of this Section, the respondent shall have the burden of proving that the request to provide copies of records was unreasonable.
H. The secretary or his representative shall make inspections upon the presentation of identification and shall, to the extent practicable under the circumstances, observe the rules concerning safety, internal security, and fire protection of any facility inspected under this Section.
I. If the secretary or his representative obtains any samples, prior to leaving the premises, he shall give to the owner, operator, or agent in charge a receipt describing the sample obtained and, if requested and if practical, a portion of each sample equal in volume or weight to the portion retained. If any analysis is made of such samples, a copy of the results of such analysis shall be furnished promptly to the owner, operator, or agent in charge.
Acts 1982, No. 655, §1; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1990, No. 141, §1; Acts 1993, No. 270, §1; Acts 2003, No. 217, §1.
A. Any person who operates monitoring equipment or allows such equipment to be placed on his property, where such equipment is operated for the purpose of voluntarily providing monitoring data at the request of and on behalf of the department, shall not be liable to any third party for damages of any kind resulting from the data or information obtained from the operation of such monitoring equipment or from the failure to obtain such monitoring data.
B. The department shall not be liable for damages of any kind resulting from the operation of or failure to operate monitoring equipment owned by the department but placed or located on the property of another when the equipment is operated by anyone other than a department employee.
C. Nothing in this Section shall limit the liability of any person required by the department to report any data under any air, water, or waste permit issued to that person.
Acts 1999, No. 1333, §1.
All powers and duties granted to the Environmental Control Commission prior to the effective date of this Section are hereby transferred to and shall be vested in the secretary. Where the term "commission" is used in this Subtitle, it shall mean the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984. Acts 1984, No. 795, §1, eff. July 13, 1984.
A.(1) All permits, licenses, registrations, variances, and compliance schedules authorized by this Subtitle shall be granted by the secretary. The power to grant or deny permits, licenses, registrations, variances, or compliance schedules may be delegated by the secretary to the appropriate assistant secretary, subject to his continuing oversight. The authority to execute minor permit actions and to issue registrations, certifications, notices of deficiency, and notification of inclusion under a general permit or a regulatory permit may be delegated by the secretary or the appropriate assistant secretary to an authorized representative, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.26.
(2) However, prior to the grant of any permit, license, registration, variance, or compliance schedule to any facility, the assistant secretary for the office of environmental services shall consider the history of violations and compliance for that facility. In considering the granting or denial of the permit, license, registration, or variance, due consideration shall be given to the violation and compliance history of that facility.
(3) Repealed by Acts 2009, No. 117, §1.
(4) The secretary shall act as the primary public trustee of the environment, and shall consider and follow the will and intent of the Constitution of Louisiana and Louisiana statutory law in making any determination relative to the granting or denying of permits, licenses, registrations, variances, or compliance schedules authorized by this Subtitle.
B. In order to provide for adequate permitting, monitoring, investigation, administration, and other activities required for the maintenance of a healthful and safe environment, an initial fee and an annual monitoring and maintenance fee shall be charged for all permits, licenses, registrations, or variances authorized by this Subtitle. These fees shall be determined, except as otherwise provided in this Subtitle relative to maximum amounts of fees, using a formula developed by rules to be based upon a cost equal to the cost of the annual maintenance, permitting, monitoring, investigation, administration, and other activities required therewith, including any effects the volume of emissions or effluents may have on such activities. Any such formula or fees shall be adopted by the department by rule in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq. Funds generated from these fees shall be deposited in the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account as provided in R.S. 30:2015.
C. Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 124, §2.
D.(1) The formulas used in determining the fees provided for in Subsection B of this Section shall be designed so as to discourage land disposal of hazardous waste and to encourage alternative and environmentally sound methods of reducing, destroying, recycling, neutralizing, and, to the least extent possible, disposing of hazardous waste. Such formulas shall be submitted to and approved by the legislative oversight committees prior to implementation thereof and shall be consistent with the policy and purposes provided for in the Louisiana Waste Reduction Law.
(2) Unless otherwise provided by law, the department is prohibited from adjusting, modifying, or otherwise changing the formula for any fee authorized under this Section in a manner that would increase the fee paid by any person by more than five percent of the relevant fee paid by such person in the previous fiscal year. However, this Paragraph shall not apply to fees imposed by the department for any underground storage tanks as provided in R.S. 30:2194.
(3) The department is prohibited from creating any new fees under this Subtitle.
(4)(a) In accordance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Department of Environmental Quality may modify any fee that is in effect on June 30, 2002, is authorized by this Title, and is required to be deposited into the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account. Such a modification may increase the rate in effect on June 30, 2002, over the two-year fiscal period beginning July 1, 2002, as follows: the department may increase any such fee by a maximum of twenty percent, effective on or after July 1, 2002, and by a maximum of ten percent above the rate in effect on June 30, 2003, effective on or after July 1, 2003. Within ninety days of the promulgation and adoption of any regulation necessary to implement the fees herein, the Department of Environmental Quality shall submit a written report to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget for its approval which details the proposed use for the fee increase, efforts to decrease the processing time for permits, efforts to increase the number of inspections conducted at regulated facilities, enforcement activities, and efforts to increase the collection of fines imposed by the Department of Environmental Quality.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the Department of Environmental Quality may increase the following fees from the amounts in effect on March 14, 2015, as authorized by this Title or any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant thereto, and is required to be deposited into the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account as follows:
(i) Ground water fees provided for in Chapter 14 of Part 1 of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code may be increased by up to ten percent.
(ii) Air fees provided for in Part III of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code may be increased by up to ten percent. A minimum application fee of five hundred dollars and a minimum annual maintenance fee of two-hundred fifty dollars may be established. The maximum annual maintenance fee for natural gas compressors provided in LAC 33:III.223, Table 1, Categories 1430 through 1490 shall not exceed forty-one thousand six hundred twelve dollars for any one gas transmission permit. In addition, the secretary is hereby authorized to establish a fee schedule for the following:
(aa) An application fee for a new, modification, or renewal of an acid rain permit not to exceed five hundred dollars.
(bb) An application fee for the renewal with no modification of an operating permit not to exceed the minimum minor permit modification fee.
(cc) An annual fee charged for sources permitted pursuant to 40 CFR Part 70 and required to obtain a permit pursuant to Title V of the federal Clean Air Act not to exceed twenty percent of the total annual maintenance fees.
(iii) Hazardous waste fees provided in Part V of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code may be increased by up to twenty-five percent. In addition, the secretary is hereby authorized to establish a fee schedule for the following:
(aa) An annual maintenance fee for hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities that are in post-closure not to exceed four thousand one hundred twenty-five dollars.
(bb) An application fee for hazardous waste transfer facilities not to exceed one thousand nine hundred dollars.
(cc) An application fee for used oil transfer facilities not to exceed one thousand three hundred dollars.
(dd) An application fee for an extension of the accumulation time by hazardous waste generators not to exceed five hundred dollars.
(iv)(aa) Solid waste fees provided in Part VII of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code may be increased by up to twenty-five percent.
(bb) Tonnage fees for non-industrial wastes provided for in LAC 33:VII.1505(B)(2)(b) may be applied for amounts exceeding twenty-five thousand tons.
(v) Water quality fees in Part IX of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code may be increased by up to ten percent. In addition the secretary is hereby authorized to establish a fee schedule for the following:
(aa) A general permit for oil and gas wells in the coastal and territorial seas provided for in LAC 33:IX.1309(N) charged annually based upon each application for coverage under the general permit not to exceed one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars.
(bb) A general permit for sewage sludge authorizations charged annually not to exceed six hundred dollars.
(cc) An annual fee for sewage sludge individual permits not to exceed two thousand dollars.
(vi)(aa) Underground storage tank fees provided for in Part XI of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code may be increased by up to ten percent.
(bb) The secretary is hereby authorized to establish a fee schedule for the amendment of registrations not to exceed sixty dollars.
(vii)(aa) Radiation protection fees in Part XV of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code may be increased by up to ten percent.
(bb) The secretary is hereby authorized to establish a fee schedule for a license renewal application fee not to exceed the new application fee.
(viii) Any increase authorized by this Subparagraph by a certain percentage shall be rounded up to the nearest dollar.
(c) Within ninety days of the promulgation and adoption of any regulation necessary to implement the fees authorized by Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph, the department shall submit a written report to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget for its approval which details the proposed use for the fee increase, efforts to decrease the processing time for permits, efforts to increase the number of inspections conducted at regulated facilities, enforcement activities, and efforts to increase the collection of fines imposed by the department.
(5) In accordance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the Department of Environmental Quality may increase the following fees that are in effect on June 30, 2021, as authorized by this Title, and are required to be deposited into the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account as indicated:
(a) Air fees provided for in Part III of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code:
(i) The criteria pollutant annual fee per ton emitted on an annual basis for all facility types may be increased by an amount not to exceed twenty dollars per ton phased in over a two-year period. The first phase will increase to sixteen dollars and sixty-one cents per ton and will become effective July 1, 2022. The second phase will increase to twenty dollars per ton and will become effective July 1, 2023.
(ii) The minimum fee for criteria pollutant annual fee and air toxins annual fees may be increased to two hundred fifty dollars.
(iii) In addition, the secretary is hereby authorized to establish an application fee of five thousand dollars for the issuance of asbestos disposal verification forms for a single site for the period of one fiscal year.
(b) Solid waste fees provided for in Part VII of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code:
(i) Establish a waste tire transporter authorization application fee not to exceed two hundred and fifty dollars, which shall be deposited into the Waste Tire Management Dedicated Fund Account.
(ii) In addition, the secretary is hereby authorized to establish an annual fee schedule for all transporters of solid waste with a facility located in Louisiana.
(iii) All holders of permits for solid waste processing and disposal facilities that have not completed closure, including post-closure activities, in accordance with an approved plan, shall be charged an annual monitoring and maintenance fee for each permit and an annual tonnage fee for applicable permits. Annual monitoring and maintenance fees shall be charged for each permitted waste type.
(iv) The maximum annual tonnage fee for type I facilities is one hundred twenty thousand dollars.
(v) The maximum annual tonnage fee for type II facilities is thirty thousand dollars.
(vi) The permit application review fee for type I, I-A, II, and II-A standard permit applicants may be increased to six thousand one hundred twenty five dollars.
(vii) The permit application review fee for type III standard permit applicants may be increased to one thousand three hundred twenty-five dollars.
(viii) The permit application review fee for type I, I-A, II, and II-A permit-modification applicants may be increased to two thousand six hundred fifty dollars.
(ix) The permit application review fee for type III permit-modification applicants may be increased to eight hundred thirteen dollars.
(x) In addition, the secretary is hereby authorized to establish an annual fee of two hundred fifty dollars for all transporters of solid waste with a facility located in Louisiana.
(c) Radiation protection fees provided for in Part XV of Title 33 of the Louisiana Administrative Code:
(i) The secretary may establish that the naturally occurring radioactive materials general license fee shall be billed per wellhead in the amount of one hundred twenty-five dollars regardless of the field. No maximum fee shall apply.
(ii) In addition, the secretary is hereby authorized to establish a fee schedule for the following activities:
(aa) Device, Product, or Sealed Source Evaluation 6A device evaluation shall each be increased to five thousand dollars.
(bb) Device, Product, or Sealed Source Evaluation 6B sealed source design evaluation shall each be increased to two thousand dollars.
(cc) Device, Product, or Sealed Source Evaluation 6C update sheet shall be increased to five hundred dollars.
(dd) A commercial naturally occurring radioactive materials waste disposal application fee in the amount of twenty-three thousand dollars.
(ee) A commercial naturally occurring radioactive materials waste disposal annual fee in the amount of twenty thousand dollars.
(6) Except as provided in R.S. 30:2155.1, the department shall collect from each facility permitted as a construction or demolition debris landfill, as part of the annual monitoring and maintenance fee, a fee not exceeding twenty-five cents per ton of construction or demolition debris deposited in the facility. The fee provided for in this Paragraph shall apply only to construction or demolition debris which is subject to a fee imposed by the facility. The secretary is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to implement this Paragraph.
(7) The department may require a fee to process any request for a declaratory ruling not to exceed the maximum per-hour overtime salary, including associated-related benefits, of a civil service employee of the department per hour or portion thereof required to conduct the review plus reasonable indirect costs calculated as a percentage of the hourly fee. Such percentage shall be determined annually by agreement between the department and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for use on grants and contracts. However, the department may require a requestor to pay a minimum fee of one thousand five hundred dollars.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1982, No. 671, §1; Acts 1982, No. 805, §1; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 538, §1; Acts 1984, No. 795, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 803, §1; Acts 1986, No. 385, §1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1986, No. 905, §1, eff. July 10, 1986; Acts 1986, No. 943, §2, eff. July 11, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 657, §1; Acts 1987, No. 748, §1; Acts 1988, No. 465, §1; Acts 1989, No. 392, §1, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 1995, No. 191, §1, eff. June 9, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 124, §§1, 2; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 596, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 134, §1, eff. July 1, 2002; Acts 2006, No. 718, §1, eff. July 1, 2006; Acts 2009, No. 117, §1; Acts 2010, No. 49, §1; Acts 2016, No. 451, §1; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 114, §6, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2021, No. 405, §1.
A. No permit issued under the authority of this Subtitle, including the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, shall be reviewed for approval by any board, body, or person who receives or has received, during the previous two years, a significant portion of income directly or indirectly from the applicant. If any person receives or has received significant income from the applicant he shall recuse himself from the permit approval process for that permit.
B. As used in this Section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Applicant" does not include any department or agency of state government.
(2) "Board" or "body" includes any individual, including the secretary, who has or shares authority to approve all or portions of permits either in the first instance, as modified or reissued, or on appeal.
(3) "Income" includes retirement benefits, consulting fees, and stock dividends.
(4) "Significant portion of income" means ten percent or more of gross personal income for a calendar year, except that it means fifty percent or more of gross personal income for a calendar year if the recipient is over sixty years of age and is receiving that portion under retirement, pension, or similar arrangement.
(5) "Permit holders" does not include any department or agency of state government.
C. Income is not received directly or indirectly from applicants for a permit when it is derived from mutual fund payments or from other diversified investments for which the recipient does not know the identity of the primary source of income.
D. Any employee within the department who was convicted of a felony prior to his employment and did not disclose that conviction in his application for employment at the department is prohibited from being involved in the review or issuing of any permit, license, registration, variance, or compliance schedule authorized by this Subtitle.
E. In addition to all other terms and conditions specified in this Section, the following shall apply to all Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (LPDES) permit applications received by the department for review:
(1) Persons who approve all or any portion of LPDES permit applications shall not have received, during the two years previous to such review, a significant portion of income, directly or indirectly, from any federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) or state LPDES permit holder or applicant.
(2) The recusal provided for in Subsection A of this Section is not permitted for LPDES permit applications. The approval of any portion of an LPDES permit application is prohibited by any person described in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
Acts 1993, No. 451, §1; Acts 1995, No. 602, §1.
A. The secretary shall, by July 1, 1998, adopt rules which set out the qualifications and requirements for a person to be granted a permit or to acquire an ownership interest in a permit. The rules shall require a person seeking such permit or ownership interest to include a list of the states where the applicant has federal or state environmental permits identical to or of a similar nature to the permit for which application is being made.
B. The term "person" shall mean an individual, partnership, corporation, or other entity who owns a controlling interest in a company or who participates in the environmental management of the facility for an entity applying for a permit or an ownership interest in a permit.
Acts 1997, No. 1087, §1.
A. This Section shall apply to the department and all permit applicants and shall apply only with respect to the public trustee issues, as provided in Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and by the Supreme Court of Louisiana in the case of Save Ourselves, Inc. v. Louisiana Environmental Control Commission, 452 So. 2d 1152 (La. 1984). Subsequent case law and laws interpreting said decisions and the rules and regulations adopted by the department in accordance with those decisions may be used to implement the public trustee issues, to be addressed by the secretary when making decisions with respect to permits, licenses, registrations, variances, or compliance schedules authorized by this Subtitle.
B. The applicant and any person who may become a party to an administrative or judicial proceeding to review the secretary's decision on an application must raise all reasonably ascertainable issues and submit all reasonably available evidence supporting his position on the permit application prior to the issuance of the final decision by the department so that the evidence may be made a part of the administrative record for the application.
C. No evidence shall be admissible by any party to an administrative or judicial proceeding to review the secretary's decision on the application that was not submitted to the department prior to issuance of a final decision or made a part of the administrative record for the application, unless good cause is shown for the failure to submit it. No issues shall be raised by any party that were not submitted to the department prior to issuance of a final decision or made a part of the administrative record for the application unless good cause is shown for the failure to submit them. Good cause includes the case where the party seeking to raise new issues or introduce new evidence shows that it could not reasonably have ascertained the issues or made the evidence available within the time established for public comment by the department, or that it could not have reasonably anticipated the relevance or materiality of the evidence or issues sought to be introduced.
Acts 1997, No. 1111, §1, eff. July 14, 1997.
When a permit or license issued or under review by the Department of Environmental Quality for a commercial hazardous waste disposal facility is to be transferred to another person, the permittee, licensee, or holder of such permit or license shall disclose the identity of the person to whom the permit or license is to be transferred to the department so that the department can obtain the information required in R.S. 30:2014.2. The department shall then provide notice of the intended transfer of ownership of a permit or license for such facility to each member of the legislature in whose district the facility is located, in accordance with R.S. 30:2181.
Acts 2001, No. 596, §2.
A. The secretary is authorized to develop and implement a program to expedite the processing of permits, modifications, licenses, registrations, or variances for environmental permit applicants who may request such services and the secretary shall adopt rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act which shall include a notice that indicates such permit is an expedited permit.
B.(1) The secretary is authorized to develop and implement a federal permitting parity program for nuclear power generation to expedite the processing of permits, modifications, registrations, or variances for environmental permit applications submitted by an electric public utility as defined in R.S. 45:121. In addition to an application for an expedited permit, the electric public utility shall submit to the secretary the following:
(a) That the purpose of the application is the development and construction of a small modular reactor.
(b) That the application is submitted by an electric public utility that states the application is consistent in all material respects with the elements identified in a letter of collaboration that has been entered into between the electric public utility and the president of the United States, the United States Department of Defense, the United States Department of Energy, the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Department of State, the United States Department of the Interior, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The letter of collaboration shall be on file with the department.
(2) The secretary shall adopt rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act which shall include a notice that indicates such permit is issued pursuant to the federal permitting parity program for nuclear power generation.
(3) For purposes of this Section, "electric public utility" shall include the definition provided in R.S. 45:121, in addition to any provider, operator, owner, generator, developer, designer, or customer of a small modular reactor.
Acts 2006, No. 586, §1; Acts 2025, No. 111, §1.
A. In order to fulfill the constitutional mandate of Article IX of the Louisiana Constitution to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources of the state, the legislature hereby declares that sufficient funds shall be available to the Department of Environmental Quality to fulfill that mandate. It is the intent of this Section to insure that all funds generated by the department are used to fulfill and carry out its powers, duties, and functions as provided by law.
B. There is hereby established an agency account in the state treasury to be known as the "Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account", hereafter referred to as the "trust account", into which the state treasurer shall each fiscal year deposit the revenues received from those sources provided for by Subsection C of this Section and other sources as provided for by law after those revenues have been deposited in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund. Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state that become due and payable within each fiscal year, the treasurer, prior to placing such funds in the state general fund, shall pay into the trust account an amount equal to the revenue generated from collection from those sources provided for by Subsection C of this Section and other sources as provided for by law. No expenditures shall be made from the trust account unless first appropriated by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in the account at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the account and be available for expenditure in the next fiscal year. Funding deposited into the account shall be considered fees and self-generated revenues and shall be available for annual appropriations by the legislature.
C. The Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account shall consist of all revenues generated from the following sources:
(1) All fees assessed pursuant to the authority granted in R.S. 30:2014, R.S. 39:55.2, and any other provision of law authorizing the department to assess a fee. Such fees shall be used only for the purpose for which they were assessed.
(2) All sums in excess of that required to fully fund the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund recovered through judgments, settlements, or assessments of civil or criminal penalties, or under this Subtitle or any other applicable law for any violation of this Subtitle.
(3) Any donations, grants, and sums appropriated or allocated to the trust fund by the legislature.
(4) Reimbursements for funds expended by the department for any response activities conducted due to any pollution discharge or disposal, environmental emergency, or remedial action.
(5) Any grants or allocations made to the state of Louisiana from the United States government for any purpose provided by the grant or allocation.
(6) Reimbursement or a judgment awarding damages for restoration or damages to the state's natural resources.
(7) Any costs assessed as part of any administrative hearing or enforcement action or reimbursement of costs associated with the granting of any permit, license, variance, or registration.
(8) All remaining and unencumbered balances of the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account.
D. The monies in the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account shall be used for the following purposes:
(1) To defray the cost to the state of permitting, monitoring, investigating, maintaining, and administering the programs provided for under the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act. All monies in the fund in excess of that amount necessary to administer such programs shall remain in the fund, to be invested by the treasurer, until such time as either state or federal funds become unavailable for these purposes. These excess funds shall be retained for the purpose of supplanting lost and reduced state environmental funding, or federal environmental funding presently granted to the state.
(2) To defray the costs of emergency response activities or to pollution discharges, the containment, control, and abatement of pollution sources and pollutants, to provide money or services as the state share of matching funds for federal grants, the costs of securing and quarantining pollution sources, including the acquisition of rights of way, and easements or title to pollution sources.
(3) To defray the cost of investigation, testing, containment, control, and cleanup of hazardous waste or solid waste sites, to provide money or services as the state share of matching funds for federal grants, and to defray the cost of securing and quarantining hazardous waste sites, including the acquisition of rights of use, servitudes, or title when necessary.
(4) To implement the Environmental Emergency Response Training Program established by R.S. 30:2035.
(5) For the identification and determination of hazardous wastes which are inappropriate for certain methods of land disposal as required in R.S. 30:2193.
(6) To insure adequate scientific, technical, and legal support of litigation seeking recovery of costs of response activities, penalties sought under this Subtitle, or environmental damages.
(7) To make grants to colleges and universities within Louisiana for the purpose of theoretical and practical research and development of alternative and environmentally sound methods and technologies for reducing, destroying, recycling, neutralizing, and, to the least extent possible, disposing of hazardous waste. Research and development of alternative methods and technologies for the purpose of waste reduction shall receive priority consideration from the secretary in the granting of any monies authorized by this Subsection.
(8) To make reimbursements to local political subdivisions or volunteer fire departments which incurred expenses in performing services approved by the secretary in response to a declared emergency.
E. In any cases where monies from the trust account are expended, the attorney general shall institute a civil action to recover from the responsible persons all such monies expended from the trust account. If the secretary requests that the attorney general institute a civil action to recover monies expended from the trust account and the attorney general declines to institute such action or does not respond within sixty days of such request and agree to institute a civil action, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, institute a civil action to recover monies expended from the trust account. Any monies so recovered shall be paid into the trust account.
F. Upon a declaration of emergency, the secretary may enter into contracts providing for environmental emergency responses after informal negotiations without any other requirement of law; however, such contracts shall be subject to the prior written approval of the commissioner of the division of administration.
Acts 1989, No. 392, §1, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 1995, No. 1160, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020.
A. The legislature hereby finds and declares that Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana mandates that the natural resources of the state, including water, are to be protected, conserved, and replenished insofar as possible and consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the people and further mandates that the legislature enact laws to implement this policy.
B. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, upon the filing of any litigation, action, or pleading by any plaintiff in the principal demand, or his otherwise making a judicial demand which includes a claim to recover damages for the evaluation and remediation of any contamination or pollution that is alleged to impact or threaten usable ground water, such plaintiff filing same shall provide written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, which notice shall contain a certified copy of the petition in such litigation, to the state of Louisiana through the Department of Environmental Quality. To the extent that any such litigation or action seeks to recover for the evaluation and remediation of any contamination or pollution that is alleged to impact or threaten usable ground water, the Department of Environmental Quality, in accordance with its respective areas of constitutional and statutory authority and regulations adopted pursuant thereto, shall have the right to intervene in such litigation or action in accordance with the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure. The department shall not have the right to independently assert a plea for damages to usable ground water beyond that stated by the plaintiff in the principal demand. However, nothing in this Section shall diminish the authority of the department from independently bringing any civil or administrative enforcement action. No judgment or order shall be rendered granting any relief in such litigation, nor shall the litigation be dismissed, without proof of notification to the state of Louisiana as set forth in this Subsection.
C.(1) If, prior to judgment on the merits, a party admits responsibility or the court makes a determination that contamination of usable ground water exists which poses a threat to the public health, and that evaluation or remediation is required to protect usable ground water and determines the responsible party, the court shall either order the responsible party or a court-appointed expert to develop a plan for evaluation or remediation of the contamination. The court shall also consider any plan submitted by the plaintiff. The court shall order the Department of Environmental Quality to respond to any plan submitted within sixty days from the date of submission.
(2) Within sixty days of the submission of a plan as provided in Paragraph(C)(1) of this Section, any other party may file written objections to or request modification of the plan or submit an alternative plan. If proposed modifications to the plan or an alternative plan is filed by any other party, the court shall order the Department of Environmental Quality to respond within sixty days from the date of submission.
(3) After hearing, the court shall adopt or structure a plan which the court determines to be the most feasible plan to evaluate and remediate the contamination and protect the usable ground water consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the people. Upon adoption of the plan, the court shall order the responsible party to fund implementation of the plan and shall order the estimated cost of implementation deposited in the registry of the court.
(4) No plan shall be adopted by the court without the court having provided the Department of Environmental Quality an opportunity to provide input into the formulation of the plan and without the court having given consideration to any input provided by the department.
D. After a trial on the merits, if the court makes a determination that contamination exists which poses a threat to public health as to which evaluation or remediation is required to protect usable ground water and determines the party responsible, the court shall render judgment adopting the plan which the court determines is the most feasible plan to evaluate or remediate the contamination and protect the usable ground water consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the people. To the extent the judgment requires the evaluation or remediation to protect usable ground water, the court shall order the responsible party to deposit the estimated cost to implement the plan in the registry of the court. The court shall order the Department of Environmental Quality to respond to any plan submitted within sixty days from the date of submission. No plan shall be adopted by the court without the court having provided the Department of Environmental Quality an opportunity to provide input into the formulation of the plan and without the court having given consideration to any input provided by the department.
E.(1) Whether or not the Department of Environmental Quality becomes a party, and except as provided in Subsection I of this Section, all damages or payments in any civil action, including interest thereon, awarded for the evaluation and remediation of contamination or pollution that impacts or threatens to impact usable ground water shall be paid exclusively into the registry of the court as provided in this Section.
(2) The district court may allow any funds to be paid into the registry of the court to be paid in increments as necessary to fund the evaluation and remediation. In any instance in which the court allows the funds to be paid in increments, whether or not an appeal is taken, the court shall require the posting of a bond for the implementation of the plan of remediation in such amount as provided by and in accordance with the procedures set forth for the posting of suspensive appeal bonds.
(3) The court shall issue such orders as may be necessary to ensure that any such amount is actually expended for the evaluation and remediation of the contamination of the usable ground water for which the award or payment is made.
(4) In all such cases, the district court shall retain jurisdiction over the funds deposited and the party cast in judgment until such time as the evaluation and remediation is completed. The court shall, on the motion of any party or on its own motion, order the party cast in judgment to deposit additional funds into the registry of the court, if the court finds the amount of the initial deposit insufficient to complete the evaluation or remediation and, upon completion of the evaluation and remediation, shall order any funds remaining in the registry of the court to be returned to the depositor.
F.(1) In any civil action in which a party is adjudicated responsible for damages or payments for the evaluation and remediation of contamination or pollution that impacts or threatens to impact usable ground water, the party or parties providing evidence, in whole or in part, upon which the judgment is based shall be entitled to recover from the party cast in judgment, in addition to any other amounts to which they may be entitled, all costs, including expert witness fees and reasonable attorney fees attributable to producing that portion of evidence that directly relates to the claims of contamination or pollution that impacts or threatens to impact usable ground water.
(2) In any civil action in which the Department of Environmental Quality or its employees are parties or witnesses, provide evidence, or otherwise contribute to the determination of responsibility or evaluation or remediation, such agency shall be entitled to recover from the party cast in judgment all costs, including evaluation and review costs, expert witness fees, and reasonable attorney fees.
G. Any judgment adopting a plan of evaluation or remediation of usable ground water pursuant to this Section and ordering the responsible party to deposit funds for the implementation thereof into the registry of the court pursuant to this Section shall be considered a final judgment pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure for purposes of appeal. The review or appeal of any judgment which consists in whole or in part of an order adopting a plan of evaluation or remediation of usable ground water shall be heard with preference and on an expedited basis.
H. The provisions of this Section are intended to ensure evaluation and remediation of usable ground water. When the court does not find contamination or pollution or a threat of contamination or pollution to usable ground water, the court may dismiss the Department of Environmental Quality from the litigation.
I. This Section shall not preclude an owner of land from an award for personal injury or damage suffered as a result of contamination that impacts or threatens usable ground water. This Section shall not preclude an owner of land from an award for damages to or for remediation of any other part of the surface or subsurface of his property and any award granted in connection therewith shall not be paid into the registry of the court, but shall be made directly to the owner of the land. This Section shall not preclude a judgment ordering damages for or implementation of additional remediation in excess of the requirements of the Department of Environmental Quality as may be required in accordance with the terms of an expressed or implied contractual provision. This Section shall not be interpreted to create any cause of action.
J. For the purposes of this Section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Usable ground water" shall mean any ground water defined as Groundwater Classification I or Groundwater Classification II under the terms of the Risk Evaluation Corrective Action Program (RECAP) regulations promulgated by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and in effect on January 1, 2003.
(2) "Evaluation and remediation" shall include but not be limited to investigation, testing, monitoring, containment, prevention, or abatement.
K. The Department of Environmental Quality shall establish rules and procedures for the receipt, evaluation, and approval or modification of plans for evaluation or remediation. The rules established by the agency shall be based upon risk-based standards sufficient to protect human health and the environment.
L. This Section shall not apply to oilfield sites or exploration and production (E&P) sites regulated by the Department of Conservation and Energy, office of conservation. "Oilfield site"or "exploration and production (E&P) site" means any oilfield site or exploration and production site as defined in R.S. 30:29(I).
Acts 2003, No. 1166, §1, eff. July 2, 2003; Acts 2006, No. 312, §1, eff. June 8, 2006; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
NOTE: See Acts 2003, No. 1166, §2, relative to retroactivity.
A. A public hearing for the purpose of fact-finding or establishing policy may be held at the discretion of the secretary. The hearing may be in the nature of an inquiry or an investigation, or for receiving public comments on a proposed rule, or a policy matter, or for other purposes.
B. A hearing which is an investigation or an inquiry shall be held in the parish in which the activity that gives rise to the hearing has occurred, is occurring, or may occur. Otherwise, a hearing may be held in any locality.
C. The secretary may issue subpoenas in accordance with R.S. 30:2025(I) requiring the attendance of witnesses and the production of such documents as are relevant to the objectives of the hearing.
D. Members of the public may present their oral statements, views, recommendations, opinions, and information at a hearing under this Section. They may file written statements and other documents such as charts, data, tabulations, and recommendations with the person conducting the hearing during the public hearing or after the hearing until the record of the hearing is closed.
E. The proceedings of the hearing shall be recorded and the verbatim transcript recording shall be filed in the record of the hearing. All written statements and other documents such as charts, data, tabulations, and recommendations filed with the person conducting the hearing shall be entered into the record of the hearing.
F. The person conducting the hearing shall prepare a report of the hearing and shall file the report in the record of the hearing.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. Subject to other provisions of this Section, the presiding officer at a public hearing shall have the authority to regulate the course of the proceeding, including the authority to begin and terminate the proceeding, to continue the hearing to another time or location, and to limit testimony which would be excessively cumulative or not related to the purpose of the hearing; however nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the right of any citizen to speak at a public hearing within the time limit set forth by the presiding officer.
B.(1) Regarding public hearings on permits for facilities, the presiding officer shall give preference for speaking up to one hour after the initial thirty-minute presentation of each hearing: first to those citizens who live within a two-mile radius of the location of the facility; second to those citizens who work within a two-mile radius of the location of the facility; and third to those citizens who live within the parish of the location of the facility. Thereafter, each hour of the hearing shall alternate between those who are in support of the proposed permit and those who are opposed to the proposed permit.
(2) Prior to the first hour of the hearing provided for in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the presiding officer shall provide for an introductory presentation of up to thirty minutes by the applicant to discuss and explain the proposed permit.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Subsection, the presiding officer at a public hearing may give preference to a public official to speak at any time during the public hearing. However, any time limit set by the presiding officer for citizen testimony shall apply to public officials.
Acts 1993, No. 557, §1; Acts 1997, No. 805, §1; Acts 2004, No. 72, §1.
A. The applicant for a new permit or a major modification of an existing permit as defined in rules and regulations that would authorize the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous wastes, the disposal of solid wastes, or the discharge of water pollutants or air emissions in sufficient quantity or concentration to constitute a major source under the rules of the department shall submit an environmental assessment statement as a part of the permit application.
B. The environmental assessment statement provided for in this Section shall be used to satisfy the public trustee requirements of Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and shall address the following issues regarding the proposed permit activity:
(1) The potential and real adverse environmental effects of the proposed permit activities.
(2) A cost-benefit analysis of the environmental impact costs of the proposed activity balanced against the social and economic benefits of the activity which demonstrates that the latter outweighs the former.
(3) The alternatives to the proposed activity which would offer more protection to the environment without unduly curtailing non-environmental benefits.
C. The department may, and if requested shall conduct a public hearing on the environmental assessment statement in the parish where the facility is located. Any public hearing on the environmental assessment statement, whether requested or at the discretion of the department, may be combined with a public hearing on the proposed permit. If the facility is located in more than one parish, the department may conduct a single hearing to serve all the affected parishes in the vicinity of a centrally located facility. Simultaneously with the submission of the statement to the department, the applicant shall also submit copies of the statement to the local governmental authority and designated public building where the facility is located, at no cost to the local governmental authority or the designated public building.
D. If public hearings are conducted pursuant to this Section, they shall be controlled by R.S. 30:2017.
E. The following are not subject to this Section:
(1) An application for a minor modification, minor variance, or exemption from or administrative amendment to a permit, license, registration, variance, or compliance schedule authorized by this Subtitle.
(2) An application for a minor source of air emissions, hazardous wastes, or solid wastes, or for a facility or activity which is not a major facility for water discharges.
(3) An application for authority to commence construction, a groundwater certification, or any decision regarding remedial action, remediation, response, corrective action, or cleanup of soil, groundwater, or surface water related to the facility or such immovable property.
(4) An application for renewal or extension of existing permits, licenses, registrations, exemptions, variances, or compliance schedules, unless said renewal or extension encompasses changes that need to be addressed as major applications.
(5) Any rulemaking by the department.
F. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to permits applied for prior to September 15, 1997.
G. The department shall rely on its applicable rules and regulations to determine whether a source, facility, or modification is considered as major or minor for the purposes of this Section.
H. Nothing in this Section shall relieve permit applicants or the department from the public trustee requirements set forth in Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and by the Supreme Court of Louisiana in Save Ourselves v. Louisiana Environmental Control Commission, 452 So.2d 1152 (La. 1984). Subsequent case law and laws interpreting said decisions and the rules and regulations adopted by the department in accordance with those decisions may be used to implement these requirements.
Acts 1997, No. 1006, §1; Acts 2004, No. 72, §1; Acts 2020, No. 163, §1, eff. June 9, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 481, §1.
A. The procedure for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any rule or regulation shall be in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq.
B. A rule or regulation or any amendment thereof may differ in its terms and provisions as between particular conditions, sources, and areas of the state.
C. Except for R.S. 49:962, promulgation of rules or regulations requiring a permit, license, or compliance schedule of a previously unregulated industry or practice shall not be initiated prior to a public hearing being held. Such hearing shall be held in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
D.(1)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Subtitle to the contrary, this Subsection shall be complied with prior to or concurrent with the proposal of any rule.
(b) The secretary or his designee shall make a written determination, based on sound scientific information, that the environmental and public health benefits to be derived from the proposed rule outweigh the social and economic costs reasonably expected to result from the proposed rule. This written determination shall be submitted to the legislative fiscal office for its review. The written determination shall be submitted at the same time to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget for its approval. The written determination, at a minimum, shall include an assessment of the environmental and public health benefits to be derived from the proposed rule; the estimated economic cost to all persons directly affected by the proposed rule; and an explanation of the data, assumptions, and methods used in making the determination. These factors shall be identified to the maximum extent practical and, where feasible, quantified. A statement that the environmental and public health benefits to be derived from the proposed rule outweigh the social and economic costs reasonably expected to result from the proposed rule, which has been submitted for review to the legislative fiscal office, shall be included in any notice required under R.S. 49:961(A).
(2) Subparagraph (1)(b) of this Subsection shall not apply to any rule that meets any of the following criteria:
(a) Is required for compliance with a federal law or regulation.
(b) Is identical to a federal law or regulation applicable in Louisiana.
(c) Will cost the state and affected persons less than one million dollars, in the aggregate, to implement.
(d) Is an emergency rule under R.S. 49:962.
(3) For purposes of this Subsection, the term "identical" shall mean that the proposed rule has the same content and meaning as the corresponding federal law or regulation.
(4) Prior to proposal of any rule which meets an exception allowed in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, the secretary or his designee shall certify for the public record that the proposed rule complies with any of the exceptions provided for in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1987, No. 546, §1, eff. July 9, 1987; Acts 1991, No. 190, §1; Acts 1995, No. 600, §1, eff. June 18, 1995; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2005, No. 21, §1; Acts 2021, No. 211, §6.
A. No rule, regulation, or permit fee shall be adopted, amended, or repealed which affects the agriculture industry, including both production and processing and their various operations and industries, prior to compliance with this Section.
B. The governor shall designate a person from the office of the governor to act as a liaison between the department and the agriculture industry, including both production and processing and their various operations and industries.
C.(1) The department shall inform the chancellor of the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and the commissioner of agriculture and forestry of proposed rules, regulations, or permit fees and the reasons for such.
(2) The chancellor shall designate appropriate research, extension, or other personnel under his authority who shall provide documentation to the department and the governor's appointed liaison with respect to:
(a) The environmental effects of agricultural practices.
(b) The economic impact of the proposed rules, regulations, or fees.
(c) The acceptable and unacceptable risk levels associated with traditional and proposed agricultural practices.
(d) The alternative methods of achieving environmental goals.
(e) The probable effectiveness of any proposed rules, regulations, or fees.
(f) Any other information that should be considered.
D. The positions of the Department of Environmental Quality and the agriculture community, as supported by the chancellor and the commissioner of agriculture and forestry, shall be communicated to the governor through his designated liaison for his participation in implementing or limiting the implementation of any such rule, regulation, or practice change.
E. Unless an emergency is initially declared by the governor and action is taken as provided for in R.S. 49:962, no rule, regulation, or permit fee may be adopted, amended, or repealed which affects the agriculture industry unless statements from the secretary of the department, the chancellor, and the commissioner of agriculture and forestry accompany the rule, regulation, or permit fee which outline their individual opinions on the issues of whether the rule, regulation, or permit fee is justified, practical, and worthy of implementation, and public hearings have been held in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. Such statements from the secretary of the department, the chancellor, and the commissioner of agriculture and forestry shall be provided to the appropriate legislative oversight committee by the respective official. The failure of an official to provide a statement shall constitute support for the rule, regulation, or permit fee.
Acts 1991, No. 860, §1, eff. July 23, 1991; Acts 1993, No. 173, §1; Acts 2021, No. 211, §6.
All implementation plans, rules, regulations, and orders in effect at the time of the enactment of this Subtitle and those implementation plans presently approved by the state and pending approval before the Environmental Protection Agency shall continue to be in effect unless amended or repealed.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
A. The department shall represent the state of Louisiana in compacts on environmental control as is provided by this Subtitle and shall administer any such compacts.
B. Notwithstanding any state law to the contrary, the department shall serve as a clearinghouse for all statements of environmental impact to be prepared or reviewed by state agencies other than the Department of Transportation and Development in accordance with PL 91-190, The National Environmental Policy Act. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shall have the responsibility to review and comment on any environmental impact statements relative to fish and wildlife resources or their habitat and to review and comment on the discharge of the dredge and fill material into the waters of the state. The Louisiana Department of Health shall have the responsibility to review and comment on any environmental impact statements relative to public health.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
A.(1) Any person seeking a permit, license, registration, variance, or LPDES variance shall file a written application for such with the secretary. Excluding applications relative to medical and dental devices, the secretary shall promptly send a notice of the subject matter of each application to the governing authority of the parish affected by the application and any public interest group or individual within the affected parish who has requested notice in writing and provided a mailing address. The notice of a permit, license, or registration application shall be provided within thirty days after receipt of the application. The parish governing authority shall promptly notify each municipality within said parish affected by the application.
(2) The secretary shall promptly consider such application and take such action thereon as he deems appropriate in accordance with law. However, the failure by the secretary or the parish governing authority to give the notice required by this Section shall not affect the validity of the action taken on the application.
(3) For the purposes of this Subsection, "any public interest group within the affected parish" shall mean any association having not less than twenty-five members who reside in the parish in which the relevant facility is or will be located.
B. No later than April 20, 1991, the secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing procedures for the processing and review of permit applications for new facilities and applications for substantial permit modifications, including but not limited to administrative completeness reviews, checklists of required information, and maximum processing times, and which shall specify:
(1) Procedures for administrative completeness review to determine whether an application contains the information required to substantively review the application. The administrative completeness review procedure shall not extend beyond sixty days from the date the application is submitted, except where additional time is required to correct information or deficiencies in the application.
(2) The final decision shall not extend beyond three hundred days from the date the application is submitted, except where additional time is required for the applicant to revise or supplement technical information or deficiencies in the application, or for adjudicatory or judicial proceedings under R.S. 30:2024, or for required review by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or for consideration of comments received at a public hearing in the case of an extraordinary public response, however in no case shall the extension for consideration of comments exceed forty-five days.
(3) Applications undergoing technical review shall not be subject to rule changes that occur during the technical review unless such changes are made in accordance with R.S. 49:962 or are required by federal law or regulation to be incorporated prior to permit issuance. However, such a rule change made prior to the issuance of the permit may constitute grounds for a modification of the final permit.
(4) The deadlines established by this Section may be extended upon mutual agreement of the secretary and the applicant.
C.(1)(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the secretary shall, after notification by the department to the applicant that the application is complete, grant or deny all applications for permits, licenses, registrations, variances, or compliance schedules relating to oil and gas wells and pipelines within sixty days. The notification of completeness shall be issued within fourteen days, exclusive of holidays, by the department. If the application is not complete, the department shall notify the applicant in writing of the deficiencies which cause the application not to be complete.
(b) If the secretary does not grant the application, the secretary shall provide written reasons for his decision to deny, and copies of the decision shall be provided to all parties.
(c) The secretary may delegate the power to grant or deny permits, licenses, registrations, variances, or compliance schedules to the appropriate assistant secretary. The authority to execute minor permit actions and to issue registrations, certifications, notices of deficiency, and notification of inclusion under a general permit may be delegated by the secretary or the appropriate assistant secretary to an authorized representative, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.26.
(2) If the secretary does not grant or deny the application within the time period provided for in this Subsection, the applicant may file a rule as provided for in R.S. 49:978; however, the provisions of this Paragraph shall not apply to permit applications submitted under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (LPDES) program.
D.(1) For purposes of this Subsection, the following terms shall have the meanings hereinafter ascribed to them, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(a) "Database" means the department's Tools for Environmental Management and Protection Organizations (TEMPO) database system and any similar database system used by the department to generate permits.
(b) "Substantial permit modification" means a substantial permit modification as defined in LAC 33:I.1503.
(2) If requested by the permit applicant, the department shall provide the permit applicant a written summary of specific changes to the existing permit whenever the department prepares a draft database permit for the renewal, extension, or substantial permit modification of an existing hazardous waste permit, solid waste permit, LPDES permit, or air quality permit.
(3) If requested by the permit applicant, the department shall provide the permit applicant a reasonable opportunity to review a draft hazardous waste permit, solid waste permit, LPDES permit, and air quality permit before such draft permit is publicly noticed. Where the draft permit includes one or more revisions to an existing permit, the draft permit shall clearly identify each change made by the department to the existing permit.
(4) For minor permit modifications or revisions that do not require preparation of a draft permit and public notice, if requested by the permit applicant, the department shall provide the permit applicant a reasonable opportunity to review the proposed language of the permit modification or revision prior to issuance of the final permit modification or revision. If the department proposes minor permit modifications or revisions not requested by the permit applicant, the department shall provide the permit applicant a reasonable opportunity to review the proposed language of the permit modification or revision prior to issuance of the final permit modification or revision or shall reopen the permit in accordance with applicable law.
(5) The secretary shall adopt rules, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq., to implement the requirements of this Subsection.
Acts 1990, No. 686, §1; Acts 1990, No. 996, §1; Acts 1991, No. 828, §1; Acts 1993, No. 269, §1; Acts 1995, No. 601, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1007, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2006, No. 117, §1, eff. June 2, 2006; Acts 2010, No. 986, §1, eff. July 6, 2010; Acts 2021, No. 211, §6.
A. An applicant for a permit shall file an application in the manner and at the place specified by rule.
B. The secretary shall maintain, in a place accessible to the public, a list of all permit applications which have been filed and on which no permit action has become final. The list shall identify the applicant, the location of the activity described in the application, and the type of permit that the applicant seeks. However, the failure by the secretary to prepare or maintain the required list of permit applications shall not affect the validity of the actions taken on such permit applications.
Acts 1995, No. 815, §1.
A.(1) Except as otherwise provided in this Subsection, all permits, registrations, variances, and licenses granted for any activity covered by this Chapter shall have, as a matter of law, a term of not more than ten years, unless otherwise specified by rule or regulation for all facilities of a particular class or category, or unless a period of greater than ten years was specified when the existing permit, registration, variance, or license was granted, or specified in the permit, registration, variance, or license. At the end of the term the department may in accordance with rules and regulations extend or reissue a permit, registration, variance, or license for another term of up to ten years.
(2) In addition, a permit for a solid waste landfill may be issued for a term that equals the estimated life of the landfill based on landfill capacity, but in no case shall such term exceed twenty years. At the end of the term, the department may, in accordance with rules and regulations, extend or reissue a permit, registration, variance, or license for such landfill for another term of up to twenty years. All permits issued to allow operation of a solid waste landfill shall include conditions requiring annual certification of compliance with the permit as required by regulations promulgated in accordance with R.S. 30:2154(B)(10).
B. The department may at any time:
(1) Revoke a permit, registration, variance, or license for cause in accordance with law, rule, or regulation.
(2) After notice to the permittee and an opportunity for a hearing, modify a permit for cause in accordance with rule or regulation.
C. At the end of the term of any permit, registration, variance, or license the provisions of R.S. 49:977.3(B) shall apply with regard to any request for an extension or renewal. No permit, registration, variance, or license shall be terminated pursuant to this Section if the department has taken no action to extend, modify, or revoke the grant of authority. The grant shall remain in effect until such action is taken.
Acts 1989, No. 472, §1; Acts 1993, No. 116, §1; Acts 2010, No. 982, §1.
A. Any permit action shall be effective upon issuance unless a later date is specified therein. Such action shall be final and shall not be subject to further review unless, no later than thirty days after the notice of the action is served by certified mail or by hand upon the applicant, he files with the secretary a request for hearing.
B. Upon timely filing of the request, the secretary shall either grant or deny the request within thirty days. If the request for hearing is granted, the issues raised in the request shall be resolved by an adjudicatory hearing before a hearing officer. Any appeal from a final decision of the secretary shall be in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 2-A of this Subtitle.
C. If the secretary does not grant the hearing within the time provided for in Subsection B, the applicant shall, within thirty days thereafter, be entitled to file an application for de novo review of the secretary's action in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge.
D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, with respect to the effectiveness of a permit action, a final decision of the secretary which will result in the practical closing and elimination of a lawful business by either the denial or restriction of a permit shall become effective no sooner than one hundred twenty days after notice of the action is served upon the respondent. In such an instance the existing permit will continue in effect until such decision becomes effective.
Acts 1983, No. 97,§1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984. Acts 1984, No. 795, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 825, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1990, No. 197, §1, eff. July 2, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 231, §1; Acts 1991, No. 846, §1, eff. July 23, 1991; Acts 1993, No. 567, §1, eff. June 10, 1993; Acts 1995, No. 947, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1995, No. 1208, §2, eff. June 29, 1995.
A. General enforcement power.
Any civil action necessary to carry out the provisions of this Subtitle shall be brought by the secretary. In such suits, the secretary shall be represented by the attorney general. If the secretary requests that the attorney general bring a civil action to enforce a provision of this Subtitle and the attorney general declines to institute such action or does not respond to the secretary's request for representation within sixty days of such request and agree to institute a civil action, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, institute a civil action to carry out the provisions of this Subtitle.
B. Civil suit for damages.
(1)(a) The department may bring a civil action in the name of the state to recover any damages or penalties resulting from a violation of any requirement of this Subtitle or any rule, regulation, or order adopted thereunder. In such suits the department shall be represented by the attorney general and such actions shall be brought in a district court. Proper venue shall be any parish in which damage has occurred or any parish where the defendant resides, is domiciled, or has his principal place of business. The attorney general may file a suit for assessment of a penalty or collection of a penalty on those cases referred to him.
(b) If the court determines that a violation of this Subtitle has occurred, in assessing damages the court shall take into consideration the cost of restoring the affected area to its condition as it existed before the violation and its present market value and shall include therein the costs of all reasonable and necessary investigations made or caused to be made by the state in connection therewith.
(c) No civil proceedings brought under this Subsection shall limit or prevent any other actions or proceedings which are authorized by Subsections A, C, D, E, and G of this Section or by any other provision of this Subtitle which authorizes any action.
(d) If the secretary requests that the attorney general bring a civil action in the name of the state to recover any damages or penalties resulting from a violation of any requirement of this Subtitle or any rule, regulation, or order adopted thereunder or file a suit for assessment of a penalty or collection of a penalty on a case referred to him and the attorney general declines to bring a civil action or file a suit or does not respond to the secretary's request for representation within sixty days of such request and agree to institute a civil action or file suit, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, bring a civil action or file a suit to recover damages or penalties or assess or collect a penalty resulting from a violation of any requirement of this Subtitle or any rule, regulation, or order adopted thereunder.
(2) If a penalty is assessed against the violator under Subsection E of this Section, any amount paid by the violator shall be credited toward the amount for which he is held liable to the state in a judgment or settlement in any suit brought under this Subsection and which is based on the same violation or violations.
C. Compliance orders; emergency cease and desist orders.
(1) Upon a determination that a violation of this Subtitle is occurring or is about to occur which is endangering or causing damage to public health or the environment, the secretary may issue an emergency cease and desist order.
(2) Upon determining that a violation of any requirement of this Subtitle has occurred or is about to occur, notice may be given to the respondent of his failure to comply with such requirement or proceed pursuant to Paragraph (3) of this Subsection. If such violation extends beyond the thirtieth day after notification, the assistant secretary for the office of environmental compliance shall either issue an order requiring compliance within a specified time period, or the secretary shall commence a civil action for appropriate relief, including a temporary or permanent injunction.
(3) Upon determining that a violation of any requirement of this Subtitle has occurred or is about to occur, the assistant secretary for the office of environmental compliance shall issue an order requiring compliance within a specified time period, or the secretary shall commence a civil action for appropriate relief, including a temporary or permanent injunction.
D. Expedited enforcement program.
(1) The secretary may adopt rules and regulations establishing a program for expedited enforcement for minor or moderate violations of this Subtitle and regulations adopted pursuant to this Subtitle. Such rules and regulations may provide for citations that may include the assessment of civil penalties and orders requiring compliance within a specified time period. The secretary may delegate the authority to operate such program to the appropriate personnel. Enforcement actions under this program shall not be subject to the requirement for legal review under R.S. 30:2050.1(C). The provisions of this Subsection shall apply only to minor or moderate violations that result in an assessment not to exceed five thousand dollars per violation or an aggregate total of ten thousand dollars per violator.
(2) For the purpose of this program, the following shall apply:
(a) The department shall develop a plan for the implementation of a pilot program which shall provide that:
(i) Persons affected by the program shall have the option to proceed under any other applicable enforcement process, including legal review under R.S. 30:2050.1(C).
(ii) Enforcement actions shall not be considered a violation until either paid under this Subsection or considered a violation under any other applicable enforcement process.
(iii) The pilot program shall include one of the following programs administered by the department: water, air, solid waste, hazardous waste, radiation protection, or underground storage tanks.
(b) The department shall evaluate the pilot program and provide a report on such evaluation to the House Committee on Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality by March 1, 2004.
E. Civil penalties.
(1)(a) Any person found to be in violation of any requirement of this Subtitle may be liable for a civil penalty, to be assessed by the secretary, the assistant secretary of the office of environmental compliance, or the court, of not more than the cost to the state of any response action made necessary by such violation which is not voluntarily paid by the violator, and a penalty of not more than thirty-two thousand five hundred dollars for each day of violation. However, when any such violation is done intentionally, willfully, or knowingly, or results in a discharge or disposal which causes irreparable or severe damage to the environment or if the substance discharged is one which endangers human life or health, such person may be liable for an additional penalty of not more than one million dollars.
(b) If the penalty assessed by the department is upheld in full or in part, the department shall be entitled to legal interest as provided in R.S. 9:3500 from the date of imposition of the fine or penalty until paid.
(c) Any person found to be in violation of any requirement of this Subtitle may be subject to the revocation or suspension of any permit, license, or variance which has been issued to the person.
(2) Any person to whom a compliance order or a cease and desist order is issued pursuant to Subsection C of this Section who fails to take corrective action within the time specified in said order shall be liable for a civil penalty to be assessed by the secretary, the assistant secretary of the office of environmental compliance, or the court of not more than fifty thousand dollars for each day of continued violation or noncompliance.
(3)(a) In determining whether or not a civil penalty is to be assessed and in determining the amount of the penalty or the amount agreed upon in compromise, the following factors shall be considered:
(i) The history of previous violations or repeated noncompliance.
(ii) The nature and gravity of the violation.
(iii) The gross revenues generated by the respondent.
(iv) The degree of culpability, recalcitrance, defiance, or indifference to regulations or orders.
(v) The monetary benefits realized through noncompliance.
(vi) The degree of risk to human health or property caused by the violation.
(vii) Whether the noncompliance or violation and the surrounding circumstances were immediately reported to the department and whether the violation or noncompliance was concealed or there was an attempt to conceal by the person charged.
(viii) Whether the person charged has failed to mitigate or to make a reasonable attempt to mitigate the damages caused by his noncompliance or violation.
(ix) The costs of bringing and prosecuting an enforcement action, such as staff time, equipment use, hearing records, and expert assistance.
(b) The secretary may supplement such criteria by rule. In the event that the order with which the person failed to comply was an emergency cease and desist order, no penalty shall be assessed if it appears upon later hearing that said order was issued without reasonable cause.
(c) The secretary by rule may establish classifications or levels of violations and the appropriate enforcement response.
(4) Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 947, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
(5) After submission for a penalty determination at a hearing, the secretary or assistant secretary shall provide an opportunity for relevant and material public comment relative to any penalty which may be imposed.
(6) If the penalty assessed by the department is upheld in full or in part, the department shall be entitled to legal interest as provided in R.S. 9:3500 from the date of imposition of the fine or penalty until paid. If any penalty assessed by the department under the provisions of this Subtitle is vacated or reduced as the result of an appeal of the assessment, the court shall award to the respondent legal interest as provided in R.S. 9:3500 on the amount required to be refunded by the department.
F. Criminal penalties.
Except as otherwise provided by law:
(1)(a) Any person who willfully or knowingly discharges, emits, or disposes of any substance in contravention of any provision of this Subtitle, of the regulations, or of the permit or license terms and conditions in pursuance thereof, when the substance is one that endangers or that could endanger human life or health, shall be guilty of a felony and shall be fined not more than one million dollars or the cost of any cleanup made necessary by such violation and in addition may be fined not more than one hundred thousand dollars per violation, which may be assessed for each day the violation continues, and costs of prosecution, or imprisoned at hard labor for not more than ten years, or both, provided that a continuous violation extending beyond a single day shall be considered a single violation.
(b) However, the discharge of air contaminants into the air of this state in violation of the provisions of this Subtitle, of the regulations, or of the permit or license terms and conditions in pursuance thereof, by the incineration of cardboard by a retail or wholesale merchant or by his employee or agent shall not subject such person to the fine herein provided for, unless such incineration would violate an applicable requirement of the federal Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), as amended and the emission source meets any of the following:
(i) Emits or has the potential to emit, in the aggregate, ten tons per year or more of any toxic air pollutant listed by the department pursuant to R.S. 30:2060, or twenty-five tons per year or more of any combination of such toxic air pollutants.
(ii) Emits or has the potential to emit one hundred tons per year of any regulated air pollutant.
(iii) Is located in an ozone nonattainment area and emits or has the potential to emit one hundred tons per year or more of volatile organic compounds or oxides of nitrogen in areas classified as "marginal" or "moderate", fifty tons per year or more in areas classified as "serious", twenty-five tons per year or more in areas classified as "severe", and ten tons per year or more in areas classified as "extreme".
(2)(a) Any person who willfully or knowingly discharges, emits, or disposes of any substance in contravention of any provision of this Subtitle of the regulations, or of the permit or license terms and conditions in pursuance thereof, when the substance does not endanger or could not endanger human life or health, or who willfully or knowingly violates any fee or filing requirement, or who willfully or knowingly makes any false statement, representation, or certification in any form, application, record, label, manifest, report, plan, or other document filed or required to be maintained under this Subtitle, or under any permit, rule, or regulation issued under this Subtitle, or who willfully or knowingly falsifies, intentionally tampers with, or knowingly renders inaccurate any monitoring device or method required to be maintained under this Subtitle, or under any permit, rule, or regulation issued under this Subtitle, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined not more than twenty-five thousand dollars per violation, which may be assessed for each day the violation continues, and costs of prosecution, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both, provided that a continuous violation extending beyond a single day shall be considered a single violation. A finding that this Paragraph has been violated shall be a responsive verdict when the defendant has been charged with a violation of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
(b) For the purposes of this Section, a person shall not be considered to willfully or knowingly violate a fee requirement if a payment of the fee is made under protest in accordance with R.S. 30:2042.
(c) For the purposes of this Section, a person shall not be considered to willfully or knowingly violate a fee or filing requirement if such requirement was not complied with through excusable neglect.
(3) Repealed by Acts 1992, No. 1126, §2.
(4) Upon a determination that a criminal violation may have occurred, notification shall be given to the district attorney in whose jurisdiction such possible violation has occurred. The department shall provide the district attorney with any and all information necessary to evaluate the alleged violation for criminal prosecution. The criminal prosecution of such violations shall be at the direction of the district attorney. The department shall cooperate fully with the district attorney.
(5) The court may suspend the execution of a sentence imposed on any offender convicted under this Subtitle of illegally disposing of solid waste as defined under R.S. 30:2153, if the offender is placed on supervised probation for at least two years and, as a condition of probation, cleans up the site or removes the illegally disposed waste from the site to the satisfaction of the Department of Environmental Quality.
G. Civil actions.
(1) The attorney general shall have charge of and shall prosecute all civil cases arising out of violation of any provision of this Subtitle including the recovery of penalties. If the secretary requests that the attorney general take charge of and prosecute a civil case arising out of violation of any provision of this Subtitle and the attorney general declines to prosecute such civil case or does not respond to the secretary's request for representation within sixty days of such request and agrees to prosecute a civil case arising out of violation of any provision of this Subtitle, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, prosecute such civil case.
(2)(a) In all cases wherein the secretary has issued an order assessing a penalty or requiring specific compliance actions to be undertaken, which order has become final but where the penalty assessed has not been paid or the actions undertaken, the attorney general shall file an ex parte petition in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure Article 2782, attaching a certified copy of the order to the petition, seeking to make the order of the secretary a judgment of the district court and making the judgment executory for all purposes provided by law.
(b) If the secretary requests that the attorney general file an ex parte petition to make an order of the secretary a judgment of the district court and the attorney general declines to file such petition or does not respond to the secretary's request for representation within sixty days of such request and agree to file such petition, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, file a petition seeking to make such order of the secretary a judgment of the district court and making the judgment executory for all purposes provided by law.
(c) The district court shall grant the relief prayed for and issue a judgment without a trial de novo of the facts supporting the order. Upon good cause shown and upon the posting of a bond in favor of the state as the court may require, a person against whom a judgment is rendered requiring specific compliance actions to be undertaken may within ten days of service of the judgment seek an extension, modification, or suspension of the judgment by summary proceeding. The hearing shall be limited to the issue of whether or not compliance has taken place.
(3) Where the order of the secretary has been appealed to the court of appeal and the court of appeal has affirmed or modified the order without remanding same to the secretary, the petition shall seek execution of the decision of the court of appeal in the same manner as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection.
H. Time for commencing proceedings.
Except as otherwise expressly provided within this Subsection, an action, suit, or proceeding by the state for the assessment or enforcement of any civil fine or penalty under the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act shall not be entertained unless commenced within five years from the date when the claim first accrued if, within the same period, the offender is found within the United States in order that proper service may be made thereon. For the purposes of this Subsection, a claim for a civil fine or penalty first accrued when the violation is first reported to the Department of Environmental Quality, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
I. Service of subpoenas; judicial enforcement.
(1) Subpoenas authorized under R.S. 30:2011(D) may be served by an employee of the department, by the sheriff of the parish where the witness resides or where he may be found, or by any other officer authorized by law to make service of process.
(2) In the case of a failure or refusal of a person to obey a subpoena issued under this Subtitle or in the case of a refusal of a witness to testify or answer as to a matter regarding which he may be lawfully interrogated, the district court of the district within which the public hearing is held or within which the person is found, resides, or transacts business, on the application of the secretary or an assistant secretary, may issue an order to the person requiring him to comply with the subpoena, to attend the hearing, to produce the desired documents or evidence, or to give his testimony with respect to the matter under consideration. Any failure to obey such orders of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt thereof.
J. Reporting.
(1) No later than January 1, 1990, the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall jointly establish a uniform reporting procedure and facilities, and shall provide the necessary personnel to be available to receive reports containing the same information on a twenty-four hour per day, three hundred sixty-five day per year basis of all emergency releases and shall be responsible for dissemination of such reports to other state agencies or authorities.
(2) Any person who discharges, emits, or disposes of any substance in contravention of any provision of this Subtitle or the regulations or of any permit or license terms and conditions issued thereunder, upon learning of the discharge, emission, or disposal, shall immediately, or in accordance with regulations adopted under this Subtitle, provide notification in accordance with the uniform reporting procedures to be established pursuant to Paragraph (J)(1) above, to the proper authorities as to the nature and amount thereof and the circumstances surrounding same, provided that no additional notifications or reports shall be required for emergency releases except as specifically required by law or rules as provided by this Section.
(3) The secretaries of each department shall jointly adopt and promulgate a single set of rules and regulations establishing procedures for making such notification.
(4) Any failure to make this notification or any attempt to conceal or actual concealment of the actual discharge or emission or disposal shall be a violation of this Subtitle.
(5) Each day of failure to give notification required herein shall constitute a separate violation, and shall be in addition to any other violations of this Subtitle.
K. Recovery of used resources or expended funds. In any action brought pursuant to this Section, the National Guard or local governmental agency which in an emergency response situation used resources or expended funds for the protection of the health, safety, or welfare of its citizens, for prevention of damage, or for the cleanup or repair of damages caused by or as a result of a violation of this Subtitle, shall, with the concurrence or review of the department, have the right to recover such funds and the value of the resources used from the violator, where such funds or resources used are reasonably considered to be outside the scope of normal activities. Any such funds recovered from the violator shall be credited toward the amount that he is assessed or held liable for to the state under this Section. Any action to recover funds or resources expended by the National Guard or a local governmental agency shall be brought within sixty days of the completion of the emergency response situation.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 194, §4; Acts 1980, No. 748, §3; Acts 1981, No. 521, §1; Acts 1982, No. 146, §1; Acts 1982, No. 265, §1; Acts 1982, No. 300, §1; Acts 1982, No. 322, §1; Acts 1982, No. 379, §1; Acts 1982, No. 671, §1; Acts 1982, No. 797, §1, eff. Aug. 4, 1982; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 236, §1; Acts 1983, No. 320, §1; Acts 1984, No. 824, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1985, No. 246, §1; Acts 1986, No. 942, §1, eff. July 11, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 318, §1, eff. July 6, 1987; Acts 1988, No. 254, §1, eff. July 6, 1988; Acts 1989, No. 200, §1, eff. June 26, 1989; Acts 1989, No. 392, §3, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 1989, No. 484, §1; Acts 1990, No. 249, §1; Acts 1990, No. 628, §1; Acts 1990, No. 988, §1; Acts 1992, No. 943, §1, eff. July 9, 1992; Acts 1992, No. 965, §1; Acts 1992, No. 1126, §§1, 2; Acts 1993, No. 118, §1; Acts 1993, No. 124, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1994; Acts 1995, No. 947, §§2, 3, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1995, No. 1160, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 351, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 791, §1; Acts 2003, No. 1196, §1; Acts 2004, No. 17, §1, eff. May 12, 2004; Acts 2004, No. 52, §1; Acts 2019, No. 97, §1; Acts 2025, No. 492, §1.
A.(1) Except as provided in Subsection B of this Section, any person having an interest, which is or may be adversely affected, may commence a civil action on his own behalf against any person whom he alleges to be in violation of this Subtitle or of the regulations promulgated hereunder. The action must be brought either in the district court in the parish in which the violation or alleged violation occurs or in the district court of the domicile of the alleged violator, and shall be afforded preferential hearing by the court.
(2) If, at the hearing on the order, it appears to the satisfaction of the court that a violation has occurred, or is occurring, the court may, in order to enforce the provisions of this Subtitle, assess a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars for each day of the continued noncompliance and the court may, if appropriate, issue a temporary or permanent injunction.
(3) The court in issuing any final order in any action brought pursuant to this Section, may award costs of court including reasonable attorneys and expert witness fees to the prevailing party. The court may also award actual damages to the prevailing plaintiff. The judgment of the court at the hearing, or subsequently on a petition for fixing the penalty if the violation is a continuing one, shall fix the total amount of penalty due, which shall be collectible under the same procedures as now fixed by law for the collection of money judgments and shall be awarded to and collected by the state of Louisiana and deposited into the state treasury.
B. No action under this Section shall be commenced under Subsection A of this Section:
(1) Prior to thirty days after the plaintiff has given written notice of the violation to the secretary and to any alleged violator by certified mail, return receipt requested.
(2) If the secretary or his legal counsel has commenced and is diligently prosecuting a civil or criminal action in a court of this state to require compliance with any standard, limitation, or order; however, in any such action any person having an interest which is or may be adversely affected may intervene as a matter of right.
(3) If the alleged violator is operating under a variance and is in compliance with the terms of such variance.
(4) Against any person while such person, with respect to the same violation is:
(a) Under any order issued pursuant to this Subtitle to enforce any provision of this Subtitle.
(b) A defendant in any civil suit brought under the provisions of R.S. 30:2025.
(c) The subject of an action to assess and collect a civil penalty pursuant to R.S. 30:2025(E).
C. Provided, however, that nothing herein shall be construed to limit or deny any person's right to injunctive or other extraordinary and ordinary relief under the Code of Civil Procedure or otherwise under Louisiana law, other than this Section.
D. The enforcement, procedures, and remedies herein provided for shall be in addition to any such procedures and remedies authorized under the laws of this state.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 194, §5; Acts 1980, No. 748, §4; Acts 1981, No. 702, §1, eff. July 23, 1981; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1993, No. 344, §1; Acts 1993, No. 452, §1.
A. No firm, business, private or public corporation, partnership, individual employer, or federal, state, or local governmental agency shall act in a retaliatory manner against an employee, acting in good faith, who does any of the following:
(1) Discloses, or threatens to disclose, to a supervisor or to a public body an activity, policy, practice of the employer, or another employer with whom there is a business relationship, that the employee reasonably believes is in violation of an environmental law, rule, or regulation.
(2) Provides information to, or testifies before any public body conducting an investigation, hearing, or inquiry into any environmental violation by the employer, or another employer with whom there is a business relationship, of an environmental law, rule, or regulation.
B.(1) Any employee against whom any action is taken as a result of acting under Subsection A of this Section may commence a civil action in a district court of the employee's parish of domicile, and shall recover from his employer triple damages resulting from the action taken against him and all costs of preparing, filing, prosecuting, appealing, or otherwise conducting a law suit, including attorney's fees, if the court finds that Subsection A of this Section has been violated. In addition, the employee shall be entitled to all other civil and criminal remedies available under any other state, federal, or local law.
(2)(a) The term "action is taken" shall include firing, layoff, lockout, loss of promotion, loss of raise, loss of present position, loss of job duties or responsibilities, imposition of onerous duties or responsibilities, or any other action or inaction the court finds was taken as a result of a report of an environmental violation.
(b) "Damages" to be tripled pursuant to Paragraph B(1) of this Section shall be for the period of the damage, but not to exceed three years, and shall include but not be limited to lost wages, lost anticipated wages due to a wage increase, or loss of anticipated wages which would have resulted from a lost promotion, and if the period of the damage exceeds three years, the employee shall thereafter be entitled to actual damages. In addition to the above, "damages" shall also include any property lost as a result of lost wages, lost benefits, and any physical or emotional damages resulting therefrom.
C. This Section shall have no application to any employee who, acting without direction from his employer or his agent, deliberately violates any provision of this Subtitle or of the regulations, or permit or license terms and conditions in pursuance thereof.
Added by Acts 1981, No. 280, §1; Acts 1991, No. 959, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1172, §1.
The secretary may develop environmental training programs to further the provisions of this Subtitle and to cooperate with facilities to implement training programs for employees which assist in the understanding of the rules and regulations as it pertains to compliance and the reporting as required by all applicable provisions of such regulations.
Added by Acts 1983, No. 551, §1.
A complaint alleging a violation of this Subtitle, filed as provided in R.S. 30:2026 hereof, shall have attached the personal bond of the complainant in the sum of one hundred dollars, conditioned upon the payment of costs of the hearing held on the complaint in the event the court determines a violation of this Subtitle has not occurred nor is occurring. No liability whatsoever shall be incurred by the complainant by reason of the filing of a complaint as provided in R.S. 30:2026 hereof, other than the payment of costs of the hearing as provided in R.S. 30:2026.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 194, §5.
A.(1) Department records and information obtained under this Subtitle, or by any rule, regulation, order, license, or permit term or condition adopted or issued hereunder, or by any investigation authorized thereby, shall be available to the public, unless nondisclosure is requested in writing, and such information is determined by the department to require confidentiality. Such information may be classified as confidential by the department if the secretary makes a written determination that confidentiality is necessary to:
(a) Prevent impairment of an ongoing investigation or prejudice to the final decision regarding a violation; or
(b) Protect trade secrets, proprietary secrets and information, and commercial or financial information.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, information contained in a voluntary environmental self-audit authorized by R.S. 30:2044 shall be held confidential by the department and shall be withheld from public disclosure until a final decision is made, or for a period not to exceed two years, whichever occurs first. Any final decision made by the department shall be public and published on the department's website. However, nothing in this Paragraph shall prohibit a request for confidentiality pursuant to Subparagraph (1)(b) of this Subsection. Information that is required to be reported to a state or federal agency by statute, regulation, or permit, including but not limited to notifications required by R.S. 30:2025(J), 2060(H), 2076(D), 2183(I), and 2204(A), shall not be held confidential.
(3) Nondisclosure shall not apply to necessary use by duly authorized officers or employees of state or federal government in carrying out their responsibilities under this Subtitle or applicable federal law, and air emission data or discharges to surface and ground waters and the location and identification of any buried waste materials shall be not construed as confidential information.
B. The department shall adopt such regulations as are necessary to effectively implement this Section in strict accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq.
C. Any employee of the department or any former employee of the department or any authorized contractor acting as a representative of the secretary or the department who is convicted of intentional disclosure or conspiracy to disclose trade secrets or other information which has been determined to be confidential pursuant to regulations applicable hereto is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
D.(1) The department shall restrict access to certain security sensitive information which shall be the same type of information as described in R.S. 44:3.1 for the purpose of preventing the distribution or dissemination of such information via the Internet by the department, its employees, or by an authorized contractor acting as a representative of the secretary or the department. Any information to which access is restricted shall not be distributed or disseminated via the Internet by the department or its employees, or an authorized contractor acting as a representative of the secretary or the department. The department shall adopt such rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act as are necessary to fully describe the information to which access is restricted and to effectively implement this Subsection.
(2) Any employee of the department or any former employee of the department or any authorized contractor acting as a representative of the secretary or the department who is convicted of the intentional distribution or dissemination of any information via the Internet to which access has been restricted pursuant to the provisions of this Subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
(3) Nothing in this Subsection shall be construed or interpreted in a manner to prevent or restrict the intradepartmental transfer or communication of information to be used in the performance of official duties.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1981, No. 702, §1, eff. July 23, 1981; Acts 1982, No. 323, §1; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1986, No. 347, §1, eff. June 30, 1986; Acts 1993, No. 570, §1; Acts 2004, No. 636, §1, eff. July 5, 2004; Acts 2021, No. 481, §1.
A. It is declared to be the public policy of the state to expedite the investigation, testing, containment, cleanup, and abatement of pollution sources, and to that end the secretary is authorized to accept and receive grants, donations, or other forms of assistance from private sources which are provided to the state for those purposes and dedicated to a specific designated pollution source. Such grants, donations, or monetary assistance shall be deposited in accordance with R.S. 30:2015 and R.S. 30:2205, unless their terms and conditions require otherwise, as contemplated by Article VII, Section 9(A)(1) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
B. Any private monies received by the secretary under this Section conditioned upon their being escrowed or not being deposited in the state treasury shall be deposited in an interest-bearing account within the state. Such monies shall be expended by the secretary for services and activities at the designated pollution source consistent with this Section and the terms and conditions of their grant or donation and shall not be considered public funds under R.S. 39:1482.
C. The secretary shall be exempt from the provisions of R.S. 39:1481-1526 in the expenditure of private grants for procurement of services in accordance with the terms and conditions of such grants; however, the attorney general shall approve as to legal effect any contracts for services. The secretary shall incur no liability to any person in the expenditure of grants for procurement of services, except to the donor for acts or omissions in violation of the express terms and conditions of the grant or donation as accepted.
D. The grant, donation, or provision of assistance by any private source for the purposes contemplated by this Section shall not be construed as creating any liability or responsibility or presumption thereof for the designated pollution source against the donor or grantor. In the event that any penalties or damages are assessed against a donor or grantor on a designated pollution source, the secretary may take into consideration the amount donated in assessing penalties and damages.
E. Where any grant or donation is offered to the secretary as part of a proposed settlement of a suit or claim for penalties, acceptance shall be conditioned upon approval of the secretary in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.25.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1989, No. 392, §1, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 1995, No. 947, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
The secretary may enter into a cooperative agreement and may disburse monies from the funds provided by R.S. 30:2034 and R.S. 30:2205 to a person, private trust, association, committee, or other entity for the purpose of evaluation, investigation, testing, containment, cleanup, or abatement of specific abandoned hazardous waste sites without a formal declaration and with waiver of recovery from parties to the agreement if deemed in the public interest. Any party to such an agreement must be licensed according to law before negotiating or entering into such a contract. Cooperative agreements shall require reasonable contributions in cash or services in kind from private parties to the agreement and shall provide for reasonable supervision by the secretary. Cooperative agreements shall be negotiated informally by the secretary and shall not be subject to any other requirements of law for entering into contracts. Prior to the execution of such an agreement, it shall be reviewed by the commissioner of the Division of Administration.
Added by Acts 1983, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 45, §1, eff. Jan. 19, 1983. Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1986, No. 319, §1.
A. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Subtitle, upon receipt of evidence that there is an incident occurring which is of such magnitude as to require immediate action to prevent irreparable damage to the environment or a serious threat to life or safety based on recognized criteria or standards or both, the secretary may declare that an emergency exists.
B. Upon declaration of an emergency, the secretary shall direct the attorney general to take such legal action as the secretary deems necessary. If the secretary directs the attorney general to take such legal action upon declaration of an emergency as the secretary deems necessary, and the attorney general declines to take such action or does not respond to the secretary's request within ten days of such request and agree to take such requested action, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, take such action.
C. When an emergency situation is declared, the secretary is authorized to undertake the containment and abatement of the pollution source and pollutants and may retain personnel for these purposes who shall operate under his direction. He may order the owner, operator, or person responsible for the pollution source to conduct testing, monitoring, and analysis to ascertain the nature and extent of such hazard or undertake the containment, abatement, or cleanup of such pollution source and pollutants. Failure to comply with his order shall be a violation of this Subtitle and shall be punishable as provided in R.S. 30:2025.
D.(1) The secretary may issue such permit, variances, or other orders as necessary to respond to the emergency, which shall be effective immediately upon issuance, and any appeal or request for review shall not suspend the implementation of the action ordered. The term of any such emergency action shall be limited to the time necessary to address the emergency conditions.
(2) An action for injunctive relief against any order issued pursuant to the declaration of an emergency shall be brought in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge. Exhaustion of administrative remedies is not a prerequisite to such action.
(3) The party bringing an action under this Subsection has the burden of demonstrating, by clear and convincing evidence, that granting injunctive relief shall not endanger or cause damage to the public health or the environment.
E. In addition, when an emergency is declared, emergency response personnel trained in environmental emergency response as provided by R.S. 30:2035 shall be authorized to undertake necessary actions to contain and abate the pollution source and pollutants.
F. An emergency cease and desist order is governed by the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.8 and not by the provisions of this Section.
Added by Acts 1980, No. 194, §6. Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 361, §1, eff. July 2, 1983; Acts 1983, No. 459, §1, eff. July 6, 1983; Acts 1995, No. 947, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1995, No. 1160, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
Repealed by Acts 1989, No. 392, §3, eff. June 30, 1989.
A. The Environmental Emergency Response Training Program is hereby created for the purpose of providing or securing training designed to instruct emergency response personnel to quickly, efficiently, and effectively respond to and address environmental problems and emergencies occurring within the area of their jurisdiction and to assist in addressing, when necessary, environmental emergencies occurring regionally.
B.(1) The chief of each eligible agency including any municipality or parish may apply to the department for allocation of funds from the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account to provide or secure the training authorized by this Section.
(2) In order to encourage training programs to further the purposes of the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, as provided in R.S. 30:2011(D)(8), the department may make allocations available only for those training programs which meet certain basic guidelines for emergency response training established by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections or the Department of Conservation and Energy in conjunction with the Peace Officers Standard Training (POST). At a minimum, the guidelines shall require that training provide instruction in emergency response situations peculiar or applicable to Louisiana.
(3) The guidelines required by this Subsection shall be adopted and promulgated by rule and regulation by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections on or before November 15, 1983.
Acts 1983, No. 361, §1, eff. July 2, 1983; Acts 1989, No. 392, §1, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. When an emergency is declared, the secretary, under the police powers of the state, may, for the duration of the emergency and without compensation to the landowner except for actual damages to property or person, claim a comprehensive easement over the pollution source and all other areas sufficient to secure, contain, clean up, or abate the same. During the existence of an emergency the secretary may also impose a quarantine upon such pollution source until he has determined that the emergency creating a hazard to the public or environment has been abated, contained, or otherwise determined no longer to be a hazard.
B. During the first one hundred eighty days of a declared emergency, the secretary is authorized to claim and declare an emergency access route, which shall be held without compensation to the owner except for actual damages to property or person, under the police powers of the state, and the location of such may be over and across either public or private lands and shall be such as are deemed necessary and reasonable for the resolution and control of said emergency.
C. When the secretary determines that a period greater than one hundred eighty days will be or is needed for purposes of abating, controlling, or monitoring the pollution source, he shall first attempt to acquire the necessary rights of way by negotiating with the burdened landowner for the purchase or lease thereof, and where the property needed cannot be obtained through negotiations, he may exercise the right of eminent domain to obtain temporary or permanent passage.
D. The secretary is hereby authorized and directed to seek to acquire such rights as are necessary to maintain control over such areas by negotiations with the owner of the lands affected. When such rights cannot be acquired through reasonable negotiations, the department is hereby empowered to exercise the right of eminent domain to the same extent and with the same limitations as is applicable to other public purposes set forth in R.S. 19:1 et seq.
E. All emergency easements and access routes are to be continued in effect during the term of the emergency until all rights sought under said eminent domain proceedings have been finally vested thereunder unto the state.
F. In all cases where the state acquires property rights either amicably or by eminent domain from any person against whom a claim has been asserted who owns or possesses rights in the declared pollution source, payment of all monies for said acquisition shall be withheld until such time as that person's liability has been finally resolved. All funds withheld shall be utilized to offset the liabilities assessed.
G. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to deny or limit access to the pollution source by the secretary or his authorized agents for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this Subtitle and as provided in other applicable provisions of law.
Added by Acts 1980, No. 194, §6. Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 303, §3, eff. June 14, 1999.
A.(1) In order to enhance the beauty and quality of our environment; conserve and recycle our natural resources; prevent the spread of disease and the creation of nuisances; protect the public health, safety, and welfare; and provide a coordinated statewide solid waste resource recovery and management program, the legislature finds that inefficient and improper methods of managing solid waste create hazards to public health, cause pollution of air and water resources, constitute a waste of natural resources, have an adverse effect on land values, and create public nuisances. Problems of solid waste management have become a matter statewide in scope and necessitate state action to promote more efficient methods of solid waste collection and disposal. The economic and population growth of our state and the improvements in the standard of living enjoyed by our population have required increased industrial production together with related commercial and agricultural operations to meet our needs, which have resulted in a rising tide of unwanted and discarded materials. The failure or inability to economically recover material and energy resources from solid waste results in the unnecessary waste and depletion of our natural resources, and, therefore, maximum resource recovery from solid waste and maximum recycling and reuse of such resources must be considered goals of the state.
(2) It is declared to be the purpose of this Section to provide a program for state agencies to use degradable or recyclable plastics in the most economically feasible, cost-effective, and environmentally safe manner the storage, collection, transport, separation, processing, recycling, and disposal of solid waste in order to protect the public safety, health, and welfare and enhance the environment for the people of this state.
B. State agencies are hereby requested and authorized to use in their daily operations degradable or recyclable plastic materials in those instances when it is appropriate and economically feasible. Any such agency shall consult with the Department of Environmental Quality to determine the degradable or recyclable plastic materials available to be used.
C. The Department of Environmental Quality is hereby directed upon request by a state agency to assist in that agency's use of degradable or recyclable plastics where appropriate and economically feasible. The Department of Environmental Quality shall provide a plan for use of degradable or recyclable plastics to any state agency requesting assistance to convert to the use of degradable or recyclable plastics.
Acts 1989, No. 572, §1, eff. July 6, 1989.
A. If a landowner has actual or constructive knowledge that his property:
(1) Has been used for the disposal of hazardous waste or as a solid waste landfill, except as provided in rules, and such wastes remain on the property, and if recording of the notice provided for herein is required by the Louisiana Solid Waste Regulations or the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Regulations; or
(2) Has been identified by the department as an inactive or abandoned solid waste landfill or hazardous waste site,
he shall cause notice of the identification of the location of the waste site to be recorded in the mortgage and conveyance records of the parish in which the property is located. Such notice shall be made in a form approved by the secretary and within the time specified by the secretary. If a landowner fails or refuses to record such notice, the secretary may, if he determines that the public interest requires, and after due notice and an opportunity for a hearing has been given to a landowner, cause such notice to be recorded. The clerk of court shall forward to the Department of Environmental Quality a copy of each notice recorded by a landowner in accordance with this Subsection.
B.(1) If any person wishes to remove such notice, he shall notify the secretary prior to requesting the removal from the clerk of court in the parish where the property is located. The request shall specify the facts supporting removal of the notice, including any evidence that the waste no longer poses a potential threat to health or the environment. Upon finding that the waste no longer poses a potential threat to health or the environment, the secretary shall approve removal of the notice.
(2) If approval is granted by the secretary, the request may be made by affidavit to the clerk of court for the removal of the notice and it shall be removed. Within ten days after removal, the clerk of court shall send a notice of the removal to the secretary. If the secretary objects to the removal of such notice, or fails to make a final determination upon the request within ninety days, the person desiring to have the notice removed may petition the court in the parish where the property is located for removal of the notice and after a contradictory hearing between the landowner, the clerk of court, and the secretary or his designee, the court may grant such relief upon adequate proof by the petitioner that the property no longer contains the waste which may pose a potential threat to health or to the environment.
C. This Section shall not apply to any facility which is operating under a permit issued by the department until such time as such notice is required by an order of the secretary, by a permit, or by rule or regulation applicable to such facility.
D. The failure of a landowner to file the required notice may constitute grounds for an action in redhibition under the applicable provisions of Civil Code Articles 2520 et seq., unless the purchaser has actual or constructive knowledge that the property has been used for such purposes.
E. Any action under this Section must be commenced within one year from the date the purchaser first knows of the existence of the fact which gives rise to the action, but in any event within three years of the date upon which the purchaser acquired his ownership interest in the property. Venue shall be in any parish in which the property or any portion thereof is located.
Acts 1990, No. 505, §§1, 2; Acts 1991, No. 851, §1.
The secretary shall not authorize or permit within Rapides Parish any new commercial solid or hazardous waste disposal facility or new commercial solid waste or sanitary landfill within two miles of the corporate limits of any municipality or the nearest boundary line of any property on which is located a public elementary or secondary school or health care facility licensed by the state.
Acts 1990, No. 1037, §1.
{{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1990, NO. 1037, §2.}}
The secretary shall not authorize or permit a residential or commercial solid waste disposal facility or a construction and demolition debris solid waste disposal facility within ten thousand feet of the Acadiana Regional Airport operations area if such facility will not be in compliance with local zoning ordinances. Such zoning ordinances shall comply with any United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration order, regulation, circular, safety guideline, recommendation, or other official document pertaining to aviation safety and land use.
Acts 2010, No. 665, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 123, §2.
A. Any person protesting the payment of any amount found due by the secretary shall remit to the secretary the amount found to be due and at that time shall give the secretary notice of intention to file suit for the recovery of such fee, or the portions thereof which are protested.
B. Upon receipt of this notice, the amount remitted shall be placed in an escrow account and held by the secretary or his duly authorized representative for a period of thirty days. If suit is filed for recovery of the fee within the thirty-day period, the funds in the account shall be further held pending the outcome of the suit. If the person protesting the fee prevails, the secretary shall refund the amount to the claimant, with interest at the rate established pursuant to Civil Code Article 2924(B)(3) from the date the funds were received by the secretary to the date of such refund. Payments of interest authorized by this Subsection shall be made from funds derived from current collections of the fee to be refunded.
C. This Section shall afford a legal remedy and right of action in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for full and complete adjudication of any and all questions arising in the enforcement of fees established under this Subtitle as to the legality of the fee or the method of enforcement thereof. In such action, service of process upon the secretary shall be sufficient service, and he shall be the sole necessary and proper party defendant in any such action.
Acts 1993, No. 118, §1.
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any public record maintained by the department may be kept in any written, photographic, microfilm, or other similar form or method, or may be kept by any magnetic, electronic, optical, or similar form of data compilation which is approved for such use in a rule promulgated by the department. No such magnetic, electronic, optical, or similar form of data compilation shall be approved unless it provides reasonable safeguards against erasure or alteration.
B. The department may, at its discretion, cause any public record maintained by it or any part thereof to be microfilmed, or otherwise reproduced, in order to accomplish efficient storage and preservation of such records.
C. A certified copy of a public record maintained by the department shall be deemed to be an original for all purposes and shall be admissible in evidence in all courts or administrative agencies as if it were the original.
D. Subject to such guidelines and limitations as may be promulgated by the department, electronic signatures and the use of electronic documents are hereby authorized. In accordance with such regulations promulgated by the department, an electronic document shall be considered to be "in writing" for the purpose of this Subtitle and may be used to satisfy any requirement otherwise required by this Subtitle. An electronic document is any document in electronic, magnetic, optical or other format, except an audio recording, used to create, transfer, approve, or store the document for subsequent retrieval.
E. The department shall promulgate rules to regulate the use of electronic signatures and electronic documents. Such rules may include limitations upon the use of electronic documents and which documents may be signed electronically.
Acts 1999, No. 350, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 1032, §11.
A. The secretary shall promulgate, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, regulations establishing a program for voluntary environmental self-audits. As a part of that program, the regulations shall provide for the following:
(1) Procedures for conducting voluntary environmental self-audits.
(2) Submission of the results of voluntary environmental self-audits to the department.
(3) Incentives in the form of reduction or elimination, or both, of civil penalties for violations disclosed to the department in a voluntary environmental self-audit.
(4) Corrective action for violations discovered as a result of a voluntary environmental self-audit.
(5) Submission to the department of the plans to correct violations discovered during a voluntary environmental audit.
(6) A fee for reviewing voluntary environmental self-audit reports and actions taken to correct the violations reported.
B. The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act identifying violations that are not eligible for relief under this program. The violations shall include but are not limited to:
(1) Violations that result in serious actual harm to the environment.
(2) Violations that may present an imminent or substantial endangerment to public health or the environment.
(3) Violations discovered by the department prior to the written disclosure of the violation to the department.
(4) Violations detected through monitoring, sampling, or auditing procedures that are required by statute, regulation, permit, judicial or administrative order, or consent agreement.
C. The fee for reviewing environmental self-audits and corrective actions shall not exceed the maximum per-hour salary, including associated benefits, of a civil service employee of the department per hour or portion thereof required to conduct the review plus reasonable indirect costs calculated as a percentage of the hourly fee. Such percentage shall be determined annually by agreement between the department and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for use on grants and contracts. However, the department may require a minimum fee of one thousand five hundred dollars.
D. Prescription shall be suspended for all claims for violations under this Subtitle or of the regulations promulgated pursuant to this Subtitle upon participation in the voluntary self-audit program. The suspension of prescription shall terminate upon a final decision under R.S. 30:2030(A)(2) or after a period of two years, whichever occurs first.
Acts 2021, No. 481, §1.
A. The secretary shall establish policies and procedures to address violations of this Subtitle in a formal and consistent manner.
B.(1) The secretary shall maintain a list of all notices of violations, compliance orders, and penalty assessments issued in the preceding three months. The list shall be updated monthly.
(2)(a) On a periodic basis, the secretary shall mail a copy of the list, either separately or as part of a department publication, to persons who request that they be placed on the mailing list.
(b) The secretary shall publish a list of proposed beneficial environmental projects that have been agreed to by the department and the respondent, including those that are currently out for public comment, on the department's website. The list of proposed beneficial environmental projects shall reflect a cumulative year's record.
C. The chief legal officer shall review each proposed compliance order, penalty assessment, suspension of a permit, emergency cease and desist order, settlement or compromise, and other proposed final enforcement action for legal sufficiency.
D. A penalty assessment and a compliance order may be consolidated.
E. The failure of the secretary to perform the duties imposed by this Section shall not affect the validity of any enforcement action.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 1197, §1.
A. When information indicates that a violation has occurred, is occurring, or is about to occur, the assistant secretary for the office of environmental compliance may issue a notice of violation or a compliance order within ten days after the completion of the investigation of the violation. Any notice of violation shall describe with reasonable specificity the nature of the violation and shall advise the respondent that further enforcement action may be taken if compliance is not promptly achieved. The assistant secretary shall notify the respondent of the issuance of the notice of violation or compliance order.
B. A compliance order shall:
(1) Describe with reasonable specificity the nature of the violation.
(2) Establish a time period for achieving compliance with the requirements of this Subtitle.
(3) Notify the respondent of the right to an adjudicatory hearing.
(4) Advise the respondent that civil penalties may be assessed for a violation.
C. The compliance order becomes a final enforcement action when the period of time for filing a request for an adjudicatory hearing lapses without a request being filed.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. The secretary shall establish criteria for the assessment of reasonably consistent department-wide penalties based upon the factors enumerated in this Subtitle. If criteria for a particular violation are not established, the secretary or the assistant secretary for the office of environmental compliance shall exercise discretion in applying the factors enumerated in this Subtitle on the basis of available information.
B.(1) When the assistant secretary determines that a violation has occurred for which an assessment of a penalty is under consideration, the assistant secretary shall notify the respondent.
(2) The notice shall describe with reasonable specificity the nature of the violation and shall advise the respondent that the assessment of a penalty is under consideration.
(3) Written comments may be filed with the assistant secretary regarding the alleged violation and a possible penalty.
C.(1) The assistant secretary may issue a penalty assessment ten days after notice of the violation has been given to the respondent. The assistant secretary shall notify the respondent of the assessment.
(2) A notice of penalty shall:
(a) Describe, with reasonable specificity, the violation that gives rise to the penalty.
(b) Indicate the amount of the penalty.
(c) Notify the respondent of the right to an adjudicatory hearing.
D. The penalty assessment is a final enforcement action when the period of time for filing a request for an adjudicatory hearing lapses without a request being filed.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. The respondent has the right to an adjudicatory hearing on a disputed issue of material fact or of law arising from a compliance order or a penalty assessment. This right may be exercised by filing a written request with the secretary.
B. An aggrieved person other than the respondent, may request in writing an adjudicatory hearing on a disputed issue of material fact or of law arising from the compliance order or penalty assessment. The secretary may grant the request when equity and justice require it.
C. When the request for an adjudicatory hearing raises an issue of law only, the secretary may limit the parties to the presentation of oral or written arguments. When the request for an adjudicatory hearing raises an issue of material fact, the scope of the hearing may be limited to the disputed issue of material fact.
D. A request for an adjudicatory hearing shall specify the provisions of the order or assessment on which the hearing is requested and shall briefly describe the basis for the request. The secretary may require the aggrieved person to supplement the specification or description.
E. A request for an adjudicatory hearing must be filed within thirty days after notice to the respondent of the compliance order or penalty assessment. Within thirty days after the filing of the request, the secretary shall notify the person requesting an adjudicatory hearing that the request has been granted or denied unless the secretary and the applicant have mutually agreed to enter into dispute resolution discussions in accordance with Subsection J of this Section.
F. The secretary may grant an untimely request for an adjudicatory hearing when the secretary determines that the untimeliness results from excusable neglect. The decision of the secretary to grant or to deny an untimely request is not subject to judicial review.
G.(1) If the secretary grants the hearing within the time provided for in Subsection E, the matter shall proceed pursuant to the applicable rules of the department and the Administrative Procedure Act.
(2) If the secretary denies the hearing within the time provided for in Subsection E, an applicant appealing the decision of the secretary shall, within thirty days from the date of notice of the denial, file an application for de novo review of the secretary's denial in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge.
(3) If within the time provided for in Subsection E, the secretary has not granted or denied the hearing, or if the secretary and the applicant have not mutually agreed, in writing, to engage in dispute resolution discussions, then this inaction by the secretary shall be deemed to be a denial of the applicant's request for hearing and the applicant seeking de novo review of the secretary's decision shall, within thirty days after the expiration of the time period provided in Subsection E, file an application for de novo review of the secretary's denial in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge.
H.(1) When a request for an adjudicatory hearing relates only to a provision of the compliance order or the penalty assessment, the secretary may order compliance or may assess a penalty as to those provisions on which a hearing is not requested.
(2) An action by the secretary under this Subsection is a final enforcement action.
I. Prior to the adjudicatory hearing, written public comments regarding the proposed compliance order or penalty assessment may be filed with the assistant secretary for the office of environmental compliance. The assistant secretary shall make the public comments available to the parties to the adjudicatory hearing.
J.(1) If the secretary and the applicant mutually agree to enter into dispute resolution discussions, they shall execute a written agreement prior to the expiration of the time provided for in Subsection E. The secretary and the applicant shall mutually select, or may extend, the expiration date for conducting the dispute resolution discussions, provided however that the time period does not exceed one year from the date the parties first execute a written agreement.
(2) All disputes that are resolved shall be reduced to writing. Either party may withdraw from the resolution process by sending a written notice of withdrawal, certified mail, return receipt requested, to the other party. If the dispute is not resolved within the time period agreed upon, within the one-year maximum, or by the date of the withdrawal of either party, the secretary shall, within thirty days, notify the person requesting an adjudicatory hearing that the request has been granted or denied.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 1197, §1.
A. The obligations imposed by an order or assessment are enforceable when the order or assessment becomes a final enforcement action.
B. The obligations imposed by a compliance order concerning a community sewer system are enforceable when notice thereof is given to the respondent in accordance with R.S. 30:2050.23. When an adjudicatory hearing on such compliance order has been requested and granted pursuant to R.S. 30:2050.4, such compliance order, or any portions thereof, may be stayed by an administrative law judge in the Division of Administrative Law, Department of Civil Service, pending the outcome of the adjudicatory hearing. When de novo review of a community sewer system compliance order has been applied for and granted by the Nineteenth Judicial District Court pursuant to R.S. 30:2050.4(G), such compliance order, or any portion thereof, may be stayed by a judge of said court, pending the outcome of the de novo review. Such a stay may be issued only upon a showing that failure to comply with the community sewer system compliance order will result in no risk of harm to human health or the environment.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 16, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1007, §1.
A. The secretary may establish informal procedures for compliance orders and penalty assessments by rules adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. The rules shall specify those types of compliance orders and penalty assessments for which an informal proceeding is adequate to protect the public interest. Informal procedures may be employed only with the consent of the respondent.
B. Rules issued under this Section shall, at a minimum, provide for each of the following:
(1) An affidavit or other document to establish that a violation occurred.
(2) Notice to the respondent of the evidence relied upon to establish the violation.
(3) An opportunity for the respondent to present oral, documentary, and physical evidence in opposition to the order or assessment.
(4) An opportunity for members of the public to file written comments regarding the contested order or assessment and to attend the informal hearing if one is held.
(5) Inclusion of the final enforcement action on the public list.
C. An informal proceeding is not governed by the procedures of this Chapter for adjudicatory hearings or the adjudication provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act.
D. A compliance order or penalty assessment issued upon conclusion of an informal proceeding is a final enforcement action.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. Except as otherwise provided herein, the secretary, with the concurrence of the attorney general, may settle or resolve as deemed advantageous to the state any suits, disputes, or claims for any penalty under any provision of this Subtitle or the regulations or permit terms and conditions applicable thereto. The concurrence of the attorney general is not required for the secretary to settle or resolve (1) a suit, dispute, or claim in regard to a compliance order or (2) any part of a suit, dispute, or claim insofar as it regards a compliance order.
B. Before signing a settlement or compromise, the secretary shall invite and receive written public comment on the proposed settlement agreement or compromise during the forty-five days following notice to the attorney general.
C. The secretary shall give notice of the proposed settlement or compromise to a person who has requested notice of the proposed settlement or compromise and shall require the respondent to publish a notice of the settlement or compromise in the official journal of the parish governing authority for the parish in which the violation that gives rise to the order or assessment occurred. The secretary may also require the respondent to publish the notice of the settlement or compromise in any other newspaper of general circulation in the area where the violation that gives rise to the order or assessment occurred.
D. The secretary may hold a public hearing regarding a proposed settlement or compromise when either of the following conditions is satisfied:
(1) A written request for a public hearing has been filed by twenty-five persons, by a governmental subdivision or agency, or by an association having not less than twenty-five members who reside in the parish in which the facility is located.
(2) The secretary finds a significant degree of public interest in the settlement or compromise.
E.(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2205, the secretary may enter into settlements of civil penalty assessments which allow the respondent to perform beneficial environmental projects or provide for the payment of a cash penalty to the state, or both. Such settlements shall be considered a civil penalty for tax purposes.
(2)(a) Settlements provided for under this Section shall be submitted to the attorney general for his approval or rejection. The settlement shall be accompanied by the underlying enforcement action, a description of any beneficial environmental project which is an element of such settlement, and a justification for the settlement. Approval or rejection by the attorney general of any settlement shall be in writing with a detailed written reason for rejection.
(b) Reasons for rejection shall be failure of the department to follow and adhere to the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, the regulations promulgated thereunder, or any other constitutional, statutory, or regulatory provisions.
(c) The attorney general shall make any request for additional information concerning the terms and condition of the settlement within thirty days of receiving the request for approval or rejection. Within thirty days of a request for additional information by the attorney general, the department shall provide its responses to such request.
(d) The secretary may execute the proposed settlement without the approval of the attorney general if the attorney general does not give written notice to the secretary of his rejection of the settlement within ninety days after receiving the proposed settlement.
(3) The secretary shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act to implement a program for allowing the performance of beneficial environmental projects. Such rules and regulations shall define the parameters of beneficial environmental projects, consistent with federal law, regulations, and policies and shall include environmental mitigation as an aspect of all such authorized projects. The secretary shall prepare and submit to the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment no later than March first an annual report on any beneficial environmental projects allowed by the secretary as part of any settlements of civil penalty assessments.
(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2015, 2031, and 2205, the secretary may enter into settlements of any suits, disputes, or claims for any penalties that require the payment of money by the respondent to the Central States Air Resources Agencies Association (CENSARA) or the Southern Environmental Enforcement Network (SEEN). Any such settlements shall require that CENSARA or SEEN utilize such money only for specified studies or other projects directly benefitting the state of Louisiana. Any such payment shall be considered a civil penalty for tax purposes.
F. Any settlement of civil penalty assessments which allows the respondent to perform beneficial environmental projects as provided in Subsection E of this Section and that result from enforcement actions occurring at facilities owned or operated by a port commission shall consider giving preference to those beneficial environmental projects that directly impact facilities owned or operated by the affected port commission provided that the port is not responsible for the violation.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 1184, §1, eff. July 9, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 252, §1; Acts 2003, No. 165, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. When a violation that is endangering or causing significant damage to public health or the environment is occurring or is about to occur, the secretary may issue a cease and desist order to protect public health or the environment.
B. A cease and desist order shall:
(1) Describe with specificity the activity occurring at the facility or the site that is endangering or causing significant damage to public health or the environment.
(2) Identify the specific threat to public health or the environment that the activity presents.
(3) Specify the measures that the owner or operator of the facility or the site is directed to undertake immediately in order to abate or to eliminate the danger or the damage to public health or the environment.
C. A cease and desist order is effective upon the signing of the order. The respondent shall comply with the order immediately upon receiving knowledge of the order.
D. A cease and desist order expires in fifteen days, unless terminated earlier by the Nineteenth Judicial District Court.
E. The secretary may file an action in a district court for injunctive relief at the expiration of the cease and desist order. The secretary must establish that a violation is occurring or is about to occur and that the violation is endangering or causing significant damage to public health or the environment. Security is not required. All other provisions of law relative to injunctive relief apply.
F.(1) An action for injunctive relief against a cease and desist order shall be brought in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. Exhaustion of administrative remedies is not a prerequisite to judicial review.
(2) The party bringing an action under this Subsection has the burden of demonstrating, by clear and convincing evidence, that the activity specified in the cease and desist order is not endangering or causing significant damage to public health or the environment.
G. A cease and desist order is not subject to administrative review.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 1184, §1, eff. July 9, 1999.
A compliance order or a penalty assessment is abandoned when the department fails to take any steps to obtain final enforcement action for a period of two years after the issuance of an order or an assessment.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. The secretary shall adopt procedures for the issuance of declaratory rulings on significant matters. The rules must provide for:
(1) The form, content, and filing of a petition for a declaratory ruling.
(2) The procedural rights of the person seeking a declaratory ruling.
(3) The disposition of the petition.
(4) A fee, to be paid by the petitioner, sufficient to defray the expenses of issuing the ruling.
(5) Concurrence as to legal sufficiency by the chief legal officer.
(6) A requirement that the secretary shall maintain, in a place accessible to the public, a list of all petitions for declaratory rulings that have been filed. The list shall identify the petitioner, the matter to be decided and, when applicable, the location of the activity or facility which is the subject of the petition.
(7) The right of intervention by aggrieved persons.
B. A person having a real and actual interest in the matter for which a declaratory ruling is sought may petition the secretary for a declaratory ruling. The secretary may issue a declaratory ruling as to the applicability of a statute or rule to facts established by affidavit.
C. The secretary shall decide within sixty days after the filing of a petition whether a declaratory ruling will be issued. If the secretary determines that a declaratory ruling should not be issued, the petitioner may then proceed under the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act authorizing an action for a declaratory judgment to determine the validity or applicability of a rule or under the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure authorizing an action for a declaratory judgment.
D. The secretary shall maintain, in a place accessible to the public, a list of petitions for declaratory rulings and of declaratory rulings, and an index to the list.
E. The secretary shall notify the petitioner, an intervenor, and a person who requested notice and provided an address.
F. A declaratory ruling is a final agency action.
G. The secretary may prospectively reverse or modify the declaratory ruling after notice to the petitioner in accordance with rules governing such proceedings.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. An adjudicatory hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures prescribed in the Administrative Procedure Act.
B. An aggrieved person has the right to intervene as a party in an adjudicatory hearing when the intervention is unlikely to unduly broaden the issues or to unduly impede the resolution of the matter under consideration.
C.(1) An applicant, a respondent, or other aggrieved person may withdraw a request for an adjudicatory hearing at any time.
(2) If all requests are withdrawn, the preliminary permit decision, compliance order, or penalty assessment becomes a final permit or enforcement action.
D. When a public hearing is held in conjunction with an adjudicatory hearing, the former shall precede the latter.
E. The record of the public hearing held in conjunction with an adjudicatory hearing shall be made available to the parties to the adjudicatory hearing.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. A public hearing may be held in conjunction with an adjudicatory hearing. It shall be conducted in an orderly and expeditious manner.
B. A hearing held under this Section shall be held in the parish in which the activity that gives rise to the hearing has occurred, is occurring, or may occur.
C. Members of the public may present their oral statements, views, recommendations, opinions, and information at a hearing under this Section. They may file written statements and other documents such as charts, data, tabulations, and recommendations with the person conducting the hearing during the public hearing or after the hearing until the record of the hearing is closed.
D. The proceedings of the hearing shall be recorded and either a copy of the recording or a verbatim transcript recording shall be filed in the record of the hearing. All written statements, and other documents such as charts, data, tabulations, and recommendations filed with the person conducting the hearing shall be entered into the record of the hearing.
E. The presiding officer shall prepare a summary or report of the hearing and file it in the record of the hearing.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
The secretary may employ one or more hearing officers to perform such duties relative to adjudications as the secretary assigns to them. A hearing officer shall be a full-time employee in the classified service of the state.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. A hearing officer for an adjudicatory hearing shall:
(1) Have a general knowledge of the contaminants, wastes, and other materials whose interactions with the environment are regulated by this Subtitle.
(2) Have a general knowledge of the provisions of this Subtitle and of the rules issued under this Subtitle.
(3) Be licensed and admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of the state of Louisiana and have been actively engaged in the practice of law in this state for a minimum of five years.
(4) Hold no public office of or employment by the state or any political subdivision of the state, or any local governmental entity, except an institution of higher education.
B. A hearing officer shall comply with the Code of Governmental Ethics. The secretary may prescribe provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct or other relevant ethical standards that apply to hearing officers.
C. The secretary shall adopt rules supplementary to the rules of the State Civil Service Commission to instill public confidence that the department's administrative direction regarding matters such as appointment, classification, promotion, pay, tenure, discipline, removal, hours of duty, travel, parking space, office space and equipment, office procedures, staff assistance, organizational structure, and performance evaluation is not used to influence the decision or recommendation of a hearing officer.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. A hearing officer for an adjudicatory hearing shall have the power to:
(1) Administer oaths and affirmations.
(2) Receive acknowledgments and affidavits.
(3) Order depositions be taken.
(4) Hold conferences for the settlement or simplification of a matter.
(5) Issue subpoenas requiring the attendance and giving of testimony by witnesses and the production of documentary and other physical evidence.
(6) Dispose of interlocutory matters.
(7) Conduct and regulate the course of an adjudicatory hearing, rule on offers of proof, receive admissible evidence, make findings of fact and conclusions of law, make recommendations, issue orders, and render decisions.
(8) Conduct public hearings held in conjunction with an adjudicatory hearing.
(9) Exercise any other power conferred by the Administrative Procedure Act.
(10) Exercise any other power conferred by law.
B.(1) When a party, the representative of a party, or a witness in an adjudicatory hearing refuses to comply with an order of the hearing officer or acts contemptuously toward the hearing officer, the secretary or a party may apply by summary process to the district court for an appropriate order.
(2) The hearing officer may certify the acts that constitute refusal to obey an order or contemptuous conduct to the attorney general who shall apply on behalf of the hearing officer by summary process to the district court for an appropriate order.
(3) The court shall preferentially hear an application and enter such order as the court deems proper.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. A hearing officer shall file orders issued and recommendations or decisions rendered by the hearing officer at the conclusion of the hearing in the record of adjudication and with the secretary. The hearing officer shall give notice to each party or the party's counsel of record of such order, recommendation, or decision.
B. An order or decision of a hearing officer becomes final thirty days after the last notice is given, without a request for administrative review being filed. However, the secretary may reserve the right to make the final decision.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. A party may only seek review of an order, decision, or ruling of a hearing officer by requesting an administrative review by the secretary. Judicial review of specified interlocutory orders or rulings is governed by R.S. 30:2050.18.
B. A request for administrative review shall specify the grounds upon which review is requested.
C. Upon timely filing of a request for administrative review, the secretary shall either grant or deny the request within thirty days. The secretary may deny the request or grant the request on one or more of the specified grounds. If the request for administrative review is granted, the secretary shall establish a reasonable briefing schedule considering the exigency of the circumstances.
D. When the secretary denies the request for administrative review, the order, decision, or ruling is final.
E. When the request for administrative review is granted, the secretary may take any of the following actions:
(1) Render an order, decision, or ruling as is supportable by the record.
(2) Remand the matter for a new hearing to receive additional evidence.
(3) Remand the matter with other instructions.
F. The secretary shall render an order, decision, or ruling no later than sixty days after the request for administrative review is granted, except in a matter of such complexity that the secretary determines an additional sixty days is necessary for the review.
G. Motions to reconsider a final order, decision, or ruling of the secretary shall be filed within ten days after notice of the final order, decision, or ruling. Every such motion must set forth the matters claimed to have been erroneously decided and the nature of the alleged errors. Motions for reconsiderations shall be directed to, and decided by, the secretary and filed with the hearings division.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A.(1) Upon request of a party, the hearing officer may certify an interlocutory order or ruling for direct review by the Nineteenth Judicial District Court when both of the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) The issue involves an important procedural or evidentiary matter on which a substantial difference of opinion exists.
(b) Immediate judicial review will materially advance the conclusion of the proceeding or judicial review after the final order or decision would be inadequate.
(2) An application for judicial review of a certified interlocutory order or ruling must be filed with the court within five days of the certification.
(3) An application for judicial review of the hearing officer's refusal to certify an interlocutory order or decision must also be filed with the court within five days after notice of the refusal. The court may decide the issue sought to be reviewed if it determines that the decision of the hearing officer to refuse to certify the interlocutory order or ruling is not supported and sustainable by a preponderance of evidence as determined by the reviewing court. In the application of this rule, the court shall make its own determination and conclusions of fact by a preponderance of evidence based upon its own evaluation of the record reviewed in its entirety upon judicial review. In the application of the rule, where the agency has the opportunity to judge the credibility of witnesses by first-hand observation of demeanor on the witness stand and the reviewing court does not, due regard shall be given to the agency's determination of credibility issues.
(4) The court shall preferentially consider and decide an interlocutory order or ruling certified for review or an application for review of a hearing officer's refusal to certify an interlocutory order or ruling.
B. For good cause, a hearing officer may stay the hearing when an application for judicial review of an interlocutory order or ruling has been filed with the court.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 41, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 86, §1.
NOTE: SEE ACTS 1996, 1ST EX. SESS., NO. 41, §2; RE: PROCEDURAL LAW.
A final order or decision of the secretary regarding a permit, compliance order, or penalty assessment shall designate those portions of the record of adjudication on which the secretary relied and shall include findings of fact and conclusions of law.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
For matters not handled by the division of administrative law, within the Department of State Civil Service, the secretary shall adopt rules requiring that the record of a decision be assembled in a uniform and consistent order.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 17, §1.
A. An aggrieved person may appeal devolutively a final permit action, a final enforcement action, or a declaratory ruling only to the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. A petition for review must be filed in the district court within thirty days after notice of the action or ruling being appealed has been given. The district court shall grant the petition for review.
B. The district court shall promulgate rules of procedure to be followed in taking and lodging appeals.
C. The department shall not be required to file an answer to the petition for review.
D. In matters not submitted to the division of administrative law, Department of Civil Service, the department shall transmit to the reviewing court the original or a certified copy of the entire record of the decision or action under review within sixty days after service of the petition on the department, or within further time allowed by the court. By stipulation of all parties to the review proceedings, the record may be shortened. A party unreasonably refusing to stipulate to limit the record may be taxed by the court for the additional costs. The court may require or permit subsequent corrections or additions to the record.
E. If, before the date set for hearing, application is made to the court for leave to present additional information, and it is shown to the satisfaction of the court that the additional information is material and that there was good cause for failure to present it in the proceedings before the department, the court may order that the additional information be taken before the department upon conditions determined by the court. The department may modify its findings and decision by reason of the additional information and shall file that information and any modifications, new findings, or decisions with the reviewing court.
F. The provisions of R.S. 49:978.1(F) and (G), including the standard of review, shall apply to appeals provided in this Section.
G. Judicial review, appeals, and other proceedings for injunctive relief regarding environmental permits needed for construction or operation of new facilities or modification of existing facilities, shall be decided by the court summarily and by preference. In no case shall the date for a final decision on the merits of such review or appeals extend beyond the ninetieth day after receipt by the court of the record for adjudication. The court in its discretion may issue further orders consistent with the Code of Civil Procedure to carry out the summary mandate of such reviews or appeals.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 41, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 857, §1, eff. July 10, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 1143, §1; Acts 2013, No. 108, §1, eff. June 5, 2013.
NOTE: SEE ACTS 1996, 1ST EX. SESS., NO. 41, §2; RE: PROCEDURAL LAW.
A. A respondent may also appeal a penalty assessment suspensively.
B. The filing of an appeal does not stay a compliance order, a final permit action, or a declaratory ruling. However, the secretary may grant, or the court may order, a stay with appropriate terms. The court may order a stay of a final permit action only after notice to the department and the permittee and an opportunity for a hearing on the requested stay.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 41, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 2013, No. 108, §1, eff. June 5, 2013.
NOTE: SEE ACTS 1996, 1ST EX. SESS., NO. 41, §2; RE: PROCEDURAL LAW.
A.(1) Notice to an applicant for a permit, a respondent, a petitioner for a declaratory ruling, or a party to an adjudicatory hearing shall be given by certified mail return receipt requested.
(2) Notice to other persons shall be given by ordinary mail.
(3) In all cases, notice may be given by delivery.
B. When a party is represented by an attorney or has appointed an agent for service of process, notice may be given to the attorney or the agent.
C.(1) Notice to an applicant for a permit, a respondent who is a party, an intervenor, a petitioner for a declaratory ruling, or a person who submits a written comment shall be given at the address in the application, the request for a hearing, the request for an intervention, the petition, or the comment.
(2) Notice to a respondent prior to becoming a party may be given at the address of the respondent's agent for service of process, or an address filed by the respondent with the secretary of state or with the department.
D. Notice given by certified mail return receipt requested is effective when delivered or tendered if delivery is refused. Notice given by ordinary mail is effective when mailed. Notice given by delivery is effective when delivered or tendered if delivery is refused.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. The secretary shall establish fees to be paid by the party for whom a subpoena is issued. The fees shall be sufficient to defray fees and expenses due a witness in a civil proceeding and to reimburse the department for administrative costs of issuing and serving subpoenas.
B. Notice of a subpoena may be given by certified mail return receipt requested or by other means authorized by law.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
A. The secretary shall adopt rules of procedure implementing the provisions of this Chapter and the applicable provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act.
B. The secretary may act personally regarding matters on which this Subtitle authorizes an assistant secretary to act.
C. A delegation by the secretary of authority to a hearing officer, a deputy secretary, or an assistant secretary shall be in writing and maintained in a designated place in the department. A delegation is effective until revoked in writing.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
The assistant secretaries may not delegate the duties assigned to them by this Subtitle which require the exercise of deliberative discretion.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
The computation of a time period allowed or prescribed in this Chapter is governed by Code of Civil Procedure Article 5059.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
The provisions of this Chapter are supplementary to those of the Administrative Procedure Act and are applicable specifically to the subject matter of agency proceedings within the department and judicial review by appeal of those agency proceedings. In the event of conflict between the provisions of this Chapter and those of the Administrative Procedure Act or other laws, the provisions of this Chapter shall prevail. If this Chapter does not expressly or impliedly provide for a particular situation, the Administrative Procedure Act or other laws are applicable.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
Except for those situations in which R.S. 30:2024(C) and R.S. 30:2050.4(G) apply, whenever this Chapter specifies a deadline for the secretary or authorized assistant secretary to act on a particular matter and the secretary or authorized assistant secretary fails to act by such deadline, then any adversely affected party has the right to a writ of mandamus from the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge, directing the secretary or authorized assistant secretary to act within a period of time to be specified by the court, and if the adversely affected party prevails, the court shall award court costs and attorney fees.
Acts 1995, No. 947, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 116, §1.
No bond shall be required for appeals of actions to the Nineteenth Judicial District Court as provided in this Chapter.
Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 41, §1, eff. May 7, 1996.
NOTE: SEE ACTS 1996, 1ST EX. SESS., NO. 41, §2; RE: PROCEDURAL LAW.
Any party aggrieved by a final judgment or interlocutory order or ruling of the Nineteenth Judicial District Court may appeal or seek review thereof, as the case may be, to the Court of Appeal, First Circuit.
Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 41, §1, eff. May 7, 1996.
NOTE: SEE ACTS 1996, 1ST EX. SESS., NO. 41, §2; RE: PROCEDURAL LAW.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Air Control Law."
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
The legislature finds and declares that the purity of the air in the environment is a matter of vital concern to the welfare of the people of the state and to promote an environment free from pollution that jeopardizes the health and welfare of the citizens of the state, consistent with sound policies for employment and industrial development, it is necessary to establish an efficient method for the regulation and control of discharge of contaminants into the air resources of the state. The legislature further finds and declares the policy of the state of Louisiana to promote an environment free from noise that endangers the health or welfare of its people.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Acts 1984, No. 254, §1; Acts 2006, No. 445, §1, eff. June 15, 2006, and §3, eff. July 1, 2007.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Air contaminant" means particulate matter, dust, fumes, gas, mist, smoke, or vapor, or any combination thereof produced by other than natural processes.
(2) Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 348, §2, eff. June 16, 1999.
(3)(a) "Toxic air pollutant" means an air pollutant which, based on scientifically accepted data, is known to cause or can reasonably be anticipated to cause either directly or indirectly through ambient concentrations, exposure levels, bioaccumulation levels, or deposition levels, adverse effects in humans, including but not limited to:
(i) Cancer;
(ii) Mutagenic, teratogenic, or neurotoxic effects;
(iii) Reproductive dysfunction;
(iv) Acute health effects; and
(v) Chronic health effects.
(b) This definition includes all air pollutants which are identified and listed pursuant to these criteria under R.S. 30:2060. This definition shall also include but not be limited to all substances listed as hazardous air pollutants under rules and regulations of the department in effect on June 1, 1989, and those designated as such under Section 112 of the Federal Clean Air Act. This definition does not include those pollutants for which National Ambient Air Quality Standards have been established under Section 108 of the Federal Clean Air Act, with the exception of lead compounds. This definition does not include elemental lead or those pollutants chosen solely for their contribution to the formation of pollutants regulated under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
(4) "Emergency emission" is the discharge into the atmosphere of Louisiana of a toxic air pollutant the rate of which is in excess of that allowed by permit or license and which could not have been avoided by taking measures to prevent the discharge.
(5) "Noise" means the intensity, duration, and the character of sounds from all sources.
(6) "Local governmental entity" means any parish, municipal, or local political subdivision.
(7) "Person" means an individual, proprietorship, corporation, club, or other legal entity.
(8) "Sport shooting range" or "range" means an area designed and operated primarily for: persons using or discharging rifles, shotguns, pistols, revolvers, or black powder weapons; archery; air rifles; silhouettes; skeet ranges; trap ranges; or any other similar sport shooting, if such area is designed and constructed in accordance with the then current publication of the National Rifle Association of America, or its successor, entitled "The Range Manual".
(9) "Substantial change in use" means the current primary use of the facility no longer represents the activity previously engaged in at the site.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1982, No. 468, §1; Acts 1984, No. 254, §1; Acts 1989, No. 184, §1, eff. June 23, 1989; Acts 1993, No. 171, §1; Acts 1997, No. 891, §1; Acts 1999, No. 348, §2, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2006, No. 445, §2, eff. June 15, 2006; Acts 2006, No. 445, §3, eff. July 1, 2007.
A. The secretary shall have the following powers and duties with respect to air quality control:
(1) To prepare and develop a general plan for the proper control of the air resources in the state of Louisiana including the compilation and maintenance of an ongoing comprehensive air emissions inventory.
(2) To make investigations upon receipt of information concerning an alleged violation of this Chapter or any rule or regulation promulgated hereunder and to issue any appropriate orders in accordance with R.S. 30:2025. This Paragraph shall in no way detract from the power of the office to make investigations and inquiries upon its own motion.
(3) To prepare and develop a general plan for the proper control of noise in the state of Louisiana.
B. The secretary shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations consistent with applicable state and federal law and the general intent and purposes of this Chapter for the maintenance of air quality within the state of Louisiana.
(2)(a) To develop permitting procedures and regulations conforming to applicable state and federal laws, and to require and issue permits, licenses, variances, or compliance schedules for all sources of air contaminants within the state of Louisiana and when the secretary deems it advisable to delegate the power to issue or deny such permits, licenses, variances, or compliance schedules to the appropriate assistant secretary subject to his continuing oversight. The authority to execute minor permit actions, to issue registrations, certifications, notices of deficiency, and notification of inclusion under a general permit or a regulatory permit may be delegated by the secretary or the appropriate assistant secretary to an authorized representative, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.26.
(b) Nothing in this law shall be deemed to grant to the secretary any jurisdiction or authority to make any rule, regulation, recommendations, or determination with respect to any of the following:
(i) Air conditions existing solely within the property boundaries of commercial and industrial plants, works, or shops.
(ii) Relations between employers and employees with respect to or arising out of any air condition.
(iii) Burning of agricultural by-products in the field in connection with the planting, harvesting, or processing of agricultural products.
(iv) Controlled burning of cotton gin agricultural wastes in connection with cotton gin operations.
(v) Controlled burning in connection with timber stand management.
(vi) Controlled burning of pastureland or marshland in connection with trapping or livestock production.
(vii) Imposition of a motor vehicle fuels program respecting any characteristic, other than Reid vapor pressure, or component of a fuel or fuel additive not specifically required by federal law and specifically authorized by this Subtitle.
(viii) Confiscation of emission reduction credits or imposition of additional emission reductions from industrial sources to compensate for restrictions in vehicle inspection and maintenance or motor vehicle fuels programs, unless no other reasonable or practical alternatives exist to bring about timely attainment of the ozone ambient air standard.
(ix) Permitting regulations, with respect to air quality, requiring authorization to construct or operate any source for which facility-wide potential emissions are less than five tons per year for each of any regulated air pollutant as defined by the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq., less than fifteen tons per year emitted of all such defined pollutants combined, and less than the minimum emission rate for each toxic air pollutant established pursuant to R.S. 30:2060, unless such source is required to obtain a permit pursuant to the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7661 et seq. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Item, the secretary may adopt, promulgate, and enforce standards, limitations, and other regulations applicable to sources which are not required to obtain a permit. The standards or regulations shall not include any requirement for approval by the department. The standards or regulations may include the requirement to determine, document, and maintain records to demonstrate the potential or actual emissions of the facility. For purposes of this Item, "potential emissions" shall mean the emissions the facility is capable of emitting considering all control measures in place, utilized, and properly maintained and historical practices, including hours of operation and number of employees at the facility.
(x) Controlled burning, after written notice to the local fire department and sheriff's office, of agriculture materials, including crates, used in connection with the storage or transportation of sweet potatoes.
(3) To adopt and promulgate regulations necessary in establishing and administering an air pollution emission reduction credit banking system for the state as an inducement for Louisiana industries to reduce emissions of air pollutants. Such regulations shall at a minimum provide:
(a) For the administration of the banking system.
(b) Criteria under which emission reduction credits may be earned.
(c) Geographical limitations or emission offset areas for which emission offsets may be earned.
(d) Criteria for the use, banking, or sale of banked emissions.
(e) For the approval of the department for the earning, use, banking, or sale of banked emissions.
(f) Requirements for the maintenance and submission of records concerning emission levels, amounts of emission offsets, and banked emissions.
(g) The implementation of the banking system to allow credit for all emission offsets meeting the criteria established pursuant to Subparagraph (b) which have been accomplished subsequent to December 21, 1976.
(h) Appropriate recognition of the efficacy of permits issued prior to the promulgation of final regulations and reductions of emissions made in compliance with said permits.
(i) For the establishment of a schedule requiring banked air emissions of permitted facilities and credits to be discounted or decreased over time in nonattainment areas so as to comply with state and federal regulations which require improvement in air quality within nonattainment areas. Banked air emissions of permitted facilities and credits shall be discounted from a base year at a rate so as to effect decreases in banked air emissions consistent with state and federal law relative to nonattainment areas.
(j) In the absence of regulations, the secretary shall have the authority to create emissions credits by permit and shall authorize the transfer of credits by permit actions.
(4) The present air law and air regulations shall remain in effect until the final promulgation of new regulations is completed in accordance with the provision of this Section and the Administrative Procedure Act; R.S. 49:950 et seq.
(5) To adopt and promulgate regulations establishing a noxious odor control and abatement program for the state of Louisiana. The odor control and abatement program authorized by this Paragraph shall not apply to odors caused by agricultural, fiber, timber, poultry, seafood, or fisheries production or by byproducts created by agricultural, fiber, timber, poultry, seafood, or fisheries production unless such odors are detected in concentrations or intensities above that normally detected from these processes or byproducts when using applicable air pollution control devices. Nothing in this provision shall be construed as precluding a private litigant's right to sue for abatement of odors.
(6) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations implementing a comprehensive toxic air pollutant emission control program in accordance with R.S. 30:2060.
(7) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations establishing and implementing a comprehensive program for the control and abatement of environmental noise pollution. The regulations shall be consistent with applicable federal laws, rules, and regulations and, at a minimum, shall provide for the following:
(a) Criteria and standards for noise control and abatement.
(b) Levels of noise appropriate to defined areas under various conditions.
(8) To establish and implement a program for the control and abatement of motor vehicle emissions in accordance with R.S. 30:2060 and other applicable state and federal laws, particularly the Clean Air Act as amended, but not to exceed the requirements provided in such act unless specifically authorized. Such program shall be applicable only in parishes and municipalities as necessary to comply with the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act or regulations promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. If such program includes the periodic inspection of motor vehicles, the frequency of performing such inspections shall be as allowed by federal law or regulations or by agreements with federal agencies. During each calendar year, the secretary may exempt vehicles of that model year and vehicles from prior model years from on-board diagnostic (OBD II) testing. The fees due the department for this program pursuant to R.S. 32:1306(C)(3) shall be deposited into the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account.
(9)(a) To develop regulatory permits for certain air emissions provided the conditions in Subparagraph (b) are satisfied.
(b)(i) A regulatory permit cannot be used for any facility which is a new major stationary source or for any major modification of an existing source as defined in applicable rules and regulations and which is subject to the New Source Review (NSR) requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act.
(ii) Use of a regulatory permit may be precluded by specific permit conditions contained within a Federal Clean Air Act Part 70 Operating Permit.
(iii) A regulatory permit may not authorize the maintenance of a nuisance or a danger to public health or safety. All emissions control equipment shall be maintained in good condition and operated properly.
(iv) A regulatory permit shall not preclude the secretary from exercising all powers and duties as set forth in R. S. 30:2011(D), including but not limited to, the authority to conduct inspections and investigations and enter facilities as provided in R.S. 30:2012, and to sample or monitor, for the purpose of assuring compliance with a regulatory permit or as otherwise authorized by the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, Federal Clean Air Act, or regulations adopted thereunder, any substances or parameters at any location.
(v) A regulatory permit shall require compliance with all applicable provisions of the Louisiana Air Quality Regulations and the Federal Clean Air Act. Violation of the terms or conditions of a regulatory permit constitutes a violation of such regulation or Act.
(vi) A regulatory permit shall, as appropriate, prescribe emission limitations, any necessary control requirements, other enforceable conditions, and associated monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting provisions necessary for the protection of public health and the environment.
(vii) A regulatory permit shall require any person seeking such permit to submit a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations to the secretary. Submission of a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations shall be in lieu of submission of a permit application. The written notification shall be signed and certified in accordance with LAC 33:III governing permit application submittal. Any person who submits a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations shall be authorized to operate under the regulatory permit for which the notification was submitted when notified by the department that the notification was complete.
(viii) All regulatory permits promulgated by the secretary shall establish notification procedures, permit terms, and confirmation of notification by the department and shall be promulgated in accordance with the procedures provided in R.S. 30:2019.
(ix) No later than January 1, 2007, the secretary shall consider which activities are appropriate for coverage under a regulatory permit and publish an initial list of such activities.
(10) To develop rules and regulations providing for an expedited review process for permit applications with minor air emissions.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1980, No. 194, §7; Acts 1981, No. 626, §1; Acts 1981, No. 915, §1; Acts 1982, No. 468, §1; Acts 1982, No. 783, §1; Acts 1983, No. 34, §1; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 538, §1; Acts 1984, No. 117, §1, eff. June 22, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 254, §1; Acts 1984, No. 316, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1989, No. 184, §1, eff. June 23, 1989; Acts 1990, No. 245, §1; Acts 1991, No. 872, §1; Acts 1991, No. 873, §1; Acts 1993, No. 570, §3; Acts 1995, No. 393, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 1995, No. 457, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1216, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 468, §1, eff. June 18, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 576, §1, eff. June 30, 1999; Acts 2003, No. 918, §1; Acts 2004, No. 584, §1, eff. July 1, 2004; Acts 2006, No. 115, §1; Acts 2006, No. 445, §2, eff. June 15, 2006; Acts 2006, No. 445, §3, eff. July 1, 2007; Acts 2008, No. 547, §1; Acts 2010, No. 49, §1; Acts 2010, No. 393, §1; Acts 2012, No. 637, §1; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020.
No person shall conduct any activity which results in the discharge of air contaminants without the appropriate permit or license as required under the regulations of the secretary adopted pursuant to this Chapter.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999.
A.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a person who operates or uses a sport shooting range in this state shall not be subject to civil liability or criminal prosecution in any matter relating to noise or noise pollution resulting from the operation or use of the range if the range was established, constructed, or operated prior to the implementation of any noise control laws, ordinances, rules, or regulations, or if the range is in compliance with any noise control laws, ordinances, rules, or regulations that applied to the range and its operation at the time of establishment, construction, or initial operation of the range.
(2) Rules or regulations adopted by a state or local department or agency for limiting levels of noise in terms of decibel level which may occur in the outdoor atmosphere shall not apply to a sport shooting range exempted from liability under this Section.
(3) A municipal noise control ordinance may not require or be applied so as to require a sport shooting range to limit or eliminate shooting activities that have occurred on a regular basis at the range prior to the enactment date of the ordinance.
B.(1) Except as provided in this Section, a person may not maintain a nuisance action for noise against a shooting range located in the vicinity of that person's property if the shooting range was established, constructed, or operated as of the date the person acquired the property. If there is a substantial change in use of the range after the person acquires the property, the person may maintain a nuisance action if the action is brought within three years of the date of a substantial change in use.
(2) A person who owns property in the vicinity of a shooting range that was established, constructed, or operated after the person acquired the property may maintain a nuisance action for noise against that shooting range only if the action is brought within five years after establishment of the range or three years after a substantial change in use of the range.
(3) If there has been no shooting activity at a range for a period of two years, resumption of shooting is considered establishment of a new shooting range for purposes of this Section.
C.(1) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, this Section does not prohibit a unit of local government from regulating the location and construction of a sport shooting range after the effective date of this Section.
(2) Nothing in this Section limits the ability of a local unit of government to regulate noise produced as a result of a substantial change in the use of the range.
D. The provisions of R.S. 30:2053(6), (7), (8), and (9) and 2055.1 contained herein shall not alter or otherwise affect lawsuits filed prior to August 15, 1997.
Acts 1997, No. 891, §1.
A. The governing authority of the city of Shreveport shall have the power to enact ordinances to control and abate odor nuisances. Such ordinances shall provide that no person shall cause or allow the emission of odorous air contaminants from any single source that result in detectable odors.
B. The provisions of this Section shall be applicable only to control and abatement of emission of odorous air contaminants by a rendering plant located within the corporate limits of the municipality. For purposes of this Section, "rendering plant" shall mean an establishment primarily engaged in converting waste animal tissue into stable, value-added materials. Rendering can refer generally to any processing of animal byproducts into more useful material, or more narrowly to the rendering of whole animal fatty tissue into purified fats like lard or suet.
Acts 2007, No. 340, §1, eff. July 9, 2007; Acts 2011, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 25, §1.
A. The secretary may grant individual variances beyond the limitations prescribed under this Chapter. Such variances may be granted upon presentation of adequate proof that compliance with any provision of this Chapter, with any rule or regulation thereunder, or with any final order or determination of the secretary will result in the practical closing and elimination of any lawful business, occupation, or activity without sufficient corresponding benefit or advantage to the people of the state.
B. In determining under what conditions and to what extent a variance from this Chapter or rule or regulation hereunder may be granted, the secretary shall give due recognition to the progress which the person requesting such variance shall have made in controlling or preventing any condition which may have existed as defined by R.S. 30:2053(2). In such case the secretary shall grant such variance conditioned upon such person effecting a partial abatement over a period of time which it shall consider reasonable under the circumstances, or the secretary in conformity with the intent and purpose of this Chapter to protect health and property may prescribe other and different requirements with which the person who receives such variance shall comply.
C. Any variance granted pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall be granted for such period of time, not to exceed one year, as shall be specified by the secretary at the time of the granting of such variance. Any variance may be granted by the secretary under the condition that the person who receives it shall make such periodic reports as to the progress which such person shall have made toward compliance with any rule or regulation as to which a variance has been granted.
D. Upon the failure of the secretary to take action within sixty days after receipt of a petition for variance pursuant to this Section, or upon the failure of the secretary to enter a final order or determination within sixty days after the final argument regarding such a variance petition in any hearing under this Subtitle, then for all purposes the person affected has a right to a writ of mandamus pursuant to the provisions of Code of Civil Procedure Article 3861 et seq., in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court directing the secretary to make a decision on the variance request within a specified time period.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1991, No. 260, §1; Acts 1993, No. 570, §2.
A. No person shall:
(1) Discharge air contaminants or noise pollution into the air of this state in violation of regulations of the secretary or the terms of any permit, license, or variance issued hereunder.
(2) Violate any rule or regulation adopted by the secretary under this Chapter.
(3)(a) Intentionally inject, release, apply, or disperse, by any means, a chemical, chemical compound, substance, or apparatus into the atmosphere within the borders of this state for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight. The provisions of this Paragraph shall not apply to the injection, release, or dispersal under one thousand feet above ground level of fire retardant or fire suppressant substances for purposes of extinguishing or suppressing fire, or to the aerial application under one thousand feet above ground level of seeds, fertilizers, or pesticides for agriculture or forestry purposes.
(b) Any person who observes an activity which may be conducted in violation of this Subsection may report the observed activity to the department.
(c) The department shall establish procedures for the intake of reports made pursuant to this Subsection, which shall allow for electronic submittal. The department may adopt any rules as necessary to implement this Subsection.
(d) The department shall receive the reports for the purpose of data collection and shall make the reports publicly available through the department's website or the Electronic Document Management System.
B. The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply in the following instances:
(1) To persons who burn agricultural by-products in the field in connection with the planting, harvesting, or processing of agricultural products.
(2) To controlled burning of cotton gin agricultural wastes in connection with cotton gin operations.
(3) To controlled burning in connection with timber stand management.
(4) To controlled burning of pastureland or marshland in connection with trapping or livestock production.
(5)(a) To the burning of trees, brush, grass, or other vegetable matter in any parish having a population of ninety thousand or less provided the location of the burning is not within the territorial limits of a city or town or is not adjacent to a city or town in such proximity that the ambient air of the city or town will be affected by smoke from the burning.
(b) The provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph notwithstanding, the governing authority of any municipality having a population of five thousand or less may burn trees, brush, grass, or other vegetable matter on property that it owns or leases within the corporate limits of such municipality, provided that all of the following occur:
(i) The burning does not occur within five hundred feet of an occupied house or residence.
(ii) The municipality enacts an ordinance to prohibit burning of trees, brush, grass, or other vegetable matter within its corporate limits.
(iii) The municipality enacts an ordinance to provide for the collection and burning of trees, brush, grass, or other vegetable matter at a controlled site.
(c) Notwithstanding any provision of this Section or any other law to the contrary, in a parish having a population of ninety thousand persons or fewer according to the most recent federal decennial census, an ordinance may prohibit any person from burning trees, brush, grass, or other vegetable matter and otherwise regulate burning of flammable material when the fire danger rating for the area is high, as defined by rules adopted by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry as required by R.S. 33:1236(31)(b)(iii), or is predicted to be at such level, and for a reasonable time period thereafter. An ordinance adopted pursuant to this Subparagraph shall not apply to prescribed burns by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, by those trained and certified by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, or by those who conduct prescribed burning as a "generally accepted agriculture practice" as defined by the Louisiana Right to Farm Law (R.S. 3:3601 et seq.).
(6) To the burning of trees, branches, limbs, or other wood as a bonfire that is specifically authorized by ordinance in the parishes of St. James, St. John the Baptist, or St. Charles.
C.(1) Nothing in this Subtitle or in the rules or regulations adopted pursuant thereto shall prohibit a private property owner from burning yard waste on his own property, for noncommercial purposes, in parishes with a population of three hundred thousand or less, provided that the property owner attends the burning of yard waste at all times. The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply in the parish of East Baton Rouge.
(2) "Yard waste" as used in this Subsection means leaves, grass, twigs, branches, and vines.
(3) The provisions of this Subsection shall not prohibit a political subdivision from enacting ordinances or rules prohibiting or otherwise regulating the burning of yard waste.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1983, No. 34, §1; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 254, §1; Acts 1984, No. 316, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1997, No. 276, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1275, §2; Acts 2001, No. 525, §1; Acts 2006, No. 376, §2, eff. June 15, 2006; Acts 2025, No. 95, §1.
No state or local department, agency, or member of the executive branch of the state shall enter into any agreement or compact purporting to bind the state or any region thereof to federal enactments or regulatory devices under the Clean Air Act of 1972, (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) as amended, or any other related enactment, which does or may allow or provide for the federal government unilaterally to redesignate or reclassify any area of the state for the purpose of altering existing ambient air standards without having first satisfied the following minimum procedures:
(1) Submitted the proposed agreement or compact to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality for review and comment for a period not to exceed thirty days;
(2) Held at least one public hearing, after announcement in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq., in each affected parish;
(3) Made available for public inspection and comment at least thirty days prior to holding such public meeting, the reasons for the proposed redesignation:
(4) Informed all local government agencies in the parishes affected of the details of such proposal by providing a copy of the proposal and a map locating the area or areas under consideration for redesignation, at least thirty days prior to the public hearing scheduled to be held in their respective parishes.
Added by Acts 1980, No. 367, §1; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
As a part of the implementation of comprehensive ambient air monitoring, the secretary may designate Southern University Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, McNeese State University at Lake Charles, and Southeastern Louisiana University at Hammond as ambient air monitoring facilities certified by the Department of Environmental Quality for monitoring, identifying, and quantifying concentrations of hazardous air pollutants, including air toxics and ozone, or organic compounds under evaluation for designation as hazardous air pollutants. The universities may monitor, identify, and quantify concentrations of hazardous air pollutants on a twenty-four-hour-per-day, seven-day-per-week basis. The department may provide to the universities technical expertise, monitoring equipment, and financial assistance as necessary to ensure compliance with the provisions of this Section.
Acts 1989, No. 184, §2; Acts 1989, No. 786, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A.(1) Not later than December 31, 1989, the secretary shall develop and publish a list of not more than one hundred toxic air pollutants pursuant to the criteria contained in R.S. 30:2053(3). Pollutants on this list shall be ranked or classified according to level of concern based on such criteria as emission levels, human health effects, population exposure, and persistence or accumulation in the environment.
(2) The secretary shall, from time to time, but not less than every three years review and revise the list established by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, adding pollutants which present, or may present, a threat of adverse human health effects and deleting substances if the secretary has determined that the substances no longer meet the definition of "toxic air pollutant" as defined in R.S. 30:2053(3).
(3) Any person may petition the secretary to modify the list established by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection by adding or deleting a substance. Within six months after receipt of a petition, the secretary shall either grant the petition or publish a statement of the reasons for not granting the petition.
(4) A proposed list shall be published and public hearings held in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act prior to final publication and promulgation.
B. Not later than July 1, 1990, the secretary shall propose initial rules and regulations identifying toxic air pollutants as defined in R.S. 30:2053(3), designating those toxic air pollutants which shall be subject to the provisions of this Section and establishing a schedule for the development of ambient air concentration standards, emission standards, and/or technical control standards for those toxic pollutants. The secretary may grant credits to facilities undertaking voluntary reductions that exceed the regulatory requirements pursuant to R.S. 30:2054(B)(3) and rules and regulations to be promulgated thereunder.
C. It shall be a goal of the toxic air pollutant control program established by this Section and consequent promulgation of rules and regulations that the total amount of statewide emissions of toxic air pollutants be reduced by fifty percent from 1987 levels by December 31, 1996. In its efforts to achieve this goal, the department shall place emphasis on those sources of emissions representing the greatest risk to human health.
D. Facilities or sources which are found to be in noncompliance at the time of adoption and promulgation of the applicable rules and regulations developed pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall submit a plan for achieving compliance. Compliance shall be required as expeditiously as practicable within a time frame determined necessary by the secretary.
E. In order to facilitate the identification and quantification of toxic air pollutants and the compilation and maintenance of the comprehensive air emissions inventory required in R.S. 30:2054(A)(1), the department shall require facilities which emit or discharge toxic air pollutants, or substances under evaluation for such designation, to provide to the office the identity and quantities of such air contaminants emitted. Such information shall be made readily available to the public by the department in an easily accessible form.
F. To further develop information concerning sources of and levels of exposure to toxic air pollutants, the department shall conduct continuous or periodic monitoring of toxic air pollutants at locations and times deemed necessary by the office. Information developed as a result of the monitoring efforts shall be made readily available to the public by the department in an easily accessible form.
G. Not later than April 30, 1990, the department shall publish a report summarizing baseline 1987 toxic air pollutant emission levels. The department shall conduct studies for the purpose of estimating emissions of toxic air pollutants from industrial, area, and mobile sources. This report shall be published and submitted for public comment and review for a period of not less than thirty days. In April of each year thereafter, the department shall publish a report summarizing changes in emission levels from the previously reported year and from the 1987 baseline levels, and documenting measures taken and progress made toward reducing toxic air pollutant emission levels.
H.(1) For any discharge of a toxic air pollutant into the atmosphere of Louisiana, the rate or quantity of which is in excess of that allowed by permit, license, compliance schedule, or variance or, for upset events, that exceed the reportable quantity established by regulation, the owner or operator of the source from which such discharge occurs shall immediately notify the department by telephone, and shall submit a written report within seven days containing:
(a) Information on the source, nature, and cause of the discharge.
(b) The date and time of the discharge.
(c) The approximate total loss during the discharge.
(d) The method used for determining the loss.
(e) The action taken to prevent the discharge.
(f) The measures adopted to prevent future discharges.
(g) Any other information deemed necessary by the secretary.
(2) Upon notification required by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the department shall conduct an investigation of the incident to determine the nature, cause, and preventability of the emission. It shall be the burden of the emitting facility at the time of the investigation to prove that the discharge was indeed an emergency emission.
(3) For an emission which the department determines to have been preventable, the secretary shall initiate appropriate enforcement proceedings under this Subtitle.
I. The secretary shall establish and maintain records of all emissions which he determines to have been preventable and to have been emergency emission releases, and shall further maintain such records as necessary to reflect the accumulation of emergency emissions by any individual facility. The secretary shall utilize such records in enforcement proceedings under this Subtitle.
J. Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 947, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1996.
K. The secretary shall have the authority to levy and collect fees sufficient to fund the toxic air pollutant emission control program as established under this Section and supporting ambient air monitoring efforts.
L. There shall be no discharge of a toxic air pollutant into the atmosphere of Louisiana except that allowed by permit, license, variance, or compliance schedule or in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Section.
M. All regulations promulgated under R.S. 30:2059 as in effect prior to June 23, 1989 shall remain in force, as promulgated, unless modified in accordance with this Chapter.
N.(1)(a) The regulations adopted pursuant to this Section shall provide for and delineate "major" and "minor" sources of air toxic emissions.
(b) A "major source" shall be defined as any stationary source of air pollutants, including all emission points and units of such source located within a contiguous area and under common control, which emits or has the potential to emit, in the aggregate, ten tons per year or more of any toxic air pollutant or twenty-five tons per year or more of any combination of toxic air pollutants. For purposes of this Section, the secretary may establish by rule or regulation, if required to administer any programs required or delegated to the state under the federal Clean Air Act, a lesser quantity, or in the case of radionuclides, different criteria, for a major source, other than that specified in this Paragraph, on the basis of the potency of the air pollutant, persistence, potential for bioaccumulation, other characteristics of the air pollutant, or other relevant factors.
(c) A "minor source" shall be defined as any stationary source which is not a major source.
(2) The department shall provide technical assistance to affected sources and serve to coordinate among similar sources the determination of maximum achievable control technology as shall be defined and required in regulations adopted pursuant to this Section. By regulation, the secretary may define and require generally available control technology for minor sources instead of requiring maximum achievable control technology where such is consistent with a reasonable level of protection of human health. In locations where there is no reasonable expectation of a threat posed to human health, appropriate volatile organic compound controls specified in regulations adopted pursuant to R.S. 30:2051 et seq., may be considered maximum achievable control technology for certain sources of emissions of toxic air pollutants which are also volatile organic compounds. If for any major source a department approved compliance plan establishes a maximum achievable control technology determination or compliance schedule which conflicts with or is significantly different from an applicable maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standard or schedule proposed, promulgated, or under development by the Environmental Protection Agency, such sources shall be allowed to voluntarily submit compliance plan revisions to reflect the federal MACT standard or schedule. The department shall review any such plan revisions in accordance with procedures established for compliance plan review and approval pursuant to regulations adopted under this Section. Notwithstanding any provision of this Subsection to the contrary, major sources who elect to submit revisions shall attain compliance in accordance with the department approved revised compliance plan and revised schedule. When the provisions and requirements contained in the department approved compliance plans are incorporated into permits issued by the department, those provisions and requirements shall be enforced through the permit and no longer enforced through the compliance plan.
(3) Submittal of any compliance plan and schedule pursuant to this Section and rules adopted hereunder pertaining to a major source shall be no later than one year from promulgation of such rules. Major sources shall attain compliance as expeditiously as practicable but no later than three years from the date of department approval of the compliance plans. In appropriate circumstances up to an additional year may be allowed for compliance. However, under no circumstance shall the compliance period extend beyond six years from the promulgation of such rules.
(4) Not later than July 1, 1992, the secretary shall develop and publish a list of minor source categories which the secretary determines may reasonably be expected to pose a threat to human health. At least every three years, the secretary shall review and revise the list as deemed appropriate. The list shall include those categories and subcategories listed pursuant to Title III, Section 112(c)(3) of the federal Clean Air Act Amendments for sources which operate in Louisiana. Except under circumstances which may reasonably be expected to pose a threat to human health, for purposes of listing source categories under this Paragraph, minor sources shall not be aggregated.
(5) Not later than December 31, 1993, the secretary shall propose minor source category rules and regulations governing the initial list published pursuant to Paragraph (4). Upon promulgation of minor source category rules and regulations, affected sources shall have up to twenty-four months to attain compliance. Under appropriate circumstances up to an additional year may be allowed for compliance.
(6) For purposes of this Section a small business stationary source means a minor source having one hundred or fewer employees. To assist small businesses affected by regulations adopted pursuant to this Section, the department shall establish a small business stationary source technical and environmental compliance assistance program. This program shall at a minimum include the following:
(a) Adequate mechanisms for developing, collecting, and coordinating information concerning compliance methods and technologies for small business stationary sources, and programs to encourage lawful cooperation among such sources and other persons to further compliance with this Section.
(b) Adequate mechanisms for assisting small business stationary sources with pollution prevention and accidental release detection and prevention, including providing information concerning alternative technologies, process changes, products, and methods of operation which help reduce air pollution.
(c) A compliance assistance program which assists small business stationary sources in determining applicable requirements and in receiving any permits required under this Section in a timely and efficient manner.
(d) Adequate mechanisms for informing small business stationary sources of their obligations under this Section, including mechanisms for providing a list of qualified contractors, or, at the option of the secretary, for providing audits of the operations of such sources to determine compliance with this Section.
(7) Except under circumstances which may reasonably be expected to pose a threat to human health, whether or not such units are in a contiguous area or under common control, in determining the applicability of emission standards or technical control standards the secretary shall not aggregate:
(a) Emissions from any oil or gas exploration or production well and its associated equipment.
(b) Emissions from any pipeline compressor or pump station.
(c) Emissions from other similar units.
(8) For the storage of ammonia fertilizer on farms for subsequent application to agricultural crops, the requirements of this Section shall be no more stringent than existing requirements under the federal Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 and subsequent amendments.
(9) The department shall conduct public meetings in at least seven major metropolitan areas of this state to present the regulations developed pursuant to this Section for public comment.
(10) The department shall present the proposed regulations at a joint meeting of the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment for review and comment prior to the formal oversight hearing. Following this joint informational meeting, the department shall present the regulations to the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq., if meetings are scheduled. Thereafter, the department may adopt the regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act notwithstanding the twelve-month limitation in R.S. 49:966(H)(1).
O.(1)(a) An affected source's compliance with an applicable standard promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 40 CFR Parts 61 or 63, shall constitute compliance by the affected source with this Section and the rules and regulations adopted by the department under this Section. Determination of the standard for affected sources not subject to a federal standard shall be made by the department through the permitting process using the existing determination method. For purposes of this Subsection, "affected source" means the collection of equipment, activities, or both within a single contiguous area and under common control that is further defined by the applicable standard.
(b) The provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph shall not apply to rules regarding the regulation and control of asbestos promulgated by the department pursuant to R.S. 30:2054.
(2)(a) Affected sources shall be subject to ambient air standards promulgated pursuant to this Section outside their property boundaries, except that such ambient air standards shall not apply to roads, railroads, or water bodies where activities are transient in nature and long-term exposure to emissions is not reasonably anticipated.
(b) Ambient air standards shall not apply to industrial properties adjacent to or impacted by emissions from affected sources, provided the affected source shall demonstrate that worker protection standards enacted pursuant to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act as permissible exposure limits are not exceeded on the impacted property because of toxic air pollutant emissions from the affected source.
(3) Affected sources shall be subject to annual emissions reporting requirements for toxic air pollutants promulgated pursuant to this Section.
(4) Affected sources shall continue to be subject to applicable fees required by the department regulations.
(5) The department shall adopt rules, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq., to implement the requirements of this Subsection.
Acts 1989, No. 184, §1, eff. June 23, 1989; Acts 1990, No. 245, §1; Acts 1991, No. 635, §1; Acts 1992, No. 967, §1; Acts 1992, No. 1127, §1; Acts 1995, No. 845, §1, eff. June 27, 1995; Acts 1995, No. 947, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 780, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2010, No. 103, §1.
A. In developing a plan for the implementation of any guidelines for greenhouse gas emissions that the United States Environmental Protection Agency may issue under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, the Department of Environmental Quality, in collaboration with and input from the Public Service Commission, may establish standards of performance for carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units. Each standard of performance shall be:
(1) Set for each category of existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units based on the type of fuel burned by those generating units as provided in Subsection B of this Section.
(2) Adjusted on a case-by-case basis as provided in Subsection C of this Section.
(3) Implemented as provided in Subsection D of this Section.
B. Except as provided for in Subsection C of this Section, the standards of performance established for existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units shall be based on the following:
(1) The best system of emission reduction that, taking into account the cost of achieving such reduction and any non-air quality health and environmental impact and energy requirements, has been adequately demonstrated for fossil fuel-fired electric generating units that are subject to the standards of performance.
(2) Reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide that can reasonably be achieved through measures undertaken at each fossil fuel-fired electric generating unit.
(3) Efficiency improvements and other measures that can be undertaken at each fossil fuel-fired electric generating unit to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the unit without switching to other fuels, co-firing with other fuels, or limiting the utilization of the unit.
C. In establishing standards of performance for each category of existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units, the department shall consider in all cases whether to adopt less stringent standards or longer compliance schedules for such individual units than those provided for in the applicable federal rules or guidelines based on the following:
(1) Consumer impacts, including any disproportionate impacts of energy price increases on lower income populations.
(2) Unreasonable cost of reducing emissions resulting from plant age, location, or basic process design.
(3) Physical difficulties with or impossibility of implementing emission reduction measures.
(4) The absolute cost of applying the performance standard to the unit.
(5) The expected remaining useful life of the unit.
(6) The economic impacts of closing the unit, including expected job losses, if the unit is unable to comply with the performance standard.
(7) The need to maintain the reliability of the electric grid.
(8) Any other factors specific to the unit that should be considered by the department in establishing reasonable performance standards or reasonable compliance schedules.
D.(1) The department may implement, to the maximum extent permissible, the standards of performance authorized by Subsection A of this Section through the regulatory mechanisms that provide flexibility in complying with such standards, including the averaging of emissions, emissions trading, or other alternative implementation measures that are determined to further the interests of Louisiana and its citizens.
(2) The department's plan for establishing and implementing standards of performance for existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units shall be consistent with the provisions of this Section and may include alternative compliance options for meeting such standards to the extent that those compliance options:
(a) Comply with a guidance document promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act and 40 CFR Part 60, Subpart B.
(b) Are based on measures that can be implemented by the owners or operators of existing fossil fuel-fired electric generating units.
(c) Are authorized by and consistent with all applicable provisions of state law.
E. This Section shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Carbon Dioxide Emission Fossil Fuel-Fired Electrical Generating Units Control Act".
Acts 2014, No. 726, §1.
In accordance with the provisions of 42 U.S.C. §7661f (Section 507 of the Federal Clean Air Act), the state shall establish a Small Business Stationary Source Technical and Environmental Compliance Assistance Program, for the purpose of helping small business owners who may not have the financial or technical ability to comply with the requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act. The state shall name an office that shall serve as an ombudsman for small business, create the Small Business Stationary Source Technical and Environmental Compliance Assistance Program, and create a Louisiana Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel, to oversee the program and ensure that the program complies with the provisions of the Federal Clean Air Act.
Acts 1992, No. 1037, §1.
A. There is hereby established and created a statewide advisory panel to be known as the Louisiana Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel. The panel shall be a body politic and corporate constituting a public instrumentality of the state established and created for the performance of an essential public and governmental function. The panel shall be a function and responsibility of the Department of Environmental Quality.
B. The panel shall have the power to:
(1) Render advisory opinions to the Department of Environmental Quality on the effectiveness of the Small Business Stationary Source Technical and Environmental Compliance Assistance Program, with regard to any difficulties encountered, and the degree and severity of enforcement, including the effectiveness of the small business ombudsman, and any rules and regulations adopted by the department that may affect small business.
(2) Prepare periodic reports to the Environmental Protection Agency on the compliance status of the Small Business Stationary Source Technical and Environmental Compliance Assistance Program following the intent of the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, and the Equal Access to Justice Act.
(3) Review information for small business stationary sources to assure such information is understandable to the layperson.
(4) Have the Small Business Stationary Source Technical and Environmental Compliance Program serve as the secretariat for the development and dissemination of such reports and advisory opinions.
C. The panel shall be comprised of eight members, seven of whom shall be selected as follows:
(1) Two members who are not owners or representatives of owners of small business stationary sources to represent the general public, to be designated by the governor.
(2) One member representing the Department of Environmental Quality, to be designated by the secretary thereof.
(3) Two members who are owners or representatives of owners of small business stationary sources, to be designated by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
(4) Two members who are owners or representatives of owners of small business stationary sources, to be designated by the president of the Senate.
(5) The secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, ex officio, shall serve in a nonvoting capacity.
D. Each appointment shall be submitted to the Senate for confirmation and shall serve for a term of no more than four years, to run concurrently with that of the governor.
E. For purposes of conducting business of the panel, four members shall be a quorum.
F. All meetings of the panel shall be held in accordance with R.S. 42:11 et seq.
G. The panel shall continue until its existence shall be ended by law. Upon the termination of the existence of the panel, all of its rights and properties shall pass to and vest in the state.
Acts 1992, No. 1037, §1.
A. As used in this Section:
(1) The term "accidental release" means an unanticipated emission of a regulated substance into the ambient air from a stationary source.
(2) The term "regulated substance" means a substance listed under Subsection E of this Section.
(3) The term "stationary source" means any buildings, structures, equipment, installations, or substance emitting stationary activities:
(a) Which belong to the same industrial group.
(b) Which are located on one or more of contiguous properties.
(c) Which are under the control of the same person, or persons under common control.
(d) From which an accidental release may occur.
B.(1) In addition to such other regulations, authorized or required by this Chapter, it shall be the objective of the regulations and programs authorized under this Section to prevent the accidental release to the air and to minimize the consequences of any such release of any regulated substance listed pursuant to Subsection E of this Section which in the case of an accidental release is known to cause or may reasonably be anticipated to cause death, injury, or serious adverse effects to human health or to the environment.
(2) It is the intent of the legislature that the regulations adopted pursuant to this Section shall be as consistent as possible with the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accident prevention regulations which are proposed or adopted pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act.
C. The owners and operators of stationary sources producing, processing, handling, or storing such substances have a general duty in the same manner and to the same extent as 29 U.S.C. 654 to identify hazards which may result from such releases using appropriate hazard assessment techniques, to design and maintain a safe facility and to minimize the consequences of accidental releases which do occur. For the purposes of this Subsection, the provisions of R.S. 30:2026 shall not be available to any person or otherwise be construed to be applicable to this Subsection. Nothing in this Section shall be interpreted, construed, implied, or applied to create any liability or basis for suit for compensation for bodily injury or any other injury or property damages to any person which may result from accidental releases of such substances.
D. In exercising any authority under this Section, the secretary shall not be deemed to be exercising statutory authority to prescribe or enforce standards or regulations affecting occupational safety and health. Nothing in this Section shall be deemed to grant to the secretary any jurisdiction or authority to make any rule, regulation, recommendations, or determination, to enter any order with respect to air conditions existing solely within the property boundaries of commercial and industrial plants, works, or shops, or to affect relations between employers and employees with respect to or arising out of any air condition.
E. The secretary shall establish by rule, and may periodically revise, a list of regulated substances. The list may contain but is not limited to any substance listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C.A. 7412(r), provided that the secretary shall not include any air pollutant for which a national primary ambient air quality standard has been established pursuant to Section 109 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7409, on such list. No substance, practice, process, or activity regulated under Subchapter VI of 42 U.S.C. Chapter 85, or that is subject to Section 112(q)(2) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412(q)(2), shall be subject to regulations under this Section. In listing substances, the secretary shall consider each of the following criteria:
(1) The toxicity, reactivity, volatility, dispersibility, combustibility, explosivity, or flammability of the substance.
(2) The severity of any acute adverse health effects associated with accidental releases of the substance.
(3) The likelihood of accidental releases of the substance.
(4) The potential magnitude of human exposure to accidental releases of the substance.
F.(1) At the time any substance is listed pursuant to Subsection E of this Section, the secretary shall establish a threshold quantity for the substance, considering the toxicity, reactivity, volatility, dispersibility, combustibility, or flammability of the substance and the amount of the substance which, as a result of an accidental release, is known to cause or may reasonably be anticipated to cause death, injury, or serious adverse effects to human health or to the environment. If a threshold quantity is established or proposed by the U.S. EPA pursuant to Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412(r), the threshold quantity adopted by the secretary shall be not less than the U.S. EPA threshold quantity. The secretary is authorized to establish a greater threshold quantity for, or to exempt entirely, any substance or any facility including but is not limited to any substance that is a nutrient used in agriculture when held by a farmer.
(2) Regulations establishing the list and the threshold quantities shall include an explanation of the basis for establishing the list and the threshold quantities. The regulations shall also identify and explain any additional requirements imposed that are not specifically required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accident prevention regulations which are proposed or adopted pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act. The term "threshold quantity" as used in this Section shall be applicable solely for the purposes of the accident prevention regulations provided for in this Section.
G. In order to prevent accidental releases of regulated substances, the secretary is authorized to adopt and promulgate regulations governing release prevention, detection, and correction requirements.
H.(1) No later than November 20, 1993, the secretary shall propose reasonable regulations to provide, to the greatest extent practicable, for the prevention and detection of accidental releases of regulated substances and for response to such releases by the owners or operators of the sources of such releases. Where appropriate in the development of such regulations the secretary shall review and consider any regulations under development and/or promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 112(r) of the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act.
(2) In order to protect human health and the environment, the regulations under this Subsection shall require the owner or operator of stationary sources at which a regulated substance is present in more than a threshold quantity to prepare and implement a risk management plan to detect and prevent an accidental release of such substances from the stationary source, to minimize any release, and to provide a prompt emergency response to any such release which does occur.
(3) The owner or operator of each stationary source covered by Paragraph (2) of this Subsection shall register the risk management plan prepared pursuant to this Subsection with the secretary in accordance with rules promulgated by the secretary. The risk management plans prepared pursuant to this Subsection shall be available to the public, subject to the confidentiality provisions of R.S. 30:2030. The emergency response portion of the risk management plan shall also be submitted to the local agency or entity having responsibility for planning for or responding to accidental releases which may occur at such source and to any governmental agency which requests the emergency response portion.
(4) The secretary shall establish by rule an auditing system to review regularly and, if necessary, require revision in risk management plans to assure that the plans comply with this Subsection. Each such plan shall be updated periodically as required by the secretary by rule.
(5) Any regulations promulgated pursuant to this Subsection shall be, to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with the recommendations and standards established by commonly accepted and applicable engineering and professional codes, including but not limited to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), or the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM).
(6) The secretary shall take into consideration the concerns of small business in proposing regulations under this Subsection.
(7) Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Chapter or of this Subsection to the contrary, no stationary source shall be required to apply for, or operate pursuant to, a permit issued under such Chapter solely because such source is subject to regulations or requirements under this Subsection.
I. After the effective date of any regulation or requirement imposed, authorized, or required by this Section, it shall be unlawful for any person to operate any stationary source subject to such regulation or requirement in violation of such regulation or requirement. Each regulation or requirement under this Section shall be treated as a standard in effect for purposes of R.S. 30:2025 and other enforcement provisions of Subtitle II of Title 30.
J. The regulations authorized pursuant to this Section may provide for the registration of each process covered by the regulations. In accordance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and R.S. 30:2014, the department is authorized to increase fees to cover the operating expenses of the department for the continued implementation of the accidental release prevention program. The fee increase shall be implemented by increasing, on an average of four and one-half percent, existing fees assessed by the department pursuant to its fee schedules under the air quality control program. The fee schedule shall be based on industrial groups that reflect the degree that these are to be regulated under the accidental release prevention program.
K.(1) Storers of liquefied petroleum gas whose facilities are permitted through or inspected by the Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall not be required to pay any additional fees on liquefied petroleum gas pursuant to this Section.
(2) Storers of liquefied petroleum gas who use such gas as a fuel in an agricultural process shall not be required to pay any additional fees on liquefied petroleum gas pursuant to this Section.
(3) The Department of Environmental Quality shall not regulate the storers of liquefied petroleum gas provided for in this Subsection, for purposes of the chemical accident prevention program, at those facilities in which the presence of liquefied petroleum gas is the sole reason for the inclusion of the facility in the chemical accident prevention program.
Acts 1992, No. 1127, §1; Acts 1997, No. 885, §1; Acts 1999, No. 839, §1.
A.(1) The provisions of this Section shall be known as, and may be cited as, the "Louisiana Automobile Retirement Act".
(2) As used in this Section, the following words shall have the following meanings ascribed to them:
(a) "Motor vehicle" means any car, truck, or van manufactured prior to 1972. Motor vehicle does not include motorcycles, off-road vehicles, antique cars, collector vintage cars, classic cars, or any other collector vehicle.
(b) "Department" means the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality acting through the appropriate office as designated by the secretary.
(c) "Program" means the program for purchasing and disposing of certain motor vehicles which is established in this Section.
B. The purpose of this Section is to promote clean air in Louisiana by encouraging the voluntary retirement of motor vehicles which were manufactured prior to 1972 and which therefore are not subject to federal emissions standards.
C. The provisions of this Section shall be administered by the department.
D. The department may adopt administrative rules to implement the provisions of this Section. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
E. In accordance with rules adopted pursuant to Subsection D, the department shall:
(1) Use the funds which are available under the provisions of Subsection G to purchase motor vehicles which were manufactured prior to 1972 provided such motor vehicles are operable and are registered with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
(2) Establish a schedule of prices which the department will pay for the motor vehicles which the department purchases through the program. The maximum price which the department may pay for a motor vehicle shall be seven hundred dollars.
F. In accordance with rules adopted pursuant to Subsection D, the department shall dispose of motor vehicles purchased through the program. The rules shall provide:
(1) The department may sell the motor vehicles for the purpose of being crushed or shredded and the materials recycled. Sales shall be at public auction to the highest responsible bidder. Antique and collector car clubs who submit the name and address of their club on a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the department shall be notified in writing at least ninety days prior to any public auction of the date, place, and time of the auction.
(2) The department may dispose of the motor vehicles in accordance with rules adopted under the provisions of Subsection D.
G.(1) The department may seek and accept donations from any source, public or private, to provide funds for the program.
(2) State funds shall not be expended or appropriated for the program. The program shall be operated entirely from self-generated revenues and from donations made to the program as provided in this Subsection.
Acts 1992, No. 670, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
In accordance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and R.S. 30:2014, for Fiscal Year 1997-1998, the Department of Environmental Quality is authorized to increase any fee listed in the current fee schedules provided for under the department's air quality control program rules and regulations. The fees may be increased by a maximum of eight percent.
Acts 1997, No. 884, §1.
A. The following terms shall have the following meanings for the purposes of this Section:
(1) "Annual adjustment" shall mean an annual increase by the percentage by which the Consumer Price Index, as published by the United States Department of Labor for all urban consumers or its successor publication, for the year immediately prior to the year in which the fee is being imposed exceeds the Consumer Price Index for the calendar year 1989.
(2) "Baseline amount" shall mean the amount computed, in accordance with such guidance as the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency may provide, as the lower amount within the year of either the actual volatile organic compound (VOC) or Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions or the VOC or NOx emissions allowed under the permit applicable to the source, or if no permit has been issued for that year, the amount of VOC or NOx emissions allowed under the implementation plan. Such guidance by the administrator may include the calculation of the baseline amount based upon average actuals or average allowables.
B. In accordance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the Department of Environmental Quality is authorized to adopt, promulgate, implement, and collect a fee, in addition to any other fee, to be paid by major stationary sources of VOC and NOx emissions located in severe or extreme ozone nonattainment areas that have failed to attain the one-hour national primary ambient air quality standard for ozone by the year 2005. The fee shall be no more than five thousand dollars or an amount determined by the department to be consistent with applicable federal requirements, whichever is less, plus annual adjustment, per ton of VOC and NOx emitted in excess of eighty percent of the baseline amount by the source during the calendar year. The fee shall be paid for each calendar year beginning after 2005 for which a fee is to be collected pursuant to this Section, until the area is classified as an attainment area for the one-hour national primary ambient air quality standard for ozone or such fee is no longer required by Section 185 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 7511d). To the extent consistent with applicable federal requirements, when imposing the fee authorized by this Section, the department may use such baseline or baselines as the department deems necessary and appropriate.
C. The fee authorized in this Section shall not apply to the following:
(1) Emissions emitted during any year that is treated as an "Extension Year" under Section 181(a)(5) of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 7511(a)(5)).
(2) Areas with a total population under two hundred thousand that failed to attain the standard by the year 2005, if the area can demonstrate, consistent with guidance by the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, that attainment in the area is prevented because of ozone or ozone precursors transported from other areas and if the area has met all requirements and implemented all applicable measures under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
D. Notwithstanding any provision in this Section to the contrary, to the extent that the United States Congress, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or a court with appropriate jurisdiction takes action that eliminates, reduces, or otherwise modifies the fee required by Section 185 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 7511d) or the manner in which such fee is implemented or collected, the department shall take such actions as appropriate to immediately adopt, promulgate, and implement such regulations as necessary to ensure that a minimum of such fee is collected pursuant to this Section but not greater than five thousand dollars per ton as required by Section 185 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 7511d) or any new federal statute or binding federal requirement on the same subject. To the extent applicable judicial decisions or federal laws, regulations, policies, guidance, or directives provide flexibility or alternatives with respect to the imposition of the fee required by Section 185 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 7511d), the department may adopt, promulgate, and implement such regulations and take such other actions as consistent therewith, including modifying the manner in which the fee authorized by this Section is implemented and collected, otherwise ameliorating the impact of such fee or imposing alternative requirements in lieu of, or in addition to, such fee.
Acts 2003, No. 441, §1; Acts 2008, No. 588, §1, eff. June 30, 2008.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Water Control Law."
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
The legislature finds and declares that the waters of the state of Louisiana are among the state's most important natural resources and their continued protection and safeguard is of vital concern to the citizens of this state. To insure the proper protection and maintenance of the state's waters, it is necessary to adopt a system to control and regulate the discharge of waste materials, pollutants, and other substances into the waters of the state.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Bordering waters", as used in Paragraph (7) of this Section, means any waters of the state as otherwise defined, any part of which is located within the confines of the state, and any waters which touch the coastline of Louisiana as it borders on the Gulf of Mexico, and includes the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
(2) "Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (LPDES)" means those portions of the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act and the Louisiana Water Control Law and all regulations promulgated under their authority which are deemed equivalent to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, otherwise known as the Clean Water Act, and for which Louisiana is the delegated authority. The LPDES specifically includes but is not limited to authority to issue all permits provided for under Sections 402 and 405 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as well as the general permits program, the storm water discharge program, the pretreatment program, and the sewage sludge program.
(3) "LPDES variance" means any mechanism or provision which allows modification to or waiver of permit conditions of state regulatory requirements applicable to discharges of substances to waters of the state or to treatment works but does not include those variances which under federal law may only be granted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
(4) "Public sanitary sewerage system" means a privately or publicly owned system intended to provide for the collection, conveyance, or treatment of waste water and other sewage for the public or such facilities owned by the public, if the system has at least fifteen service connections or regularly serves an average of at least twenty-five individuals daily at least sixty days out of the year. The term includes:
(a) Any collection, conveyance, treatment, storage, or discharge facilities under the control of the operator of the system and used primarily in connection with the system.
(b) Any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with the system.
(5) "Treatment works" means any plant or other works which accomplishes the treating, stabilizing, or holding of wastes.
(6) "Untreated wastes" means wastes which have not been treated in treatment works.
(7) "Wastes" means any material for which no use or reuse is intended and which is to be discarded.
(8) "Water pollution", except for the purposes of the Louisiana Pollution Discharge Elimination System, means the introduction into waters of the state by any means, including but not limited to dredge and fill operations, of any substance in concentrations which tend to degrade the chemical, physical, biological, or radiological integrity of such waters, including but not limited to the discharge of brine from salt domes which are located on the coastline of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico into any waters off said coastline and extending therefrom three miles into the Gulf of Mexico. For the purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, as defined herein, "water pollution" includes but is not limited to any addition of any pollutant or combination of pollutants to waters of the state from any source, or any addition of any pollutant or combination of pollutants to the waters of the contiguous zone or the Gulf of Mexico from any source other than a vessel or other floating craft which is being used as a means of transportation. For the purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, as defined in this Paragraph, the definition of "water pollution" further includes but is not limited to additions of pollutants into waters of the state from surface runoff, which is collected or channelled by man; discharges through pipes, sewers, or other conveyances owned by the state, a municipality, or other person which do not lead to a treatment works; and discharges through pipes, sewers, or other conveyances, leading into privately owned treatment works. This term does not include an addition of pollutants by an indirect discharger to a publicly owned treatment works.
(9) "Waters of the state" means both the surface and underground waters within the state of Louisiana including all rivers, streams, lakes, groundwaters, and all other water courses and waters within the confines of the state, and all bordering waters and the Gulf of America. However, for purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, "waters of the state" means all surface waters within the state of Louisiana and, on the coastline of Louisiana and the Gulf of America, all surface waters extending therefrom three miles into the Gulf of America. For purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, this includes all surface waters which are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, impoundments of waters within the state of Louisiana otherwise defined as "waters of the United States" in 40 CFR 120.2 and tributaries of all such waters. "Waters of the state" does not include waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq. "Waters of the state" does not include "fastlands" as defined by R.S. 49:214.23, including "wetlands" that are also defined as "fastlands" and do not bear a continuous surface connection to other waters of the United States. This definition shall not be construed to have any effect on the ownership of lands or water bottoms, whether public or private, in this state nor on any perceived access to private lands or water bottoms due to a continuous surface connection.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1984, No. 317, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1993, No. 172, §1; Acts 1993, No. 174, §1; Acts 1995, No. 708, §1; Acts 1997, No. 480, §1, eff. June 30, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 1119, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1461, §1; Acts 2025, No. 105, §1, eff. June 8, 2025.
A. The department shall have the following powers and duties with respect to water quality control:
(1) To prepare and develop a general plan for the proper protection and control of the waters of the state.
(2) To make investigations on its own motion or upon the complaint of any person and by appropriate order to control, regulate, or restrain the discharge of any waste material or polluting substance discharged or sought to be discharged into any waters of the state in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 30:2025.
(3) To process all applications for certifications which applicants for federal or state licenses or permits are required to provide to the appropriate agency. In connection with the issuance of such certificates, one notice of each application for a certification under this Paragraph must either be published in the official journal of the state or issued as a joint notice by the agency requiring the certification. In the event the secretary determines that there is significant public interest in the proposed activity, he shall cause notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the affected area. The cost of publication of public notice shall be borne by the applicant. The notice shall provide that comments concerning the application may be filed with the department in accordance with regulations developed to implement this Chapter. After the time provided for public comment, the department shall act upon the application and take such action as it deems appropriate. If, as a condition to certification, the secretary proposes any alterations to the federal or state license or permit, as drafted, or proposes to deny the certification, the secretary shall promptly notify the applicant of the proposed alterations or denial, and shall provide the applicant an opportunity for a hearing in connection with such proposed alterations or proposed denial in accordance with R.S. 30:2024(A). Conditional certifications and certification denials shall be considered permit actions for all purposes.
(4) To administer the Clean Water State Revolving Fund as established in R.S. 30:2302. The department is also authorized to enter into contracts and other agreements in connection with the operation of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to the extent necessary or convenient for the implementation of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program.
B. The secretary shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To establish such standards, guidelines, or criteria as he deems necessary or appropriate to prohibit, control, or abate any of the following:
(a) Water pollution.
(b) Discharges into publicly owned treatment works in accordance with Sections 307 and 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
(c) Use and disposal of sewage sludge in accordance with Section 405 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
(2) To ascertain and determine, for record and for use in making regulations, what volume of water actually flows in any stream, as well as the high and low water marks of waters of the state affected by the waste disposal or pollution of any person.
(3) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations consistent with the general intent and purposes of this Chapter to prevent water pollution, including but not limited to the following:
(a) Regulations requiring compliance by users of publicly owned treatment works in accordance with Sections 307 and 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
(b) Regulations requiring compliance with pretreatment standards and requirements in accordance with Sections 307 and 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
(c) Regulations requiring the treatment of wastes in treatment works.
(d) Regulations prohibiting the unpermitted discharge of untreated or improperly treated wastes.
(e) Regulations prohibiting improper sewage sludge use or disposal, including but not limited to general requirements, pollutant limits, management practices, operational standards, and monitoring, recordkeeping, transporting, and reporting requirements for the final use or disposal of sewage sludge, when such use or disposal is by land application, surface disposal, disposal in a permitted landfill, or incineration, in accordance with Section 405 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act or state water quality and sewage sludge and biosolids use or disposal standards.
(f) Regulations requiring the training and the certification of generators and preparers of sewage sludge for the final use or disposal of sewage sludge, when such use or disposal is by land application, surface disposal, disposal in a permitted landfill, or incineration, in accordance with Section 405 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act or state water quality and sewage sludge and biosolids use or disposal standards.
(4) To develop permitting procedures and to require and issue permits, variances, LPDES variances, licenses, or compliance schedules for all waste water discharges, discharges of waste, or sources of water pollution to the surface waters of the state, and to require of and issue LPDES permits to any person who prepares sewage sludge, applies sewage sludge to the land, or fires sewage sludge in a sewage sludge incinerator, or to the owner or operator of a sewage sludge surface disposal site and, when the secretary deems it advisable, to delegate the power to issue or deny such permits, variances, LPDES variances, licenses, or compliance schedules to the appropriate assistant secretary subject to his continuing oversight. The authority to execute minor permit actions and to issue registrations, certifications, notices of deficiency, and notification of inclusion under a general permit may be delegated by the secretary or the appropriate assistant secretary to an authorized representative, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.26. Nothing in this Subsection shall preclude the secretary from issuing compliance schedules or taking enforcement action to address unauthorized pollution of ground waters of the state.
(5) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to provide for the cleanup and remediation of any pollution of waters of the state.
(6) To apply for and accept grants of money from the United States Environmental Protection Agency or other federal agencies for the purpose of making funds available to political subdivisions in the state for the planning, design, construction and rehabilitation of wastewater treatment facilities and other related activities.
(7) To establish such standards, guidelines, or criteria by rule as he deems necessary to prevent the discharge from water crafts, other than vessels engaged in commercial fishing and licensed pursuant to R.S. 56:304 et seq., of trash, garbage, and untreated or improperly treated sewage or sewage sludge in an amount, manner, or area which would further degrade the quality of anchorage waters or certain immediately adjacent waters within Louisiana. The standards herein authorized and required shall provide at a minimum for:
(a) Water crafts to which such standards shall apply.
(b) Reporting requirements of water craft owners or operators necessary to effectuate the intent of this Paragraph, including technical information related to onboard waste containment or treatment equipment.
(c) Requirements of evidence of any service contracts or other arrangements necessary to properly remove and dispose of such wastes.
(d) Specific standards for garbage lighterage and pump out services which remove these wastes.
(e) Requirements of evidence that a water craft has emptied its holding tanks outside Louisiana waters.
(8) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for the administration of the Municipal Facilities Revolving Loan Fund, provided such rules and regulations shall not take effect unless approved by the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.
(9)(a) To adopt and promulgate regulations necessary to establish and administer a water quality trading program as an inducement to reduce discharges of pollutants into waters of the state. This water quality trading program may include point source and nonpoint source participation. Nonpoint sources may participate in the program through a written agreement between the department and the appropriate governmental entity with jurisdiction over the nonpoint source, or other written agreement with the department. Such regulations shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(i) Criteria under which credits may be certified, generated, quantified, and validated.
(ii) Geographical limitations on the use of credits, where applicable.
(iii) Criteria for the monitoring, certifying, generating, use, banking, term, enforcement, and sale of banked credits.
(iv) The approval of the department for the certifying, generating, use, banking, and sale of banked credits.
(v) Requirements for the maintenance and submission of records concerning monitoring of pollutant levels, credit offset amounts, and banked credits.
(vi) Any other requirements needed to comply with federal and state laws and regulations.
(b) A pilot project may be used to aid in the development of a water quality trading program prior to the adoption of regulations promulgated pursuant to Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph. Any such project shall be conducted in accordance with the terms and conditions of an implementation plan approved by the department.
(c) In addition to the review of agency rules provided for in R.S. 49:966, all reports of rules and regulations implementing the provisions of this Paragraph shall also be submitted to the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture and Rural Development and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture and Rural Development for oversight in accordance with the procedures provided for in R.S. 49:966.
(d) Repealed by Acts 2017, No. 371, §2, eff. June 23, 2017.
(e) Repealed by Acts 2017, No. 371, §2, eff. June 23, 2017.
(10) To develop regulatory permits for certain water discharges provided the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) A regulatory permit cannot be used for any facility which is a new major facility or for any major modification of an existing facility as defined in applicable rules and regulations.
(b) Use of a regulatory permit may be precluded by specific permit conditions contained within a Louisiana pollutant discharge elimination system permit.
(c) A regulatory permit shall not preclude the secretary from exercising all powers and duties as set forth in R.S. 30:2011(D), including but not limited to the authority to conduct inspections and investigations and enter facilities as provided in R.S. 30:2012, and to sample or monitor, for the purposes of assuring compliance with a regulatory permit or as otherwise authorized by this Subtitle, federal Water Pollution Control Act, or regulations adopted thereunder, any substances or pollutants at any location.
(d) A regulatory permit shall require compliance with all applicable provisions of the department's rules and regulations and the federal Water Pollution Control Act. Violation of the terms and conditions of a regulatory permit constitutes a violation of such regulation or Act.
(e) A regulatory permit shall prescribe, as appropriate, discharge limitations, any necessary control requirements, other enforceable conditions, and associated monitoring, record keeping, and reporting provisions necessary for the protection of public health and the environment.
(f) A regulatory permit shall require any person seeking such permit to submit a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations to the secretary. Submission of a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations shall be in lieu of submission of a permit application. The written notification shall be signed and certified in accordance with LAC 33:IX governing permit application submittal. Any person who submits a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations shall be authorized to operate under the regulatory permit for which the notification was submitted when notified by the department that the notification was complete.
(g) All regulatory permits promulgated by the secretary shall establish notification procedures, permit terms, and confirmation of notification by the department and shall be promulgated in accordance with the procedures provided in R.S. 30:2019.
(h) No later than January 1, 2007, the secretary shall consider which activities are appropriate for coverage under a regulatory permit and publish an initial list of such activities.
(11) To register and license transporters or haulers of sewage sludge and biosolids and transporters or haulers of sewage sludge mixed with grease pumped or removed from a food service facility.
C. The office of the secretary shall, in conjunction and coordination with the Department of Conservation and Energy, conduct a risk analysis of the discharge of produced waters, excluding cavern leach waters, from oil and gas activities onto the ground and into the surface waters in the coastal wetlands of this state. The analysis shall examine the environmental risks and economic impact of allowing the discharges in the coastal wetlands and the economic impact on the oil and gas industry if the discharges are prohibited. The analysis shall be completed and delivered to the House and Senate committees on natural resources no later than April 1, 1988.
D.(1) Any information submitted to the Department of Environmental Quality, pursuant to the Louisiana Water Control Law or regulations promulgated under its authority, may be claimed as confidential in accordance with R.S. 30:2030 by the person submitting the information, except information which falls within any category listed in Paragraph (7) of this Subsection.
(2) Any such claim must be asserted at the time of submission in the manner prescribed by the application form or instructions or, in the case of other submissions, in accordance with the following:
(a) By stamping the word "CONFIDENTIAL" on each page containing such information.
(b) By submitting a written request for nondisclosure which shall specify the basis for requesting nondisclosure as provided in R.S. 30:2030.
(3) All materials clearly labeled "CONFIDENTIAL" which are submitted to the department with a written request for nondisclosure shall be afforded confidentiality pending a determination whether to grant the request. The determination shall be made within twenty-one working days from the date the request is received by the department.
(4) Confidentiality will not be afforded to any materials submitted which fall within any category of information listed in Paragraph (7) of this Subsection.
(5) If no claim is made at the time of submission, the department may make the information available to the public without further notice. If a claim is asserted, the information will be treated in accordance with the procedures specified above.
(6) If the secretary determines that any material received should not be afforded confidentiality, he shall issue a written denial of the request for nondisclosure to the requestor. No written denial of the request is necessary when the material submitted as confidential falls within any category of information listed in Paragraph (7) of this Subsection.
(7) No claim of confidentiality will be accepted and all claims of confidentiality will be denied for the following categories of information for all NPDES, LPDES, or other water discharge permit applicants or permittees:
(a) Name.
(b) Address.
(c) Effluent or discharge data.
(d) Contents of permit applications.
(e) All information required by the permit application whether accompanying it, attached to it, or submitted separately.
(f) Permits.
(8) All information obtained under the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, R.S. 30:2001 et seq., or by regulations issued under its authority, or by any order, license, or permit term or condition adopted or issued by the Act, shall be available to the public, unless nondisclosure is requested and granted in accordance with R.S. 30:2030. No information listed in said Paragraph (7) may be claimed or determined to be confidential.
(9) Any employee of the department or any former employee of the department or any authorized contractor acting as a representative of the secretary of the department who is convicted of intentional disclosure or conspiracy to disclose trade secrets or other information which has been determined to be confidential pursuant to this Subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
E. No later than October 1, 1995, the secretary shall adopt rules and regulations to govern the discharge from commercial facilities of liquid wastes that contain methanol alcohol. The rules and regulations shall require pretreatment of the waste before entering any sewer system, septic tank, or any surface waters of the state. The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to veterinarians and hospitals. The rules adopted pursuant to this Subsection shall not be applicable to industrial facilities required to obtain permits for discharge of liquid wastes from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy.
F. The secretary shall require all wetland assimilation project permit holders to post and maintain warning signs to notify the public of the presence of wastewater effluent discharge at reasonable intervals along the entire perimeter of any wetlands impacted by the discharge of wastewater, including all areas between the receiving effluent and the designated out-site locations, and at the entrances to any wildlife management areas in which there are impacted wetlands. The signage shall state "Warning: Treated Wastewater Discharge".
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 317, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 319, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1986, No. 349, §1, eff. June 30, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 833, §1; Acts 1987, No. 940, §1, eff. July 20, 1987; Acts 1988, No. 964, §1, eff. July 27, 1988; Acts 1990, No. 244, §1; Acts 1991, No. 226, §1, eff. July 2, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 236, §1; Acts 1993, No. 117, §1; Acts 1993, No. 767, §1; Acts 1995, No. 699, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1189, §1; Acts 1997, No. 480, §1, eff. June 30, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 1119, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2003, No. 67, §1, eff. May 28, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 382, §1; Acts 2006, No. 115, §1; Acts 2008, No. 56, §1, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010; Acts 2017, No. 371, §§1, 2, eff. June 23, 2017; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, No. 473, §1.
No person shall conduct any activity which results in the discharge of any substance into the waters of the state without the appropriate permit, variance, or license required under the regulations of the department adopted pursuant to this Chapter.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1991, No. 236, §1; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999.
A. The legislature finds and declares that discharges of substances into the waters of the state have damaged and endangered the Louisiana molluscan shellfish industry and have increased the costs of molluscan regulation and sanitation in the state, and that it is in the best interests of the state to impose a surcharge on discharges permitted or licensed pursuant to R.S. 30:2075.
B. A surcharge at a flat rate of twenty percent of the department imposed permit fee, with a maximum of one hundred fifty dollars, shall be added to the fee for each water discharge permit issued pursuant to R.S. 30:2075 for discharges in the Atchafalaya, Terrebonne, Barataria, Lake Pontchartrain, and Mississippi River water quality management basins as defined by the department Water Quality Management Basin Plans.
C. The proceeds of the surcharge authorized in Subsection B of this Section shall be deposited into the Oyster Sanitation Dedicated Fund Account, established in R.S. 40:5.10.
D. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to modify the rules adopted pursuant to this Subtitle.
Acts 1993, No. 911, §1, eff. June 23, 1993; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
A.(1) Any applicant for, or prospective transferee of, a permit for the discharge of effluent from any privately owned sewage treatment facility regulated by the Public Service Commission shall be required to provide and maintain a bond or other acceptable financial security instrument. Any applicant, prospective transferee, or permittee may apply to the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality for approval of a single financial security instrument, having a maximum amount of two hundred fifty thousand dollars, to satisfy the requirements of this Section for all such permits held or to be held. In determining whether to approve the application for a single financial security instrument, the secretary may consider the assets, debts, and compliance history of the applicant, the condition and capacity of the facilities to be covered by such security, and any other factor that may impact the applicant's ability to operate and maintain the facilities. Any such bond or other instrument shall be payable to the Department of Environmental Quality and shall be conditioned upon substantial compliance with the requirements of the Louisiana Water Control Law and any permit issued or enforced under that law. Any bond shall be executed by the permittee and a corporate surety licensed to do business in the state. The purpose of the bond or other financial security shall be the protection of public health, welfare, and the environment. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement this Section.
(2) The secretary or his designee may enter an order requiring forfeiture of all or part of the bond or other financial security, if he determines that:
(a) The continued operation or lack of operation and maintenance of the facility covered by this Section represents a threat to public health, welfare, or the environment because the permittee is unable or unwilling to adequately operate and maintain the facility or the facility has been actually or effectively abandoned by the permittee. Evidence justifying such a determination includes but is not limited to:
(i) The discharge of pollutants exceeding limitations imposed by applicable permits.
(ii) Failure to utilize or maintain adequate disinfection facilities.
(iii) Failure to correct overflows or backups from the collection system.
(iv) A declaration of a public health emergency by the state health officer.
(v) A determination by the Public Service Commission that the permittee is financially unable to properly operate or maintain the system.
(b) Reasonable and practical efforts under the circumstances have been made to obtain corrective actions from the permittee.
(c) It does not appear that corrective actions can or will be taken within an appropriate time as determined by the secretary.
(3) The proceeds of any forfeiture shall be used by the secretary, or by any receiver appointed by a court under R.S. 30:2075.3, to address or correct the deficiencies at the facility or to maintain and operate the system. The proceeds shall be in addition to any other funds appropriated to the department and may be expended under the authority of this Section without additional action by the legislature. Use of such proceeds under this Section shall not be subject to R.S. 38:2181 et seq.
(4) Review of any decision of the secretary under this Section shall be exclusively by appeal to the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, under R.S. 30:2050.21. The decision of the secretary shall not be stayed pending the appeal.
(5) This Subsection shall be applicable to the following actions, when taken after July 1, 1999, or upon the effective date of the rules promulgated under Paragraph (1), whichever occurs earlier:
(a) Issuance of a new discharge permit.
(b) Renewal of an existing discharge permit.
(c) Modification of an existing discharge permit.
(d) Transfer of an existing discharge permit to a different permittee.
(6)(a) After a permittee has provided a bond or other acceptable financial security instrument under this Section and has maintained the financial security for not less than seven years, the permittee may petition the secretary for a waiver or reduction of the financial security. The secretary may, in his discretion, grant the petition, if:
(i) The facility has been in substantial compliance with the required permits under the Louisiana Water Control Law for not less than seven years.
(ii) The permittee provides the secretary with a letter from the Louisiana Public Service Commission stating that the permittee is in good standing and that the commission has no objection to the waiver or reduction of the financial security.
(b) The secretary may, in his discretion, issue, renew, modify, or transfer a permit without the required financial security being provided by the permittee, if:
(i) The permittee has made a reasonable, good faith effort to obtain the required financial security, but has been unable to do so.
(ii) The issuance, renewal, modification, or transfer of the permit is necessary to ensure uninterrupted sewage treatment or is otherwise necessary to protect human health or the environment.
(iii) The permittee provides the secretary with a letter from the Louisiana Public Service Commission stating that the permittee is in good standing and that the commission has no objection to the issuance, renewal, modification, or transfer.
(c) In no case shall a discharge be allowed by permit to continue for more than six months without the required bond or other financial security being provided by the permittee as required by this Section, unless the permittee has petitioned for and has been granted a release from the requirement to provide and maintain such financial security as provided in Subsection A.
B. If the treatment facility is to be acquired by a homeowners' association, by act of sale or donation, for operation and maintenance, the original permittee must submit the legal name of the association, with one person as "environmental contact" for any matter relating to the treatment plant. The permittee shall also include the current mailing address and telephone number for the environmental contact, which shall be submitted to the department at least sixty days prior to legal transfer of the facility.
C. No person shall be evicted from his residence and no business entity shall be evicted from its place of business for disconnecting such premises from a nonfunctional community sewage treatment system to prevent loss of life, personal injury, or severe property damage; however, any action undertaken by a person shall be taken in such a manner so as to insure that sewage from his residence or business is properly treated in a waste water treatment system approved by the appropriate state agencies.
D. Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 399, §2.
Acts 1993, No. 1029, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 399, §§1, 2; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 93, §1; Acts 2004, No. 667, §1, eff. July 5, 2004.
A.(1) In any civil action brought against the owner or operator of a public sanitary sewerage system to enforce the requirements of this Subtitle or rules promulgated pursuant thereto, the court may, on its own motion or upon application of the secretary, appoint a receiver to collect the assets of the public sanitary sewerage system, collect any records relating to the current operation and users of the public sanitary sewerage system, operate and maintain the public sanitary sewerage system, and to otherwise assist the court in adjudicating the issues before the court. Application by the secretary shall not be subject to any bond requirement.
(2) The court shall place the public sanitary sewerage system in receivership upon finding any of the following:
(a) The system has been abandoned by the operator and no provisions have been made for the continued operation of the system by a qualified operator, or for providing the sewerage system's users with another system to collect, convey, or treat sewerage emanating from the users' facilities.
(b) Service by the system to its users has ceased, or cessation of such service is imminent.
(c) The operator of the system has failed or refused to comply with an emergency order issued pursuant to R.S. 30:2025(C)(1) or R.S. 30:2050.8 within twenty-four hours of notice of such order.
(d) Such other circumstances that indicate that receivership is necessary to ensure uninterrupted sewage treatment or protection of public health or the environment.
(e) The operator of the system has failed to provide or maintain a bond or other financial security, when required by R.S. 30:2075.2.
(3)(a) The court may, on ex parte application of the secretary, pending trial, do the following:
(i) Appoint a temporary receiver with the same bond requirements as for a receiver.
(ii) Enjoin the owner and the operator of the system, and their agents, officers, or assigns, from interfering with the takeover of the system and its operation by the temporary receiver.
(iii) Order the owner and the operator of the system to provide to the temporary receiver the names and addresses of the system's customer, and the rates approved by the Public Service Commission.
(iv) Order and direct customers of the system to make payments for using the system directly to the temporary receiver.
(b) The court may continue the above orders upon the appointment of a receiver.
(4) The temporary receiver and the receiver shall have the powers set forth in R.S. 12:152(B) applied mutatis mutandis to the operation and business of the public sanitary sewerage system that is the subject of the receivership.
(5) The receiver, if a private person, shall execute a bond to assure the proper performance of the receiver's duties in an amount to be set by the court.
(6) The receiver, if a political subdivision that currently owns or operates a sanitary sewerage system, or if a local governmental subdivision, may be appointed by the court without any bond requirement.
(7) The receiver shall maintain separate financial records showing the income and expenses of the system and provide the court and the system's owner or operator with same and an accurate statement of the condition of the system periodically as required by the court. The court may require an independent audit of such financial statements.
(8) The receiver shall carry out the orders specified and directed by the court until discharged.
(9) The court may dissolve the receivership upon a showing of good cause by the defendant, the receiver, or the secretary.
Acts 1997, No. 1461, §1; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 399, §1.
A. This Section shall be known and may be cited as the "Community Sewerage System Infrastructure Sustainability Act" which has been enacted by the legislature to provide:
(1) For the development and implementation of a community sewerage system accountability process which supports sewerage system infrastructure sustainability for the residents of Louisiana.
(2) Assurance to the residents that the quality of sewage treatment is monitored and maintained at levels essential for health, safety, welfare, and long-term sustainability.
(3) Accountability of local government authorities and other entities operating community sewerage systems.
(4) Consequences for community sewerage systems that do not achieve state and federal standards.
(5) Transparent regulatory compliance and fiscal accountability information presented to the State Bond Commission, the division of administration for the capital outlay program, and rate setting authorities for consideration in approving additional debt, capital outlay, or a rate increase.
B.(1) "Community sewerage system" means any treatment works, whether publicly or privately owned, which serves multiple connections and consists of a collection or pumping and transport system and a treatment facility. For the purposes of this Section, "community sewerage system" includes any local governing authority which operates a community sewerage system.
(2) "Community water system" has the same meaning as provided for in R.S. 40:5.8.
C.(1)(a) Except as provided in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph, any community sewerage system that seeks approval from the State Bond Commission to incur any additional debt for anything not directly related to the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system or a related community water system shall submit with the application to the commission a compliance status verification from the Department of Environmental Quality, a compliance status verification from the Louisiana Department of Health, and a fiscal status verification from the legislative auditor in accordance with Subsection F of this Section.
(b) The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to any application to the State Bond Commission seeking approval for financing involving:
(i) Cash flow loans.
(ii) Dedicated tax or bond revenue streams.
(iii) Emergency financing as determined by the State Bond Commission.
(iv) Refinancing of existing debt.
(2) After consideration of the information provided pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the State Bond Commission may prohibit the community sewerage system from incurring any additional debt for anything not directly related to the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system or a related community water system.
(3) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the community sewerage system shall not be precluded from obtaining funding for the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system or a related community water system based upon the information provided pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection or R.S. 40:5.9.1.
D.(1) Any community sewerage system that receives notification of a capital outlay appropriation from the division of administration, office of facility planning and control shall submit to the division of administration a compliance status verification from the Department of Environmental Quality, a compliance status verification from the Louisiana Department of Health, and a fiscal status verification from the legislative auditor in accordance with Subsection F of this Section.
(2) After consideration of the information provided pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the division of administration may prohibit the community sewerage system from participating in the capital outlay program for anything not directly related to the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system or a related community water system.
(3) The provisions of this Subsection notwithstanding, the community sewerage system shall not be precluded from obtaining funding for the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system or a related community water system based upon the information provided pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
E.(1) Any community sewerage system that seeks approval for a rate adjustment from the appropriate rate setting authority not directly related to the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system or a related community water system shall submit with the application to the rate setting authority a compliance status verification from the Department of Environmental Quality, a compliance status verification from the Louisiana Department of Health, and a fiscal status verification from the legislative auditor in accordance with Subsection F of this Section.
(2) After consideration of the information provided pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the rate setting authority may prohibit the community sewerage system from adjusting rates for anything not directly related to the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system or a related community water system.
(3) The provisions of this Subsection notwithstanding, the community sewerage system shall not be precluded from receiving approval for a rate adjustment for the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system or a related community water system based upon the information provided pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
F.(1)(a) Not later than twenty calendar days after receiving a request from a community sewerage system, the Department of Environmental Quality shall review the department's records and provide a compliance status verification based upon criteria determined by the department, including but not limited to the following:
(i) Federal water quality significant violation history.
(ii) State enforcement action history.
(b) The compliance status verification provided by the Department of Environmental Quality shall clearly state whether the community sewerage system is "NOT IN COMPLIANCE – Found on a federal significant noncompliance list or is under state enforcement action" or "IN COMPLIANCE – Not found on a federal significant noncompliance list or is under state enforcement action" as appropriate.
(2)(a) Not later than twenty calendar days after receiving a request from a community sewerage system, the Louisiana Department of Health shall review the department's records and provide a compliance status verification based upon criteria determined by the department, including but not limited to the following:
(i) State violation history.
(ii) Operation and maintenance performance history.
(iii) Infrastructure violations.
(b) The compliance status verification provided by the Louisiana Department of Health shall clearly state the community sewerage system's compliance status using the phrase "IN COMPLIANCE" or "NOT IN COMPLIANCE" as appropriate.
(3) Not later than twenty calendar days after receiving a request from a community sewerage system, the legislative auditor shall review its records and provide a fiscal status verification regarding the community sewerage system's financial sustainability based upon criteria determined by the auditor. The fiscal status verification shall clearly state in plain language the community sewerage system's level of financial sustainability.
(4)(a) A compliance status verification provided by the Department of Environmental Quality or the Louisiana Department of Health pursuant to this Section shall be either of the following:
(i) On an official certification form supplied by the department.
(ii) On the department's official letterhead and signed by a member of the department's staff who is qualified to verify the compliance status of the community sewerage system.
(b) A fiscal status verification provided pursuant to this Section shall be on the legislative auditor's official letterhead and signed by a member of the auditor's staff who is qualified to verify the fiscal status of the community sewerage system.
G.(1) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a local governing authority that operates a community sewerage system shall not expend any money raised through payments made by customers for sewerage services or from any other sewerage system revenue for any item, debt payment, or public purpose other than the improvement and sustainability of the community sewerage system. For purposes of this Subsection, "sustainability" means the ability to be maintained at the required rate or level necessary to comply with applicable state and federal regulations. Sustainability may include but not be limited to the purchase and maintenance of equipment and employment of personnel whose primary functions are related to ensuring compliance with state and federal laws, rules, and regulations governing the effective operation of a sewer system.
(2) The provisions of this Subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the payment of bonded indebtedness secured by the sewerage system's revenue prior to August 1, 2024.
H.(1) Any community sewerage system that is not in compliance with the Department of Environmental Quality or the Louisiana Department of Health, is not financially sustainable based on the standards of the legislative auditor, or is in violation of the expenditure prohibitions of Subsection G of this Section shall, in addition to the provisions of Subsection C of this Section, be subject to either or both of the following, as appropriate:
(a) An oversight and accountability hearing before the Legislative Audit Advisory Council.
(b) A hearing before the Fiscal Review Committee for potential initiation of an action for a court-appointed fiscal administrator filed in accordance with R.S. 39:1351 et seq.
(2) Any community sewerage system that is not in compliance with the Department of Environmental Quality or the Louisiana Department of Health, is not financially sustainable based on the standards of the legislative auditor, or is in violation of the expenditure prohibitions of Subsection G of this Section may, in addition to the provisions of Subsection C of this Section, be subject to either or both of the following, as appropriate:
(a) A civil action for court-appointed receivership filed in accordance with R.S. 30:2075.3 or R.S. 33:42.
(b) A criminal action for malfeasance in office pursuant to R.S. 14:134.
(3) If the condition or operations of any community sewerage system that is not in compliance with the Department of Environmental Quality or the Louisiana Department of Health, is not financially sustainable based on the standards of the legislative auditor, or is in violation of the expenditure prohibitions of Subsection G of this Section necessitates the expenditure of state funds to address or mitigate an emergency related to that community sewerage system, the circumstances shall be grounds for a civil action for court-appointed receivership in accordance with R.S. 30:2075.3 or R.S. 33:42, or to the appointment of a fiscal administrator in accordance with R.S. 39:1351 et seq.
Acts 2024, No. 144, §1, eff. May 22, 2024.
A.(1) No person shall discharge or allow to be discharged into any waters of the state:
(a) Any waste or any other substance of any kind that will tend to cause water pollution in violation of any rule, order, or regulation; or
(b) Any substance, the discharge of which violates any term, condition, or limit imposed by a permit.
(2) The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to any unintentional nonpoint-source discharge resulting from or in connection with the production of raw agricultural, horticultural, or aquacultural products.
(3) No person shall violate any rule or regulation adopted under this Chapter or the terms of any permit or order issued under authority of this Subtitle.
(4) No person shall cause or allow to be discharged within Louisiana any trash, garbage, sewage, or sewage sludge in contravention of any rules or regulations adopted pursuant thereto and authorized by R.S. 30:2074(B)(7).
B. No person engaged in a logging operation shall discharge or leave, or allow to be discharged and left, in any of the navigable waters of the state any trees or treetop. For the purpose of this Subsection, the term "treetop" shall be defined as that topmost portion of a tree trunk, with limbs attached, measuring in excess of three inches at the base of the treetop stem.
C. No person shall discharge brine from salt domes which are located on the coastline of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico into any waters off said coastline and extending therefrom three miles or more into the Gulf of Mexico when it becomes evident to the department that said discharge is damaging or threatens to damage the aquatic life in the waters of the state. The department may require that any brine disposal be monitored in accordance with rules and regulations.
D. Any person who discharges, emits, or disposes of any substance into the waters of the state in contravention of any provision of this Chapter or of the regulations or of the terms and conditions of a permit or license issued thereunder, upon learning of the discharge, emission, or disposal, shall immediately, or in accordance with regulations adopted under this Subtitle, notify the department as to the nature and amount of the discharge and the circumstances surrounding the discharge. The secretary shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations establishing procedures for making such notification. Any failure to make this notification or any attempt to conceal or actual concealment of the discharge, emission, or disposal shall be a violation of this Chapter. Each day of failure to give the notification required herein shall constitute a separate violation and shall be in addition to any other violations of this Subtitle.
E. Repealed by Acts 1990, No. 988, §2.
F. No person shall discharge into any underground waters of the state any hazardous waste as defined in R.S. 30:2173(2). The provisions of this Subsection are not intended to impair the implementation or administration of those programs authorized by R.S. 30:4(C)(16), R.S. 30:4.1, R.S. 30:2071, and R.S. 30:2180(A)(6), as long as permitted injections are conducted in strict adherence to the terms and conditions of a valid permit issued thereunder or under the rules and regulations adopted thereunder.
G.(1) The legislature of Louisiana hereby finds that a significant portion of the phosphate fertilizer and wet-process phosphoric acid manufacturing industry is located in the state of Louisiana, that the manufacture of wet-process phosphoric acid results in the generation of byproduct waste gypsum, and heretofore such gypsum has been disposed of by impoundment on land or by discharge into the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is a valuable natural resource that must be protected against unnecessary degradation in order to protect and preserve the public health and welfare, drinking water quality, and major sectors of the economy including tourism and seafood industries, and the environment.
(2) No person shall discharge byproduct waste gypsum from the production of phosphate fertilizer or wet-process phosphoric acid into the Mississippi River. This prohibition shall not apply to authorized discharges of wastewaters or rainfall runoff containing dissolved gypsum or suspended gypsum when such discharge is in compliance with state and federal permits and the discharge is not for the primary purpose of disposing of byproduct waste gypsum.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 190, §1; Acts 1984, No. 317, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 824, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1987, No. 833, §1; Acts 1987, No. 913, §1, eff. July 20, 1987; Acts 1990, No. 988, §2; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. Whenever, on the basis of any information available to him, the secretary finds that an owner or operator of any source is introducing a pollutant into a treatment works in violation of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, the secretary may notify the owner or operator of such treatment works of such violation. If the owner or operator of the treatment works does not commence appropriate enforcement action within thirty days of the date of such notification, the secretary may commence a civil action for appropriate relief, including but not limited to a permanent or temporary injunction against the owner or operator of such treatment works.
B. In any such civil action the secretary shall join the owner or operator of such source as a party to the action. Such action shall be brought in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge. The court shall have jurisdiction to restrain such violation and to require the owner or operator of the treatment works and the owner or operator of the source to take such action as may be necessary to come into compliance with the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
C. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit or prohibit any other authority the department may have under the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act.
Acts 1993, No. 175, §1.
A. Negligent violations.
(1) Any person who negligently violates any provision of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or any order issued by the secretary under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or any permit condition or limitation implementing any of such provisions in a permit issued under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System by the secretary, or any requirement imposed in a pretreatment program approved under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System; or
(2) Any person who negligently introduces into public sewer systems or into publicly owned treatment works any pollutant or hazardous substance which such person knew or reasonably should have known could cause personal injury or property damage or, other than in compliance with all applicable federal, state, or local requirements or permits, which causes such treatment works to violate any effluent limitation or condition in any permit issued to the treatment works under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System by the department;
(3) Shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not less than two thousand five hundred dollars nor more than twenty-five thousand dollars per day of violation or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. If a conviction of a person is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person under this Subsection, he shall be subject to a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars per day of violation, or imprisonment for not more than two years, with or without hard labor, or both.
B. Knowing violations.
(1) Any person who knowingly violates any provision of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System or any permit condition or limitation implementing any of such provisions in a permit issued under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System or any requirement imposed in a pretreatment program approved under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System; or
(2) Any person who knowingly introduces into public sewer systems or into a publicly owned treatment works any pollutant or hazardous substance which such person knew or reasonably should have known could cause personal injury or property damage, or other than in compliance with all applicable federal, state, or local requirements or permits, which causes such treatment work to violate any effluent limitation or condition in a permit issued to the treatment works under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System;
(3) Shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not less than five thousand dollars nor more than fifty thousand dollars per day of violation, or imprisonment for not more than three years, with or without hard labor, or both. If a conviction of a person is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person under this Subsection, he shall be subject to a fine of not more than one hundred thousand dollars per day of violation, or imprisonment for not more than six years, with or without hard labor, or both.
C. Knowing endangerment.
(1) Any person who knowingly violates any provision of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System or any order issued by the secretary under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System or any permit condition or limitation implementing any of such provisions in a permit issued under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System by the secretary, and who knows at that time that he thereby places another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than fifteen years, with or without hard labor, or both. A juridical person shall, upon conviction of violating this Paragraph, be subject to a fine of not more than one million dollars. If a conviction of a person is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person under this Paragraph, he shall be subject to a fine of up to five hundred thousand dollars or imprisonment for up to thirty years at hard labor, or both.
(2) For the purpose of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection:
(a) In determining whether a defendant who is an individual knew that his conduct placed another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, the following shall apply:
(i) The person is responsible only for actual awareness or actual belief that he possessed; and
(ii) Knowledge possessed by a person other than the defendant but not by the defendant himself may not be attributed to the defendant.
(iii) In proving the defendant's possession of actual knowledge, circumstantial evidence may be used, including evidence that the defendant took affirmative steps to shield himself from relevant information. The knowledge necessary for culpability of a natural person is actual knowledge which may be established by direct or circumstantial evidence, but not constructive or vicarious knowledge. Knowledge that the defendant should have had, could have had, or would have had under various circumstances does not suffice if he did not actually have the requisite knowledge about the danger at the time he acted.
(b) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution that the conduct charged was consented to by the person endangered and that the danger and conduct charged were reasonable foreseeable hazards of:
(i) An occupation, a business, or a profession; or
(ii) Medical treatment or medical or scientific experimentation conducted by professionally approved methods and such other person had been made aware of the risks involved prior to giving consent; and
(iii) Such defense may be established under this Subparagraph by a preponderance of the evidence.
(c) The term "organization" means a legal entity, other than a government, established or organized for any purpose, and such term includes a corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, joint stock company, foundation, institution, trust, society, union, or any other association of persons.
(d) The term "serious bodily injury" means bodily injury which involves a substantial risk of death, unconsciousness, extreme physical pain, protracted and obvious disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.
D. False Statements. Any person who knowingly makes any false material statement, representation, or certification in any application, record, report, plan, or other document filed or required to be maintained under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System or who knowingly falsifies, tampers with, or renders inaccurate any monitoring device or method required to be maintained under the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than two years, with or without hard labor, or both. If a conviction of a person is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person under this Subsection, he shall be subject to a fine of not more than twenty thousand dollars per day of violation, or imprisonment for not more than four years, with or without hard labor, or both.
E. Treatment of single operational upset. For purposes of this Section, a single operational upset which leads to simultaneous violations of more than one pollutant parameter shall be treated as a single violation.
F. Responsible corporate officer as "person". For the purposes of this Section, the term "person" means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, state, municipality, commission, political subdivision of a state, any interstate body, or any responsible corporate officer.
G. Hazardous substance defined. For the purpose of this Section, the term "hazardous substance" means any of the following:
(1) Any substance designated pursuant to Section 311(b)(2)(A) of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1321(b)(2)(A)).
(2) Any element, compound, mixture, solution, or substance designated pursuant to Section 102 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. §9602).
(3) Any hazardous waste having the characteristics identified under or listed pursuant to Section 3001 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. §6921), but not including any waste the regulation of which under the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. §6901 et seq.) has been suspended by Act of Congress.
(4) Any toxic pollutant listed under Section 307(a) of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1317(a)).
(5) Any imminently hazardous chemical substance or mixture with respect to which the administrator has taken action pursuant to Section 7 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. §2606).
H. Notice to district attorney. Upon a determination that a criminal violation may have occurred under this Section, notification shall be given to the district attorney in whose jurisdiction such possible violation has occurred. The secretary shall provide the district attorney with any and all information necessary to evaluate the alleged violation for criminal prosecution. The criminal prosecution of such violations shall be at the direction of the district attorney. The secretary shall cooperate fully with the district attorney.
I. Negligently defined. For purposes of this Section, the term "negligently" has the meaning specified under R.S. 14:12 with respect to the definition of criminal negligence.
Acts 1993, No. 268, §1; Acts 2005, No. 299, §1.
Any person who allows, suffers, permits, or causes the unpermitted pollution of the waters of the state in contravention of any provision of this Subtitle, any regulations adopted hereunder, or the terms and conditions of any permit, license, or order issued hereunder upon obtaining knowledge of such shall notify the secretary and if necessary take prompt remedial action pursuant to appropriate regulations adopted under this Subtitle or as ordered by the secretary or by an authorized assistant secretary. The goal of such regulations or orders, to the extent economically and technologically reasonable, is to eliminate those releases that may reasonably pose a threat to human health or the environment and to remediate contaminated media, taking into consideration current and expected uses.
Acts 1984, No. 319, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1991, No. 666, §1, eff. July 17, 1991.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 296, §5, eff. June 17, 2010.
A. The legislature finds that in order to provide for the development of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) determinations and as otherwise may be necessary to protect the waters of the state of Louisiana, it is necessary for the Department of Environmental Quality to increase the fees assessed by the department for the purpose of this Chapter as set forth below.
B. In accordance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, the department may increase by seven and one-half percent any fee associated with this Chapter and authorized by this Subtitle. The effective date of such increase shall not be before July 1, 1998. The department may further increase by seven and one-half percent any fee associated with this Chapter and authorized by this Subtitle, and such additional increase shall not be effective before July 1, 1999.
Acts 1997, No. 1254, §1, eff. July 15, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
The legislature having found that the control and abatement of pollution on the Mississippi River is an interstate problem, the governor of the state is hereby authorized and directed to execute a compact on behalf of the State of Louisiana with the United States, and the states mentioned in Article I of the Mississippi River Interstate Pollution Phase-Out Compact, who may by their legislative bodies authorize a compact in a form substantially as follows:
A COMPACT
ARTICLE I. FINDINGS AND POLICY
Whereas, the growth of population, development, and land and water use of the Mississippi River Basin has resulted in serious pollution of interstate waters flowing past the boundaries of two or more states; and
Whereas, such pollution constitutes a menace to the health, welfare, and economic prosperity of the people living in such areas; and
Whereas, the abatement of existing pollution and control of future pollution in interstate waters of the Mississippi River Basin area are of prime importance to the people and can best be accomplished through the cooperation of the states bordering on the river and the federal government, in the establishment of a cooperative federal-interstate agency to work with the states in the field of pollution abatement along the river.
Now, therefore, the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and the United States, do agree and are bound as follows:
ARTICLE II. DEFINITIONS
(1) "Waste" includes any chemical, industrial, municipal, or agricultural material for which no use or reuse is intended and which is to be discarded.
(2) "Pollution" means any man-made alteration of water, resulting from the discharge of substances including but not limited to dredge or fill material, spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, biological material, radioactive material, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, and cellar dirt.
(3) "Signator" shall mean any state which enters into this compact and is a party thereto.
(4) "Waste reduction" shall mean in-plant practices that reduce, avoid, or eliminate the generation of hazardous or nonhazardous waste so as to reduce the risks to health and the environment.
(a) When recycling is environmentally acceptable and is an integral part of the waste generating industrial process or operation, such as a closed-loop application which returns potential waste as it is generated for reuse within the process, it shall be considered waste reduction. Recycling is not considered waste reduction if waste exits a process, exits as a separate identity, undergoes significant handling, or is transported from the waste-generating location.
(b) Actions that reduce waste volume by concentrating the hazardous content of a waste or that reduce hazard level by diluting the hazardous content are not considered waste reduction.
(c) Actions that change the chemical composition and the concentrations of the components of the waste, but do not change the degree of hazard of the waste are not considered waste reduction.
(5) "Waste management" shall mean any of the various methods or means of reducing waste which are applied after the waste is generated or outside of the location where waste is generated.
ARTICLE III. APPLICABILITY
It is agreed among the signatories that the provisions of this compact shall apply to the Mississippi River System, from its headwaters to its mouth at the Head of Passes, and laterally between its ordinary high water marks and its major tributaries consisting of the Missouri, Ohio, Obion, Hatchie, Tennessee, St. Francis, White, Arkansas, Yazoo, Big Black, and Homochitto Rivers. This compact shall not apply to the river's other tributaries or adjacent waters unless it is specifically found by the commission that pollution of those waters hinders accomplishment of the primary purposes hereof and that existing laws, as written or implemented, are inadequate to fulfill those purposes.
ARTICLE IV. PURPOSES
The primary purposes of this compact are:
(1) To reduce and then eliminate river pollution by January 1, 1998.
(2) To encourage alternatives to discharging wastes and pollutants into the river.
(3) To maintain the biological and chemical integrity of the water in the Mississippi River System in a manner as to insure that such water is healthful for drinking purposes and is suitable for agricultural, aquacultural, and recreational use.
(4) To collect and share information with other signatories relative to technologies, methods, incentives, or regulatory concessions which can further improve the water quality in the Mississippi River.
(5) To establish a waste registry for the collection and dissemination of waste information for the purpose of waste exchanges with other signatories for productive reuse.
ARTICLE V. THE COMMISSION
There is hereby created the Mississippi River Interstate Pollution Control Commission or "commission", which shall be a body corporate and politic, having powers, duties, and jurisdiction enumerated herein and such other additional powers as may be conferred upon it by the act or acts of signatories concurred in by the others.
ARTICLE VI. COMMISSIONERS
The commission shall consist of one commissioner from each signatory state, and one commissioner appointed on behalf of the United States. The commissioners shall be chosen in the manner and for the terms provided by the jurisdiction from which they are appointed. The appointing authority of each party state shall notify the commission in writing of the identity of its member and any alternate. An alternate may act on behalf of the member only in the absence of such member. Each state is responsible for the expenses of its member of the commission.
ARTICLE VII. COMMISSION BUSINESS
The commission shall annually elect from its members a chairperson, a vice chairperson and a secretary-treasurer, and shall appoint and at its pleasure remove or discharge officers. It may appoint and employ such clerical and professional personnel as may be necessary, and at its pleasure it may remove or discharge such employees. It shall adopt a seal and suitable bylaws and shall promulgate rules and regulations for its management and control. It may maintain and lease an office for the transaction of its business and may meet at any time or place within the signatory states or in Washington, D.C. Meetings with due notice to all commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of its business. The commission shall keep accurate records of accounts, which are subject to state audits, and make annual reports on receipts and disbursements to the respective governors. The commission shall not pledge the credit of any signatory.
ARTICLE VIII. COMMISSION AUTHORITY AND
RESPONSIBILITY
In addition to authority conferred on the commission by other provisions of the compact, the commission shall have authority:
(1) To establish chemical and bacteriological guidelines for classifications of water use, and to review signatories laws pursuant to such guidelines for the purpose of making recommendations relative to integrating the signatories water use.
(2) To review and make recommendations relative to uniform collection and dissemination of data from the signatories' discharge reductions credit programs.
(3) To establish a waste registry and exchange to act as an interstate clearinghouse of information on waste availability.
(4) To develop, prepare, and implement a comprehensive, cohesive water quality management plan for the purpose of reducing and subsequently eliminating the discharge of waste into the Mississippi River by January 1, 1998. Such plan shall be submitted to the signatories and shall be ratified by each state through its respective legislature. The plan shall become effective and binding for each state at the time its legislature ratifies and governor signs agreement with the plan.
ARTICLE IX. WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
It is recognized, owing to such variable factors as location, size, character, and flow, and the many uses of the waters subject to the terms of this compact, that no single standard of pollutant or waste treatment and no single standard of quality of receiving waters is practical. The commission shall establish reasonable chemical and bacteriological guidelines for water quality satisfactory for various river classifications of use, considering the interstate impacts of downstream pollution. It is agreed that each signatory state shall classify, submit the existing classification of, or reclassify, the portions of the river that flow through its borders, to the commission for its review and recommendation. It is agreed that the signatory states through their appropriate health and water pollution control or other appropriate agencies shall establish or reestablish standards for the treatment of wastes, and other pollutants discharged into the river, subject to commission review and recommendation, and provide an inventory of pollution sources. The commission may from time to time recommend such changes in classifications and standards as may be required by changed conditions, uniformity, or to meet the primary purposes of this compact.
ARTICLE X. DISCHARGE REDUCTION CREDITS
It is agreed by the signatory states through their state water pollution control or other appropriate agencies, that a number of pollution sources may be treated as a single source, to provide industries, agricultural interests and municipalities with incentives to reduce discharges into the river. In this way, a single source may obtain a net discharge reduction by improving treatment technology over new facilities to offset discharges from existing, older facilities to which new technology is not adaptable. The respective states shall, therefore, promulgate regulations for review and recommendations by the commission which shall, at a minimum, provide: criteria and a system under which discharge credits for net discharge reductions may be earned; geographic limitations or pollution source areas along the river in which discharge credits may be earned; criteria for the use, banking, or sale of banked net discharge reductions by the dischargers; and requirements for retaining records for, and reporting on, discharge levels and banked net discharge reductions.
ARTICLE XI. RESEARCH AND SHARED FINDINGS
A. It is agreed that the signatory states through their health, air pollution control, water pollution control, solid waste management and recovery, and hazardous waste control, or other appropriate agencies, shall study alternatives to the discharge of wastes and pollutants into the river, and within one year of their signing of this compact, submit their findings and proposed state rulemaking to the commission for review. The commission shall review and integrate signatories' rules for the purpose of making recommendations relative to modifying such rules as necessary to develop a comprehensive, cohesive water quality management plan for the Mississippi River.
B. It is agreed that signatory states allow the commission to act as a liaison to institutions of higher education in each member state for the purpose of establishing a consortium of academic institutions to work jointly and to share independent findings relative to generic research on waste reduction, waste management and alternative regulatory strategies appropriate for improving the water quality of the Mississippi River. The commission shall petition the United States Government for funding of any projects or research which the commission deems to be of value to the compact's purpose of reducing and eventually eliminating water pollution of the Mississippi River.
ARTICLE XII. INTERSTATE WASTE REGISTRY AND EXCHANGE
A. In addition to authority conferred upon the commission by other provisions of the compact, the commission shall have authority to establish and maintain a waste registry and exchange for the purpose of acting as an interstate clearinghouse of information on waste availability, to manage or arrange the transfer of materials between industries to divert waste material from disposal to alternative productive use, and to provide for material conservation, productive efficiency, and environmental protection.
B. Each of the signatory states agree that it will provide information as necessary for the commission to effectuate its authority to establish and maintain such a waste registry and exchange.
C. In addition to other authority conferred upon the commission by the compact, the commission shall have the authority to establish such standards as necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Article. Any standards established by the commission pursuant to this Article shall reflect a policy of state self-sufficiency in managing and disposing of waste generated within each state, and to that end the commission shall endeavor to maintain a reasonable interstate balance of trade in the transfer of waste between signatories.
ARTICLE XIII. JURISDICTION, SUPPLEMENTARY
AGREEMENTS, AND ENFORCEMENT
A. Nothing in this compact shall be construed to repeal or prevent the enactment of any legislation or the enforcement of any requirement by any signatory party imposing any additional conditions and restrictions to further lessen or prevent the pollution of waters within its jurisdiction or to take action with respect to interstate water pollution nuisance.
B. Jurisdiction of Signatories Reserved. Nothing in this compact or in any supplementary agreement thereunder shall be construed to restrict, relinquish or be in derogation of, any power or authority constitutionally possessed by any signatory within its jurisdiction, except as specifically limited by this compact or a supplementary agreement.
C. Complementary Legislation by Signatories. Signatories may enact such additional legislation as may be deemed appropriate to enable its officers and governmental agencies to accomplish effectively the purposes of this compact and supplementary agreements recognized or entered into under the terms of this Article.
D. Legal Rights of Signatories. Nothing in this compact shall impair the exercise by any signatory of its legal rights or remedies established by the United States Constitution or any other laws of this nation.
E. Supplementary Agreements. Any two or more signatories may enter into supplementary agreements for joint, coordinated or mutual environmental management activities relating to the reduction and subsequent phase-out of interstate pollution of the Mississippi River and for establishment of common or joint regulation, management, services, agencies, or facilities for such purposes or may designate an appropriate agency to act as their joint agency in regard thereto. No supplementary agreement shall be valid to the extent that it conflicts with the purposes of this compact and the creation of a joint agency by supplementary agreement shall not affect the privileges, powers, responsibilities, or duties under this compact of signatories participating therein as embodied in this compact.
F. Execution of Supplementary Agreements and Effective Date. The governor is authorized to enter into supplementary agreements for the state and his official signature shall render the agreement immediately binding upon the state;
Provided that:
(1) The legislature of any signatory entering into such a supplementary agreement shall at its next legislative session by concurrent resolution bring the supplementary agreement before it and by appropriate legislative action approve, reverse, modify, or condition the agreement of that state.
(2) Nothing in this agreement shall be construed to limit the right of Congress by act of law expressly enacted for that purpose to disapprove or condition such a supplementary agreement.
ARTICLE XIV. COMPACT COMPLIANCE
Each of the signatory states agree that it will prohibit the pollution of the river waters within its jurisdiction in accordance with this compact and that it has or will enact suitable legislation to accomplish the obligations and duties set forth herein.
ARTICLE XV. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES
The signatory states agree to appropriate annually for the salaries, office, and other administrative expenses such sum or sums as shall be recommended by the commission in an annual budget and approved by the governors of the signatory states subject to their budget processes. Each signatory state shall bear its pro rata share of the commission's total expenditures. This obligation is judicially enforceable, and sovereign immunity is waived with respect to it. The United States' actual costs of participation will be reimbursed by the commission, based upon a quarterly expense report submitted to and approved by the commission.
ARTICLE XVI. CONSTRUCTION, AMENDMENT,
EFFECTIVE DATE, WITHDRAWAL
A. Construction. It is the intent of the signatories that no provision of this compact or supplementary agreement entered into hereunder shall be construed as invalidating any provision of law of any signatory and that nothing in this compact shall be construed to modify or qualify the authority of any signatory to enact or enforce environmental protection legislation within its jurisdiction and not inconsistent with any provision of this compact or a supplementary agreement entered into pursuant hereto.
B. Amendments. Amendments to this compact may be initiated by legislative action of any signatory and become effective when concurred in by all signatories and approved by Congress.
C. Effective Date. This compact shall become binding on a state when enacted by it into law and such state shall thereafter become a signatory and party hereto with any and all states legally joining herein.
D. Withdrawal from the Compact. A state may withdraw from this compact by authority of an act of its legislature one year after it notifies all signatories in writing of an intention to withdraw from the compact. Provided, withdrawal from the compact affects obligations of a signatory imposed on it by supplementary agreements to which it may be a party only to the extent and in accordance with the terms of such supplementary agreements.
Acts 1987, No. 866, §1.
{{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1987, NO. 866, §2, REGARDING THE EFFECT OF THE COMPACT ON LOUISIANA.}}
The legislature shall appropriate funds as required by Article XV of the Mississippi River Interstate Pollution Phase-Out Compact, R.S. 30:2091.
Acts 1987, No. 866, §1.
A. The secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality shall serve ex officio as Louisiana's voting member on the Mississippi River Interstate Pollution Control Commission. The secretary may designate another official of the Department of Environmental Quality to serve as an alternate member of the Mississippi River Interstate Pollution Control Commission if, as, and when the secretary deems necessary.
B. The secretary shall consult with and seek advice from the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and the secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry relative to agreements in the compact to be concurred in or recommended by Louisiana.
Acts 1987, No. 866, §1.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Nuclear Energy and Radiation Control Law."
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
The legislature finds and declares that the supervision and control of the development and operation of nuclear energy and radiation emitting processes and facilities are of vital concern to the welfare of the citizens of the state of Louisiana, as well as to the protection of the environmental resources within the state. To insure the safety and welfare of the people and environmental resources of Louisiana in this regard, it is necessary to provide for an efficient system to regulate and control the development and utilization of all sources of radiation within the state of Louisiana.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Byproduct material" means:
(a) Any radioactive material, except special nuclear material, yielded in or made radioactive by exposure to the radiation incident to the process of producing or utilizing special nuclear material.
(b) The tailings or wastes produced by the extraction or concentration of uranium or thorium from any ore processed primarily for its source material content.
(2) "Emergency" means any condition existing outside of the bounds of nuclear operating sites owned or licensed by a federal agency, and any condition existing within or outside of the jurisdictional confines of a facility licensed or registered by the department and arising from the presence of byproduct material, source material, special nuclear material, or any other radioactive material, or source of radiation, which is endangering or could reasonably be expected to endanger the health and safety of the public or to contaminate the environment.
(3) "High-level waste" means that waste resulting from the reprocessing of spent fuel rods or unreprocessed spent fuel rods.
(4) "Licensee" means any person who is licensed by the department in accordance with this Chapter and regulations promulgated by the secretary.
(5) "Licenses" means general licenses and specific licenses.
(a) "General license" means a license effective pursuant to regulations promulgated by the secretary without the filing of an application to transfer, acquire, own, possess, or use quantities of, or devices or equipment utilizing, byproduct, source, or special nuclear materials, technologically enhanced natural radioactive material, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially.
(b) "Specific license" means a license issued after application to the department to use, manufacture, produce, transfer, receive, acquire, own, or possess quantities of, or devices or equipment utilizing, byproduct, source, or special nuclear materials, technologically enhanced natural radioactive material, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially.
(6) "Low-level radioactive waste" means, as provided in the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act (P.L. 96-573), radioactive waste not classified as high-level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, spent nuclear fuel, or byproduct material as defined in Section 11(e)(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended through 1978, 42 U.S.C. 2014(e)(2).
(7) "Naturally occurring radioactive waste material" or "NORM waste" means solid, liquid, or gaseous material or a combination of materials, excluding source material, special nuclear material, and byproduct material that has the following characteristics or qualities:
(a) Spontaneously emits radiation in its natural physical state.
(b) Is discarded or unwanted.
(c) Is not exempt by any department rule adopted pursuant to R.S. 30:2105(C).
(8) "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, group, agency, political subdivision of this state, any other state or political subdivision or agency thereof, and any legal successor, representative, agent, or agency of the foregoing, other than the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission or federal government agencies licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
(9) "Radiation" means any electromagnetic or ionizing radiation including gamma rays and x-rays, alpha and beta particles, high-speed electrons, neutrons, protons, and other nuclear particles, but does not include sound waves.
(10) "Radioactive material" means any material, whether solid, liquid, or gas, which emits radiation spontaneously.
(11) "Radioactive waste" means radioactive material, other than exploration and production waste as defined in LAC 43:XIX.129.M.1 that is contaminated with NORM waste or special wastes as described in R.S. 30:2193(C)(6) that has either of the following characteristics or qualities:
(a) Is discarded or unwanted and is not exempt by any department rule adopted pursuant to R.S. 30:2105(C).
(b) Would require processing before it could have a beneficial reuse.
(12) "Registration" means the identification of any material or device capable of emitting radiation, together with such other information as the owner of such material or device is required to furnish by rules and regulations adopted pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter.
(13) "Source material" means uranium or thorium, or any combination thereof, in any physical or chemical form, or ores which contain by weight one-twentieth of one percent or more of uranium, thorium, or any combination thereof, but source material does not include special nuclear material.
(14) "Source of radiation" means any radioactive material or any device or equipment emitting or capable of producing radiation.
(15) "Special nuclear material" means either of the following:
(a) Plutonium, uranium 233, uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or in the isotope 235, and any other material which the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, pursuant to the provisions of Section 51 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, determines to be special nuclear material, but does not include source material.
(b) Any material artificially enriched by any of the foregoing, but does not include source material.
(16) "Technologically enhanced natural radioactive material" or "TENR" means natural sources of radiation which would not normally appear without some technological activity not expressly designed to produce radiation.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 194, §9; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 497, §1, eff. July 6, 1984; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 1374, §1, eff. July 12, 1999.
A. The department shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To prepare and develop a general plan for the proper control of nuclear energy and all sources of radiation within the state of Louisiana, including by-product, source, and special nuclear material; technologically enhanced natural radioactive material; and other naturally occurring and artificially produced radionuclides.
(2) To make investigations upon its own motion or upon the complaint of any person and by appropriate order to control or regulate any source of radiation within the state.
(3) To establish programs to promote an orderly regulatory pattern within this state, to establish a system of reciprocity between this state and other states and between the federal government and this state, and to facilitate intergovernmental cooperation with respect to the use and regulation of sources of radiation, to the end that duplication of regulation may be minimized.
(4) Unless otherwise specifically prohibited, to enter into agreements with the federal government or any agency thereof to assume regulatory authority over any area not exclusively reserved to the federal government under federal law.
(5) To formulate, establish, and implement comprehensive policies for the control of radiation and to develop and conduct programs for the evaluation, determination, and amelioration of hazards associated with the use of sources of radiation.
(6) To issue, modify, or revoke orders prohibiting or abating the discharge of radioactive material or waste into the ground, air, or waters of the state in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter and rules and regulations adopted hereunder by the secretary.
(7) To require the submission of plans, specifications, and reports for new construction and material alterations on the design and protective shielding of installations for radioactive material and other sources of radiation and systems for the disposal of radioactive waste materials, and for the determination of any hazard from radiation and to approve or disapprove such plans and specifications.
(8) To render opinions to interested persons concerning such plans and specifications on the design and shielding for radiation sources as may be submitted, either before or after construction, for the purpose of determining the possible radiation hazard.
(9) To make inspections of radiation sources, shielding, and immediate surroundings for the determination of any possible radiation hazard, and to provide the owner, user, or operator thereof with a report of any known or suspected deficiencies.
(10) To review developments in the nuclear energy and radiation fields, including research and applications in such general areas as commerce and industry, medicine and public health, agriculture, civil defense, engineering, insurance, education, and other areas.
(11) To formulate, establish, and implement policies and programs which are advantageous to the general population, commerce, industry, medicine, occupational and public welfare and safety and agriculture of the state.
(12) To assist in promoting general public education concerning nuclear energy and other forms of radiation.
(13) To conduct environmental radiation surveillance and monitoring programs throughout the state and in the vicinity of nuclear production and utilization facilities, including those facilities employing technologically enhanced natural radioactive material.
(14) To develop and implement a statewide radiological emergency preparedness plan and coordinate the development of specific emergency plans for nuclear power facilities, including planned protective actions for the population and the establishment of appropriate boundaries for which planning for nuclear emergencies will be undertaken; to respond to any emergency which involves possible or actual release of radioactive material; to coordinate decontamination efforts; to issue relocation and evacuation recommendations; and to otherwise protect the public welfare and safety in any manner deemed necessary and appropriate.
(15) To exercise all incidental powers necessary or proper to carry out the purposes of this Chapter.
B. The secretary shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations consistent with the general intent and purposes of this Chapter for the control and regulation of nuclear energy and all radiation sources within the state of Louisiana.
(2) To develop permitting procedures and to require registration and to issue permits, licenses, and registrations for all sources of radiation within the state and to delegate the authority to issue or deny permits and licenses to the appropriate assistant secretary. The authority to execute minor permit actions and to issue registrations, certifications, notices of deficiency, and notification of inclusion under a general permit may be delegated by the secretary or the appropriate assistant secretary to an authorized representative, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.26.
(3) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for the handling, use, storage, shielding, transportation, and disposal of all sources of radiation within the state.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1980, No. 194, §10; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 117, §1, eff. June 22, 1984; Acts 1990, No. 245, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. The secretary shall provide by rules or regulations for general or specific licensing of each person to receive, transfer, transport, produce, manufacture, acquire, own, possess, or use byproduct, source, and special nuclear materials in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass; technologically enhanced natural radioactive material; other naturally occurring and artificially produced radionuclides; or devices or equipment utilizing such materials. Such rules or regulations shall provide for amendment, suspension, or revocation of licenses and shall also provide that:
(1) Each application for a specific license shall be in writing and shall state such information as the secretary may, by rule or regulation, determine to be necessary to decide the technical, insurance, and financial qualifications or any other qualifications of the applicant as the secretary may deem reasonable and necessary to protect occupational and public welfare and safety. The secretary may, at any time after the filing of the application and before the expiration of the license, require further written statements and shall make such inspections as the secretary may deem necessary in order to determine whether the license should be granted or denied or whether the license should be modified, suspended, or revoked. All applications and statements shall be signed by the applicant or licensee. The secretary may require any applications or statements to be made under oath or affirmation.
(2) Each license shall be in such form and contain such terms and conditions as the secretary may, by rule or regulations, prescribe.
(3) No license issued under the authority of this Subtitle and no right to possess or utilize sources of radiation granted by any license shall be assigned or in any manner disposed of.
(4) The terms and conditions of all licenses shall be subject to amendment, revision, or modification by rules, regulations, or orders issued by the secretary in accordance with provisions of this Subtitle.
B. The secretary shall require registration or licensing of other sources of radiation which he deems to constitute a risk to occupational and public welfare and safety.
C. The secretary is authorized to exempt certain sources of radiation or kinds of users from the licensing or registration requirements set forth in this Section when the secretary makes a finding that the exemption of such sources of radiation or kinds of uses or users will not constitute a significant risk to occupational and public welfare and safety.
D. Rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this Subtitle may provide for recognition of any other state or federal license as the secretary shall deem desirable, subject to such registration requirements as the secretary may prescribe.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
A. The legislature finds and declares that:
(1) The operation of nuclear power facilities in or adjacent to the state raises the possibility of adverse health or environmental effects which could result from radiological incidents or accidents at such facilities.
(2) To ensure the safety and welfare of the people and environmental resources of Louisiana, it is necessary to conduct environmental radiation surveillance and monitoring programs in the vicinity of nuclear power facilities and to develop, implement and maintain radiological emergency preparedness plans involving such facilities.
(3) It is appropriate that the nuclear power facilities bear the costs associated with such surveillance and monitoring programs and radiological emergency preparedness plans.
B.(1) Every person who is licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct or operate a nuclear power facility for the production of electricity shall pay an annual fee for each nuclear power facility which is located within this state or has a Plume Exposure Pathway Emergency Planning Zone, of which any part is located within this state.
(2) These fees shall be used to cover the costs of developing, maintaining, and implementing state radiological emergency preparedness plans and radiation surveillance and monitoring programs involving such facilities determined by the secretary to be necessary to ensure the safety and welfare of the people and environmental resources of the state.
(3) These fees shall be determined by the secretary using a formula developed by rules to be based upon a cost not to exceed the annual costs of radiological emergency preparedness and surveillance and monitoring activities required therewith. Such formula shall be submitted to and approved by the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality prior to the implementation thereof.
C. The secretary is authorized to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations consistent with the general intent and purposes of this Section and R.S. 30:2104(A)(13) and (14).
Acts 1984, No. 497, §1, eff. July 6, 1984; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. The department shall require each person who possesses or uses one or more sources of radiation to maintain records relating to the receipt, storage, transfer, or disposal thereof and such other records as the department may require, subject to such exemption as may be provided by rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Chapter.
B. The department shall require each person who possesses or uses one or more sources of radiation to maintain appropriate records showing the radiation exposure of all individuals for whom personnel monitoring is required by rules and regulations promulgated by the secretary. All cases of exposure in excess of that permitted by regulations shall be immediately reported to the department as required by regulations. Any person possessing or using one or more sources of radiation shall furnish to each employee for whom personnel monitoring is required a copy of such employee's personal exposure record annually upon request, at any time such employee has received an exposure in excess of permissible limits, and upon termination of employment.
C. The possessor or user of one or more sources of radiation shall likewise be required to display conspicuously, or to otherwise make available to employees in the licensed or registered establishment, the conditions of his license or registration certificate, and a "Notice to Employees" which fully sets forth his responsibilities to the employees as a possessor or user of sources of radiation. This "notice" shall include, as a minimum, the employer's responsibility as a possessor or user of sources of radiation, the responsibility of workers at the facility, and any posting requirements prescribed by law or regulation. In addition, this notice shall inform employees that each individual employee's radiation history is available upon request, and the possessor or user shall keep such documents on file and available for employee examination upon request.
D. Copies of all records required by this Section to be either posted or kept on file by a possessor or user of one or more sources of radiation shall be made available to the department upon request.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
In the event of emergency, the department may impound or order the impounding of any sources of radiation in the possession of any person who is not equipped to comply with or fails to comply with the provisions of this Chapter or any rules or regulations issued hereunder.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. The legislature finds and declares that it is necessary that the secretary of environmental quality be empowered upon a declaration of a state of disaster emergency, as provided for in Subsection C of this Section, and which is related to a source of radiation, to enter into contracts and agreements necessary to perform duties assigned under any radiological response plan and to expend funds from the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account for such purposes, according to the provisions of R.S. 30:2015.
B. The governor may call upon the attorney general as necessary to obtain an injunction to enforce an evacuation order issued pursuant to any declaration of a disaster emergency pursuant to and in accordance with R.S. 29:724 or 727 and which is related to a source of radiation. Should the attorney general decline to obtain an injunction to enforce an evacuation order as provided in this Section, or if the attorney general does not respond to the governor's request within twenty-four hours of such request and agree to seek such an injunction, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, seek an injunction to enforce an evacuation order issued in accordance with this Section.
C. Upon a declaration of a state of disaster emergency pursuant to and in accordance with Chapter 6 of Title 29 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 related to a source of radiation, the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality is authorized to enter into any contracts or agreements necessary to perform any duty or function required of the secretary in any radiological response plan. The secretary is authorized to expend funds from the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account in the performance of such duties in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 30:2015.
D. Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed to affect any area preempted by federal law or regulations.
Acts 1984, No. 825, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1989, No. 392, §1, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 1995, No. 1160, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020.
A. Subject to the approval of the governor, the department may enter into an agreement or agreements with the federal government, other states, or interstate agencies whereby this state will perform, on a cooperative basis, with the federal government, other states, or interstate agencies, inspections or other functions relating to control of sources of radiation.
B. The department may institute training programs for the purpose of qualifying personnel to carry out the provisions of this Chapter and may make said personnel available for participation in any program or programs of the federal government, other states, or interstate agencies in furtherance of the purposes of this Chapter.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. The governor, on behalf of this state, may enter into agreements with the federal government providing for discontinuance of certain of the federal government's responsibilities with respect to byproduct, source, and special nuclear materials in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass, and all other responsibilities not reserved to the federal government under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. §2011 et seq.), and the assumption thereof by this state.
B. The governor, on behalf of this state, may enter into agreements with other states in order to establish a system of reciprocity between this state and other states which will facilitate interstate cooperation in accomplishing the purposes of this Chapter.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
In any and all tort claims against any person which arise while that person is rendering assistance during an emergency at the request of any authorized representative of the department or pursuant to an agreement for mutual state radiological assistance as provided for in this Chapter, such person shall be treated as if he were an employee of this state.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. The secretary may adopt, promulgate, amend, and repeal rules and regulations governing the transportation of radioactive materials in Louisiana which, in the judgment of the secretary, shall promote the public safety or welfare and protect the environment, as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Chapter.
B. In adopting rules and regulations for transportation of radioactive materials in Louisiana, such may include, but shall not be limited to, provisions for the use of signs designating radioactive material cargo, for the packaging, marking, loading, and handling of radioactive materials and the precautions necessary to determine whether the material, when offered, is in proper condition for transport, and may include designation of routes in this state which are to be used for the transportation of radioactive material.
C. Such rules and regulations shall not include the carrier vehicle or its equipment or the licensing of packages, nor shall they apply to the handling of transportation of radioactive material within the confines of a facility licensed or owned by a federal agency.
D. Notwithstanding any law, order, or regulation to the contrary, no high-level radioactive wastes, including spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors, nor any radioactive waste generated outside of the United States or its territories, except such waste generated by the United States Armed Forces, shall be transported into the state for disposal or storage in this state or elsewhere.
E. Whoever violates the provisions of this Subsection D shall be punished by a fine of no more than ten thousand dollars, or imprisonment for no more than two years, or both, and vehicles or equipment used in connection with the violation shall be seized and disposed of in accordance with law.
F. The secretary may adopt rules and regulations governing the transportation of radioactive material which are compatible with those established by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the United States Federal Aviation Agency, the United States Department of Transportation, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Post Office, or any federal agency which is a successor to any of the foregoing agencies, as such federal rules may be amended from time to time.
G. The secretary may enter into agreements with the respective federal agencies designed to avoid duplication of effort or conflict in enforcement and inspection activities so that rules and regulations adopted by the secretary pursuant to this Section may be enforced within their respective jurisdiction by any authorized representatives of the department, other state agencies, and federal agencies according to mutual understandings between such agencies of their respective responsibilities and authorities.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2008, No. 96, §1.
A. The department shall require the posting of a bond by licensees to provide funds in the event of abandonment, default, or other inability of the licensee to meet the requirements of the department.
B. A bond deemed acceptable in Louisiana shall be a bond issued by a fidelity or surety company authorized to do business in Louisiana, a personal bond secured by such collateral as the department deems satisfactory, a cash bond, or a letter of credit.
C. The department is authorized to exempt classes of licensees from the requirements of this Section when a finding is made that such exemption will not result in a significant risk to the public welfare and safety.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. The department may require a licensee to pay funds to the state on a quarterly basis, when it is deemed there is a reasonable probability that the licensed facility may eventually cease to operate although still containing, or have associated with the facility property, licensable radioactive material which will require maintenance, surveillance, or other care on a continuing and perpetual basis.
B. In order to provide for the proper care and surveillance of facilities subject to Subsection A of this Section, the department may acquire by gift or transfer from another government agency or private person, any and all lands, buildings, and grounds necessary to fulfill the purposes of this Section.
C. The department may, by lease or license with any person, provide for the operation of a site or facility subject to this Section for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Chapter. Any lessee or licensee operating under the provisions of this Subsection shall be subject to R.S. 30:2114.
D. The payments required by Subsection A of this Section shall be established at such rate that interest on the sum of all funds reasonably anticipated as payable shall provide an annual amount equal to the anticipated reasonable costs necessary to maintain, monitor, and otherwise supervise and care for the lands and facilities as required in the interest of public safety and welfare. In arriving at the rate of funds to be deposited, the department shall consider the nature of the licensed material, size and type of facility, the potential for contamination or injury, cost of disposal or reclamation of the facility, estimated future receipts, and estimated future expenses of maintenance, monitoring, and supervision.
E. Recognizing the uncertainty of the existence of a person in perpetuity, and the necessity of reposing ultimate responsibility to protect health and safety in a solvent government without regard to the existence of any particular agency or department thereof, all lands, buildings, and grounds acquired by the state under Subsection B of this Section shall be owned by the state and dedicated in perpetuity to the purposes stated in Subsection B. All radioactive material received at such facility and located therein at time of acquisition of ownership by the state shall become the property of the state and may be disposed of in a manner which is in the best interest of the state.
F. In the event a person, licensed by any governmental agency other than the state of Louisiana, desires to transfer a facility to the state for the purpose of administering or providing perpetual care, that person shall make a lump sum perpetual care payment. The amount of such payment shall be determined by the department taking into consideration the factors stated in Subsection D of this Section.
G. All bonds forfeited to the state under this Chapter and all perpetual care payments under this Section shall be paid into the state treasury and shall be credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
On and after July 1, 1995, the secretary, upon receipt of an application for any commercial facility seeking a specific license for the treatment, storage, or disposal of naturally occurring radioactive material shall promptly notify the governing authority of any parish affected by the application and any public interest group or individual within the affected parish who has requested notice in writing and provided a mailing address. The parish governing authority shall promptly notify each municipality within said parish affected by the application. The secretary shall promptly consider such application and take such action thereon as he deems appropriate in accordance with law; however, the failure by the secretary or the parish governing authority to give the notice required by this Section shall not affect the validity of the action taken on the application. For the purposes of this Subsection, "any public interest group within the affected parish" shall mean any association having not less than twenty-five members who reside in the parish in which the relevant facility is or will be located.
Acts 1995, No. 1055, §1.
A. The secretary shall promulgate and adopt rules and regulations governing the disposal of radioactive wastes and NORM waste in Louisiana except for radioactive waste resulting from military weapons or high-level waste resulting from nuclear-generated electricity. All commercial disposal operations of high-level or low-level radioactive wastes as defined in R.S. 30:2103 on land not owned by the state or the federal government, and all disposals of radioactive waste or NORM waste as defined in R.S. 30:2103 not in compliance with the rules and regulations adopted by the secretary pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter are prohibited.
B. Notwithstanding any law, order, or regulation to the contrary, no salt dome within the jurisdiction of the state of Louisiana shall be utilized as a temporary or permanent disposal site for radioactive waste or other radioactive material of any nature by any person.
C. Whoever violates any provision of this Section, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of one thousand dollars for each day upon which the violation occurred or by imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both, and shall be ordered by the court to immediately remove the radioactive waste or other radioactive material from the salt dome.
D. Except as provided in Subsection F of this Section, on and after January 1, 1980, no tests designed to determine the suitability of salt domes or other geologic structures in Louisiana for disposal of radioactive wastes shall be authorized, approved, undertaken, or continued by any person, firm, corporation, or public body unless the local government of the parish or parishes in which such tests would occur, the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality of the Louisiana Legislature, and the secretary have first all given their written approval for such tests.
E. Results of all prior studies conducted to determine the feasibility of using Louisiana salt domes or other geologic structures within the state for disposal of radioactive wastes shall be made available to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.
F. The United States Department of Energy, without complying with Subsection D, hereof, may conduct testing of the Vacherie and Rayburn salt domes pursuant to the February 27, 1978 agreement between the state of Louisiana and the Department of Energy, subject to the stipulation that the federal government will not construct any nuclear waste repository in Louisiana, if the state objects. In the event the United States government nullifies or abrogates the February 27, 1978 agreement through executive or congressional action, however, the provisions of Subsection D of this Section shall apply to all tests by the United States, or its agents, designed to determine the suitability of salt domes or other geologic structures for disposal of radioactive wastes.
G. The department, the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment, and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality shall be notified in writing of any negotiations, agreements, or contracts for the use or purchase of Louisiana salt domes or other geologic structures for any purpose, other than the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Program, by the United States government, and the governor of the state of Louisiana or his designee is hereby authorized to exercise on behalf of the state of Louisiana the right of veto of storage of nuclear waste in this state, by taking appropriate executive action, including initiation of judicial action against the United States to enforce such veto right of the state of Louisiana, and to take any other action he may deem appropriate and necessary to preserve and protect the rights of the state of Louisiana under the February 27, 1978, agreement with the United States Department of Energy.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1982, No. 794, §1; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 1374, §1, eff. July 12, 1999; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2010, No. 861, §13.
With the exception of Section 2117 and Section 2111(A) of this Chapter, none of the provisions of this Chapter shall be applicable to any activity which is regulated by the United States government or which is otherwise subject to federal law.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
No person shall use, store, transport, or dispose of any source of radiation in violation of this Subtitle, the regulations of the secretary, or a permit, license, or order issued by the secretary.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
The Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact is hereby enacted into law as follows:
CENTRAL INTERSTATE LOW-LEVEL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE COMPACT
ARTICLE I. POLICY AND PURPOSE
The party states recognize that each state is responsible for the management of its nonfederal low-level radioactive wastes. They also recognize that the Congress, by enacting the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act (P.L. 96-573), has authorized and encouraged states to enter into compacts for the efficient management of wastes. It is the policy of the party states to cooperate in the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens and the environment, and to provide for and encourage the economical management of low-level radioactive wastes. It is the purpose of this compact to provide the framework for such a cooperative effort; to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens and the environment of the region; to limit the number of facilities needed to effectively and efficiently manage low-level radioactive wastes and to encourage the reduction of the generation thereof; and to distribute the costs, benefits, and obligations among the party states. It is the policy of the party states that activities conducted by the Commission are the formation of public policies and are therefore public business.
ARTICLE II. DEFINITIONS
As used in this compact, unless the context clearly requires a different construction:
a. "Commission" means the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission;
b. "Disposal" means the isolation and final disposition of waste;
c. "Decommissioning" means the measures taken at the end of a facility's operating life to assure the continued protection of the public from any residual radioactivity or other potential hazards present at the facility;
d. "Extended care" means the continued observation of a facility after closure for the purpose of detecting a need for maintenance, ensuring environmental safety, and determining compliance with applicable licensure and regulatory requirements and includes undertaking any action or cleanup necessary to protect public health and the environment;
e. "Facility" means any site, location, structure, or property used or to be used for the management of waste;
f. "Generator" means any person who, in the course of or as an incident to manufacturing, power generation, processing, medical diagnosis and treatment, biomedical research, other industrial or commercial activity, other research or mining in a party state, produces or processes waste. "Generator" does not include any person who receives waste generated outside the region for subsequent shipment to a regional facility;
g. "Host state" means any party state in which a regional facility is situated or is being developed;
h. "Institutional control" means those activities carried out by the host state to physically control access to the disposal site following transfer of the license to the owner of the disposal site. These activities include, but are not limited to, environmental monitoring, periodic surveillance, minor custodial care, and other necessary activities at the site as determined by the host state and administration of funds to cover the costs for these activities. The period of institutional control will be determined by the host state but may not be less than one hundred years following transfer of the license to the owner of the disposal site;
i. "Low-level radioactive waste" or "waste" means, as defined in the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act (P.L. 96-573), radioactive waste not classified as: high-level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, spent nuclear fuel, or byproduct material as defined in Section 11 e.2 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended through 1978;
j. "Management of waste" means the storage, treatment or disposal of waste;
k. "Notification of each party state" means transmittal of written notice to the governor, presiding officer of each legislative body, and any other persons designated by the party state's Commission member to receive such notice;
l. "Party state" means any state which is a signatory party to this compact;
m. "Person" means any individual, corporation, business enterprise or other legal entity, either public or private;
n. "Region" means the area of the party states;
o. "Regional facility" means a facility which is located within the region and which has been approved by the Commission for the benefit of the party states;
p. "Site" means any property which is owned or leased by a generator and is contiguous to or divided only by a public or private way from the source of generation;
q. "State" means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or any other territorial possession of the United States;
r. "Storage" means the holding of waste for treatment or disposal; and
s. "Treatment" means any method, technique, or process, including storage for radioactive decay, designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics or composition of any waste in order to render such waste safer for transport or management, amenable for recovery, convertible to another usable material, or reduced in volume.
ARTICLE III. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS
a. There shall be provided within the region one or more regional facilities which together provide sufficient capacity to manage all wastes generated within the region. It shall be the duty of regional facilities to accept compatible wastes generated in and from party states, and meeting the requirements of this Act, and each party state shall have the right to have the wastes generated within its borders managed at such facility.
b. To the extent authorized by federal law and host state law, a host state shall regulate and license any regional facility within its borders and ensure the extended care of such facility.
c. Rates shall be charged to any user of the regional facility, set by the operator of a regional facility, and shall be fair and reasonable and be subject to the approval of the host state. Such approval shall be based upon criteria established by the Commission.
d. A host state may establish fees which shall be charged to any user of a regional facility and which shall be in addition to the rates approved pursuant to Section c of this Article, for any regional facility within its borders. Any fees proposed by the host state shall be subject to a one hundred twenty day prior notice to the Commission with an opportunity to provide comments to the host state. Such fees shall be fair and reasonable, and shall provide the host state with sufficient revenue to cover all anticipated present and future costs associated with any regional facility and a reasonable reserve for future contingencies which are not covered by rates established in Section c of this Article including, but not limited to:
(1) The licensure, operation, monitoring, inspection, maintenance, decommissioning, closure, institutional control, and extended care of a regional facility;
(2) Response, removal, or remedial action or cleanup deemed appropriate and required by the host state as a result of a release of radioactive or hazardous materials from such regional facility;
(3) Premiums for property and third party liability insurance;
(4) Protection of the public health and safety, and the environment;
(5) Compensation and incentives to the host community;
(6) Any amount due from a judgment or settlement involving a property or third party liability claim for medical expenses and all other damages incurred as a result of personal injury or death and damages or losses to real or personal property or the environment; and
(7) Cost of defending or pursuing liability claims against any party or state.
The fees established pursuant to this Section (d) of this Article may include incentives for source and volume reduction and may be based on the hazard of the waste. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this compact, or in any state constitution, statute, or regulation, to the extent that such fees are insufficient to pay for any costs associated with a regional facility, including all costs under Section (d) of this Article, all party states and any other state or states whose generators use the regional facility, shall share liability for all such costs. However, there shall be no recovery from the states under Section (d) of this Article until all available funds, payments, or in-kind services have been exhausted including:
(i) Designated low-level radioactive waste funds managed by the host state;
(ii) Payable proceeds of insurance or surety policies applicable to a regional facility;
(iii) Proceeds of reasonable collection efforts against the regional facility operator or operators; and
(iv) Payments from or in-kind services by generators.
In the event any regional facility operator files or has filed against it a bankruptcy proceeding, then for purposes of determining whether or not reasonable collection efforts have been undertaken, the filing of such proceedings, if not dismissed within sixty days of filing, shall be considered exhaustion of reasonable collection efforts with respect to such party. Recovery from the states under Section (d) of Article III upon satisfaction of the exhaustion of available funds, payments, or in-kind services shall not preclude any state from further recovery of its costs from a facility operator, insurer, or generator. During the period of time that such reasonable collection efforts or exhaustion of available funds, payments, or in-kind services occur, any applicable statutes of limitation with respect to claims against any other parties or states will be deemed tolled and will not run. All costs or liabilities shared by a state shall be shared proportionately by comparing the volume of the waste received at a regional facility from the generators of each state with the total volume of the waste received at a regional facility from all generators.
e. To the extent authorized by federal law, each party state is responsible for enforcing any applicable federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to the packaging and transportation of waste generated within or passing through its borders and shall adopt practices that will ensure that waste shipments originating within its borders and destined for a regional facility will conform to applicable packaging and transportation laws and regulations.
f. Each party state has the right to rely on the good faith performance of each other party state.
g. Unless authorized by the Commission, it shall be unlawful after January 1, 1986, for any person:
(1) To deposit at a regional facility, waste not generated within the region;
(2) To accept, at a regional facility, waste not generated within the region;
(3) To export from the region, waste which is generated within the region; and
(4) To transport waste from the site at which it is generated except to a regional facility.
ARTICLE IV. THE COMMISSION
a. There is hereby established the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission. The Commission shall consist of one voting member from each party state, except that each host state shall have two at-large voting members and one nonvoting member from the county in which the facility is located. All members shall be appointed according to the laws of each state. The appointing authority of each party state shall notify the Commission in writing of the identity of its member and any alternates. An alternate may act on behalf of the member only in the absence of such member or members. Each state is responsible for the expenses of its members of the Commission.
b. Except for the nonvoting member, each Commission member shall be entitled to one vote. Unless otherwise provided herein, no action of the Commission shall be binding unless a majority of the total voting membership casts its vote in the affirmative.
c. The Commission shall elect from among its membership a chairman. The Commission shall adopt and publish, in convenient form, bylaws and policies which are not inconsistent with this compact.
d. The Commission shall meet at least once a year and shall also meet upon the call of the chairman, by petition of a majority of the membership or upon the call of a host state member. All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public with reasonable advance publicized notice given and such meetings shall be subject to those exceptions provided for in the open meetings laws of the host state. The Commission shall adopt bylaws that are consistent in scope and principle with the open meetings law of the host state or, if there is no host state, the open meetings law of the state in which the Commission headquarters are located.
e. The Commission may initiate any proceedings or appear as an intervenor or party in interest before any court of law, or any federal, state, or local agency, board, or commission that has jurisdiction over any matter arising under or relating to the terms and provisions of this compact. The Commission shall determine in which proceedings it shall intervene or otherwise appear, and may arrange for such expert testimony, reports, evidence, or other participation in such proceedings as may be necessary to represent its views.
f. The Commission may establish such committees as it deems necessary for the purpose of advising the Commission on any and all matters pertaining to the management of waste.
g. The Commission may employ and compensate a staff limited only to those persons necessary to carry out its duties and functions. The Commission may also contract with and designate any person to perform necessary functions to assist the Commission. Unless otherwise required by acceptance of a federal grant, the staff shall serve at the Commission's pleasure irrespective of the civil service, personnel, or other merit laws of any of the party states or the federal government and shall be compensated from funds of the Commission.
h. Funding for the Commission shall be as follows:
(1) The Commission shall set and approve its first annual budget as soon as practicable after its initial meeting. Party states shall equally contribute to the Commission budget on an annual basis an amount not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars until surcharges are available for that purpose. Host states shall begin imposition of the surcharges provided for in this Section as soon as practicable and shall remit to the Commission funds resulting from collection of such surcharges within sixty days of their receipt; and
(2) Each state hosting a regional facility shall annually levy surcharges on all users of such facilities, based on the volume and characteristics of wastes received at such facilities, the total of which:
(a) Shall be sufficient to cover the annual budget of the Commission; and
(b) Shall be paid to the Commission, provided, however, that each host state collecting such surcharges may retain a portion of the collection sufficient to cover the administrative costs of collection, and that the remainder be sufficient only to cover the approved annual budget of the Commission.
i. The Commission shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements. An independent certified public accountant shall annually audit all receipts and disbursements of Commission funds and submit an audit report to the Commission. Such audit report shall be made a part of the annual report of the Commission required by this Article.
j. The Commission may accept for any of its purposes and functions any and all donations, grants of money, equipment, supplies, materials and services, conditional or otherwise from any person, and may receive, utilize and dispose of same. The nature, amount, and conditions, if any, attendant upon any donation or grant accepted pursuant to this Section, together with the identity of the donor, grantor, or lender, shall be detailed in the annual report of the Commission.
k.(1) Except as otherwise provided herein, nothing in this compact shall be construed to alter the incidence of liability of any kind for any act, omission, course of conduct, or on account of any casual or other relationships. Generators, transporters of waste, owners and operators of facilities shall be liable for their acts, omissions, conduct, or relationships in accordance with all laws relating thereto.
(2) The Commission herein established is a legal entity separate and distinct from the party states and shall be so liable for its actions. Liabilities of the Commission shall not be deemed liabilities of the party states. Members of the Commission shall not be personally liable for actions taken by them in their official capacity.
l. Any person or party state aggrieved by a final decision of the Commission may obtain judicial review of such decisions in the United States District Court in the district wherein the Commission maintains its headquarters by filing in such court a petition for review within sixty days after the Commission's final decision. Proceedings thereafter shall be in accordance with the rules of procedure applicable in such court.
m. The Commission shall:
(1) Receive and approve the application of a nonparty state to become a party state in accordance with Article VII;
(2) Submit an annual report to, and otherwise communicate with, the governors and the presiding officers of the legislative bodies of the party states regarding the activities of the Commission;
(3) Hear and negotiate disputes which may arise between the party states regarding this compact;
(4) Require of and obtain from the party states, and nonparty states seeking to become party states, data and information necessary to the implementation of Commission and party states responsibilities;
(5) Approve the development and operation of regional facilities in accordance with Article V;
(6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this compact, have the authority to enter into agreements with any person for the importation of waste into the region and for the right of access to facilities outside the region for waste generated within the region. Such authorization to import or export waste requires the approval of the Commission, including the affirmative vote of any host state which may be affected;
(7) Revoke the membership of a party state in accordance with Articles V and VII;
(8) Require all party states and other persons to perform their duties and obligations arising under this compact by an appropriate action in any forum designated in Article IV(e); and
(9) Take such action as may be necessary to perform its duties and functions as provided in this compact.
n. All files, records, and data of the Commission shall be open to reasonable public inspection, regardless of physical form, subject to those exceptions listed within the public records law of the host state. The Commission shall adopt bylaws relating to the availability of files, records, and data of the Commission that are consistent in scope and principle with the public records law of the host state or, if there is no host state, the public records law of the state in which the Commission headquarters is located.
o. All decisions of the Commission regarding public meetings and public records issues shall be reviewable solely in a United States District Court of a host state or if there is no host state then in the state in which the Compact Commission headquarters is located.
ARTICLE V. DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION OF
REGIONAL FACILITIES
a. Following the collection of sufficient data and information from the states, the Commission shall allow each party state the opportunity to volunteer as a host for a regional facility.
b. If no state volunteers or if no proposal identified by a volunteer state is deemed acceptable by the Commission, based on the criteria in Section c of this Article, then the Commission shall publicly seek applicants for the development and operation of regional facilities.
c. The Commission shall review and consider each applicant's proposal based upon the following criteria:
(1) The capability of the applicant to obtain a license from the applicable authority;
(2) The economic efficiency of each proposed regional facility, including the total estimated disposal and treatment costs per cubic foot of waste;
(3) Financial assurances;
(4) Accessibility to all party states; and
(5) Such other criteria as shall be determined by the Commission to be necessary for the selection of the best proposal, based on the health, safety and welfare of the citizens in the region and the party states.
d. The Commission shall make a preliminary selection of the proposal or proposals considered most likely to meet the criteria enumerated in Section c and the needs of the region.
e. Following notification of each party state of the results of the preliminary selection process, the Commission shall:
(1) Authorize any person whose proposal has been selected to pursue licensure of the regional facility or facilities in accordance with the proposal originally submitted to the Commission or as modified with the approval of the Commission; and
(2) Require the appropriate state or states or the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to process all applications for permits and licenses required for the development and operation of any regional facility or facilities within a reasonable period from the time that a completed application is submitted.
f. The preliminary selection or selections made by the Commission pursuant to this Article shall become final and receive the Commission's approval as a regional facility upon the issuance of a license by the licensing authority. If a proposed regional facility fails to become licensed, the Commission shall make another selection pursuant to the procedures identified in this Article.
g. The Commission may by a two-thirds affirmative vote of its membership, revoke the membership of any party state which, after notice and hearing, shall be found to have arbitrarily or capriciously denied or delayed the issuance of a license or permit to any person authorized by the Commission to apply for such license or permit. Revocation shall be in the same manner as provided for in Section e of Article VII.
ARTICLE VI. OTHER LAWS AND REGULATIONS
a. Nothing in this compact shall be construed to:
(1) Abrogate or limit the applicability of any act of Congress, or diminish or otherwise impair the jurisdiction of any federal agency expressly conferred thereon by the Congress;
(2) Prevent the application of any law which is not otherwise inconsistent with this compact;
(3) Prohibit or otherwise restrict the management of waste on the site where it is generated if such is otherwise lawful;
(4) Affect any judicial or administrative proceeding pending on the effective date of this compact;
(5) Alter the relations between, and the respective internal responsibilities of, the government of a party state and its subdivisions; and
(6) Affect the generation or management of waste generated by the federal government or federal research and development activities.
b. No party state shall pass or enforce any law or regulation which is inconsistent with this compact.
c. All laws and regulations or parts thereof of any party state which are inconsistent with this compact are hereby declared null and void for purposes of this compact. Any legal right, obligation, violation, or penalty arising under such laws or regulations prior to enactment of this compact shall not be affected.
d. No law or regulation of a party state or of any subdivision or instrumentality thereof may be applied so as to restrict or make more costly or inconvenient access to any regional facility by the generators of another party state than for the generators of the state where the facility is situated.
ARTICLE VII. ELIGIBLE PARTIES, WITHDRAWAL,
REVOCATION, ENTRY INTO FORCE, TERMINATION
a. This compact shall have as initially eligible parties the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Such initial eligibility shall terminate on January 1, 1984.
b. Any state may petition the Commission for eligibility. A petitioning state shall become eligible for membership in the compact upon the unanimous approval of the Commission.
c. An eligible state shall become a member of the compact and shall be bound by it after such state has enacted the compact into law. In no event shall the compact take effect in any state until it has been entered into force as provided for in Section (f) of this Article.
d. Any party state may withdraw from this compact by enacting a statute repealing the same. Unless permitted earlier by unanimous approval of the Commission, such withdrawal shall take effect five years after the governor of the withdrawing state has given notice in writing of such withdrawal to each governor of the party states. No withdrawal shall affect any liability already incurred by or chargeable to a party state prior to the time of such withdrawal.
e. Any party state which fails to comply with the terms of this compact or fulfill its obligations hereunder may, after notice and hearing, have its privileges suspended or its membership in the compact revoked by the Commission. Revocation shall take effect one year from the date such party state receives written notice from the Commission of its action. The Commission may require such party state to pay to the Commission, for a period not to exceed five years from the date of notice of revocation, an amount determined by the Commission based on the anticipated fees which the generators of such party state would have paid to each regional facility and an amount equal to that which such party state would have contributed in accordance with Section (d) of Article III in the event of insufficient revenues. The Commission shall use such funds to ensure the continued availability of safe and economical waste management facilities for all remaining party states. Such state shall also pay an amount equal to that which such party state would have contributed to the annual budget of the Commission if such party state would have remained a member of the compact. All legal rights established under this compact of any party state which has its membership revoked shall cease upon the effective date of revocation; however, any legal obligations of such party state arising prior to the effective date of revocation shall not cease until they have been fulfilled. Written notice of revocation of any state's membership in the compact shall be transmitted immediately following the vote of the Commission, by the chairman to the governor of the affected party state, all other governors of the party states, and the Congress of the United States.
f. This compact shall become effective after enactment by at least three eligible states and after consent has been given to it by the Congress. The Congress shall have the opportunity to withdraw such consent every five years. Failure of the Congress to withdraw its consent affirmatively shall have the effect of renewing consent for an additional five-year period. The consent given to this compact by the Congress shall extend to any future admittance of new party states under Sections (b) and (c) of this Article and to the power to ban the exportation of waste pursuant to Article III.
g. The withdrawal of a party state from this compact under Section (d) of this Article or the revocation of a state's membership in this compact under Section (e) of this Article shall not affect the applicability of this compact to the remaining party states.
h. This compact shall be terminated when all party states have withdrawn pursuant to Section (d) of this Article.
ARTICLE VIII. PENALTIES
a. Each party state, consistent with its own law, shall prescribe and enforce penalties against any person for violation of any provision of this compact.
b. Each party state acknowledges that the receipt by a regional facility of waste packaged or transported in violation of applicable laws and regulations can result in sanctions which may include suspension or revocation of the violator's right of access to the regional facility.
ARTICLE IX. SEVERABILITY AND CONSTRUCTION
The provisions of this compact shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this compact is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to the Constitution of any participating state or of the United States or the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this compact and the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby. If any provision of this compact shall be held contrary to the Constitution of any state participating therein, the compact shall remain in full force and effect as to the state affected as to all severable matters. The provisions of this compact shall be liberally construed to give effect to the purpose thereof.
Added by Acts 1982, No. 791, §1; Acts 1991, No. 133, §1, eff. June 30, 1991.
The secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality shall serve ex officio as Louisiana's voting member on the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission. The secretary may designate another official of the Department of Environmental Quality to serve as an alternate member of the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission if, as, and when the secretary deems necessary.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
Pursuant to the provisions of Article III, Section c. of the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact, the secretary is authorized to approve fair and reasonable rates to be charged any user by the operator of any Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact regional facility located within Louisiana. Such approval shall be based upon criteria established by the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission. The secretary shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations, consistent with the provisions of said Article III, Section c. of the compact, establishing procedures for approving such rates and setting criteria by which proposed rates shall be judged fair and reasonable. No operator of such a regional facility shall charge or alter such rates without the prior approval of the secretary.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
The legislature shall appropriate funds as required by Article III, Section d. and Article IV, Section h. of the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact (R.S. 30:2131).
Added by Acts 1982, No. 791, §1.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Solid Waste Management and Resource Recovery Law."
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
The legislature finds and declares that the disposal and utilization of solid waste is a matter of vital concern to all citizens of this state, and that the safety and welfare of the people of Louisiana require efficient and reasonable regulation of solid waste disposal practices as well as a coordinated statewide resource recovery and management program.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Advanced recycling" means a manufacturing process for the conversion of post-use polymers and recovered feedstocks into basic raw materials, feedstocks, chemicals, and other products through processes that include pyrolysis, gasification, depolymerization, catalytic cracking, reforming, hydrogenation, solvolysis, chemolysis, and other similar technologies. The recycled products produced at advanced recycling facilities include but are not limited to monomers, oligomers, plastics, plastic and chemical feedstocks, basic and unfinished chemicals, waxes, lubricants, coatings, and adhesives. Advanced recycling does not include incineration of plastics or waste-to-energy processes. Products sold as fuel are not recycled products. Advanced recycling shall be considered "recycling" as defined in R.S. 30:2412. Advanced recycling shall not be considered solid waste management, solid waste processing, solid waste recovery, incineration, treatment, or waste-to-energy.
(2) "Advanced recycling facility" means a manufacturing facility that receives, stores, and converts post-use polymers and recovered feedstocks it receives using advanced recycling. An advanced recycling facility is a manufacturing facility subject to applicable department manufacturing regulations for air, water, waste, and land use. Advanced recycling facilities shall not be considered solid waste disposal facilities, final disposal facilities, solid waste management facilities, solid waste processing facilities, solid waste recovery facilities, incinerators, or waste-to-energy facilities.
(3) "Depolymerization" means a manufacturing process through which post-use polymers are broken down into smaller molecules such as monomers and oligomers or raw, intermediate, or final products, plastics, plastic and chemical feedstocks, basic and unfinished chemicals, waxes, lubricants, and coatings.
(4) "Gasification" means a manufacturing process through which post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks are heated in an oxygen-controlled atmosphere and converted into syngas, which is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, followed by conversion into valuable raw, intermediate, and final products, including but not limited to plastic monomers, chemicals, waxes, lubricants, and chemical feedstocks, that are returned to economic utility in the form of raw materials or products.
(5) "Mass balance attribution" means a chain of custody accounting methodology with rules defined by a third-party certification system that enables the attribution of the mass of advanced recycling feedstocks to one or more advanced recycling products.
(6) "Post-use polymer" means a plastic to which all of the following apply:
(a) The plastic is derived from any industrial, commercial, agricultural, or domestic activities and includes pre-consumer recovered materials or post-consumer materials.
(b) The plastic is not mixed with solid waste or hazardous waste onsite or during processing at the advanced recycling facility.
(c) The plastics' use or intended use is as a feedstock for the manufacturing of feedstocks, raw materials, or other intermediate products or final products using advanced recycling.
(d) The plastic has been sorted from solid waste and other regulated waste but may contain residual amounts of waste such as organic material and incidental contaminants or impurities such as paper labels or metal rings.
(e) The plastic is processed at an advanced recycling facility or held at the facility prior to processing.
(7) "Pyrolysis" means a manufacturing process through which post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks are heated in the absence of oxygen until melted and thermally decomposed, non-catalytically or catalytically, and are then cooled, condensed, and converted into valuable raw materials and intermediate and final products, including but not limited to plastic monomers, chemicals, naphtha, waxes, and plastic and chemical feedstocks that are returned to economic utility in the form of raw materials or products.
(8)(a) "Recovered feedstock" means one or more of the following materials that have been processed so that it may be used as feedstock in an advanced recycling facility:
(i) Post-use polymers.
(ii) Materials for which the United States Environmental Protection Agency or the department has made a non-waste determination or has otherwise determined are feedstocks and not solid waste.
(b) The term "recovered feedstock" shall not include the following:
(i) Unprocessed municipal solid waste.
(ii) Commonly recycled paper that is segregated from solid waste.
(iii) Commonly recycled paper that is collected as part of a collection system that commingles the paper with other solid waste at any point from the time of collection through the materials recovery.
(iv) Material that is mixed with solid waste or hazardous waste onsite or during processing at an advanced recycling facility.
(9) "Recycled plastics" or "recycled plastic" means products that are produced from the following:
(a) Mechanical recycling of pre-consumer recovered feedstocks or plastics and post-consumer plastics.
(b) Advanced recycling of pre-consumer recovered feedstocks or plastics and post-consumer plastics via mass balance attribution under a third-party certification system.
(10) "Resource management" means the process by which solid waste is collected, transported, stored, separated, processed, or disposed of in any other way, according to an orderly, purposeful, and planned program. The term "resource management" shall not include the storage of post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks or the conversion of post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks through advanced recycling.
(11) "Resource recovery" means the process by which materials, excluding those under control of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which still have useful physical or chemical properties after serving a specific purpose are reused or recycled for the same or other purposes, including uses as an energy source. The term "resource recovery" shall not include the conversion of post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks through advanced recycling.
(12) "Resource recovery and management facility" means any solid waste disposal area or other facility, the purpose of which is resource recovery or the disposal, recycling, processing, or storage of solid waste, excluding any "processing, treatment, or disposal facility" as defined in R.S. 30:2173. The term "resource recovery and management facility" shall not include a facility that stores post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks or converts post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks through advanced recycling.
(13) "Sanitary landfill" means a controlled area of land upon which nonhazardous solid waste is deposited in such a manner that protects the environment with no on-site burning of wastes, and so located, contoured, and drained that it will not constitute a source of water pollution.
(14) "Sanitary landfilling" means an engineered method of disposing of nonhazardous solid waste on land in a manner that protects the environment.
(15)(a) "Solid waste" means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility, and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities, but does not include or mean solid or dissolved material in domestic sewage or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits under R.S. 30:2074, or source, special nuclear, or byproduct material as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq., or hazardous waste subject to permits under R.S. 30:2171 et seq.
(b) The definition of solid waste shall not include any of the following:
(i) Uncontaminated scrap metal materials which are purchased for resale to be recycled or reused and are not destined for disposal.
(ii) Wastewaters in tanks, sumps, and existing ditches as defined by rule, upstream or downstream of designated internal or final state or federal wastewater discharge points which require no further treatment to meet applicable state or federal permit limits.
(iii) Wastewaters in tanks, sumps, and existing ditches as defined by rule, which only require pH adjustment to meet applicable pH permit limits or solids settling to meet total suspended solids permit limits.
(iv) Automotive fluff which results from the shredding of automobiles by a scrap metal recycling facility authorized under the laws of the state of Louisiana and from which metals have been recovered to the maximum extent practicable by the scrap metal recycling facility.
(v) Post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks that are converted through advanced recycling or are held at, or for the purpose of conversion at, an advanced recycling facility prior to conversion.
(16) "Solid waste disposal facility" means any land area or structure or combination of land areas and structures, used for storing, salvaging, processing, reducing, incinerating, or disposing of solid wastes, excluding any "processing, treatment, or disposal facility" as defined in R.S. 30:2173 and any facility where solid waste management activities are limited to transferring solid waste from collection vehicles to other vehicles for transport without processing. The term "solid waste disposal facility" shall not include a facility that stores post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks or converts post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks through advanced recycling.
(17) "Solvolysis" means a manufacturing process through which post-use polymers are purified with the aid of solvents while heated at low temperatures or heated at low temperatures and pressurized to make useful products, while allowing additives and contaminants to be removed. The products of solvolysis include monomers, intermediates, valuable chemicals, plastic and chemical feedstocks, and raw materials. The process includes but is not limited to hydrolysis, aminolysis, ammonolysis, methanolysis, and glycolysis.
(18) "Third-party certification system" means an international and multinational third-party certification system which consists of a set of rules for the implementation of mass balance attribution approaches for advanced recycling of materials. Third-party certification systems include but are not limited to International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, Underwriters Laboratories, SCS Recycled Content Certification, Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, Ecoloop, and REDcert².
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1991, No. 379, §1; Acts 1993, No. 555, §1, eff. June 10, 1993; Acts 1997, No. 96, §1; Acts 2010, No. 152, §1; Acts 2021, No. 460, §1; Acts 2023, No. 43, §1, eff. June 1, 2023.
A. The department is hereby directed:
(1) To prepare and develop a general solid waste management plan which shall encourage the maximum practicable use of resource recovery procedures.
(2) To promote the planning and application of recycling and resource recovery systems which preserve and enhance the quality of the air, water, and other natural resources of the state.
(3) By appropriate order to control and regulate pollution of the environment caused by solid waste disposal practices.
(4) To develop rules, regulations, and standards for the disposal of sewage sludge in sludge lagoons, dedicated land farms, surface disposal facilities, composting facilities, or processing facilities when the sewage sludge is admixed with other wastes regulated pursuant to this Chapter.
(5) To provide for the disposal of incinerator ash derived from the thermal treatment of sewage sludge.
B. The secretary is hereby directed:
(1)(a) To adopt and promulgate rules, regulations, and standards for the transportation, processing, resource recovery, and disposal of solid wastes consistent with the general solid waste management plan adopted by the department. Such rules and regulations shall include but not be limited to the disposal site location, construction, operation, compliance deadlines, siting of stations for the off-loading and trans-loading of treated solid waste and sewage sludges destined for disposal, and maintenance of the disposal process as necessary to implement the purpose and intent of this Chapter.
(b) However, such rules and regulations shall not include any of the following:
(i) Wastewaters in tanks, sumps, and existing ditches as defined by rule, upstream or downstream of designated internal or final state or federal wastewater discharge points which require no further treatment to meet applicable state or federal permit limits.
(ii) Wastewaters in tanks, sumps, and existing ditches as defined by rule, which require only pH adjustment to meet applicable pH permit limits or solids settling to meet total suspended solids permit limits.
(iii) Advanced recycling or facilities that store post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks or that convert post-use polymers and recovered feedstocks through advanced recycling. However, prior to conducting any advanced recycling activities as defined by this Chapter, the person conducting such activities shall submit written notification to the department.
(2)(a) To adopt by regulation a system for the registration and permitting of all solid waste disposal facilities within the state and to delegate the authority to issue or deny registrations, permits, and licenses to the appropriate assistant secretary when such delegation is deemed appropriate by the secretary. The authority to execute minor permit actions and to issue registrations, certifications, notices of deficiency, and notification of inclusion under a general permit or a regulatory permit may be delegated by the secretary or the appropriate assistant secretary to an authorized representative, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.26.
(b) It shall be unlawful for any person registered, licensed, or permitted as a commercial solid waste disposal facility under the system authorized pursuant to this Section and duly promulgated by the secretary, to receive solid waste from the cleanup of a site listed on the National Priorities List by the United States Environmental Protection Agency at a commercial solid waste facility without notifying the secretary thirty days prior to the arrival of such waste.
(c) Any person who operates a permitted commercial solid waste facility in this state shall publish in the official journal of the parish in which the facility is located not less than thirty days prior to commencement of disposal a notice of the pending disposal of any nonhazardous waste generated from the remediation of sites listed on the National Priorities List by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
(d) The system adopted by the secretary as provided in Subparagraph (2)(a) of this Paragraph shall include a requirement that a permittee or licensee of a commercial solid waste facility notify the secretary, on a form provided by the secretary, of the arrival of any shipment of waste for disposal, treatment, or processing, at the permittee's or licensee's facility if the waste from a single event or one-time removal that exceeds twenty-thousand cubic yards and is from the remediation of a Superfund site listed on the National Priorities List by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The notice shall describe the amounts and kind of substances contained in the wastes, their origin, and the method and identification of their transportation. The notice shall be received by the secretary thirty days prior to the arrival of the waste at the facility. The secretary shall forward a copy of such notice to the local governing authority where the shipment is destined.
(e) Violations of this Paragraph may be subject to a fine of up to five hundred dollars per violation.
(f) The provisions of Subparagraphs (2)(b), (d), and (e) of this Paragraph shall become effective January 1, 1993, and shall affect the disposal of solid wastes from a Superfund site at any commercial solid waste facility on or after thirty days from that date.
(g) Terminated by Acts 2004, No. 150, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2012.
(h)(i) In addition to any other rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to this Chapter, no solid waste landfill or any other solid waste disposal facility which receives residential or commercial solid waste shall store, process, or dispose of such waste within three hundred feet from the inside of the facility's property line where such property line is adjacent to a structure currently being used as a church. In order for this Subparagraph to apply, the church shall have been utilized as such prior to the department's receipt of the facility's permit application. The department may promulgate rules and regulations providing for a waiver of the provisions of this Subparagraph upon the consent from all landowners having an ownership interest in property otherwise subject to this Subparagraph.
(ii) The provisions of this Subparagraph shall not apply to any landfill or disposal facility existing prior to April 1, 2010, to any portion of such facility that has been closed or that has ceased operations, or to future expansions of the permitted disposal area of any such facility.
(3) To adopt regulations to require that all presently existing solid waste disposal facilities be upgraded to operate as sanitary landfills within five years from the effective date of regulations under this Chapter and that all solid waste disposal facilities constructed after the effective date of this Chapter shall be sanitary landfills or utilize any other environmentally sound technique.
(4) Facilities for the disposal of solid waste shall register with the department when the regulations promulgated by the secretary under Paragraph (2) of this Subsection become effective and shall apply for a permit in accordance with the requirements of such regulations. State permits granted to solid waste disposal facilities prior to the effective date of the regulations under Paragraph (2) shall continue in effect until the issuance or denial of a new permit under such regulations.
(5) To adopt and promulgate rules, regulations, and standards for the processing, resource recovery, and use for agricultural, horticultural, or silvicultural purposes, of those solid wastes except sewage sludges which are capable of beneficial agricultural, horticultural, or silvicultural use and which will not pose a threat to the environment or to human health or safety. The secretary shall adopt and promulgate rules, regulations, and standards which provide for all of the following:
(a) Procedure and criteria for selecting solid waste application sites, including providing the opportunity for public comment and public hearing as provided in R.S. 49:950 et seq.
(b) Requirements for solid waste treatment and processing before such solid waste is applied.
(c) Methods and minimum frequency for analyzing solid waste, and soil to which solid waste is applied.
(d) Records that a solid waste applicator must keep.
(e) Restrictions on public access to and cropping of land on which solid waste has been applied.
(f) Any other requirement necessary to protect surface water, groundwater, public health, and soil productivity from any adverse effects resulting from solid waste application.
(g) Any other rules or regulations reasonably necessary to implement the purposes as provided herein.
(6) Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
(7) To adopt and promulgate rules, regulations, and standards for the advance notification of those local governing authorities whose jurisdiction may be affected by the siting of stations for the off-loading and trans-loading of treated solid waste and sewage sludges destined for disposal.
(8)(a) To prohibit the disposal of solid waste, except as exempted by regulation, on the site of disposal without written authorization by the Department of Environmental Quality and notice by the department to the local governing authority and the public as provided in this Paragraph. Such authorization shall contain the types of items authorized for the on-site disposal. Any such closure shall require delivery by the department of written notice of the authorization to the parish governing authority and municipal governing authority, if applicable, in which the solid waste is to be disposed at least fifteen days prior to the closure, and publication, at the expense of the person granted the authorization, of the notice of authorization in the official journal of the parish in which the waste is to be disposed at least fifteen days prior to the disposal.
(b) This Paragraph shall not apply to closure at a solid waste disposal facility operating pursuant to a permit or an order of the department or a solid waste management facility regulated pursuant to Chapter 8 or 18 of this Subtitle. This Paragraph shall not apply to maintenance of public utility rights of way.
(9)(a) To develop regulatory permits for certain waste processing or disposal facilities provided the following conditions are satisfied:
(i) A regulatory permit shall not preclude the secretary from exercising all powers and duties as set forth in R.S. 30:2011(D), including but not limited to the authority to conduct inspections and investigations and enter facilities as provided in R.S. 30:2012, and to sample, monitor, or assess, for the purposes of assuring compliance with a regulatory permit or as otherwise authorized by this Subtitle or regulations adopted thereunder, any substances, pollutants, equipment, or facility at any location covered under the regulatory permit.
(ii) A regulatory permit shall require compliance with all applicable provisions of the department's rules and regulations, any applicable sections of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and all Federal Aviation Administration safety guidelines, rules, regulations, or recommendations. Violation of the terms and conditions of a regulatory permit may constitute a violation of such regulation or act.
(iii) A regulatory permit may not authorize the operation or maintenance of a nuisance or a danger to public health or safety. All equipment maintained at the facility shall be maintained in good condition and shall be operated properly.
(iv) A regulatory permit shall, as appropriate, prescribe operational controls, equipment requirements, personnel requirements, testing requirements, and any other enforceable conditions. A regulatory permit shall also prescribe any necessary monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting provisions necessary for the protection of public health and the environment.
(v) A regulatory permit may require any person seeking such permit to submit a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations to the secretary. Where required, submission of a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations shall be in lieu of submission of a permit application. The written notification shall be signed and certified in accordance with LAC 33:VII governing permit application submittal. Any person who submits a written notification and any fee authorized by this Subtitle and applicable regulations shall be authorized to operate under the regulatory permit for which the notification was submitted when notified by the department that the notification was complete.
(vi) All regulatory permits promulgated by the secretary shall establish notification procedures, permit terms, and confirmation of notification by the department and shall be promulgated in accordance with the procedures provided in R.S. 30:2019.
(b) Regulatory permits for landfill facilities and land farm facilities are prohibited except for those facilities that may be authorized under a regulatory permit pertaining to emergency debris sites.
(c) Regulatory permits may authorize emergency debris management sites and activities.
(10) To adopt rules and regulations requiring annual certifications of compliance for all solid waste disposal and processing facilities permitted under the regulations adopted pursuant to this Section. The regulations adopted for annual certifications of compliance shall specify any general compliance conditions such as capacity and total amounts of waste generated, processed, or disposed that shall be certified annually and shall also provide for annual certification of permit conditions for which annual compliance certification is required based on the specific permit issued.
(11)(a) To promulgate regulations, prior to July 1, 2011, for all applicants specifying emergency response requirements that shall include the preparation of an emergency response plan for any applicant seeking a permit to process or dispose of solid waste and shall provide that the requirement for an emergency response plan is satisfied by the applicant's demonstration that it has the ability to meet the response requirements of the applicable sections of the National Fire Protection Association.
(b) All potential applicants who seek to obtain a permit to process or dispose of solid waste shall be required to file an emergency response plan, in compliance with the promulgated regulations, as a special structures plan review with the state fire marshal. No application for a permit to process or dispose of solid waste shall be filed with nor accepted by the department prior to the applicant obtaining approval of the emergency response plan from the state fire marshal's office. The requirements of this Subparagraph shall not apply if the applicant has demonstrated its ability to meet the response requirements of the applicable sections of the National Fire Protection Association.
C.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary, the secretary may only issue any permit which would allow the construction or operation of a medical waste incinerator disposal facility of any type in parishes with a population below fifty thousand according to the latest federal decennial census. In such parishes, a permit may be only issued after prior notification of legislators representing the area which includes the site of the facility, or the proposed site of the facility and after a prior public hearing in that area.
(2) The department shall promulgate necessary rules and regulations, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, for the permitting of medical waste incinerator disposal facilities.
D. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations no later than December 1, 1995, to govern the disposal of oil and gas industry wood board road waste, if by burning, by the use of an air curtain process. Until such rules are adopted, the department shall extend any existing permits, variances, or exemptions annually for such operations, provided that the recipient has complied with the requirements of such permits, variances, or exemptions and has paid the fees required by the department.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1985, No. 318, §1; Acts 1990, No. 716, §1, eff. July 20, 1990; Acts 1990, No. 1010, §1, eff. July 26, 1990; Acts 1990, No. 1074, §1, eff. July 26, 1990; Acts 1992, No. 919, §1; Acts 1993, No. 555, §1, eff. June 10, 1993; Acts 1995, No. 706, §1; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1997, No. 123, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1119, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1; Acts 2001, No. 524, §2; Acts 2004, No. 150, §1, eff. June 10, 2004; Acts 2010, No. 153, §1; Acts 2010, No. 862, §1, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2010, No. 982, §1; Acts 2010, No. 983, §1; Acts 2020, No. 163, §1, eff. June 9, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 460, §1.
No person shall dispose of solid waste in violation of this Subtitle, the regulations of the secretary, or a permit or order issued by the secretary.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
On and after January 1, 1995, all small businesses that dispose of less than one hundred tons of solid waste per year and all nonprofit, civic, and fraternal organizations shall be exempt from the payment of solid waste disposal fees assessed by state law. Any fees collected shall be reimbursed to the payees no later than September 1, 1995.
Acts 1995, No. 1135, §1.
No landowner shall be held responsible, by an order of the secretary or the courts, for removal or the cost of removal of solid waste which has been disposed of on his land by the act of a third party without his knowledge or consent or by a fortuitous event. The burden of proof shall rest with the landowner. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any land located within the corporate limits of a municipality.
Acts 1988, No. 950, §1, eff. July 27, 1988.
A. Post-use polymers, as defined in this Chapter, shall be managed as follows:
(1) The storage of the post-use polymers prior to use shall not exceed reasonable time frames.
(2) Where there is an analogous ingredient, the post-use polymers shall be managed in a manner consistent with the analogous ingredient or otherwise be adequately contained to prevent releases to the environment.
(3) If there is no analogous ingredient, the post-use polymers shall be adequately contained to prevent releases to the environment.
B. The post-use polymers shall provide a useful contribution to the production or manufacturing process or be used to produce a valuable product or intermediate. A contribution is useful if it contributes a valuable ingredient to the product or intermediate or is an effective substitute for a commercial product. The product or intermediate is valuable if either:
(1) Post-use polymers are sold to a third party.
(2) Post-use polymers are used as an effective substitute for a commercial product or as an ingredient or intermediate in an industrial process.
C. The use of post-use polymers shall result in products that contain contaminants at levels that are comparable in concentration to or lower than those found in traditional products that are manufactured with post-use polymer products.
Acts 2021, No. 460, §1.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 862, §2, eff. June 20, 2011.
A.(1) The department shall, in cooperation with parish and municipal governing authorities, develop a plan for the orderly establishment of regional sanitary landfills.
(2) Such plan shall be based on consideration of the following:
(a) Regional need for solid waste disposal.
(b) Available sites which will minimize hazards to the environment and which are consistent with the overall plan established pursuant to R.S. 30:2154(A)(1), including preventing the contamination of groundwater through migration. For any permit application filed after July 1, 2003, for a new sanitary landfill site, or for an expansion of an existing landfill site, such migration may be prevented through the use of innovative technologies. The department shall consider the use of innovative technologies such as horizontally or vertically positioned high density polyethylene or any other synthetic material that is as chemically resistant and that is as impermeable for preventing contamination of groundwater.
(c) Ability of those who would be served by such regional sites to finance and manage such facilities.
(d) Minimizing the amount of waste which cannot be recycled.
(e) The concerns of local governments, private industry, and environmental groups.
(f) The potential for eliminating the proliferation of alternate sites by the establishment of such a regional system.
(g) Ensuring adequate competition within any region developed or implemented pursuant to such plan.
(3) The secretary shall develop and adopt certain siting criteria for regional commercial solid waste disposal facilities by rules and regulations by January 1, 1991.
(4) A notice of any expansion of the areas to be serviced by a regional sanitary landfill shall be given to the local governing authority of the parish in which the landfill is located by the secretary. Upon request by the local governing authority, a public hearing shall be held to review the appropriateness of such changes.
B. The plan required by this Section shall be prepared and submitted to the natural resource committees of the Senate and House of Representatives for their review and input no later than March 15, 1991.
Acts 1990, No. 1001, §1; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 524, §1; Acts 2003, No. 280, §1.
In parishes with populations of at least seventy thousand persons and less than seventy-five thousand persons according to the latest decennial figures, the Department of Environmental Quality may recognize and adhere to all Federal Aviation Administration safety guidelines, rules, regulations, or recommendations before issuing any permit for a solid waste facility located within five thousand feet of any main runway of an airport and that may interfere with or endanger air traffic safety.
Acts 2008, No. 526, §1, eff. June 30, 2008.
A. In parishes with populations of at least seventy thousand persons and less than seventy-five thousand persons according to the latest decennial figures, no person shall construct, establish, or expand a residential or commercial solid waste facility used for disposing, processing, or transporting solid waste, nor construct, establish, or expand a construction and demolition debris solid waste facility adjacent to such residential or commercial solid waste facility, within five thousand feet of an airport serving piston-powered aircraft or within ten thousand feet of an airport serving turbine-powered aircraft. The distance shall be measured from the point of the property line of the solid waste facility closest to the runway, taxiway, apron, or aircraft parking area of the airport, whichever is closest to the facility's property line.
B. This Section shall not apply to an enclosed processing or non-processing transfer station.
Acts 2008, No. 546, §1, eff. July 1, 2008.
The secretary, his designee, or the appropriate assistant secretary may exempt from the regulations provided in this Chapter liners and final covers for surface impoundments which receive spent bauxite and related waste resulting from production of alumina, whether generated on-site or at a separate industrial site in this state owned and operated by the same generator.
Acts 1993, No. 556, §1, eff. June 10, 1993; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. Any waste management authority, district, or organization created by law prior to January 1, 1993, which is authorized to convert solid waste to energy may make and enter into contracts with the federal or any state government or with any political subdivision or person within the state of Louisiana providing for or relating to the acquisition, construction, management, operation, and maintenance of any project in this state or the furnishing of services by or to any project in this state or in connection with the services of any project in this state owned, operated, or controlled by the other contracting party. Such contracts may provide for the payment by the other contracting party to the authority of a fee dependent on the amount of waste recycled, composted, collected, processed, or disposed.
B. Any waste management authority created by law prior to January 1, 1993, shall not engage in any project involving the conversion of waste to fuel, steam, electricity, or energy through burning or any type of incineration, until the lapse of three years from the establishment of the authority. However, within this time frame, the authority may establish a plan to acquire, construct, operate, finance, or otherwise provide for projects that are comprised of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, compacting, or land disposal technologies. If such a plan for projects is established, an additional two years shall be allowed for its implementation before the authority shall engage in any project involving incineration or conversion of waste to fuel, steam, electricity, or energy, or through burning or any type of incineration.
C. Any local or parish government which enters into an agreement to join any waste management authority, district, or organization created by law prior to January 1, 1993, which is authorized to convert solid waste to energy or to incinerate waste must do so by ordinance, duly advertised, and with a public hearing. To borrow money, incur debt, or to issue bonds, a waste management authority must have consent and approval of the State Bond Commission in accordance with provisions of R.S. 39:1410.60 et seq. and any such other local approving agency as required by law.
D. Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Acts 1993, No. 974, §1; Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
A.(1) Not later than January 1, 2007, and at least every two years thereafter, the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality shall evaluate the volume and types of solid waste managed in Louisiana, which shall include solid waste that is reduced, generated, transported, recycled, processed, incinerated, treated, stored, or disposed.
(2) In performing such evaluations, the secretary shall determine the permitted capacity that is available to safely manage the solid waste. After each such determination, the secretary shall submit a report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and shall make such determination available to the public through public notification and the department mail list.
B.(1) The secretary shall ensure that sufficient available permitted capacity exists to safely and efficiently manage solid waste resulting from a declared emergency originating from an in-state emergencies.
(2) Permitted capacity shall be considered along with other relevant factors in the permitting of solid waste.
Acts 2006, No. 829, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
This Chapter may be cited as the "Louisiana Hazardous Waste Control Law."
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
A. The legislature finds and declares that:
(1) The manufacture, refinement, processing, and treatment of petroleum, natural gas, raw chemicals, ores, and other natural and synthetic products is a basic and essential activity making a significant contribution to the economy of this state.
(2) This activity often produces byproducts and wastes of a character and in quantities that pose substantial present and potential danger to the health and safety of the citizens of this state and to the integrity of the environment unless such wastes and byproducts are transported, treated, stored, and disposed of in a prudent and responsible manner.
(3) Present state laws and regulations applicable thereto are inadequate to assure that necessary safeguards and practices are adhered to on a continuing basis in matters pertaining to the transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of such hazardous wastes, which has resulted in substantial abuse of the environment, damage to private and public property and unnecessary endangerment of the health and safety of the citizens of this state.
B. In order to diminish the risks to which the citizens and environment of this state are being exposed it is in the public interest, and within the police power of the state, to establish a framework for the regulation, monitoring, and control of the generators, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of such hazardous wastes, and it is the declared purpose of this Chapter to authorize the development, implementation, and enforcement of a comprehensive state hazardous waste control program.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context of use clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Abandoned site fund" shall mean the Abandoned Hazardous Waste Site Fund as created by R.S. 30:2205.
(2) "Disposal" means the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any hazardous waste into or on any land or water so that such waste, or any constituent thereof, may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including ground waters.
(3) "Hazardous waste" means any waste, or combination of wastes, which because of its quantity, concentration, physical, or chemical characteristics may cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness, or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed. Such definition shall be applied only to those wastes identified and designated as such by the department, consistent with applicable federal laws and regulations.
(4) "Manifest" means the system and forms used for identifying the quantity, composition, origin, routing, and destination of hazardous wastes during its transportation from the point of generation to any point of disposal, treatment, or storage.
(5) "Pollution source" means the site or location of a discharge or potential discharge, including such surrounding property necessary to secure or quarantine the area from access by the general public.
(6) "Processing, treatment, or disposal facility" means any facility or location where any treatment, incineration, processing, or deposition of hazardous waste occurs or is contained.
(7) "Reusable material" means any waste material which is destined for reuse or reprocessing, but which because of quantity, concentration, or physical or chemical characteristics may:
(a) Cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness; or
(b) Pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed and which have been designated by the department as requiring special handling and tracking due to their hazardous characteristics and the danger caused by improper handling.
(8) "Storage" means the containment of hazardous waste on a temporary basis, for such time as may be permitted by regulations, in such a manner as not to constitute disposal of such hazardous waste.
(9) "Transfer facility" means any transportation-related facility designed and constructed to be used exclusively for the handling of regulated hazardous wastes including loading docks, parking areas, storage areas, and other similar areas where shipments of hazardous waste are held during the normal course of transportation.
(10) "Transportation" means the movement of hazardous wastes from the point of generation or storage to the point of treatment, storage, or disposal by any means of commercial or private transport. The term does not apply to the movement of hazardous wastes on the premises of a hazardous waste generator or on the premises of a permitted hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility.
(11) "Treatment" means any method, technique, or process, including neutralization, designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of any hazardous waste so as to neutralize such waste or render it nonhazardous, safer for transport, amenable for recovery or storage, or reduced in volume. The term includes any activity or processing designed to change the physical form or chemical composition of hazardous waste to render it nonhazardous.
(12) "Waste" means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility, and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, or agricultural operations, and from community activities, but does not include solid or dissolved material in domestic sewage, or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits under R.S. 30:2074, or source, special nuclear, or byproduct material as defined by R.S. 30:2103.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1980, No. 194, §12; Acts 1982, No. 800, §1, eff. Aug. 4, 1982; Acts 1984, No. 826, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1985, No. 669, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1012, §1.
A. Except as may be otherwise specifically provided in this Chapter, the department shall have exclusive jurisdiction for the development, implementation, and enforcement of a comprehensive state hazardous waste control program consistent with the provisions of this Chapter and applicable federal laws and regulations.
B. The department may accept, operate under, and enforce all interim authority for hazardous waste control in the state, as such interim authority may become necessary or advisable pursuant to Public Law 94-580* and the regulations applicable thereto.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980.
*42 U.S.C.A. §6901 et seq.
On or before October 21, 1980, the commission shall promulgate regulations implementing a comprehensive state hazardous waste control program. The commission shall hold not less than three public hearings for the purpose of receiving public input on the development of the regulations. Such regulations shall be promulgated after public hearing thereon in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq., and shall be consistent with the mandates of 42 USCA §6901 et seq. and the minimum criteria hereinafter set forth.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1987, No. 607, §1, eff. July 9, 1987.
§§2176, 2177 Repealed by Acts 1989, No. 776, §2, eff. July 9, 1989.
A. The secretary shall prior to the issuance of any permit for a commercial hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility, assess the impact of the location of the facility on the citizens in the surrounding area, the local infrastructure, and on the environment. He shall adopt rules and regulations consistent with this Section establishing criteria for making this determination and prior to any determination on the permit issue a report summarizing his findings. He shall also request from the local governmental subdivision a report detailing the impact of the facility on the local infrastructure including but not limited to roads and transportation systems, schools, medical institutions, police and fire departments, and such other matters as the local government may determine will be impacted by the facility.
B.(1) The secretary may determine an additional fee schedule applicable to commercial hazardous waste facilities not to exceed five percent of the hazardous waste permit application fee by rule in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. A portion of this additional permit application fee shall be allocated to the local governmental subdivision for the preparation of an infrastructure assessment report as determined by the secretary. When siting a commercial facility, the secretary shall determine whether the local governmental subdivision should be compensated for any reasonable and necessary cost for preparation of the infrastructure report. The purpose of the report shall be to adequately assess the capability of the local communities to effectively manage and monitor the ongoing operations of the proposed commercial facility and to respond to emergencies which may potentially threaten the health, safety, or welfare of the communities or any of their inhabitants. The report may propose alternate siting for the facility and propose actions to mitigate any infrastructure deficiencies found by the report.
(2) With regard to the siting area of the proposed commercial facility, the report prepared by the secretary shall include a determination of whether or not:
(a) The area is environmentally sensitive. An area may be deemed environmentally sensitive for the following nonexclusive reasons:
(i) The area is a wetland or immediately adjacent to a wetland.
(ii) The area is in close proximity to any wildlife management area or wildlife preserve.
(iii) The area is, or is adjacent to, any aquifer recharge zone.
(b) The facility or proposed commercial facility poses undue health risks because of potential human exposure. A facility or proposed facility may be deemed to pose undue health risks for the following nonexclusive reasons:
(i) Proximity of the facility or proposed commercial facility to schools or day care centers.
(ii) Proximity of the facility or proposed commercial facility to hospitals or nursing homes.
(iii) Proximity of the facility or proposed commercial facility to any facility or structure used to store or contain any foodstuffs for human or animal consumption.
(iv) Proximity of the facility or proposed commercial facility to public buildings or entertainment facilities.
(v) Proximity to a residential area.
(vi) Proximity to a prison.
(vii) The number and density of existing hazardous waste disposal facilities, solid waste disposal facilities, and inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites in the area.
(viii) The number and density of existing industrial facilities that discharge hazardous or toxic substances into the air or water.
(ix) The existence of any community health problem that may be aggravated by the operation of a commercial hazardous waste disposal facility.
(c) Siting of the facility in the area may reasonably be determined to preclude the economic development of the area by businesses or industries because of undue risk associated with establishing such operations of such entities adjacent to said facility.
C. The secretary shall consider the local infrastructure report and may deny an application for a commercial hazardous waste disposal permit if he finds that the proposed siting area is environmentally sensitive, the facility or proposed facility poses undue health risks, the siting of the facility may preclude economic development of the area by businesses or industries, or the facility or proposed facility fails to meet the criteria established by the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Section.
Acts 1989, No. 776, §1, eff. July 9, 1989.
{{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1989, NO. 776, §3.}}
A.(1) Not later than January 1, 2007, the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality shall evaluate the volume and types of hazardous waste managed in Louisiana, which shall include hazardous waste reduced, generated, transported, managed, recycled, disposed of, or otherwise handled in the state.
(2) Not later than July 1, 2007, the secretary shall determine the available permitted capacity for management of hazardous waste.
B.(1) The secretary shall consider pending applications for the expansion or modification of existing hazardous waste facilities and approved construction of new hazardous waste facilities when evaluating available permitted capacity.
(2) The secretary shall consider available permitted capacity as it relates to the management of hazardous waste resulting from an emergency situation before issuing an additional hazardous waste permit.
C. A fifteen percent limitation above the total permitted capacity shall be applied on an aggregate basis and shall not be applied individually to a certain facility. The fifteen percent limitation shall not be applicable during a response to a natural disaster impacting the state where such limitation could significantly impede or prevent the protection of human health and the environment. Upon completing an evaluation and determination of permitted hazardous waste capacity, the fifteen percent limitation may be revised. The secretary shall provide notice to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and public notice and shall receive and consider comments of any revision of the fifteen percent limitation provision.
Acts 1987, No. 875, §1; Acts 1993, No. 556, §1, eff. June 10, 1993; Acts 2006, No. 112, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. In addition to any other authority or responsibility vested in him by this Chapter, the secretary shall have the following powers:
(1) From time to time to adopt, amend, or repeal the standards and regulations authorized by this Chapter in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
(2) To issue, continue in effect, revoke, modify, or deny in accordance with regulations, hazardous waste transporter licenses and hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facility permits and schedules of compliance, and when the secretary deems it advisable, to delegate the power to issue or deny such permits, licenses, variances, or compliance schedules to the appropriate assistant secretary, subject to his continuing oversight. The authority to execute minor permit actions and to issue registrations, certifications, notices of deficiency, and notification of inclusion under a general permit may be delegated by the secretary or the appropriate assistant secretary to an authorized representative, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2050.26.
(3) To exercise all incidental powers necessary to assure that the state program is consistent with any federal laws or regulations applicable thereto.
(4) To determine and set reasonable schedules of compliance with performance guidelines for the conformance of transportation equipment and treatment, storage, and disposal facilities with the operating standards and rules and regulations of the secretary.
(5) To adopt rules and regulations relative to tracking and regulating the generation, transportation, or disposition of reuseable material.
(6) To regulate all surface and waste storage facilities incidental to hazardous waste injection wells, in such a manner as to prevent the escape of the waste into any area surrounding the surface facility.
(7) To regulate all hazardous waste transfer facilities in such a manner as to prevent the escape of waste into any area surrounding the transfer facilities.
(8) To adopt rules and regulations which set forth standards applicable to persons who produce, burn for purposes of energy recovery, distribute, or market fuel containing hazardous waste. This Subparagraph shall not apply to petroleum refinery wastes containing oil which are converted into petroleum coke at the same facility at which such wastes were generated, unless the resulting coke product would exceed one or more characteristics by which a substance would be identified as a hazardous waste. Regulations adopted pursuant to this Subparagraph, applicable to petroleum refinery and production wastes which result from normal petroleum refining, production and transportation practices, and which are classified as recyclable materials by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, shall be consistent with federal regulations applicable thereto.
B. The department is hereby directed to formulate plans and procedures for testing, sampling, analysis, containment, control, and abatement of sites which it suspects have been abandoned or which are declared abandoned under the provisions of R.S. 30:2204.
C. In order to achieve and maintain uniform and comprehensive statewide regulation in conformity with the provisions of this Chapter, the state shall have exclusive jurisdiction over the generation, transportation, or disposal of hazardous wastes, and no subordinate political subdivision of this state shall enact, pass, or otherwise approve any ordinance or other regulatory measure regulating or purporting to regulate any activity pertaining to the generation, transportation, or disposal of hazardous wastes. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to deny such local body authority over the siting of facilities pursuant to any general land use planning, zoning, or solid waste disposal ordinances.
D.(1) The secretary shall promulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to regulate the transportation, incineration, cleanup, remediation, and disposal of infectious waste.
(2) The rules adopted pursuant to this Subsection shall provide for the following:
(a) The designation of waste categories and a determination of which waste categories are considered to be infectious waste.
(b) The separation of infectious waste at the point of origin for management and treatment purposes.
(c) The use of distinctive containers or plastic bags with the universal biological hazard symbol, as appropriate. The packaging and method of packaging for infectious waste are to be appropriate for the different types of wastes and are to maintain their integrity during storage and transportation.
(d) The storage of infectious waste for a minimal amount of time in a clearly marked limited access area free of rodents and vermin.
(e) The transportation and handling of infectious waste in a manner that avoids rupture of the packaging and any leaking of the waste from the packaging or the transporter.
(f) The treatment of infectious waste by steam sterilization, incineration, thermal inactivation, chemical disinfection, irradiation sterilization, or any other method, technique, or process designed to change the biological character or composition of the waste and the use of biological indicators to monitor the treatment. The rules shall not, however, require that incinerators used for the disposal of infectious waste have a temperature range capability greater than sixteen hundred to two thousand degrees Fahrenheit and a gas phase retention time in the secondary chamber greater than one and one-half seconds.
(g) The disposal of infectious waste that has been treated in an appropriate manner and in accordance with law, including the rendering of body parts unrecognizable before land disposal.
(h) Permits and permit fees in order to effectuate the provisions of this Subsection.
(i) The cleanup or remediation of any infectious waste that spills or discharges as a result of an accident, incident, or improper disposal in violation of this Subtitle. The department shall be entitled to recover the reasonable cost of cleanup or remediation from the transporter of the infectious waste or any other person who is responsible for such spills or discharges. The generator of the infectious medical waste shall be responsible for any costs incurred by the department for any spills or discharges where the transporter was not licensed or permitted by the Louisiana Department of Health as required by law and the regulations.
(3) Repealed by Acts 1990, No. 1012, §2.
(4) Repealed by Acts 2020, No. 163, §2, eff. June 9, 2020.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 795, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1985, No. 669, §1; Acts 1986, No. 781, §1, eff. July 10, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 615, §1, eff. July 9, 1987; Acts 1988, No. 962, §1, eff. July 27, 1988; Acts 1989, No. 233, §1, eff. June 26, 1989; Acts 1989, No. 583, §1, eff. July 6, 1989; Acts 1990, No. 1006, §1, eff. July 26, 1990; Acts 1990, No. 1012, §§1, 2; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 820, §1; Acts 2020, No. 163, §2, eff. June 9, 2020.
The assistant secretary for the office of environmental services shall send a list of the applications for hazardous waste permits and a list of the hazardous waste permits that have been granted to each member of the legislative committees on natural resources and the environment in the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Louisiana Senate, and to each member of the legislature in whose district a facility that has applied for or been granted a hazardous waste permit is located. The lists shall be mailed monthly to their district offices and shall include the nature of the permit, the dates of application or granting, the person or company affected, and the parish of the location of the facility subject to the permit. However, the failure of the assistant secretary to provide the list required by this Section shall not affect the validity of the action taken on the applications or permits.
Acts 1997, No. 979, §1, eff. July 10, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 303, §3, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. No later than ninety days after the effective date of the regulations authorized by this Chapter, every person not otherwise exempt who generates, transports, or desires to transport in the state any hazardous waste or who owns, operates, or desires to own or operate a treatment, storage, transfer, or disposal facility which handles hazardous wastes within the state shall file with the secretary or commission a notification stating the nature and location of the activity conducted or desired to be conducted and, if required by regulations, a request for an application for any necessary licenses, permits, schedules of compliance, or performance guidelines. Transfer facilities which are part of facilities that generate, transport, or dispose of hazardous waste which have already notified or applied for any necessary permits, where the notice or application describes the transfer facility adequately, shall not be required to file an additional notification or permit application to assure compliance with this Section.
B. It shall be unlawful to initiate or continue the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous wastes after the time period provided in Subsection A of this Section except in compliance with the notice requirements thereof.
C. Upon receipt of the notices required in Subsection A of this Section or as soon as practicable thereafter, the secretary shall initiate the procedures as required by this Chapter and the regulations applicable thereto for the issuance or denial of permits and licenses and the establishment of schedules of compliance and performance guidelines for facilities and equipment.
D. All facilities which have interim status shall comply with all applicable operating standards and shall comply with all regulatory requirements regarding the application for standard permits for such facilities. It shall be unlawful for any person who has received a request for submission of an application for a standard permit from the secretary or commission to initiate or continue the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste under interim status, unless such person submits an application in accordance with applicable regulations within the time required by the secretary or commission for such submission. The interim status of any facility which fails to comply with this Subsection shall be subject to revocation by the secretary or commission. The interim status of any existing facility shall not exceed two years beyond the effective date of this Subsection unless extended by order of the secretary.
E. Upon the issuance of a license or permit or the establishment of a schedule of compliance or performance guidelines, it shall be unlawful to transport, treat, store, or dispose of hazardous wastes except in accordance with the terms and conditions thereof and the regulations applicable thereto.
F. Except as provided in Subsection G of this Section, enforcement of this Chapter and the rules and regulations promulgated hereunder shall be in accordance with R.S. 30:2025.
G.(1) Any person who willfully or knowingly discharges, emits, or disposes of any substance in contravention of any provision of this Chapter or any regulations or of any permit or license terms and conditions adopted in pursuance thereof, or any person who otherwise knowingly violates any provision of this Chapter, shall, upon conviction be subject to a fine of not more than one hundred thousand dollars per day of violation and costs of prosecution, or imprisonment at hard labor for not more than ten years, or both. The time limit for instituting prosecution under this Paragraph for cases involving the willful or knowing disposal of a hazardous waste, as provided in Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 572, shall commence upon discovery of the disposal of the hazardous waste. The determination of whether the conduct was willful or knowing shall be determined under the law in existence at the time of the disposal.
(2) Any person who knowingly transports, treats, stores, disposes of, or exports any substance in contravention of any provisions of this Chapter or the regulations or of any permit or license terms and conditions adopted in pursuance thereof, or any person who otherwise knowingly violates any provisions of this Chapter, in such manner that he knows, or should have known, at that time that he thereby places another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars per day of violation and costs of prosecution, or imprisonment at hard labor for not more than fifteen years, or both.
(3) Any person who knowingly omits any material information or knowingly and intentionally makes any false statement, representation, or certification in any application, record, label, manifest, report, plan, or other document filed or required to be maintained under this Chapter, or under any permit, rule, or regulation issued under this Chapter, or who falsifies, tampers with, or knowingly renders inaccurate any monitoring device or method to be maintained under this Chapter, or under any permit, rule, or regulation issued under this Chapter, shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
H. No person shall tamper with or cause to be tampered with any hazardous waste container or the contents thereof, shall discharge or cause to be discharged the contents of said container between the point of origin and point of destination listed in the manifest, or shall discharge or cause to be discharged the contents of said container at any location other than that for which it is permitted unless ordered to do so by the Department of Environmental Quality or otherwise allowed by this Subtitle and rules or regulations promulgated thereunder. Any person willfully violating this Subsection shall be subject to the civil and criminal penalties provided by this Chapter.
I. Whenever the owner or operator of any active site or other facility obtains information indicating that hazardous waste is leaching, spilling, discharging, or otherwise moving in, into, within, or on any land or water, such person shall notify the department in accordance with regulations to be adopted. This notification requirement shall apply to leaching, spilling, discharging, or moving of hazardous waste occurring hereafter although the hazardous waste was heretofore present at the site or facility.
J. No person shall operate an incinerator at a commercial facility that accepts hazardous waste or hazardous waste products for a fee, or a recycling process at a commercial facility which recycles hazardous waste to produce aggregates and that accepts hazardous waste or hazardous waste products for a fee, in a manner which increases the volume of the hazardous waste or hazardous waste products received.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 194, §14; Acts 1981, No. 246, §1; Acts 1982, No. 146, §1; Acts 1982, No. 797, §1, eff. Aug. 4, 1982; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 459, §2, eff. July 6, 1983; Acts 1984, No. 669, §1; Acts 1985, No. 337, §1; Acts 1985, No. 669, §1; Acts 1988, No. 730, §1; Acts 1990, No. 988, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2008, No. 186, §1.
A. Each commercial hazardous waste incineration facility that accepts hazardous waste or hazardous waste products for a fee, and each commercial recycling or resource recovery facility which recycles hazardous waste to produce aggregates and that accepts hazardous wastes or hazardous waste products for a fee, shall be strictly subject to the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Control Law and any rule or regulation adopted thereunder and any permit, license, or schedule of compliance required thereunder.
B. The secretary shall establish, by rule, within one hundred and eighty days from September 9, 1988, requirements and operating standards for all commercial hazardous waste incineration facilities that accept hazardous waste or hazardous waste products for a fee, and for all commercial recycling and resource recovery facilities which recycle hazardous waste to produce aggregates and that accept hazardous waste or hazardous waste products for a fee. The rules shall be established for each category of facility under the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Control Law. The standards and requirements shall include, but shall not be limited to:
(1) Permit procedures for such facilities.
(2) Air emission standards based on the best demonstrated available technology, minimum destruction and removal efficiency for hazardous constituents no less restrictive than national performance standards, trial burn requirements, stack emission monitoring requirements, and automatic feed cutoff systems and procedures.
(3) Analysis of all hazardous waste and hazardous waste products prior to incineration, recycling, or use, including the definition, classification, or identification of those products or residuals produced by such commercial facilities which are waste or hazardous waste.
(4) Inspection requirements for all equipment at such commercial facilities.
(5) Discharge restrictions and standards on wastewaters produced as a result of treatment or processing of hazardous waste or hazardous waste products by such commercial facilities.
(6) Auditing procedures and requirements for the sale of any recycled products or residuals produced by such commercial facilities.
Acts 1988, No. 730, §1.
The department shall not issue or grant any permit for the operation of any new, commercial hazardous waste incinerator whose primary business activity involves accepting hazardous wastes or hazardous waste products for a fee, as defined by the department as of July 10, 1997, in any parish that is on the nonattainment list for ozone standards and classified as "serious" or worse by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as of January 1, 1997. This Section shall not apply to temporary, mobile incinerators authorized by the department.
Acts 1997, No. 942, §1, eff. July 10, 1997.
A. Without exception and irrespective of any limiting provision thereof, commercial recycling and resource recovery facilities, including any facility heretofore determined to be a recycling or resource recovery facility, which accept hazardous waste or hazardous waste products for a fee and which as a part of their process subjects hazardous wastes or hazardous waste products to combustion to accomplish recovery or recycling of materials or energy, shall be strictly subject to the provisions of the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Control Law and any rule or regulation adopted thereunder or any permit, license, order, or schedule of compliance required thereunder. The purpose of this Section is to extend the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Control Law to provide specifically for the inclusion of all commercial recycling and resource recovery facilities, including any facility heretofore determined to be a recycling or resource recovery facility, which accept hazardous waste or hazardous waste products for a fee and which as a part of their process subjects hazardous wastes or hazardous waste products to combustion to accomplish recovery or recycling of materials or energy.
B. The secretary shall, within one hundred and eighty days of July 19, 1988, amend the rules and regulations promulgated under the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Control Law or any permit, license, order, or schedule of compliance, as necessary, to establish standards for commercial recycling and resource recovery facilities, including any facility heretofore determined to be a recycler or resource recovery facility, which accept hazardous waste or hazardous waste products for a fee and which as a part of their process subjects hazardous wastes or hazardous waste products to combustion to accomplish recovery or recycling of materials or energy. These standards can be no less restrictive than general facility standards for hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, including requirements concerning emergency procedures, waste analysis, manifest of hazardous wastes, inspection procedures, closure, and financial assurance and shall apply irrespective to the purpose of burning, whether for energy recovery, materials recovery, destruction, or some other purpose. Additionally, any rules or regulations promulgated pursuant to this Section shall, at a minimum:
(1) Require the development of a detailed trial burn plan by such facilities. The secretary shall designate those Principal Organic Hazardous Constituents (POHCs) in waste or waste products that are to be accepted by the facilities, are considered the most difficult to destroy, and are present in significant concentrations; and shall specify one or more of these hazardous constituents to be monitored during the trial burn. A trial burn conducted in compliance with this Section and under the supervision of the secretary after July 1, 1988, and which meets all the requirements herein provided shall be deemed in compliance herewith. The following, at a minimum, must be monitored during the trial burn:
(a) The exhaust gas must be analyzed for emissions of each POHC and for emissions of oxygen and hydrogen chloride.
(b) The destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) must be computed for each POHC.
(c) The emission of particulates and carbon monoxide must be quantified.
(d) The fugitive emissions from the boiler or furnace must be identified.
(2) Require a permit for the operation of the facility which assures, at a minimum, a destruction and removal efficiency of 99.99 percent; and that specifications be set for:
(a) Continuous monitoring of combustion temperature.
(b) Continuous monitoring of carbon monoxide concentration.
(c) Combustion gas velocity.
(d) Fugitive emissions.
(e) Automatic waste feed cut-off.
(3) Define, classify, or otherwise identify those products produced by a facility subject to such rules and regulations which are waste or hazardous waste.
(4) Establish requirements for the manifest of any products produced by such facilities or the materials from which such products are processed which are defined, classified, or otherwise identified as hazardous waste pursuant to Paragraph (3); and establish auditing requirements and procedures for the sale of any recycled products or residuals produced by such facilities, including receipts or official state or federal tax documents, as necessary to verify any such transactions.
(5) Establish restrictions and standards on the discharge of any wastewaters.
Acts 1987, No. 907, §1; Acts 1988, No. 874, §1, eff. July 19, 1988.
A. The secretary may license facilities, which are owned and operated by intrastate hazardous waste cooperatives for handling, transfer, storage, treatment, or disposal of hazardous waste in accordance with requirements of law and the regulations promulgated by the department.
B. Intrastate hazardous waste cooperatives consist of individual businesses, industries, associations, and allied businesses and industries located in the state of Louisiana which generate hazardous waste in the state of Louisiana of a similar nature and quality so as to be compatible for efficient, combined handling, transfer, storage, treatment, or disposal, except that no cooperative may admit to membership, any person, business, corporation, or association that is engaged for a fee or other consideration, in the business of waste transportation, treatment, disposal, or transfer.
C. Any facility owned or operated by or on behalf of such cooperative shall not accept hazardous waste except from those members of the cooperative. No such cooperative shall accept any waste generated outside of the state of Louisiana or generated by a nonmember of such cooperative. Such facility shall not, for the purposes of this Subtitle, be a commercial facility; however, such facility shall not be subject to any less standards and requirements than those provided for the operation of any similar commercial facility, provided however that prior to licensing of any such cooperative facility a public hearing shall be conducted in conformity with the same laws and regulations governing similar such commercial waste facilities.
D. No such cooperative shall begin accepting any waste without having signed its cooperative agreement with the Department of Environmental Quality. No such cooperative shall receive any waste from new or additional members of such cooperative without having first notified the Department of Environmental Quality thirty days prior to the acceptance of such waste.
E. The secretary shall adopt rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to provide for:
(1) The requirements, licensing, procedure, and designation of intrastate hazardous waste cooperatives.
(2) The licensing of facilities owned or operated by or on behalf of any such cooperatives.
(3) Licensing fees.
Acts 1987, No. 881, §1.
A.(1) The secretary shall develop, consistent with federal regulations, objective criteria for identifying characteristics of hazardous wastes and for listing the hazardous wastes which shall be subject to the provisions of this Chapter.
(2) The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations for the review and determination of environmental media, such as soil, sediments, or surface or ground water, as hazardous waste. Such rules and regulations shall provide for the department to collect a fee not to exceed three thousand dollars per such review and determination.
B. Radioactive products and byproducts regulated by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission or any successor thereto shall be exempted from the provisions of this Chapter and the regulations applicable thereto. Individual homeowners and farmers who generate only small quantities of hazardous wastes and any person the department determines generates only small quantities of hazardous waste on an infrequent basis shall be exempt.
C. Nothing in this Chapter shall be construed to prohibit the office of public safety services, with the approval of the secretary in accordance with regulations adopted pursuant to this Chapter, in cases of emergency, from disposing of hazardous wastes which may be explosive in nature where said disposal is necessary to relieve an imminent threat to public safety.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1985, No. 336, §1, eff. July 9, 1985; Acts 2006, No. 778, §1.
A. The secretary shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to ensure that drinking wells which provide public water supplies within a two-mile radius of all commercial hazardous waste disposal facilities shall be sampled and tested in the following manner:
(1) The secretary shall establish a test area around each such disposal facility. Such test area shall consist of a circle with a two-mile radius with the disposal facility at its center.
(2) The secretary shall divide each such test area into four quadrants of equal size by bisecting the test area twice with lines which are at right angles to each other.
(3) The secretary shall select, at random, one drinking well which provides public water supplies in each quadrant and shall sample and test the water from such well. Such selection, sampling, and testing shall be conducted every six months. The secretary shall not select any one such well in a quadrant for retesting until all such wells in that quadrant have been tested, unless there exists some need or reason to retest such well.
(4) The purpose of such sampling and testing shall be to insure that the drinking water wells which provide public water supplies located near said disposal facilities are not contaminated with toxic or hazardous pollutants which may be stored, treated, or disposed of at said disposal facility.
B. The secretary may additionally require that the cost of said sampling shall be done at the expense of the disposal facility.
Added by Acts 1983, No. 718, §1; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999.
A. The secretary shall promulgate such standards applicable to generators of hazardous waste subject to the provisions of this Chapter as may be necessary to protect public health and the environment. Such standards shall, at a minimum, include requirements for:
(1) Record keeping practices that accurately identify quantities and constituents of hazardous waste, as designated by the secretary, and the disposition of such wastes.
(2) Labeling practices for containers used for storage, transport, or disposal of such hazardous wastes as will accurately identify such waste.
(3) Use of appropriate containers for such hazardous waste.
(4) Furnishing of information on the general chemical composition of such hazardous waste to persons transporting, treating, storing, or disposing of such waste.
(5) Use of a manifest system to assure that all such hazardous waste generated is designated for treatment, storage, or disposal in treatment, storage, or disposal facilities, other than facilities on the premises where the waste is generated, for which a permit has been issued by the secretary.
(6) Identification of all generators of hazardous wastes located within the state and all generators of hazardous wastes located outside of the state which ship such hazardous wastes into the state for treatment, storage, or disposal.
(7) Such other standards and criteria as are necessary to administer this Chapter or to comply with federal laws and regulations.
B. Generators of hazardous waste shall dispose of such wastes in accordance with one of the following methods, which shall be more fully set forth in regulations:
(1) A generator may reprocess and reuse such wastes or may contract with other persons to reprocess and reuse such wastes in a manner consistent with this Chapter or rules or regulations promulgated hereunder.
(2) A generator may dispose of such wastes at its own private site provided such site is operated under a valid permit issued by the secretary and in compliance with performance standards promulgated by the secretary.
(3) A generator may dispose of such wastes at a privately operated disposal site provided such site is operated under a valid permit issued by the secretary or, if out of state, approved by such state's designated authority.
(4) A generator may contract with a private transporter to transport such wastes provided that the transporter is operating under a valid license issued by the secretary.
(5) A generator may dispose of such wastes at a public site operated under a valid permit from the secretary, or if out of state, approved by such state's designated authority.
C. The secretary shall promulgate regulations requiring registration of generators of hazardous waste. Such registration shall, as a matter of law, be conditioned upon the right of the secretary or his representative to make inspections for the purpose of enforcing any regulations applicable to hazardous waste generators.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984. Acts 1984, No. 824, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1993, No. 270, §1.
A. The Department of Public Safety is authorized and directed to promulgate regulations and oversee compliance therewith governing the transportation of hazardous wastes by any means of commercial or private transport. The Department of Environmental Quality shall advise and cooperate in the promulgation of regulations pursuant to this Section.
B. Such regulations at a minimum shall require:
(1) Record keeping sufficient to determine the types and quantities of hazardous wastes transported in the state, the generator source, the treatment, storage, or disposal site to which such wastes have been transported, and periodic reports thereon.
(2) Adherence to the manifest system otherwise authorized by this Chapter.
(3) Transportation equipment standards which will assure the safe handling and transport of hazardous waste.
(4) Permitting or licensing procedures for transporters by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency which, when coupled with the manifest system, will require identification of the transporters. Political subdivisions which operate such transportation systems with their own personnel shall not be required to provide a surety bond, certificate of public liability insurance, or other financial assurance, but shall be liable for any such damages.
(5) Consistency and uniformity of standards as applied to interstate and intrastate transporters.
(6) Such other regulations as are deemed necessary to effectively administer this Chapter and to comply with federal law.
C. The use of any equipment, including, without limitation, containers and holding tanks, used to transport or store hazardous waste is expressly prohibited from being used to transport or store any item, product, or commodity intended for human or animal consumption unless the equipment has been properly decontaminated.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 419, §1; Acts 1986, No. 891, §1.
A. The legislature finds and declares that:
(1) The laws of the United States require testing, manifesting, and safe transportation of hazardous wastes to insure proper identification and handling from generation to ultimate disposal. These laws are not applicable to hazardous wastes generated in foreign nations until such wastes are actually in this country.
(2) The laws of foreign nations are inadequate to insure that hazardous wastes sought to be exported to the United States do not contain unknown or unauthorized pollutants and that such wastes are not released into the environment due to inadequate containment, labeling, or handling during transport.
(3) The only practical method for insuring that the environment and the health of the citizens of this state are not endangered by the importation of hazardous wastes generated in foreign nations is to prohibit the introduction or receipt of such wastes into this state for the purpose of treatment, storage, or disposal.
B. It shall be unlawful for any person to transport or cause or allow to be transported into this state, for the purpose of treatment, storage, or disposal, any hazardous waste generated outside the United States and its territories.
C. It shall be unlawful for any person to receive for treatment, storage, or disposal in this state any hazardous waste generated outside the United States or its territories.
D. This Section shall not apply to any hazardous waste generated outside of the United States and its territories which must be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 96-478 adopted by the United States Congress and known as the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. This Section shall only apply to hazardous waste which is imported into this state directly from a foreign nation.
E. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the importation of spent petroleum catalysts from foreign countries for purposes of recycling utilizing processes which produce no hazardous wastes, is not prohibited.
Acts 1983, No. 694, §1, eff. July 21, 1983; Acts 1984, No. 826, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1987, No. 506, §1.
A. The commission or the assistant secretary shall deny hazardous waste transporter licenses and hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facility permits to all persons who propose to transport into and dispose of in Louisiana hazardous waste generated in a country other than the United States.
B. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to the disposal or storage of any hazardous or solid waste which must be disposed of according to the provisions of Public Law 96-478, adopted by the United States Congress and known as the Marine Pollution Protocol Law.
C. The commission shall revoke the permit of any permitted hazardous waste facility which hereafter disposes of hazardous waste generated in a country other than the United States. This power shall be in addition to other powers and remedies available to the Commission under this Subtitle.
D. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to spent petroleum catalysts from foreign countries imported for purposes of recycling utilizing processes which produce no hazardous wastes.
Acts 1983, No. 260, §1, eff. June 30, 1983; Acts 1987, No. 506, §2.
The secretary shall file an annual Hazardous Waste Importation and Exportation Report with the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment regarding the amount of hazardous waste imported into or exported from Louisiana for treatment, storage, or disposal during each twelve-month period, or such other annual period determined appropriate by the secretary. In preparing the report, the secretary shall utilize information concerning the total quantity of each hazardous waste, by units of weight in tons, or, if the weight is unknown, by the volume and estimated weight, as is acquired by the department from original manifests filed with the department by hazardous waste facilities pursuant to rules and regulations of the secretary, and may use such other information as the secretary deems appropriate.
Acts 1992, No. 337, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. The secretary, with the advice and cooperation of the Louisiana Department of Health and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, shall promulgate regulations providing for the identification and regulation of all hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.
B. The regulations at a minimum shall require:
(1) Licensing or permit procedures for the operation of every such facility which treats, stores, or disposes of hazardous wastes.
(2) Design, construction, and operational standards which will assure safe treatment, storage, and disposal without substantial risk to the environment, water supplies, air, and human health, and in connection therewith, require the submission of plans, designs, engineering reports, geological, hydrological, and other relevant data incidental to the determination of the suitability of an existing or a proposed facility for the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes.
(3) Adequate record keeping to reflect the types and quantities of hazardous wastes treated, stored, or disposed of, and the manner of treatment, storage, and disposal, together with periodic reports thereon.
(4) A surety bond in favor of the state, a certificate of public liability insurance, payments into the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account, other financial assurance, or any combination thereof, sufficient to assure financial responsibility for damages resulting from accidents or negligence, when corrective action is required or as specified in the permit, and to assure closure and post-closure care, said assurance to be consistent with the degree and duration of risks associated with the treatment, storage, or disposal of the type of hazardous waste handled.
(5) Repealed by Acts 1989, No. 392, §3, eff. June 30, 1989.
(6) Classification of facilities as necessary for the acceptance of only particular categories of hazardous wastes.
(7) Such other regulations as are deemed necessary to effectively administer this Chapter and to comply with federal law.
C. The secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality shall not grant a permit or license for any commercial hazardous waste incinerator facility in the parish of St. Helena.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 826, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 1986, No. 423, §1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 226, §1, eff. July 2, 1987; Acts 1989, No. 392, §§1, 3, eff. June 30, 1989; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020.
A. It is the determination of the legislature that Louisiana is particularly ill-suited both hydrologically and climatically to hazardous waste land disposal methods and past land disposal methods, siting criteria, and maintenance procedures have, despite the degree of stringency, been inadequate to insure the health of the citizens of the state and in maintaining the integrity of the environment generally and water resources specifically. It is further determined that eventual releases of hazardous constituents from land disposal facilities are highly probable if land disposal methods continue to be relied upon and that there presently exists alternatives which may be used to destroy, reduce, or lessen the toxicity of or lessen the leaching potential of hazardous wastes. In order to preclude further environmental damage and endangerment to the citizens of the state, it is the purpose of this Section to provide for restrictions and incentives designed to encourage alternative methods of hazardous waste disposal, destruction, and reduction; to lessen the possibility of hazardous waste releases from existing land disposal sites; and to provide for the eventual prohibition of land disposal of hazardous waste.
B. As used in this Section, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Subsection, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Containment system" means a system designed to contain hazardous waste or materials within the confines of a hazardous waste disposal, storage, or treatment facility and operating within and according to the limits and conditions of its permit.
(2) "Encapsulation" means the pressing or bonding together and completely enclosing within a coating or jacket of inert material so as to prevent leaching potential from a department approved hazardous waste containment system.
(3) "Land disposal" means placement in or on the land and includes, but is not limited to, placement in a landfill, surface impoundment, waste pile, injection well, land treatment facility, salt-dome formation, salt-bed formation, underground mine or cave, or placement in a concrete vault or bunker intended for disposal purposes.
(4) "Stabilization or Solidification" means the modification of wastes in a manner which ensures that the hazardous constituents are maintained in their least soluble form.
C. The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations which:
(1) Identify generic categories of hazardous wastes that are inappropriate for land disposal and selected recycling, treatment, and destruction technologies applicable to waste streams in each category.
(2) Identify the waste constituents that present the greatest risks when disposed of in the land.
(3) Set target dates for the prohibition of land disposal of those wastes identified in Paragraph (2) based on:
(a) The risks involved.
(b) The availability of alternative facilities and methods within the state.
(4) Use the following general characteristics to determine which wastes pose the greatest risk to public health and environment when disposed of in the land:
(a) Toxicity.
(b) Persistence in the environment.
(c) Ability to bioaccumulate.
(d) Mobility in a land disposal environment.
(5) Provide for emergency variances.
(6) Provide for an exception from the application of this Section for special wastes which include:
(a) Spent bauxite (red mud) resulting from production of alumina.
(b) Byproduct gypsum and related wastes resulting from the production of phosphoric acid, phosphate fertilizers, and hydrofluoric acid.
(c) Coal residue (bottom ash and slag, fly ash, and flue-gas emission control waste) after use as a boiler fuel.
(d) Cement kiln dust.
(e) Industrial waste water in a NPDES treatment train when that train includes ponds, impoundments, or similar facilities.
(7) Prohibit the storage of hazardous waste that has been banned from land disposal unless such storage is solely for the purpose of the accumulation of such quantities of hazardous waste as are necessary to facilitate proper recovery, treatment, or disposal by appropriate means.
D.(1) Not later than January 1, 1986, the secretary shall determine what economically and technically feasible and environmentally sound alternatives are available in the state for processing, treating, destroying, recycling, reducing, or neutralizing the hazardous waste as identified in Subsection C.
(2) Between January 1, 1986, and June 1, 1992, any hazardous waste for which there is no alternative disposal, destruction, reduction, or recycling method in the state shall be land disposed only after stabilization, solidification, containment, encapsulation, or approved land treatment techniques in a manner and with a material sufficient to prevent the leaching potential of such wastes except that the secretary may, upon a showing that no other reasonable alternative exists, permit the injection of hazardous waste in an injection well. The burden of proof shall rest with the generators of such hazardous waste that they cannot meet the requirements of this Subsection, and the secretary shall determine the sufficiency and adequacy of such proof and evidence presented by generators.
E.(1) Effective June 1, 1992, and thereafter, the land disposal of hazardous waste shall be prohibited, except as provided in this Subsection and by regulations promulgated by the secretary pursuant to Subsection C of this Section.
(2) Any person seeking an exemption from the prohibition on the land disposal of hazardous waste shall file a written request for such exemption with the secretary. The secretary, after considering reasonable economic and environmental alternatives, may allow the land disposal of certain hazardous waste if in his determination:
(a) The best available technology cannot further reduce the toxicity, corrosiveness, virulent or infectious character, or volume of the hazardous waste.
(b) The waste cannot be further reduced through production modifications.
(c) The waste or specific constituents of the waste cannot be reclaimed and reused.
(d) The waste can be permanently confined within a department-approved hazardous waste containment system.
(e) The land disposal of the hazardous waste does not and will not endanger public health or the environment.
(f) No reasonable alternative exists to the injection of hazardous waste in an injection well.
(3) The burden of proof that the conditions of Paragraph (2) of this Subsection have been met shall rest with the person requesting the exemption.
(4) Hazardous waste or residues thereof which have been treated to the level of or by a method specified in regulations promulgated under Subsection C of this Section shall not be subject to any prohibition promulgated under this Subsection, and may be disposed of in a land disposal facility which meets the requirement of this Subtitle.
(5) Hazardous waste or residues thereof which have been granted a case-by-case extension, emergency variance, or variance pursuant to the regulations promulgated under Subsection C are not prohibited and may be disposed of in a land disposal facility which meets the requirements of this Subtitle.
(6) Newly listed hazardous waste or residues thereof which have no treatment standard are not prohibited and may be disposed of in a land disposal facility which meets the requirements of this Subtitle until standards are established pursuant to the regulations promulgated under Subsection C.
F. Any person found by the secretary to be in violation of any requirement or provision of this Section may be liable for a civil penalty of one hundred thousand dollars for each separate violation.
G. This Section shall not apply to the land disposal of hazardous waste by injection well provided that:
(1) Such land disposal has been exempted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency from land disposal prohibitions contained in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.
(2) A permit has been issued for such injection well by the Louisiana office of conservation pursuant to Chapter 1 of Subtitle I of this Title and of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300(f) et seq.
(3) The secretary determines that there are no economically reasonable and environmentally sound alternatives to the injection of such hazardous waste.
Acts 1984, No. 803, §1; Acts 1986, No. 422, §1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 852, §1; Acts 1989, No. 485, §1; Acts 1990, No. 649, §1; Acts 1990, No. 979, §1, eff. July 25, 1990; Acts 1997, No. 548, §1, eff. July 3, 1997.
A. It is the determination of the legislature that regulated substances contained in underground storage tanks pose a present and future hazard to the public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the state of Louisiana, and consequently, there is a need to have all such facilities register with the state.
B. As used in this Section and R.S. 30:2194.1 through 2195.11, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Subsection, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1)(a) "Bulk facility" means a facility, including pipeline terminals, refinery terminals, motor fuel distribution terminals, rail and barge terminals, and associated tanks, connected or separate, from which motor fuels are withdrawn from bulk and delivered into a cargo tank or a barge used to transport these materials.
(b) "Bulk facility" shall also mean a broker, reseller, or other person that does not sell motor fuels to any person other than another bulk facility and has registered and obtained a certificate from the department.
(2) "Cargo tank" means an assembly that is used for transporting, hauling, or delivering liquids and that consists of a tank having one or more compartments mounted on a wagon, truck, trailer, railcar, or wheels.
(3) "Date of release" means the specific date in which evidence indicates that a release (leak) is occurring or has occurred. If a tank is taken out-of-service, the date of release is the last date of operation. If no specific date is determined, the "date of release" is the date the release is reported to the department.
(4) "Eligible participant" means any owner of an underground storage tank who has registered a newly installed or operating or temporarily closed tank with the department prior to the date of a release, has paid the annual tank registration fees along with any late payment fees, and has not been excluded from coverage, as provided in R.S. 30:2195.10.
(5) "Motor fuel underground storage tank" means an underground storage tank used only to contain an accumulation of motor fuels.
(6) "Motor fuels" shall be defined as all grades of gasoline including but not limited to gasohol, No. 1 diesel, No. 2 diesel, kerosene, and all aviation fuels. This term shall include new and used motor oil that is used for lubricating engines of motor vehicles. "Motor fuels" may include, as determined by the secretary, any product, petroleum or petroleum blend, biofuel or any new fuel that may emerge for the propulsion of motor vehicles. However, liquid petroleum (LP) gas, compressed natural gas (CNG), and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shall not be included in this definition of motor fuels.
(7) "Operating tank" means a tank that is actively receiving and dispensing motor fuels, including a tank which actively receives used motor oil.
(8) "Regulated substance" means:
(a) Any substance defined in Section 101(14) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, but not including any substance regulated as a hazardous waste under the hazardous waste regulations of the department.
(b) Petroleum, including crude oil or any fraction thereof which is liquid at standard conditions of temperature and pressure, 60° Fahrenheit and 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute.
(c) Any motor fuels as determined by the secretary.
(9) "Response action" means any technical services activity or specialized services activity, including but not limited to assessment, planning, design, engineering, construction, operation of recovery system, or ancillary services which are carried out in response to any discharge or release or threatened release of motor fuels into the groundwater, surface waters, or soils.
(10) "Response action contractor" means a person who has been approved by the department and is carrying out any response action, excluding a person retained or hired by such person to provide specialized services relating to a response action. When emergency conditions exist as a result of a release from a motor fuel underground storage tank, this term shall also include any person performing department-approved emergency response actions during the first seventy-two hours following the release.
(11) "Specialized services" means activities associated with the preparation of a reimbursement application, laboratory analysis, site assessment and characterization, or any construction activity, construction of trenches, excavations, installing monitoring wells, conducting borings, heavy equipment work, surveying, plumbing, and electrical work, which is carried out by a response action contractor or a subcontractor hired or retained by a response action contractor in response to a discharge or release or threatened release of motor fuels into the groundwater, surface waters, or soils.
(12) "Technical services" means activities performed by a response action contractor, including but not limited to oversight of all assessment field activities, all reporting, planning, development of corrective action plans, designing remedial activities, performance of groundwater monitoring, discharge monitoring, performance of operation and maintenance of remedial systems, and oversight of specialized services performed by a subcontractor.
(13) "Third-party claim" means any civil action brought or asserted by any person against the secretary of the department and any owner of any underground storage tank for damages to person or property when damages are the direct result of the contamination of surface water, groundwater, or soils by motor fuels released during operation of storage tanks as provided for in R.S. 30:2194 through 2195.11. The term "damages to person" shall be limited to damages arising directly out of the ingestion or inhalation of petroleum constituents from water well contamination or inhalation of petroleum constituents seeping into homes or buildings, and the term "damages to property" shall be limited to the unreimbursed costs of a response action and the amount by which real property is proven to be permanently devalued as a result of the release.
(14) "Underground storage tank" means any one or combination of tanks and their attendant product piping which is used to contain an accumulation of regulated substances and the volume of which is ten percent or more beneath the surface of the ground. Such term may be further defined by regulations adopted under this Subtitle.
(15) "Withdrawal from bulk" means the removal of a motor fuel from a bulk facility storage tank directly into a cargo tank or a barge to be transported to another location other than another bulk facility and deposited into an underground storage tank for distribution, direct consumption, or sale in this state.
(16) Repealed by Acts 2004, No. 692, §4, eff. July 6, 2004.
C. The secretary shall promulgate regulations requiring the registration of all underground storage tanks with a capacity in excess of one hundred ten gallons which contain regulated substances. The secretary may adopt rules and regulations to require the registration of certain underground storage tanks; establish requirements for ensuring sound underground storage tank management for preventing, controlling, remediating, and abating actual or potential contamination of surface water, groundwater, or soils; establish requirements for reporting of known releases and for taking corrective action in response to known releases from underground storage tank systems; establish a field citation program with penalty imposing authority; and establish a certification program for persons installing, repairing, or closing underground storage tank systems. For the purpose of this Section, "underground storage tank" shall not include a:
(1) Farm or residential tank of one thousand one hundred gallons or less capacity used for storing motor fuel for noncommercial purposes.
(2) Tank used for storing heating oil, except heating oils blended with hazardous waste, for consumptive use on the premises where stored.
(3) Septic tank.
(4) Pipeline facility, including gathering lines that are either of the following:
(a) Regulated under 49 U.S.C. 601.
(b) Which is an intrastate pipeline facility regulated under state laws comparable to the provisions of law referred to in Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph and which is determined by the secretary of the United States Department of Transportation to be connected to a pipeline, or to be operated or intended to be capable of operating at pipeline pressure or as an integral part of the pipeline.
(5) Surface impoundment, pit, pond, or lagoon.
(6) Storm water or waste water collection system.
(7) Flow-through process tank.
(8) Liquid trap or associate gathering lines directly related to oil or gas production and gathering operations.
(9) Storage tank situated in an underground area such as a basement, cellar, mineworking drift, shaft, or tunnel if the storage tank is situated upon or above the surface of the floor.
D. The secretary shall have the authority to issue, deny, suspend, or revoke certifications for underground storage tank workers. Issuance, denial, suspension, or revocation of these certifications shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations established by the department. An appeal of any action taken by the secretary pursuant to this Subsection shall be conducted in accordance with R.S. 30:2024.
E. Registration of underground storage tanks as required by Subsection C of this Section and issuance of certificates as referenced in Subsection D of this Section and R.S. 30:2195.3(A)(4) shall not be subject to the provisions of R.S. 30:2022 and 2023.
Acts 1985, No. 493, §1, eff. July 12, 1985; Acts 1986, No. 421, §1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 1988, No. 767, §1, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1989, No. 513, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1014, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 223, §1; Acts 1991, No. 890, §1; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 1999, No. 567, §1, eff. June 30, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 589, §1, eff. June 30, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 550, §1; Acts 2004, No. 692, §§1, 4, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2024, No. 167, §1.
No person shall place or dispense a regulated substance into an underground storage tank that has not been registered with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2024, No. 167, §1.
A. The legislature hereby finds and declares that the preservation of its groundwater is a matter of highest urgency and priority, as these waters provide a primary source of potable water in this state and that the leakage of motor fuels from underground storage tanks within the state poses threats of damage to the environment of this state, to citizens of the state, and to interests deriving livelihood from this state. It further finds and declares that such hazards have occurred in the past, are now occurring, and will continue to occur, and that remediation of contamination of surface water, groundwater, or soils should be conducted with all due haste, and to the extent possible those persons who have owned such storage tanks should bear the costs of such remediation, and that such remediation should be done under the supervision and regulation of the department. The legislature also declares that taxpayers' funds should, to the greatest extent possible, not be used for the payment of the cost of such remediation, that the state should be encouraged where possible to use assistance from private sources for the payment of these costs, that where private sources cannot obtain insurance or other means of financial assurances to pay for said remediation that a state private contractor agreement between the state and the private legal entity administered by the secretary of the department can best provide assurance of financial responsibility for remediation of leaking motor fuel underground storage tanks.
B. There is hereby established a special statutorily dedicated fund account in the state treasury to be known as the Motor Fuel Underground Storage Tank Trust Dedicated Fund Account, hereafter referred to in this Chapter as the "Tank Trust Account", into which the state treasurer shall, each fiscal year, deposit the revenues received from the collection of the fees as established in R.S. 30:2195.3(A)(1)(a) and (B). The secretary is authorized pursuant to Article VII, Section 9(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana and R.S. 30:2031 to enter into an agreement with a private legal entity to receive and administer the Tank Trust Account for the purpose of providing financial responsibility for underground motor fuel storage tanks. On an annual basis, all owners of registered tanks shall remit to the department a tank registration fee of sixty dollars for each tank. The revenue from the tank registration fees shall be deposited directly into the Environmental Trust Account as provided by R.S. 30:2015 and utilized for underground storage tank activities only, and any deviation from the aforesaid shall be documented and reported to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. Revenues received from annual maintenance and monitoring fees, other than those established in R.S. 30:2195.3(B), shall be deposited into the Environmental Trust Account. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation of this Section in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq.
C. Monies so deposited in the Environmental Trust Account shall be used to defray the cost to the state of administering the underground storage tank program and the cost of investigation, testing, containment, control, and cleanup of releases from underground storage tanks containing regulated substances. Only monies recovered pursuant to cost recovery efforts and interest earned on the Tank Trust Account may be used for the grants and loans authorized by R.S. 30:2195.2(A)(6). These monies shall also be used to provide money or services as the state share of matching funds for federal grants involving underground storage tanks. At the end of each fiscal year, all monies that were deposited into the Environmental Trust Account from the fees established in R.S. 30:2195.3(A)(1)(a) and (B) which remain unspent, including all accrued interest, shall be transferred to the Tank Trust Account.
D. The funds placed in the Tank Trust Account shall only be used in accordance with the terms and conditions of R.S. 30:2194 through 2195.11 and shall not be placed in the general fund but shall be subject to the appropriation process of the legislature. The monies in the Tank Trust Account shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund. Monies deposited into this account shall be used to defray the cost of investment fees; shall be categorized as fees and self-generated revenue for the sole purpose of reporting related to the executive budget, supporting documents, and general appropriation bills; and shall be available for annual appropriation by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in the account at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the account and be available for expenditure in future fiscal years.
E. Annually, the department shall prepare a report for the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality of all disbursements of monies from the Tank Trust Account and the Environmental Trust Account. The report shall include the number of sites actively seeking reimbursement, grants, or loans from the Tank Trust Account as of June thirtieth of each year, the number of sites deemed eligible for the Tank Trust Account during the previous fiscal year, and the number of sites that have been granted "No Further Action", and the department has received the last application for reimbursement during the previous fiscal year. Regarding disbursements from the Tank Trust Account as provided by R.S. 30:2195.2, the report shall include a list of all reimbursements, grants, and loans; all pending reimbursements, grants, and loans; the date the application was made for each reimbursement, grant, and loan; and the date each reimbursement, grant, or loan was made by the department. The report shall be delivered to the respective legislative committees no later than March first of each year.
F.(1) All interest monies earned by the Tank Trust Account and all monies received from cost recovery efforts shall be used for the closure of abandoned motor fuel underground storage tanks, assessment and remediation of property contaminated by abandoned motor fuel underground storage tanks, and the grants and loans authorized by R.S. 30:2195.2(A)(6).
(2) The state shall have a lien or privilege against immovable property for the costs incurred for closure of abandoned motor fuel underground storage tanks and for costs incurred associated with the assessment and remediation of property contaminated by an abandoned motor fuel underground storage tank. Following the expenditure of funds by the state of Louisiana through the department, such lien or privilege may be perfected against such property by filing a notice of lien containing the name of the current record owner and the legal description of the immovable property in the mortgage records of the parish in which the immovable property is located. Except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, the lien of the state, through the Department of Environmental Quality, shall have priority in rank over all other privileges, liens, encumbrances, or other security interest affecting the property. As to all privileges, liens, encumbrances, or other security interests affecting the property that are filed or otherwise perfected before the filing of the notice of lien of the state authorized by this Section, such prior recorded security interests shall have priority over the state lien, but only to the extent of the fair market value that the property had prior to closure, assessment, or remedial action by the state, and prior recorded security interests shall be subordinate to the state lien for any amount in excess of the fair market value of the property prior to such closure, assessment, or remediation.
(3) A tank may be declared to be an abandoned motor fuel underground storage tank by the secretary upon a finding that any of the following apply:
(a) The release at the site is not eligible for the Tank Trust Account and the secretary has determined that action by the department is the most timely and efficient way to address conditions at the site.
(b) All of the following apply to the site:
(i) It has received motor fuels in an underground storage tank.
(ii) The motor fuel underground storage tank was not closed or the site was not assessed or remediated in accordance with the requirements of this Subtitle and the regulations adopted hereunder.
(iii) It constitutes or may constitute a danger or potential danger to the public health or the environment.
(iv) It has no financially responsible owner or operator who can be located, or such person has failed or refused to undertake action ordered by the secretary pursuant to R.S. 30:2194 and the regulations adopted thereunder.
Acts 1985, No. 493, §1, eff. July 12, 1985; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 1121, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 134, §1, eff. July 1, 2002; Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2016, No. 451, §1; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 114, §6, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 277, §1; Acts 2024, No. 167, §1.
Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 336, §2, eff. June 16, 1995.
A. The department shall administer the Tank Trust Account and shall make disbursements from the account for all necessary and appropriate expenditures. Pursuant to the authorization in R.S. 30:2195, the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality shall use the Tank Trust Account as follows:
(1) Whenever in the secretary's determination incidence of surface water, groundwater, or soils contamination resulting from the storage of motor fuels may pose a threat to the environment or the public health, safety, and welfare and the owner of the motor fuel underground storage tank has been found to be an eligible participant, the department shall obligate monies available in the Tank Trust Account to provide for the following response actions:
(a) Investigation and assessment of sites shown to be contaminated by a release into the surface water, groundwater, or soils from a motor fuel underground storage tank.
(b) Interim replacement and permanent restoration of potable water supply where it has been demonstrated that the supply was contaminated by a leak from a motor fuel underground storage tank.
(c)(i) To remediate sites contaminated by a leak from a motor fuel underground storage tank to the extent necessary to return the site to the use and occupancy in effect at the time the release occurred. Remediation may consist of cleanup of affected soil, groundwater, and inland surface waters, using cost-effective methods that are technologically feasible and reliable, while ensuring adequate protection of the public health, safety, and welfare and minimizing environmental damage, in accordance with the site selection and cleanup criteria established by the department. Notwithstanding any provision of R.S. 30:2194 through 2195.11 to the contrary, any remediation work contracted for on or after August 1, 1995, shall be paid by the department to the response action contractor who performed the department-approved assessment or remediation work upon the presentation of proper invoices for the work.
(ii) The monies expended from the Tank Trust Account for any of the above approved costs shall be spent only up to such sums as that which is necessary to satisfy federal petroleum underground storage tank financial responsibility requirements, 40 CFR 280.93, or two million dollars per occurrence, whichever is greater. This amount shall include any third-party claim arising from the release of motor fuels from a motor fuel underground storage tank. However, if the secretary determines that further action is needed to address a condition that constitutes or may constitute a danger or potential danger to the public health or the environment, monies from the Tank Trust Account may be expended above the aggregate financial responsibility requirements of 40 CFR 280.93.
(2) Whenever costs have been incurred by the department for taking response actions with respect to the release of motor fuels from an underground storage tank or the department has expended funds from the Tank Trust Account for response costs or third-party liability claims, the owner of the motor fuel underground storage tank shall be liable to the department for such costs only if the owner was not an eligible participant on the date of discharge of the motor fuels which necessitates the cleanup; otherwise liability is limited to the provisions contained in R.S. 30:2195.9 and 2195.10. The expenditure of funds to reimburse any party for costs otherwise authorized by this Subsection shall be expressly prohibited if the costs were incurred as the result of a release of motor fuels, excluding new and used motor oil, which occurred prior to July 15, 1988. For new and used motor oil releases, the expenditure of funds to reimburse any party for costs otherwise authorized by this Subsection shall be expressly prohibited for any costs relating to a release which occurred prior to September 6, 1991, unless such release is determined by the secretary to have been from an abandoned motor fuel underground storage tank. Nothing contained herein shall be construed so as to authorize the expenditure from the Tank Trust Account on behalf of any owner of an underground storage tank who is not an eligible participant at the time of the release for any third-party liability.
(3) In the event funds have been expended by the secretary on behalf of an owner who was not an eligible participant, and the Tank Trust Account is entitled to reimbursement of those funds so expended, the secretary shall use any and all administrative and judicial remedies, including the filing of a lien with the same ranking as that provided in R.S. 30:2195(F)(2), which may be necessary for recovery of the expended funds plus legal interest from the date of payment by the secretary and all costs associated with the recovery of the funds. The secretary may expend the recovered funds for any use authorized under this Section.
(4) The Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account may be used to reimburse or pay for any costs associated with the review of applications for reimbursement from the trust, legal fees associated with the collection of costs from parties who are not eligible participants, audits of the Tank Trust Account and bulk operators, and accounting and reporting of the uses of the trust. The Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account will also reimburse the Department of Environmental Quality for costs associated with administering the underground storage tank program in accordance with R.S. 30:2195(C) up to the amount appropriated pursuant to R.S. 30:2195(B).
(5) The Tank Trust Account may be used to make payments to a third party who brings a third-party claim against the secretary of the department and any owner of a motor fuel underground storage tank because of damages sustained by a release into the groundwater, surface waters, or soils and who obtains a final judgment in said action enforceable in this state against the owner and the secretary if and only if it has been satisfactorily demonstrated that the owner was an eligible participant at the time that the release occurred as defined in R.S. 30:2194(B)(3). The indemnification limit of the trust with respect to satisfaction of third-party claims shall be that which is necessary to satisfy federal petroleum underground storage tank financial responsibility requirements.
(6) The secretary shall authorize the use of any monies obtained in cost recovery actions or from interest on the Tank Trust Account to provide grants or loans to private persons or entities for upgrading or improving underground storage tanks to a standard dictated or recommended by federal or state environmental laws, regulations, or directives.
(a) A grant or loan may only be made pursuant to this Paragraph if all of the following apply:
(i) The applicant is domiciled in Louisiana.
(ii) The site is registered with the department as a single wall underground storage tank system.
(iii) The applicant is in compliance with and has paid all fees assessed by applicable state law.
(b) Grants provided pursuant to this Paragraph shall only be made in the form of reimbursement for completed upgrades and improvements after inspection and approval by the department.
(c) No grant or loan shall exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars, and the total amount of grants per year shall not exceed three million dollars.
(d) Eligible applicants may only apply for one grant or loan each year.
(e) The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement this Paragraph, including the application process, procedures the applicant shall follow prior to making upgrades or improvements to the site, inspection and approval of upgrades or improvements by the department, and procedures the applicant shall follow after completing the work to either claim reimbursement or begin making repayments.
B.(1) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize the expenditure from the Tank Trust Account for response actions and third-party claims for the following facilities:
(a) Motor fuel underground storage tanks owned by state and federal governmental entities whose debts and liabilities are the debts and liabilities of a state or the United States.
(b) Any motor fuel underground storage tank excluded or deferred from regulation under 40 CFR 280.10, with the exception of an underground storage tank that stores fuel solely for use by emergency power generators.
(c) Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 550, §2.
(2) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize or require the department to obligate funds for payment of costs which may be associated with but are not integral to site rehabilitation, such as the cost of retrofitting, replacing leaking motor fuel underground storage tanks and attendant piping, or unapproved purchases of equipment needed in assisting cleanup operations.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1989, No. 513, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1014, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 890, §1; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 550, §§1 and 2; Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2006, No. 447, §1; Acts 2015, No. 277, §1; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 277, §1; Acts 2024, No. 167, §1.
A.(1)(a) A fee is imposed on the first sale or delivery of a motor fuel upon withdrawal from bulk of that fuel. This fee shall not, however, apply to new or used motor oil. Each operator of a bulk facility on withdrawal from bulk of a motor fuel shall either retain or collect from the person who ordered the fuel a fee in an amount determined as follows:
(i) An amount not to exceed seventy-two dollars for each separate withdrawal of nine thousand gallons as determined by the secretary after consideration of the recommendations of the board as provided for in R.S. 30:2195.8(A).
(ii) For withdrawals either greater or smaller than nine thousand gallons, the fee shall be adjusted by the cent-per-gallon conversion equivalent calculated according to the fee established in Item (i) of this Subparagraph.
(b) However, those persons ordering the withdrawal of motor fuel from a bulk facility into a cargo tank which is directly transported and completely unloaded into either tanks exempted from registration requirements as provided by R.S. 30:2194(C), those underground storage tanks exempted from taxation pursuant to R.S. 47:715 and 720, or those underground storage tanks identified in R.S. 30:2195.2(B)(1)(a) and (b) shall not be required to pay the fees established by this Paragraph. These fees shall also not apply to exchanges between registered and certified bulk facilities.
(2) The fee required under this Section shall be computed on the net (60 degrees fahrenheit) amount of a motor fuel delivered into a cargo tank.
(3) Any person who imports motor fuel in a cargo tank or a barge destined for delivery into an underground storage tank, shall pay to the secretary a fee on a number of gallons imported, computed as provided by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection. If a bulk facility operator imports motor fuel in a cargo tank or a barge, the bulk facility operator is not required to pay the fee on that imported motor fuel if the motor fuel is delivered to a bulk facility from which the motor fuel will be withdrawn from bulk.
(4) Within thirty days of beginning operation of a bulk facility, each operator of a bulk facility and each person covered by Paragraph (3) of this Subsection shall file an application with the secretary for a certificate to deliver motor fuels into a cargo tank destined for delivery into underground storage tanks, regardless of whether these tanks are exempted from the registration requirements of R.S. 30:2194(C). All applications shall be filed utilizing a form approved by the secretary. A certificate issued by the secretary under this Subsection is valid on and after the date of its issuance and until the certificate is surrendered by the holder or cancelled by the secretary.
(5) Fees required by this Section shall not apply to a delivery of motor fuel destined for export from this state.
(6) All invoices or transaction statements issued by operators of bulk facilities for the transfer of motor fuels into a cargo tank shall clearly indicate whether or not the transaction was a withdrawal from bulk as defined by R.S. 30:2194. All records documenting transfers to and from bulk facilities shall be maintained for four years and be available for inspection by the department upon request.
(7) Each operator of a bulk facility shall list, as a separate line item on each invoice, the amount of the fees due under this Section, and file the report with the secretary and remit the amount of fees required to be collected or paid during the preceding month. The report and any fees required shall be deemed received if postmarked on or before the twenty-fifth day of the month following the end of each calendar month, and shall be filed on a form approved by the secretary. Filing of the report and remittance of the fee is required of each operator of a bulk facility, regardless of whether the certificate specified in Paragraph (4) of this Subsection is sought or obtained. Fees not received in a timely manner will be subject to a late penalty of an additional five percent per month of the calculated fee that is not remitted. Late penalty charges shall not exceed fifteen percent of the fee that is not remitted for a particular month. Failure to pay the fee in accordance with this Section within ninety days after the due date shall constitute a violation and shall subject the person to applicable enforcement actions under the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, including but not limited to revocation or suspension of the applicable permit, license, registration, or variance.
(8) All invoices, reports, and any other records required under this Section as well as rules adopted by the secretary pursuant to this Section, or copies thereof, shall be retained for a period of four years after the date on which the document is prepared.
(9) Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 336, §2, eff. June 16, 1995.
(10) Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 150, §2.
(11) A bulk facility operator may retain an amount not to exceed one percent of the monthly fee collected pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection by that operator as compensation for collecting and remitting the fee. One percent of the fee can be retained by the bulk facility operator if the report and fee are remitted to the secretary in the time frame specified in Paragraph (7) of this Subsection.
B. All owners of motor fuel underground storage tanks storing new or used motor oil shall pay to the secretary a fee not to exceed two hundred seventy-five dollars per eligible underground motor fuel storage tank per year. Late fees shall be established by the department by rule in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. Failure to pay the prescribed fee as provided herein, within ninety days after the due date, shall constitute a violation and shall subject the person to applicable enforcement actions under the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, including but not limited to revocation or suspension of the applicable permit, license, registration, or variance.
C. The secretary shall not make any disbursements from the Tank Trust Account to any person who has not complied with and paid the fee assessment as required by Subsection B of this Section.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1989, No. 513, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1014, §§1, 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 890, §1; Acts 1993, No. 176, §1; Acts 1995, No. 336, §§1, 2, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 349, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 550, §1; Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2018, No. 150, §§1, 2; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
A. Monies held in the Tank Trust Account established hereunder shall be disbursed by the secretary in the following manner:
(1) Notwithstanding any provision of R.S. 30:2194 through 2195.11 to the contrary, any remediation work contracted for on or after August 1, 1995, shall be paid by the department to the response action contractor who performed the department-approved assessment or remediation work upon the presentation of proper invoices for response actions taken when authorized by the secretary or his designee. The secretary may substitute a lien with the same ranking as that authorized by R.S. 30:2195(F)(2) for the amount required by R.S. 30:2195.9 and 2195.10, but such lien shall not be substituted on behalf of an owner or operator who continues to operate the system. An underground motor fuel storage tank owner who is an eligible participant and a response action contractor will not be reimbursed for response actions, excluding emergency response actions performed during the first seventy-two hours following a release, performed at his own site. Underground motor fuel storage tank owners will not be reimbursed for response actions, excluding emergency response actions performed during the first seventy-two hours following a release, performed by a response action contractor who is known to have performed actions which contributed to or resulted in the release.
(2) The owner or the owner's authorized agent and response action contractor shall file a sworn application with the department indicating fair and reasonable value of the cost of site assessment and remediation, subject to those regulations and limitations as set by the department. Proof of payment of the financial responsibility amounts required by R.S. 30:2195.9 and 2195.10, or a certified copy of the lien authorized in this Section, shall be provided with the initial application for reimbursement.
(3)(a) Except in cases of emergency, no disbursement from the Tank Trust Account may be made by the secretary until such time that the secretary obtains verification that the owner applicant is an eligible participant in compliance with the law.
(b) No disbursements from the Tank Trust Account may be made by the secretary when the application for reimbursement is filed with the department more than two years after the date that the response action work is performed.
(c) When the department's action results in a reimbursement application not being submitted within two years of the date that the work was performed, the applicant will have ninety days from the date that the issue is resolved to submit the reimbursement application.
(d) Repealed by Acts 2024, No. 167, §2.
B.(1) Payments shall be made to third parties who bring suit against the secretary in his official capacity as representative of the Tank Trust Account and the owner of an underground motor fuel storage tank, who is an eligible participant as stated in R.S. 30:2194(B)(3), and such third party obtains a final judgment for a third-party claim which is enforceable in this state.
(2) The attorney general of the state of Louisiana is hereby responsible to appear in said suit for and in behalf of the secretary as representative of the Tank Trust Account. The secretary, as representative of the Tank Trust Account, is a necessary party in any suit that is brought by any third party which would allow that third party to collect from this trust, and must be made a party to the initial proceedings. Payment shall be made to the third-party claimant if and only if the judgment is against the secretary and an owner who was an eligible participant on the date the incident occurred which gave rise to the claim.
(3) The costs of defending these suits by the attorney general or those assistants employed by the secretary, or appointed by the attorney general to assist, shall be recovered from the Tank Trust Account. In the event the Tank Trust Account is insufficient to make payments at the time the claim is filed, such claims shall be paid in the order of filing at such time as monies are paid into the Tank Trust Account. Neither the amount of money in this trust, the method of collecting the Tank Trust Account, nor any of the particulars involved in setting up this trust shall be admissible as evidence in any trial where suit is brought when the judgment rendered could affect the trust.
(4) If the attorney general declines to appear in a suit for and on behalf of the secretary as representative of the trust, or does not respond to the secretary's request for representation within sixty days of such request and agree to appear on behalf of the secretary, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, appear in said suit for and on behalf of the secretary as representative of the trust.
C.(1) For any month during which the collection of fees assessed pursuant to R.S. 30:2195.3 is suspended, the treasurer shall transfer an amount equal to twenty percent of the average monthly fee amount collected according to the schedule specified in R.S. 30:2195.3(A)(1) from the trust into the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account for use as provided by R.S. 30:2015.
(2) If the secretary determines that the funds deposited on a monthly basis into the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account pursuant to R.S. 30:2195(B) are insufficient relative to the legislatively approved fiscal appropriation for the department during a given year, the secretary may order the treasurer to transfer from the Tank Trust Account to the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account only that amount necessary to reach the authorized ceiling.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1989, No. 513, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1014, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 1995, No. 1160, §1; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 602, §1, eff. June 30, 1999; Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2006, No. 447, §1; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2024, No. 167, §§1, 2.
An annual independent audit of the Tank Trust Account shall be conducted. Such funds as are necessary to perform the audit shall be authorized from the Tank Trust Account. The secretary shall authorize funding from the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account, R.S. 30:2015, for the purpose of auditing bulk operators regarding the remittance of motor fuel delivery fees.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
The Tank Trust Account shall be used only for the purposes set forth in R.S. 30:2194 through 2195.11 and for no other governmental purposes, nor shall any portion thereof ever be available to borrow from by any branch of government; it being the intent of the legislature that this trust and its increments shall remain intact and inviolate. Any interest or earnings of the trust shall be credited only to the Tank Trust Account.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
Nothing in R.S. 30:2194 through 2195.11 shall establish or create any liability or responsibility on the part of the department or the state of Louisiana to pay any cleanup cost or third-party claims from any source other than the Tank Trust Account created by R.S. 30:2195, nor shall the department or the state of Louisiana have any liability or responsibility to make any payments for cleanup costs or third-party claims if the Tank Trust Account created herein is insufficient to do so.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
A.(1) There shall be a Motor Fuels Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Advisory Board, hereinafter referred to as the "board," to advise the secretary with regard to implementation of the Tank Trust Account including investment of the trust and issuance of grants and loans.
(2) The board shall determine the minimum level of funding of the Tank Trust Account by conducting an annual review of receipts from the Tank Trust Account from the previous fiscal year along with the projected amounts expected to be expended in the following fiscal year for purposes of recommending changes to the fee. Prior to the end of each fiscal year, the board shall meet to determine its recommendation on the setting of the fee for the next fiscal year and shall make such recommendation to the secretary.
(3) The board shall annually review the "Louisiana Motor Fuels Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Cost Control Guidance Document" and may make recommendations for changes.
(4) The board shall review any proposed underground storage tank regulations prior to the adoption of such regulations.
(5) The board shall also determine the role of the Tank Trust Account in establishing financial responsibility as required by federal or state law, except that such requirement shall not exceed those established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
(6) The board shall additionally examine claims made and loss experience, make recommendations to the secretary regarding minimum levels of financial responsibility for underground storage tank owners, and the necessity for and contents of rules and regulations issued under the Environmental Quality Act in similar matters.
(7) The board may recommend standards for the qualification of response action contractors.
(8) The board may recommend at any time that response action contractors be added to or deleted from the list.
(9) The board shall also have the authority to review applications for disbursements from the Tank Trust Account.
B. The board shall consist of the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality or his designee and seven members, as follows:
(1) Four members appointed by the president of the Louisiana Oil Marketers and Convenience Store Association.
(2) One member appointed by the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association.
(3) Two members appointed by the secretary who represent the response action contractor community.
C. The board shall meet at least four times each year and each member, or his designee, shall have one vote concerning any matter coming before the board. The board shall elect its own chairman. The secretary shall provide notice of regularly held board meetings thirty days prior to the meeting. The board may meet at any other time upon twenty-four hour notice from the secretary, his designee, or any two of the board's members.
D.(1) Each member of the board, except the secretary or his designee, shall be appointed for a three-year term except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection.
(2) Two members shall serve an initial term of one year, two shall serve an initial term of two years, and three shall serve an initial term of three years as determined by lot at the first meeting of the advisory board after January 1, 2005.
E. When a vacancy on the board occurs prior to the expiration of a term, the successor shall be appointed for the remainder of the unexpired term.
F. No member of the board shall be appointed for more than two consecutive terms.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 2001, No. 550, §1; Acts 2004, No. 692, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 2005; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2018, No. 150, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 277, §1.
A. The financial responsibility requirements for taking response actions and third-party judgments by motor fuel underground storage tank owners who are eligible participants in the Tank Trust Account are hereby established as follows:
(1) Ten thousand dollars per occurrence for cleanup and an additional ten thousand dollars per occurrence for third-party judgments for the period following July 15, 1988 through the year 1989.
(2) Fifteen thousand dollars per occurrence for cleanup and an additional fifteen thousand dollars per occurrence for third-party judgments for the period from January 1, 1990 through July 14, 1992.
(3) For the period from July 15, 1992 through June 15, 1995:
(a) Five thousand dollars per occurrence for cleanup and an additional five thousand dollars for third-party judgments for owners with one to twelve tanks in Louisiana.
(b) Ten thousand dollars per occurrence for cleanup and an additional ten thousand dollars for third-party judgments for owners with thirteen to ninety-nine tanks in Louisiana.
(c) Fifteen thousand dollars per occurrence for cleanup and an additional fifteen thousand dollars for third-party judgments for owners with one hundred or more tanks in Louisiana.
(4) Five thousand dollars per occurrence for cleanup and an additional five thousand dollars per occurrence for third-party judgments, beginning on June 16, 1995, and continuing through December 31, 2001.
(5) Thereafter the advisory board shall review the financial responsibility requirements on an annual basis and may recommend to the secretary adjusting the requirements. The secretary shall determine and set the financial responsibility requirements annually.
(6) A lien filed by the department with the same ranking and privilege as that authorized by R.S. 30:2195(F)(2) may be substituted for the financial responsibility requirement of this Section, but in no case shall the lien be substituted on behalf of an owner or operator who continues to operate the system. The department shall promulgate regulations to provide for the use of this lien that ensures the fiscal stability of the account. Such regulations shall provide that the use of the funds in the Tank Trust Account in any fiscal year on sites for which the lien authorized by this Section has been used to substitute for the financial responsibility amount shall not exceed twenty percent of the amounts collected in the previous fiscal year. The secretary is authorized to exceed the twenty percent limitation contained in this Paragraph upon recommendation of the Motor Fuels Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Advisory Board. Upon recommendation of the board to exceed the twenty percent limitation as provided for in this Paragraph, the secretary shall send written notice to the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment listing the project name, project location, and the amount of the project that exceeds the twenty percent limitation.
B. Financial responsibility required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency may be established by any one or combination of the following: insurance, participation in the Tank Trust Account, guarantee, surety bond, letter of credit, or qualification as a self-insurer. A person may qualify as a self-insurer by showing tangible net worth in the amount established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1995, No. 336, §1, eff. June 16, 1995; Acts 2001, No. 550, §1; Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2006, No. 447, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
A. Releases at sites that have been determined eligible for funds from the Tank Trust Account prior to July 6, 2004, are not subject to the financial responsibility amounts for noncompliance specified in this Section.
B. After August 1, 2006, for sites that are determined to be noncompliant with regulations promulgated by the department providing for release reporting, release detection installation operating recordkeeping, release detection reporting, spill and overfill operating requirements, cathodic protection construction, cathodic protection operation maintenance recordkeeping or proper assessing at closure or change in service, the financial responsibility amount is ten thousand dollars.
C. The secretary or his designee may exclude from coverage by the Tank Trust Account any underground storage tank system whose owner or operator has been found to have consistently failed to comply with the requirements enumerated in Subsection B of this Section as determined by the secretary after consultation with the board. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, the secretary or his designee may prohibit the delivery of fuel to any underground storage tank excluded from coverage under this provision until such time as the owner operator secures financial assurance that satisfies the federal petroleum underground storage tank financial responsibility requirements.
D. Annually the advisory board shall review the financial responsibility requirements for noncompliance and may recommend adjustments to the requirements to the secretary. The secretary shall determine and set the financial responsibility amounts for noncompliance annually.
Acts 1988, No. 767, §2, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2006, No. 447, §1; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2024, No. 167, §1.
Nothing in R.S. 30:2194 through this Section shall be deemed to prohibit a person from conducting site rehabilitation and remediation through approved response action contractors. Voluntary rehabilitation of contaminated sites shall be encouraged by the department provided that such rehabilitation and remediation is conducted in a manner and to a level of completion which will protect the public health, safety, and welfare and will minimize damage to the environment. To accomplish this purpose, the department shall promulgate rules and regulations for the approval and compensation of response action contractors. Response action contracts shall not be construed as state contracts, and said contracts shall be exempt from the public bid laws as provided in R.S. 30:2031.
Acts 2004, No. 692, §1, eff. July 6, 2004.
A. As used in this Section, the following terms and phrases shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Completely rebuilt motor fuel retail outlet" means a newly constructed outlet built after the previous outlet on the same site has been completely razed.
(2) "Retail outlet" means a facility, including land and improvements, where motor fuel is offered for sale, at retail, to the motoring public.
(3) "Sale" or "sell" means any transfer, gift, sale, offer for sale, or advertisement for sale in any manner or by any means whatsoever, including any transfer of motor fuel from a person to itself or an affiliate at another level of distribution, but does not include product exchanges at the wholesale level or distribution.
B. A newly constructed or completely rebuilt motor fuel retail outlet for which a certificate of occupancy is issued on or after October 1, 2009, shall be prewired with an appropriate transfer switch, and capable of operating all fuel pumps, dispensing equipment, life safety systems, and payment-acceptance equipment using an alternate generated power source. Installation of appropriate wiring and transfer switches shall be performed by a certified electrical contractor. Local building inspectors shall include this equipment and operations check in the normal inspection process before issuing a certificate of occupancy. Each retail outlet that is subject to this Subsection shall retain a copy of the certificate of occupancy on-site or at its corporate headquarters. In addition, each retail outlet shall keep a written statement attesting to the periodic testing of ensured operational capability of the equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. The required documents shall be made available, upon request, to the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the parish office of homeland security and emergency preparedness for the parish in which the outlet is located.
C. The provisions of this Section shall apply to newly constructed or completely rebuilt motor fuel retail outlets in the areas of the state located within the boundaries of the parishes of Beauregard, Allen, Evangeline, St. Landry, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, and Washington and all parishes located south thereof.
D.(1) The provisions of this Section shall apply to any self-service, full-service, or combination self-service and full-service motor fuel retail outlet regardless of whether the retail outlet is located on the grounds of, or is owned by, another retail business establishment that does not engage in the business of selling motor fuel.
(2) The provisions of this Section shall not apply to automobile dealers, persons who operate a fleet of motor vehicles, or persons who sell motor fuel exclusively to a fleet of motor vehicles.
E. Repealed by Acts 2022, No. 277, §2.
Acts 2009, No. 527, §1, eff. July 10, 2009; Acts 2016, No. 521, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2022, No. 277, §§1, 2.
Within its comprehensive hazardous waste control program, the secretary shall require the use of a manifest system for the orderly tracking of hazardous wastes from the generation site to the site of treatment, storage, and disposal. The system shall at a minimum require the designation of the generator, each transporter, the disposal facility, and the type and quantity of waste involved. The secretary may establish additional criteria to accommodate the manifest system to internal record keeping and to facilitate the monitoring of hazardous wastes activity within the state. Any requirements of the secretary shall be consistent with regulations promulgated by the Department of Public Safety which govern the transportation of hazardous wastes.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
Every person subject to the provisions of this Chapter, except those persons disposing of special waste as defined in the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Chapter, may be liable for the payment of the tax imposed by R.S. 47:821 et seq.
Added by Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §2, eff. July 1, 1984.
A. There is hereby established a Hazardous Waste Protection Fund, hereinafter referred to as the "Protection Fund", to which shall be deposited all bonds forfeited to the state under this Chapter and all hazardous waste protection payments under Section 2192(B)(4) of this Chapter, after being deposited into the state treasury and credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, as provided by laws of this state and the constitution. After a sufficient amount is allocated from the Bond Security and Redemption Fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within any fiscal year, the treasurer shall pay into the Protection Fund an amount equal to the total amount of the bonds forfeited to the state under this Chapter and all the payments made as hazardous waste protection payments, under Section 2192(B)(4) of this Chapter. The Protection Fund shall additionally consist of sums appropriated specifically to it by the legislature for maintenance and custody of closed sites, for emergencies caused by closed sites, and to assure financial responsibility for damages caused by closed sites.
B. Any grants or allocations made to the state of Louisiana from the United States government for the purposes of protecting the public from hazards associated with closed sites shall be paid by the treasurer directly into the Hazardous Waste Protection Fund.
C. The secretary shall provide by rule or regulations for the Protection Fund to consist of sums sufficient to assure financial responsibility for closed hazardous waste facilities, and shall provide for the procedures for assessing said payments to the protection fund.
D. The secretary shall administer the Protection Fund and shall make disbursements from the protection fund for all necessary and appropriate expenditures. Disbursements shall be made upon sufficient proof of services rendered and materials or equipment used or expended.
E. The monies in the Protection Fund shall be used only in cases where the site has been permitted under this Subtitle and has been closed in accordance with the rules and regulations of the secretary pertaining to closure of hazardous waste facilities, for the following purposes:
(1) Emergency responses to hazardous waste accidents;
(2) The maintenance and custody of hazardous wastes and hazardous waste facilities;
(3) To assure financial responsibility in the event of damages resulting from accidents and negligence; and
(4) To provide money or services as the state share of matching funds for federal grants.
F. Interest earned through investments of the fund capital may be utilized to finance research concerning hazardous waste management, disposal, and resource recovery from hazardous waste.
G. In any case where monies in the Hazardous Waste Protection Fund are expended because of damages resulting from a violation of this Subtitle, the secretary shall institute a civil action under Section 2025(B) of this Subtitle to recover from the responsible person as damages, all such monies expended from the Protection Fund.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. June 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 194, §15; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984.
A. The secretary shall furnish a copy of each permit or license application to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the office of engineering within the Department of Transportation and Development, the Louisiana Department of Health, the Department of Justice, and the local governing authorities of any municipality and parish within whose territorial jurisdiction the facility or activity is or will be located. The permittee shall file with the secretary two extra copies of each application, with one copy to be provided to the first intervener and the other copy to be used by the office to allow for public access and inspection of the application.
B. No facility shall be granted a permit or license if the location thereof violates a parish or municipal land use or zoning ordinance applicable to its siting in effect at the time of the original permit or license application.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 748, §2; Acts 1982, No. 802, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1983. Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 2012, No. 753, §2.
Nothing herein shall limit the power of the secretary to issue permits and make regulations relative to the subsurface injection of waste products and oil and gas field salt water in compliance with Chapter 1 of this Title and the subsurface injection of hazardous wastes in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300f et seq., and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984. Acts 1984, No. 795, §1, eff. July 13, 1984; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 1999, No. 348, §2, eff. June 16, 1999.
A. No person shall initiate or continue the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste except as in compliance with the provisions of this Subtitle.
B. No person shall violate any rule or regulation adopted by the secretary under this Subtitle.
C. Notwithstanding any law, order, or regulation to the contrary, no person shall dispose of hazardous waste by injection into a Class I underground injection well when the well head or any portion of the casing is within the banks or boundaries of a lake, stream, or other surface water body within the jurisdiction of the state of Louisiana, whether man-made or occurring naturally, whether on a temporary or permanent basis.
D. No person shall treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste in salt domes or sulphur mines within and under the jurisdiction of this state. However, nothing in this Section shall in any way limit the authority of the federal government with regard to petroleum storage activities in the state.
Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 375, §1; Acts 1985, No. 448, §1, eff. July 1, 1985.
A. Any person who causes, suffers, allows, or permits hazardous waste to be transported, generated, treated, stored, or disposed in such manner that it enters any groundwaters of the state upon obtaining knowledge of such shall notify the secretary and if necessary take prompt remedial action pursuant to regulations adopted under this Subtitle or as ordered by the secretary or by the appropriate assistant secretary.
B. The pollution of any waters of the state beneath or adjacent to any site to or from which hazardous waste has been transported or where hazardous waste has been treated, stored, or disposed, intentionally or accidentally, shall be presumed to be evidence of pollution from such site unless evidence is shown to rebut it, and the secretary may issue such orders in accordance with R.S. 30:2025 as may be necessary to contain, abate, control, and cleanup the pollution and may suspend, revoke, or terminate the operating authority of the site in addition to any other action provided by this Subtitle.
C. This Section shall not apply to discharges into waters of the state in accordance with state or federal licenses or permits issued under the authority of this Subtitle or the regulations promulgated hereunder.
Acts 1984, No. 319, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A.(1) Whenever any owner, operator, or responsible person of any site obtains information that indicates hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents are leaching, spilling, discharging, or otherwise moving in, into, within, or on any land, subsurface strata, water, or air, such person shall notify the department in accordance with regulations to be adopted. This notification requirement shall apply to leaching, spilling, discharging, or moving of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents occurring hereafter although the hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents were heretofore present at the site.
(2) Upon receipt of the information required to be provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the secretary may order any owner, operator, or responsible person to test, monitor, and analyze to ascertain the nature and extent of any hazard and require such owner, operator, or responsible person to contain, abate, or clean up the site, or the secretary may undertake such activities and order an investigation of the site, take samples to be analyzed by the department, or may expend monies from the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund for these purposes. Any person ordered by the secretary to undertake certain actions as provided herein on property outside a facility's boundary shall either obtain permission from the owner of the property to perform such required actions or, if unable to obtain the owner's permission, request the secretary to order access to the property for the purpose of performing such required actions. In those cases where the secretary orders any owner, operator, or responsible person to test, monitor, and analyze to ascertain the nature and extent of such hazard, the order shall require the person to whom such order is issued to submit to the secretary within thirty days from the issuance of such order a proposal for carrying out the required monitoring, testing, and analysis.
(3) The goal of such regulations is to eliminate those releases that may reasonably pose a threat to human health or the environment and to remediate contaminated media, taking into consideration current and expected uses.
B. Any failure or refusal by an owner or operator or responsible person to undertake such action as ordered by the secretary to test, monitor, analyze, contain, abate, or clean up a hazardous waste site shall be a violation of this Subtitle, and the secretary, in order to prevent damage to the public health and environment, may immediately declare the site abandoned, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2225 or commence appropriate action or initiate proceedings under R.S. 30:2025, including the recovery of penalties, revocation of any permit, closure of the site, or any combination thereof.
C. A "hazardous waste site" as used in this Section includes the entire contaminated area and may extend beyond a facility's boundary.
D. Repealed by Acts 1992, No. 669, §2.
Added by Acts 1980, No. 194, §17. Amended by Acts 1981, No. 702, §2, eff. July 23, 1981; Acts 1982, No. 799, §1, eff. Aug. 4, 1982; Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 459, §1, eff. July 6, 1983; Acts 1984, No. 674, §1; Acts 1986, No. 329, §1, eff. June 30, 1986; Acts 1991, No. 666, §1, eff. July 17, 1991; Acts 1992, No. 122, §1; Acts 1992, No. 669, §2; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
No landowner shall be held responsible, by an order of the secretary or the courts, for removal or the cost of removal of hazardous waste which has been disposed of on his land by the act of a third party without his knowledge or reasonable belief thereof or consent or by a fortuitous event. The burden of proof by clear and convincing evidence shall rest with the landowner. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any landowner engaged in the production, transportation, or disposal of solid or liquid waste with regard to the involvement of any specific property in any such operation.
Acts 1993, No. 930, §1, eff. June 25, 1993.
A.(1) All sums recovered through judgments, settlements, assessments of civil or criminal penalties, funds recovered by suit or settlement from potentially responsible parties for active or abandoned site remediation or cleanup, or otherwise under this Subtitle, or other applicable law, each fiscal year for violation of this Subtitle, shall be paid into the state treasury and shall be credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund. After a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within any fiscal year, the treasurer, prior to placing such remaining funds in the state general fund, shall pay into a special fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury and designated as the "Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund", all of those funds generated by the hazardous waste tax under the provisions of Chapter 7-A of Subtitle II of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 and the sums recovered through all judgments, settlements, assessments of civil or criminal penalties, fees and oversight costs received from potentially responsible parties for the department's work in overseeing of assessment and remediation at inactive or abandoned sites, funds recovered by suit or settlement from potentially responsible parties for active or abandoned site remediation or cleanup, or otherwise, for violation of this Subtitle, except as provided in R.S. 30:2025 and 2198; however, the balance in the fund shall not exceed six million dollars at any time and upon the accumulation of six million dollars in the fund, the treasurer shall pay all remaining sums provided for in this Subsection into the Environmental Trust Dedicated Fund Account, R.S. 30:2015.
(2) The Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund, hereinafter referred to as the "Site Cleanup Fund", shall additionally consist of all funds designated to that fund and received by donation, grant, gift, or otherwise from any source and sums appropriated specifically to it by the legislature and any other allocations made directly to it, including reimbursements for restoration of the environment damaged by a hazardous waste site.
B. Any grants or allocations made to the state of Louisiana from the United States government for the purposes of investigation, analysis, containment, or cleanup of hazardous waste sites shall be paid directly into the Site Cleanup Fund to be used for that purpose.
C. The secretary shall administer the Site Cleanup Fund and shall make disbursements from the fund for all necessary and appropriate expenditures, including the operating expenses of the inactive and abandoned sites activities. Disbursements shall be made upon sufficient proof of services rendered and materials or equipment used or expended. For both the design and conduct of remedial actions, including cleanup at hazardous waste sites, the secretary shall select an appropriate action based on cost effectiveness that also meets the requirement that any exposure or potential exposure to hazardous wastes present at the site is reduced to such level as not to pose any significant threat to public health or the environment.
D. The monies in the Site Cleanup Fund shall be used to defray the cost of investigation, testing, containment, control, and cleanup of hazardous waste sites, to provide money or services as the state share of matching funds for federal grants, to defray the cost of securing and quarantining hazardous waste sites, including the acquisition of rights-of-way, easements, or title when necessary, and to pay the operating expenses of the inactive and abandoned sites activities. In addition, the monies in the fund may be used to defray assessment, cleanup, and associated costs of nonhazardous waste sites determined to be priority sites by the secretary in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the department. Interest earned through investment of the fund capital shall be credited to the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund.
E. In cases where monies from the Site Cleanup Fund are expended, the attorney general may institute a civil action to recover from the responsible persons all such monies expended from the Site Cleanup Fund. If the secretary requests that the attorney general institute a civil action to recover monies expended from the Site Cleanup Fund, and the attorney general declines to institute such action or does not respond within sixty days of such request agreeing to institute a civil action, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, institute a civil action to recover monies expended from the fund. Any monies recovered shall be paid into the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund.
F. The state shall have a lien or privilege against the immovable property for monies expended from the Site Cleanup Fund on the immovable property. The lien may be perfected against such property by filing a notice of lien containing the name of the current record owner and the legal description of the immovable property in the mortgage records of the parish in which the immovable property is located. Except as provided in this Subsection, the lien of the state, through the department, shall have priority in rank over all other privileges, liens, encumbrances, or other security interests affecting the property. As to all privileges, liens, encumbrances, or other security interests affecting the property that are filed or otherwise perfected before the filing of the notice of lien of the state authorized by this Section, such prior recorded security interests shall have priority over the state lien, but only to the extent of the fair market value that the property had prior to closure, assessment, or remedial action by the state, and prior recorded security interests shall be subordinate to the state lien for any amount in excess of the fair market value of the property prior to such closure, assessment, or remediation.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984; Acts 1983, No. 467, §1, eff. July 6, 1983; Acts 1984, No. 674, §1; Acts 1985, No. 331, §1, eff. July 9, 1985; Acts 1986, No. 941, §1, eff. July 11, 1986; Acts 1986, No. 943, §2, eff. July 11, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 799, §§2, 3, eff. July 20, 1987; Acts 1989, No. 392, §1, eff. June 30, 1989; H.C.R. No. 8, 1989 2nd Ex. Sess.; Acts 1990, No. 974, §1, eff. July 1, 1990; Acts 1995, No. 689, §1; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1997, No. 755, §1, eff. July 1, 1998; Acts 1999, No. 505, §1, eff. June 29, 1999; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 93, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 85, §1; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020.
{{NOTE: ACTS 1990, NO. 974, §4, TERMINATED ON SEPT. 7, 1990. SEE ACTS 1990, NO. 1001, §2.}}
A. Whenever a hazardous waste site must be permanently closed, isolated, cleaned up, or otherwise rendered safe and there is no responsible party other than the state to perform the work, the secretary, in the name and on behalf of the state, may enter into contracts with a responsible person or corporation to provide the necessary services and materials. Contracting for such cleanup shall be based on priorities to be determined by the department. Any party to such an agreement must be licensed according to law before negotiating or entering into such a contract.
B. If the secretary cannot reach an agreement for the contract with a party to perform the work without inclusion within the contract of a hold-harmless clause, the secretary is hereby authorized to include such a clause, which shall be binding upon the state of Louisiana. The hold-harmless clause may obligate the state to hold harmless the party performing the work for property damages and personal injuries arising from the performance of the contract although the party may be found to be negligent in the performance of the contract. However, this agreement to hold the contractor harmless may only cover acts of ordinary negligence and shall not cover damages resulting from intentional acts or acts of gross negligence.
C. Contracts pursuant to this Section shall be negotiated informally by the secretary and shall not be subject to any other requirements of law for entering into public contracts. Prior to the execution of such contract it shall be reviewed by the secretary of the department and the commissioner of the Division of Administration.
Acts 1983, No. 97, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 1984. Acts 1986, No. 319, §1.
This Chapter, consisting of Sections 2221 through 2226 of Title 30, may be cited as the "Louisiana Inactive and Abandoned Hazardous Waste Site Law."
Added by Acts 1983, No. 547, §2, eff. July 14, 1983.
A. The Legislature finds and declares that:
(1) Hazardous wastes in inactive or abandoned pits, ponds, lagoons, landfills, or other pollution sources pose a present and future hazard to the public health, safety, and welfare.
(2) State laws and regulations must comprehensively address those situations where the state must direct or participate in the clean-up, closure, or post-closure of inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites through the exercise of its police powers and the expenditure of public monies or both.
B. In order to eliminate the hazards associated with inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites, it is in the public interest and within the police power of this state to establish an inactive and abandoned hazardous waste site program and to establish a Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund to provide for the control, prevention, abatement, and cleanup of inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites through administrative or legal action and expenditures from the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund and to provide for the recovery of all monies so expended therefrom.
C. The secretary shall assign the duties, responsibilities, and authority provided for by this Chapter as appropriate within the department.
Acts 1983, No. 547, §2, eff. July 14, 1983; Acts 1989, No. 232, §1, eff. June 26, 1989; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context or use clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Hazardous wastes" or "wastes" means those elements or compounds defined or identified as hazardous wastes pursuant to the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Control Law, La. R.S. 30:2171 et seq., and regulations thereunder.
(2) "Waste site" means a landfill, pit, pond, lagoon, or other pollution source that contains hazardous wastes, including such surrounding property necessary to contain and impound the site and to secure or quarantine the area from access by the general public.
(3) "Office" means the office or offices within the Department of Environmental Quality to which the secretary has assigned the duties, responsibilities, and authority provided for by this Chapter.
(4) "Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund" means the fund established by Act 194 of 1980 as provided for in R.S. 30:2205.
Acts 1983, No. 547, §2, eff. July 14, 1983; Acts 1989, No. 232, §1, eff. June 26, 1989; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. In administering this Chapter, the department shall:
(1) Develop contingency plans and adopt guidelines for the containment, closure, and post-closure maintenance of inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites; and
(2) Develop and periodically revise cooperative agreements with the state Departments of Wildlife and Fisheries, Public Safety and Corrections, the Military Department, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States Coast Guard, and all other appropriate local, state, and federal agencies, whereby personnel, equipment, and materials in possession or under control of these departments and agencies may be diverted and utilized to address inactive or abandoned hazardous waste sites under the following, nonexclusive conditions:
(a) Personnel, equipment, and materials may be diverted only with the approval of the heads of the respective state departments and agencies, or their designated representative, or by order of the governor;
(b) All expenses and costs of use or acquisition of equipment and materials and their replacement, costs of sampling and testing, or other expenses that result directly from responding to an inactive or abandoned hazardous waste site, shall be paid by responsible persons or from the Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Fund; and
(c) Subsequent to activities in response to waste sites, a full report of all expenditures and significant actions shall be prepared and submitted to the governor and secretary by the heads of all state agencies and departments involved in the activities.
B. The secretary or his representative shall coordinate the state response to a waste site with any on-scene coordinator designated by federal law. Nothing in this Chapter, however, shall prevent the department from responding independently to an inactive or abandoned waste site where no on-scene coordinator is present or no action is being taken by the federal government. In all appropriate cases the secretary shall seek reimbursement from the designated agencies of the federal government for all costs incurred in addressing inactive or abandoned hazardous waste sites including but not limited to costs of personnel, equipment, use of equipment, and supplies.
C. The secretary or his representative shall be the state contact and coordinator for all negotiations and site responses under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.
Added by Acts 1983, No. 547, §2, eff. July 14, 1983; Acts 1999, No. 193, §1, eff. June 9, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
A. A site may be declared to be an abandoned hazardous waste site by the secretary upon a finding that the site:
(1) Has received for storage, treatment, or disposal or now contains or emits wastes that are identified, classified, or defined to be hazardous wastes in accordance with the regulations adopted under the provisions of this Subtitle.
(2) Was not closed in accordance with the requirements of this Subtitle and the regulations adopted hereunder.
(3) Constitutes or may constitute a danger or potential danger to the public health and the environment.
(4) Has no financially responsible owner or operator who can be located, or such person has failed or refused to undertake actions ordered by the secretary pursuant to R.S. 30:2204(A) or (B).
B. For the purposes of this Chapter and Chapter 9, "financially responsible person" or "responsible person" shall mean that the person has insurance, bonds, or assets sufficient to take action as necessary or as ordered by the secretary to protect the health and welfare of the citizens or to protect the environment.
C. Prior to declaring a site to be an abandoned hazardous waste site, the secretary shall seek to notify every person who may own an interest therein that the site is to be declared abandoned, shall publish on three consecutive occasions in the official journal of the parish that the site is to be declared abandoned, and, if requested by any owner within ten days after notice, shall hold a hearing prior to declaring the site abandoned.
D.(1) Upon declaration that a site is an abandoned hazardous waste site, the secretary shall notify the attorney general of such declaration and shall request the attorney general to take such specific legal actions as deemed necessary, including the acquisition of emergency easements and rights of way, conducting negotiations for property acquisition, and exercise of eminent domain as provided by R.S. 30:2036 to secure such site or compel cleanup or containment consistent with regulations and guidelines established by the secretary.
(2) If the secretary requests the attorney general to take legal actions in accordance with the provisions of this Subsection and if the attorney general declines to take such action or does not respond to the secretary's request for representation within sixty days of such request and agree to take such legal actions, an attorney from the department may, with the concurrence of the attorney general, take legal actions as deemed necessary in accordance with the provisions of this Subsection.
E.(1) When a site has been declared an abandoned hazardous waste site, the secretary is authorized to undertake the physical control, containment and cleanup, or closure of the abandoned hazardous waste site and may retain personnel for these purposes who shall operate under his direction.
(2) In all cases in which the secretary proposes to treat, store, or dispose of hazardous wastes at the abandoned hazardous waste site, he shall prepare a closure plan setting forth how the site will be closed. The secretary shall provide an opportunity for the public to submit comments about the plan. The secretary shall provide adequate notice to the public of any public hearings on the closure plan by placing a notice in the general circulation newspaper of the parish in which the hearing is to be held. If the secretary determines that immediate action is required to secure the site or dispose of any waste in order to protect the health or safety of persons affected by the site or its contents or to protect the environment, he may take such action prior to submission of the plan and may subsequently submit a plan detailing emergency actions taken and those actions which he will be taking in the future.
(3) The secretary shall have authority to implement the closure plan and to take all actions including erecting fences, signs, gates, levees, and monitoring devices as are reasonably necessary to secure the site and prevent unauthorized or inadvertent entry.
F.(1) The secretary, by recording the declaration of abandonment in the mortgage records of the parish where the property is located, may create a lien against property declared to be abandoned to the extent of the expenditures by the state necessary to remedy the problem or to the extent of the appraised value after said expenditures, whichever is less. The secretary may provide in the declaration that the lien is limited to certain portions of property declared to be abandoned and may provide that a lien shall not be recorded against property of a person that the department finds was in no way responsible for the spill or accident causing the damage requiring the expenditure of money from the fund. The filing of a sworn statement of the amount expended perfects the lien retroactively to the date of the recordation of the declaration.
(2) Subsequent to a declaration of abandonment, a person whose property has been declared to be abandoned and against which a lien has been created thereby may apply to the secretary or file an action in the district court to require that the clerk erase the lien from the records if the secretary or the court finds that the spill was in no way caused by any action or negligence on the part of the person who is the owner of the property subject to the lien or may file an action to have the debt reduced to the appraised value of the property.
Acts 1984, No. 674, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1160, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 348, §1, eff. June 16, 1999.
A. The secretary is hereby authorized and mandated to develop a comprehensive evaluation of hazardous waste in Louisiana, and to issue such evaluation in the form of a report as provided for herein. The department shall assist the secretary in the development and ongoing update of the report.
B. Prior to January 31, 1986, the secretary shall present a report as authorized in Subsection A of this Section to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment. The report shall, at a minimum, provide the following information:
(1) An inventory of the known hazardous waste sites in Louisiana, including:
(a) The types of wastes as determined by the secretary to be present in the waste sites.
(b) An estimate of the amount of each type of waste in a waste site as may be reasonably determined by the secretary.
(c) The actual methods used to reduce, recycle, neutralize, or dispose of the various amounts of hazardous waste.
(d) An enumeration of those facilities operating under a valid permit within the state and of those facilities deemed abandoned or inactive.
(2) An assessment of Louisiana's hazardous waste disposal capacity, which at a minimum shall include:
(a) A compilation of available hazardous waste data indicative of the volume of hazardous waste generated in Louisiana heretofore.
(b) An estimate of anticipated hazardous waste generation from the date the report is to be presented to five years from that date.
(c) A determination by the secretary as to Louisiana's ability to properly manage the volume of waste generated and disposed of in Louisiana given the number and capacity of permitted facilities within the state.
(d) A recommendation by the secretary as regards the necessity to:
(i) Further reduce the generation of hazardous waste within Louisiana.
(ii) Increase the number of permitted facilities and/or increase the handling and disposal capacity of existing facilities.
(3) An assessment of the potential environmental and public health risks associated with known and presently permitted facilities, which at a minimum shall include:
(a) A separate assessment of each known hazardous waste facility to determine the enforcement history and risk potential of said facility, including any actual or threatened water, air, and land pollution.
(b) Any recommendations by the secretary to reduce the potential for environmental and public health risks.
(4) An assessment of available funding for the clean up of hazardous waste in Louisiana, including:
(a) Anticipated availability of federal, state, regional, local, or other sources of funding which might be used to clean up hazardous waste sites in Louisiana.
(b) Amount of funds generated through the imposition of fees on the regulated community, including:
(i) The percentage of expenditures by the department which have been funded by the imposition of fees on the regulated community.
(ii) Any anticipated changes in such fees imposed.
(c) An estimate of the total funds needed to clean up Louisiana's hazardous waste sites.
(d) Any action the secretary anticipates taking to insure adequate funding for the clean up of hazardous waste sites in Louisiana.
C. The secretary shall establish a five-year plan for the clean up of hazardous waste sites. Such plan shall include at a minimum:
(1) A determination by the secretary of that percentage of hazardous waste sites in Louisiana which should be immediately cleaned up and which can be cleaned up with present funding.
(2) Any recommendations by the secretary to secure additional funding as necessary to clean up any remaining sites which should be immediately addressed but for which there is inadequate funding.
(3) A timetable developed for the purpose of establishing the rate of expected clean up of the state's hazardous waste sites.
D. The secretary shall evaluate and include in his report all those grants made for theoretical and practical research and development of alternative technologies for destroying, reducing, recycling, neutralizing, and disposing of hazardous waste pursuant to R.S. 30:2011(G)(19).
E. Following the initial report required to be presented prior to January 31, 1986, the secretary shall report any updates on a semiannual basis to the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment which shall reflect any new technological or regulatory developments, anticipated fee changes, newly available funds from any source, any grants made by the secretary for research, and the effect of any of the aforementioned phenomena on the secretary's five-year plan as herein required.
F. The secretary shall make all necessary investigations and shall obtain all information from any person as necessary to carry out the requirements and purposes of this Section.
G. All reports, plans, presentations, and information provided for herein shall be public record.
H.(1) The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations implementing a comprehensive state inactive and abandoned hazardous waste site cleanup program. Such rules and regulations shall be promulgated after public hearing thereon in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 49:950 et seq. The purpose of the program shall be to identify each inactive and abandoned hazardous waste site in the state, and to implement procedures for cleanup of those sites, and to carry out a program of research, evaluation, testing, development, and demonstration of alternative or innovative technologies which may be utilized in response actions to achieve more permanent protection of human health and the environment. The department shall consider the use of innovative technologies, such as horizontally or vertically positioned high density polyethylene for preventing contamination of groundwater from migration of substances from inactive and abandoned sites.
(2) The secretary shall provide a written report to the legislature prior to March 1, 1989 which shall contain a list of all inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites in the state, and a proposed time frame for the cleanup of each site. Each site cleanup shall be completed within the minimum time feasible. The Department of Environmental Quality shall provide an initial timetable for such cleanup proposed as provided in R.S. 30:2226(C) within six months of discovery of the site, and shall update this timetable annually until cleanup is completed.
Acts 1985, No. 361, §1; Acts 1988, No. 874, §1, eff. July 19, 1988; Acts 1990, No. 998, §1; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 27, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999; Acts 2003, No. 280, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. The terms used in this Chapter shall be defined as provided in R.S. 30:2004 and R.S. 30:2173, with R.S. 30:2173 governing in any case of conflict between them, unless another definition is specifically provided or a definition is specifically modified herein.
B. For the purposes of this Chapter the following terms shall be defined as follows:
(1) "Accurate and complete manifest records" means records that conform to the requirements of the Department of Environmental Quality or its predecessors for the reporting of generation, handling, or disposing of hazardous waste in effect at the time the records were created.
(2) "Contributor's list" means that list prepared by the Department of Environmental Quality indicating known and ongoing generators and disposers of hazardous wastes.
(3) "Contribution report" is the report prepared by a generator or disposer under the provisions of this Chapter that calculates the estimate of dry weight tons of hazardous waste, for which the generator or disposer is responsible under this Chapter, disposed in such manner as to incur tax liability under this Chapter.
(4) "Dispose" means the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, or placing of any hazardous waste into or on any land or into water so that any of the hazardous waste so disposed becomes part of the surrounding or underlying land.
(5) "Disposer" means any person who disposes or who receives for disposal the hazardous waste of a generator.
(6) "Dry weight ton" means a ton of hazardous waste excluding the weight of the water and for underground injection shall include no more than one percent of the inorganic solids contained in the hazardous waste.
(7) "Generator of hazardous waste" means any person whose act or process produces hazardous waste or whose act first causes a hazardous waste to become subject to regulation by the department.
(8) "Hazardous waste" means a substance identified and listed as a hazardous waste in the Louisiana Hazardous Waste Regulations of the Department of Environmental Quality in effect on the effective date of this Chapter; except that the term "hazardous waste" shall not include special waste as defined in this Chapter.
(9) "Special waste" means and includes the following:
(a) Spent bauxite (red mud) resulting from production of alumina.
(b) Byproduct gypsum and related wastes resulting from the production of phosphoric acid, phosphate fertilizers, and hydrofluoric acid.
(c) Coal residue (bottom ash and slag, fly ash, and flue-gas emission control waste) after use as a boiler fuel.
(d) Cement kiln dust.
(e) Industrial waste water in a NPDES treatment train when that train includes ponds, impoundments, or similar facilities.
(10) "Tax" means the amount of tax due under this Chapter, and any amount of interest due under this Chapter, unless the intention to give it a more limited meaning is disclosed by the context.
(11) "Taxpayer" means any person liable to pay any tax or file any return under this Chapter, regardless of whether such person has paid any tax or filed the required return.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984.
There is hereby levied a one time tax upon the hazardous waste content, as of July 1, 1984, of land in Louisiana, as determined in this Chapter.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984. Acts 1984, No. 108, §1, eff. June 15, 1984.
The one time tax levied in this Chapter shall be levied upon the hazardous waste content of land in Louisiana at the rate of two dollars a dry weight ton of hazardous waste content. The one time tax shall be determined and shall be due at the time and in the manner provided in this Chapter.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984.
The one time tax levied in this Chapter shall be collectible from and shall be paid by the generators or disposers who have contributed to the hazardous waste content of land in Louisiana to the extent of their contribution to such hazardous waste content as determined in this Chapter.
Acts 1984, 1st. Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984.
A. By October 1, 1984, all disposers and generators of hazardous waste in Louisiana shall determine the extent of their contribution to the hazardous waste content of land in Louisiana. That determination shall be made by the following:
(1) Adding the total dry weight tons of hazardous waste disposed or generated at the site by the disposer or generator or their predecessor at the same site for the years 1981, 1982, 1983, and the first six months of 1984 as shown on the complete and accurate manifest records of the disposer or generator and their predecessor of those years.
(2) Subtracting, at the discretion of the disposer or generator, that portion of the sum of the total dry weight tons added in R.S. 30:2245(A)(1) and (2) where the complete and accurate manifest records for those years indicate that the hazardous waste was received by the disposer or generator from another disposer or generator with an EPA Identification Number on the Existing Contributor's List to be furnished by the secretary to all disposers and generators.
(3) Subtracting, at the discretion of the disposer or generator, that portion of the sum of the total dry weight tons added in R.S. 30:2245(A)(1) and (2) where the complete and accurate manifest records for those years indicate that the hazardous waste was delivered by the disposer or generator to a disposer who did not dispose of the hazardous waste in Louisiana.
(4) Subtracting, at the discretion of the disposer or generator, that portion of the total dry weight tons added in R.S. 30:2245(A)(1) and (2) where the complete and accurate manifest records for those years indicate that hazardous waste was removed from the land.
B.(1) If a disposer or generator does not have complete and accurate manifest records for 1981, 1982, 1983, and the first six months of 1984 or any portion thereof, the secretary may allow the disposer or generator to project the total dry weight tons of hazardous waste disposed or generated at a site by the disposer or generator or their predecessors at the same site from available records if the secretary finds the following:
(a) There are good and sufficient reasons for the absence of such records.
(b) There are sufficient, accurate manifest records upon which the projection may be based.
(2) If a disposer or generator does not have complete and accurate records of manifests for 1981, 1982, 1983, and the first six months of 1984 or any portion thereof, and the secretary finds that there are not good and sufficient reasons for the absence or that there are not sufficient accurate manifest records upon which a projection may be based, the secretary shall make a projection of the dry weight tons of hazardous waste disposed or generated at the site by the disposer or generator or their predecessors using in his discretion any or all of the following:
(a) Any records of the disposer or generator or of a third party which are available to the secretary.
(b) Any records, files, documents, or studies available to the secretary.
(c) An estimate of the disposal or generation rate of a facility of a similar size for a similar period.
(d) On-site inspection and analysis including monitoring disposals or generation of hazardous waste for test periods.
(e) Any combination of the above or any method the secretary believes will be reasonably calculated to achieve an accurate estimate of the amount of hazardous waste disposed or generated at the site for 1981, 1982, 1983, and the first six months of 1984.
(3) The secretary may make any appropriate adjustments to the projections made under this Subsection B which are reasonable and necessary to make an accurate projection, including subtracting a projection of the amount of hazardous waste which has been removed from the land for the years 1981, 1982, 1983, and the first six months of 1984.
(4) If written notice of the lack of sufficient records is received from a disposer or generator by the secretary before August 1, 1984, any projection shall include a projected deduction for dry weight tons of hazardous waste received at a site by the disposer or generator or their predecessors at the same site from another disposer or generator on the Existing Contributor's List, or for any dry weight tons of hazardous waste delivered to disposers who did not dispose of the hazardous waste in Louisiana. In no case shall such a deduction be allowed or ordered if the secretary has not received the written notice provided for in this Subsection.
C. A taxpayer shall be allowed to provide to the secretary complete and accurate manifests and other appropriate records to indicate that his business declined or was economically damaged during any particular year, which information shall be considered by the secretary in determining the amount of the tax.
D. The result of the calculations in this Section shall be deemed to be the extent of the disposer's or generator's contribution to the hazardous waste content of land in Louisiana, subject to the adjustments allowed in R.S. 30:2248. The contribution report along with any work papers, listings of manifests, or other records required by the secretary, shall be filed with the secretary by October 1, 1984.
Acts 1984, 1st. Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984. Acts 1984, No. 108, §1, eff. June 15, 1984.
A. Unless an extension is granted in writing by the secretary as provided for in R.S. 30:2247, contribution reports are due from all disposers and generators for hazardous waste in Louisiana by October 1, 1984.
B. Upon the failure of a disposer or generator to file the contribution report by October 1, 1984, or upon the timely filing of an incorrect report with the circumstances indicating negligence or intentional disregard of the requirements of this Chapter or the requirements and rules and regulations of the secretary in preparing the incorrect report, the secretary shall:
(1) Make an estimate from the best sources available to the secretary of the dry weight tons of hazardous waste generated or disposed in Louisiana by the disposer or generator or their predecessors at the same site, which estimate shall be deemed to be the extent of the disposer's or generator's contribution to the hazardous waste content of the land in Louisiana; provided that no adjustments provided in R.S. 30:2248 shall be allowed to any estimate made under this Subsection.
(2) Add a penalty of twenty-five percent of the tax determined to be due under this Chapter, which penalty shall be collected and enforced by the secretary of the Department of Revenue as part of the assessment and tax debt created by this Chapter against the generator or disposer, their successors, or any persons who are directors and officers of the generator or disposer on October 1, 1984.
C. In addition to the actions described above, if the facts and circumstances indicate that the contribution report was not filed by October 1, 1984 or was grossly incorrect intentionally, the secretary shall add a penalty of fifty percent.
D. If any assessment has already been issued under this Chapter by the secretary of revenue, that assessment shall be increased by the amount of any estimate and penalty levied herein, which tax shall be due from the date levied.
E. The intentional failure to file a return or the intentional filing of a grossly incorrect report by the individual or officer submitting it shall be punishable by imprisonment at hard labor for up to one year.
Acts 1984, 1st. Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984; Acts 1984, No. 104, §1; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2.
Upon timely written application therefor, the secretary may grant an extension of time in which to file the contribution report not in excess of sixty days.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984.
A. If a disposer or generator has timely filed the contribution report required in R.S. 30:2245 and if he has complete and accurate records for 1981, 1982, 1983, and the first six months of 1984, the secretary may, upon the filing by the disposer or generator of a detailed request with supporting documentation on or before October 1, 1984, consider and allow modifications of the contribution reports if the disposer or generator shows, to the satisfaction of the secretary according to standards included in the rules and regulations promulgated by the secretary, that the contribution report does not accurately reflect the extent of his contribution to the hazardous waste content of land, provided that this Subsection shall not allow an adjustment to reduce a disposer's or generator's contribution because of disposal or generation by a predecessor at the same site.
B. The secretary may make any reasonable and necessary modifications or adjustments to the contribution report which will increase the contribution of hazardous waste attributable to any disposer or generator if the secretary determines that the increase will more accurately reflect the extent of the disposer's or generator's contribution to the hazardous waste content of land in Louisiana based on the disposal or generation of hazardous waste by the disposer or generator or his predecessor at the same site.
C.(1) After all adjustments provided for in this Chapter, the total amount of dry weight tons contributed by any disposer or generator to the hazardous waste content of Louisiana lands shall be reduced by the total amount of dry weight tons of hazardous wastes generated or disposed because of an order by the secretary, the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy, or a court, ordering the cleanup of any abandoned waste site where the parties held responsible for the waste at the site are bearing the cost of the cleanup.
(2) A disposer or generator liable for the tax under this Chapter may be given a credit against his tax liability for any voluntary removal of hazardous waste from a site if there is proper documentation as to the removal and the amount removed which documentation must be approved by the secretary. If the removal occurs after the tax has been paid the taxpayer may receive a refund in the amount of the credit, upon showing of the proper documentation as required by the secretary. The credit shall be calculated by deducting the total dry weight tons removed from the total dry weight tons in the contribution report upon which the tax is based.
D. Whenever there is a contest between the secretary and a disposer or generator as to whether any adjustment or modification should be allowed to a contribution report which is timely filed, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the original contribution report provided for in R.S. 30:2245 is correct.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984. Acts 1984, No. 108, §1, eff. June 15, 1984; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
The secretary shall determine the tax imposed on each disposer or generator according to the rate set forth in R.S. 30:2243 as applied to the disposer's or generator's contribution to the dry weight tons of hazardous waste content of land as provided in each contribution report, as adjusted; except that the tax based on any estimate made or the penalty levied under R.S. 30:2246 shall be determined as provided in that Section.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984.
Upon determining the tax imposed on each disposer or generator of hazardous waste in Louisiana, the secretary shall mail a written notice of such determination to each disposer or generator and to the secretary of the Department of Revenue, setting out the amount of tax imposed on the disposer or generator, the fact that the notice is being mailed to the Department of Revenue, and the fact that the amount of tax in the written notice will be due on January 1, 1985, and that the secretary of the Department of Revenue will proceed to collect the tax on that date.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2.
The tax determined to be due under this Chapter shall be due January 1, 1985, and payable on January 1, 1985.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984.
Upon receipt of the written notice provided for in R.S. 30:2250 by the secretary of the Department of Revenue of the amount of tax determined to be imposed and due under this Chapter, said secretary shall proceed to collect and enforce the tax in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 18 of Subtitle II of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. In addition to the authority given to the secretary of the Department of Revenue, said secretary shall have any additional authority conferred by this Chapter, and shall specifically have the authority to audit and investigate all books and records of taxpayers under this Chapter and any reports and records of the Department of Environmental Quality and to impose interest and penalties as provided in that Chapter.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2.
Failure to pay the tax due to the secretary of the Department of Revenue on January 1, 1985, shall result in the imposition of a penalty of twenty-five percent of the tax due hereunder in addition to interest as provided by Chapter 18 of Subtitle II of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
Acts 1984, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §1, eff. March 27, 1984; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2.
A. The legislature hereby finds and declares the following:
(1) Hazardous chemicals and substances have been disposed of in Louisiana for many years in a manner that, although possibly legal at the time, was careless and inappropriate and created conditions which are extremely dangerous and may cause long-term health and environmental problems for the people of this state.
(2) Hazardous substances are produced and transported on a regular basis around this state and there have been numerous recent discharges resulting from accidents which have caused extensive damage to the citizens of the state and have caused the state to expend large sums to respond to these incidents.
(3) Those persons generating these substances knew or were in a position to know of the hazardous and dangerous nature of the substances which they were producing and knew or should have known that improper disposal could have long-term health risks and could cause irreversible environmental damage.
(4) The state cannot and should not bear the costs associated with a private profit making venture.
B. The purpose of this Chapter is to encourage prompt notification to the department of any hazardous substance discharge or disposal, to identify locations at which a discharge or disposal of a hazardous substance may have occurred at any time in the past, to provide a mechanism to the department to insure that the costs of remedial actions are borne by those who contributed to the discharge or disposal, and to allow the department to respond as quickly as possible to hazardous substance discharges while retaining the right to institute legal actions against those responsible for remedial costs.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1092, §2, eff. July 1, 1996.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Bona fide prospective purchaser" shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in 42 U.S.C. 9601(40).
(2)(a) "Contractual relationship" includes but is not limited to land contracts, deeds, easements, leases, or other instruments transferring title or possession, unless the real property on which the facility concerned is located was acquired by the defendant after the disposal or placement of the hazardous substance on, in, or at the facility, and one or more of the circumstances described in Item (i), (ii), or (iii) is also established by the defendant by a preponderance of the evidence:
(i) At the time the defendant acquired the facility, the defendant did not know and had no reason to know that any hazardous substance which is the subject of the release or threatened release was disposed of on, in, or at the facility.
(ii) The defendant is a government entity which acquired the facility by escheat, or through any other involuntary transfer or acquisition, or through the exercise of eminent domain authority by purchase or condemnation.
(iii) The defendant acquired the facility by inheritance or bequest.
(iv) In addition to establishing one or more of the circumstances described in Item (i), (ii), or (iii) of this Subparagraph, the defendant must establish that the defendant has satisfied the requirements of R.S. 30:2277(3)(a) and (b), provides full cooperation, assistance, and facility access to the persons that are authorized to conduct response actions at the facility, including the cooperation and access necessary for the installation, integrity, operation, and maintenance of any complete or partial response action at the facility, is in compliance with any land use restrictions established or relied on in connection with the response action at a facility, and does not impede the effectiveness or integrity of any institutional control employed at the facility in connection with a response action.
(b) To establish that the defendant had no reason to know of the matter described in Item (a)(i) of this Paragraph, the defendant must demonstrate to a court that on or before the date on which the defendant acquired the facility, the defendant carried out all appropriate inquiries into the previous ownership and uses of the facility in accordance with generally accepted good commercial and customary standards and practices; and the defendant took reasonable steps to stop any continuing release; prevent any threatened future release; and prevent or limit any human, environmental, or natural resource exposure to any previously released hazardous substance. For purposes of satisfying the requirement to carry out all appropriate inquiries, the standards, practices, criteria, and site inspection and title search responsibilities otherwise applicable to a defendant under 42 U.S.C. 9601(35)(B) shall apply.
(c) Nothing in this Paragraph shall diminish the liability of any previous owner or operator of such facility who would otherwise be liable under this Chapter. Notwithstanding the provision of this Paragraph, if the defendant obtained actual knowledge of the release or threatened release of a hazardous substance at such facility when the defendant owned the real property and then subsequently transferred ownership of the property to another person without disclosing such knowledge, such defendant shall be treated as liable under this Chapter, and no defense under R.S. 30:2277 shall be available to such defendant.
(d) Nothing in this Paragraph shall affect the liability under this Chapter of a defendant who, by any act or omission, caused or contributed to the release or threatened release of a hazardous substance which is the subject of the action relating to the facility.
(3) "Discharge" means discharge as defined in R.S. 30:2004.
(4) "Disposal" means disposal as defined in R.S. 30:2173.
(5) "Facility" means facility as defined in R.S. 30:2004.
(6)(a) "Hazardous substance" means any gaseous, liquid, or solid material which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or biological composition when released into the environment poses a substantial present or potential hazard to human health, the environment, or property, and which material is identified or designated as being hazardous by rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the secretaries of the Department of Environmental Quality or of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, regardless of whether it is intended for use, reuse, or is to be discarded.
(b) The secretary, in finding that a material is hazardous, shall consider the following factors with respect to each material:
(i) Actual or relative potential for harm to human health, the environment, or property.
(ii) Scientific evidence of its potential for harm based upon quantity, concentration, or chemical or biological composition.
(iii) State of current scientific knowledge regarding the material.
(iv) Its history and current pattern of harm.
(v) Actual or potential volatility when combined with other common substances likely to be encountered when disposed of, stored, or transported.
(vi) Actual or relative potential for harm to human health if allowed to escape its containment.
(c) The term does not include petroleum, including crude oil or any fraction thereof which is not otherwise specifically listed or designated as a hazardous substance under this Subsection, and the term does not include natural gas, natural gas liquids, liquified natural gas, or synthetic gas usable for fuel (or mixtures of natural gas and such synthetic gas).
(7) "Hazardous waste" means hazardous waste as defined in R.S. 30:2173.
(8) "Nonparticipating party" means a person who refuses to comply with the demand of the secretary, or fails to respond to the demand, or against whom a suit has been filed by the secretary.
(9) "Owner or operator" means any person owning or operating a facility.
(10) "Participating party" means a person who undertakes remedial action after receiving a demand from the secretary in compliance with the demand and as approved by the secretary.
(11) "Pollution source" means pollution source as defined in R.S. 30:2004 and R.S. 30:2173.
(12)(a) "Remedial cost" means after the discharge or disposal of a hazardous substance the cost of:
(i) Removing, confining, or storing any hazardous substance; constructing barriers, securing the site, encapsulating in clay or other impermeable material;
(ii) Cleaning up a contamination, recycling, or reuse of a hazardous substance;
(iii) Diversion, destruction, or segregation of reactive or other wastes;
(iv) Dredging or excavating a site;
(v) Repairing or replacing leaking containers;
(vi) Collection of leachate and runoff;
(vii) Onsite treatment or incineration of a substance;
(viii) Provision of alternative water supplies;
(ix) Monitoring, testing, or analyzing;
(x) Employing legal, engineering, chemical, biological, architectural, or other professional consultants or personnel;
(xi) Investigation, initiation, or prosecution of lawsuits to final judgment;
(xii) Transporting and disposing of waste from the site; or
(xiii) Any other action the secretary deems necessary to restore the site or remove the hazardous substance.
(b) Remedial costs as used herein shall include only such costs as are reasonable after consideration of the cost effectiveness of such action, the extent of remediation, and alternative methods of treatment or disposal.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1; Acts 1988, No. 624, §1; Acts 2003, No. 1127, §1, eff. July 2, 2003.
A.(1) The Department of Environmental Quality shall adopt minimum remediation standards for soil, groundwater, and surface water quality necessary for the remediation of contamination of immovable property. The standards shall be developed with input at all major points from an advisory group or task force appointed by the governor, balanced for thoroughness and fairness, composed of representatives of industry, business, state and local agencies with related jurisdiction, universities, environmental organizations, and other citizens. The remediation standards shall be developed to ensure that the potential for harm to public health and safety and to the environment is minimized to acceptable levels, taking into consideration the location, the surroundings, the intended use of the property, the potential exposure to the discharge, and the surrounding ambient conditions, whether naturally occurring or man-made. The standards shall be adopted as a rule in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
(2) Until the minimum remediation standards for the protection of public health and safety as described herein are adopted, the department shall not approve any voluntary remedial action plan under Part II of this Chapter.
B. In developing minimum remediation standards the department shall:
(1) Base the standards on generally accepted and peer reviewed scientific evidence or methodologies to the extent practical.
(2) Base the standards upon reasonable assumptions of exposure scenarios as to amounts of contaminants to which humans or other receptors will be exposed, when and where those exposures will occur, and the amount of that exposure.
(3) Avoid the use of redundant conservative assumptions. The department shall avoid to the maximum extent reasonable the use of redundant conservative assumptions by the use of parameters that provide an adequate margin of safety and which avoid the use of unrealistic conservative exposure parameters and which guidelines make use of the guidance and regulations for exposure assessment developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the "Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980", 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq. and other statutory authorities as applicable.
(4) Where feasible, establish the remediation standards as numeric or narrative standards setting forth acceptable levels or concentrations for particular contaminants.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
The following persons or entities must comply with and are subject to the provisions of this Chapter:
(1) The owner, operator, or lessee of any pollution source or facility.
(2) Any person who has directly transported or directly contracted for the transportation of a hazardous substance or hazardous waste to a pollution source or facility.
(3) Any person who generated a hazardous waste which was eventually transported, stored, disposed of or discharged at a pollution source or facility.
(4) Any other person who disposed of or discharged a hazardous substance at a pollution source or facility.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1; Acts 1990, No. 681, §1, eff. July 20, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 773, §1.
A. After the secretary has determined that a discharge or disposal has occurred which may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment, he shall attempt to notify each person known to have disposed of, transported to, or allowed the discharge or disposal at a pollution source or facility that they are to provide him with all information on hazardous substances disposed of or discharged at the site including:
(1) The types of substances and their chemical name or makeup if known.
(2) The volumes of such substances disposed of or discharged.
(3) The locations of disposal or discharge of any known pollution source or facility.
(4) Dates of disposal and amounts on each date.
(5) Person providing transportation of hazardous substances.
(6) Name of owner or operator at the site at the time of disposal or discharge.
B. Any person who willfully fails to provide the information to the secretary as required by this Section shall be liable for a penalty of up to twenty-five thousand dollars for each day that the required information is not received after the date on which it is due and shall not be allowed to avail himself of the defenses provided in R.S. 30:2277.
C. The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations no later than January 1, 1989, for requiring from all persons who have or may have generated, transported, disposed of or discharged, or contracted for the transportation, disposal, or discharge of a hazardous substance which was discharged or disposed of at any pollution source or facility the types of information in accordance with Subsection A of this Section and any other such information as the secretary deems necessary. The secretary is authorized to do a general survey of all generators of hazardous waste in the state with regard to their past or present methods of disposal of hazardous wastes in accordance with Subsection A of this Section.
D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, if the secretary, pursuant to his investigation, determines that it is not feasible for him to notify every potentially responsible person at the site of a pollution source or facility, he may limit his notice to those persons he deems most responsible based on the volume of hazardous substances disposed of or discharged, the toxicity of substances disposed of or discharged, failure to exercise due diligence in the handling, maintenance, or disposal at the site, knowledge of the risk associated with the discharge or disposal at the site, and other such criteria as the secretary may deem necessary.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1; Acts 1988, No. 624, §1; Acts 1988, No. 965, §1, eff. July 27, 1988.
A. When the secretary determines that a discharge or disposal of a hazardous substance has occurred or is about to occur which may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment, he shall make a written demand on every owner, generator, transporter, disposer, operator, or other responsible person who has participated in the disposal or discharge of a hazardous substance at the site to undertake remedial actions at the site in accordance with a plan approved by the secretary or pay to the secretary the cost of the remedial action to be taken by the secretary.
B. The order for remedial action shall prescribe a reasonable time for reply. If, after the time limit provided in the written demand, the secretary has received no reply or has received a refusal to comply with the demand, he shall institute a suit in the district court of proper venue demanding that the defendants bear the remedial costs at the site or asking the court to issue an order that the site be closed or any other order necessary to abate, contain, or remove the hazard.
C. If a person fails to respond to a demand to undertake remedial action, the secretary may take all actions authorized by this Subtitle prior to filing suit for recovery.
D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, if the secretary, pursuant to his investigation, determines that it is not feasible for him to make demand on every potentially responsible person at the site of a pollution source or facility, he may limit his demand to those persons he deems most responsible based on the volume of hazardous substances disposed of or discharged, the toxicity of substances disposed of or discharged, failure to exercise due diligence in the handling, maintenance, or disposal at the site, knowledge of the risk associated with the discharge or disposal at the site, and other such criteria as the secretary may deem necessary.
E. Notwithstanding any other provision of law in this Subtitle, in any order pursuant to this Section requiring an owner, operator, or responsible person to test, monitor, and analyze to ascertain the nature and extent of any pollution source or requiring any owner, operator, or responsible person to contain, abate, or clean up the site, the secretary may waive any permits which might otherwise be required under this Subtitle. No such waiver shall be deemed to authorize any discharge or emission which would endanger the environment or public health.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1; Acts 1986, No. 306, §1, eff. June 30, 1986; Acts 1988, No. 253, §1, eff. July 6, 1988; Acts 1988, No. 624, §1.
A. The court shall find the defendant liable to the state for the costs of remedial action taken because of an actual or potential discharge or disposal which may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment at a pollution source or facility, if the court finds that the defendant performed any of the following:
(1) Was a generator who generated a hazardous substance which was disposed of or discharged at the pollution source or facility.
(2) Was a transporter who transported a hazardous substance which was disposed of or discharged at the pollution source or facility.
(3) Was a disposer who disposed of or discharged a hazardous substance or hazardous waste at the pollution source or facility.
(4) Contracted with a person for transportation or disposal at the pollution source or facility.
(5) Is or was the owner or operator of the pollution source or facility subsequent to the disposal of hazardous waste.
B. The court does not have to find that the defendant was negligent, knew that the hazardous substance was being improperly disposed of, or that the activity was illegal at the time of disposal.
C. The defendant shall be responsible for his proportionate contribution to the remedial costs as defined in this Chapter.
D. The liability of the defendants shall be limited to those costs which can be calculated by the court upon presentation of evidence.
E. After an administrative determination of the cleanup cost, legal interest shall run on such amount. In addition thereto the court shall hold a nonparticipating party liable for a penalty of three times that party's share of the remedial cost if the court determines that the failure of the nonparticipating party to respond to the administrative determination or court proceeding was without sufficient cause. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to relieve the imposition of solidary liability otherwise provided for in this Chapter. The court may order any penalties provided by this Subtitle or as provided in this Chapter.
F. All persons who have generated a hazardous substance disposed of at the site, transported a hazardous substance to the pollution source or facility, contracted to have a hazardous substance transported to the pollution source or facility, or disposed of a hazardous substance at the pollution source or facility shall be presumed to be liable in solido by the court for the cleanup of the site unless a party shows by a preponderance of the evidence that the costs of remediation should be apportioned and there is a reasonable basis for determining the amount of the contribution of each party to the discharge or disposal, however, any party shall have the right to establish his proportionate contribution to the site and his liability shall be limited to his degree of contribution.
G.(1) In furtherance of the purpose of R.S. 30:2275, those participating parties who, after an initial demand is made by the secretary under R.S. 30:2275, agree to clean up the pollution source or facility may, without the institution of a suit by the secretary under R.S. 30:2275, sue and recover from any other nonparticipating party who shall be liable for twice their portion of the remedial costs. The plan for remedial action of the pollution source or facility shall be subject to approval by the secretary upon request by the participating parties. The secretary shall act as expeditiously as possible in approving the plan proposed by the participating parties. Prior to any suit by a participating party for recovery of their portion of the remedial costs, the participating party shall make a written demand on any nonparticipating party they intend to sue requesting payment of that portion the nonparticipating party would be liable for if he participated.
(2) In the event the United States Environmental Protection Agency is the lead governmental agency with regard to a remedial action at a pollution source or facility containing a hazardous substance as defined by R.S. 30:2272(4), and an initial demand for remediation is made to a party, then if said party agrees to clean up the pollution source or facility he may, without the institution of a suit by the secretary or the United States Environmental Protection Agency, sue and recover from any other responsible party who has received a demand but refused to participate, which responsible party shall be liable for twice their portion of the remedial costs. Prior to any suit by a party who has agreed to participate in the remedial action for recovery of their portion of the remedial costs, said party shall make a written demand on any responsible party, who has refused to participate, that they intend to sue requesting payment of that portion of the remedial costs that the party would be liable for if he had participated.
(3) In furtherance of the purpose of this Chapter, a person who has incurred remedial costs in responding to a discharge or disposal of a substance covered by this Chapter, without the need for an initial demand by the secretary, may sue and recover such remedial costs as defined in R.S. 30:2272(9) from any person found by a court to have performed any of the activities listed in Subsection A if the plan for remedial action was approved by the secretary in advance or, if an emergency, the secretary was notified without unreasonable delay and the secretary accepts the plan thereafter. An action by a person other than the secretary shall not be barred by the failure of the secretary to demand participation in the remediation. Such action shall be barred if the plaintiff does not make written demand on the defendant by certified mail, return receipt requested, at least sixty days prior to initiation of suit based on the cause of action provided in this Subsection.
H.(1) No action shall be commenced under this Chapter unless it is commenced within ten years from the date of the discovery of the disposal or discharge for which remedial action must be undertaken or three years from the date the secretary issues an order requiring remedial action to be undertaken, whichever comes later.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary, however, any action arising under this Chapter which is not prescribed on September 1, 1991, may be commenced within ten years from September 1, 1991.
I. Nothing in this Chapter shall bar a cause of action that an owner or operator or any other person subject to liability under this Section or a guarantor has or would have by reason of indemnification, subrogation, or otherwise against any person.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1; Acts 1986, No. 306, §1, eff. June 30, 1986; Acts 1988, No. 624, §1; Acts 1990, No. 1020, §1; Acts 1991, No. 249, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1993, No. 986, §1, eff. June 25, 1993.
Any of the following shall be a defense to an action prosecuted by the state under the provisions of this Chapter:
(1) The discharge or disposal was caused by an act of God.
(2) The discharge or disposal was caused by an act of war.
(3) The discharge or disposal was caused by an act or omission of a third person other than an employee or agent of the defendant or one whose act or omission occurs in connection with a contractual relationship, existing directly or indirectly, with the defendant, except where the sole contractual arrangement arises from a published tariff and acceptance for carriage by a common carrier by rail, and if the defendant establishes that he:
(a) Exercised due care with respect to the hazardous substance concerned, taking into consideration the characteristics of such substance, in light of all relevant facts and circumstances.
(b) Took precautions against foreseeable acts or omissions of any such third party and the consequences that could foreseeably result from such acts or omissions.
(4) The owner or operator of the pollution source or facility acquired ownership or control of such property through a giving in payment or through a foreclosure proceeding of a security interest held by the person on that property or holds legal title to or otherwise manages any such property for purposes of administering an estate or trust of which such property is a part, except where such owner or operator:
(a) Has caused a discharge or disposed of a hazardous substance covered by this Chapter; or
(b) Knows at the time the security interest is perfected that the property contains a hazardous substance covered by this Chapter.
(5) The potential liability for a release or threatened release is based solely on a bona fide prospective purchaser's being considered to be an owner or operator of a facility, as long as the bona fide prospective purchaser does not impede the performance of a response action or natural resource restoration. However, the relevant property may be otherwise subject to a lien pursuant to R.S. 30:2281 or 2225(F).
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1; Acts 1991, No. 773, §1; Acts 2003, No. 1127, §1, eff. July 2, 2003.
No indemnification, hold harmless, or similar agreement or conveyance shall be effective to transfer from the owner or operator of any facility or from any person who may be liable for a discharge or disposal to any other person the liability imposed under this Chapter. Nothing in this Chapter shall bar any agreement to insure a party to such agreement for any liability under this Section.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1.
The provisions of this Chapter shall apply to all persons defined herein regardless of whether or not that person is liable for payment of any taxes, cleanup costs, or other costs under any federal statute or enactment which purports to require a party to clean up a hazardous waste site including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1.
The secretary shall implement the provisions of this Chapter through appropriate rules and regulations including a general requirement providing an opportunity for a public meeting and if requested a public comment period of no more than sixty days duration prior to the approval of a plan for remedial investigation and selection of a remedy, and a requirement as to the records which must be kept and disclosed to the department and the intervals and times at which additional notifications regarding continuous or regular disposal must be made.
Acts 1984, No. 791, §1; Acts 1991, No. 224, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
Consistent with the findings of R.S. 30:2271, the legislature hereby finds that it is in the best interest of this state and a part of the exercise of its police powers that this state have a lien or privilege against immovable property for the recovery of remedial cost incurred in discharging its responsibility pursuant to this Chapter. Following the expenditure of funds by the state of Louisiana through the department, such lien or privilege may be perfected against such property by filing a notice of lien containing the name of the current record owner and the legal description of the immovable property in the mortgage records of the parish in which the immovable property is located. Except as provided below, the lien of the state of Louisiana through the Department of Environmental Quality shall have priority in rank over all other privileges, liens, encumbrances, or other security interests affecting the property. As to all privileges, liens, encumbrances, or other security interests affecting the property that are filed or otherwise perfected before the filing of the notice of lien of the state authorized by this Section, such prior recorded security interests shall have priority over the state lien but only to the extent of the fair market value that the property had prior to remedial action by the state, and prior recorded security interests shall be subordinate to the state lien for any amount in excess of such pre-remediation fair market value.
Acts 1990, No. 681, §1, eff. July 20, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 773, §1; Acts 2001, No. 1047, §1.
{{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1990, NO. 681, §2.}}
A. The legislature recognizes that the lakes, which may be* located in the state capital city adjacent to the capitol building and the governor's mansion, are classified as an inactive and abandoned hazardous waste site by the Department of Environmental Quality. The legislature finds and declares that it is inappropriate for such a waste site to be located at the center of state government and that it is desirable to have the lakes cleaned up and made into an attractive area where families can engage in recreational activities. Further, the legislature finds that allowing the sediments in the lakes to remain contaminated with hazardous waste will make it prohibitive to perform any works in the lakes such as dredging for drainage purposes and adding enhancements such as fishing piers. The legislature declares that the cleanup and removal of the contaminants in the sediments in the lakes is a priority of the state and that the Department of Environmental Quality should move expeditiously to require the cleanup to commence immediately.
B. Any remediation agreement, order, or judgment by any authority to clean up or remediate any lakes that are classified as hazardous waste sites and are located in the state capital city adjacent to the governor's mansion or the grounds of the state capitol building, hereinafter referred to as "the lakes", shall provide for the cleanup or remediation of the hazardous substances in the sediments of the lakes to the extent that human health and the environment is protected, taking into consideration all reasonably anticipated future uses of the lakes, including but not limited to dredging and recreational use.
C. Not later than January 1, 1998, the department shall complete phase 1 remedial investigation to characterize the water and sediment depths and aquatic species and identify and delineate the contaminate concentrations in the sediment and the selected biota. The department shall negotiate with any and all parties that are responsible pursuant to this Subtitle to conduct further remedial action as appropriate or to pay the costs of any remedial action to be taken by the department. Should the department not enter into an agreement with any responsible party to conduct further remedial action, if required, it shall institute such legal proceedings authorized pursuant to this Subtitle by June 1, 1999, to require the responsible parties to bear the remedial costs incurred or to be incurred by the department. Nothing herein shall be construed to limit or restrict any remedy or cause of action the department may have against any person.
D. Each month the department shall deliver a status report of the activities of the department regarding actions related to the remediation of the lakes to the office of the governor, the House and Senate environment committees, the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate, and to the senator and representative in whose district the lakes lie.
Acts 1997, No. 1337, §1, eff. July 15, 1997.
*As appears in enrolled bill.
A. Whenever any owner, operator, or responsible person of any site obtains information that indicates hazardous waste, hazardous waste constituents, or hazardous substances as defined in R.S. 30:2272 are leaching, spilling, discharging, or otherwise moving in, into, within, or on any land, subsurface strata, water, or air, such person shall report this information to the department in accordance with regulations to be adopted. This reporting requirement shall apply to leaching, spilling, discharging, or moving of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents occurring hereafter although the hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents were heretofore present at the site, and shall also apply to hazardous substances.
B. When any incident giving rise to an obligation to report to the department has previously been reported pursuant to other provisions of law, there is no duty by any additional persons to report such incident pursuant to this Section.
Acts 1999, No. 383, §1, eff. June 16, 1999.
A. The legislature hereby finds that there are numerous former commercial and industrial sites that are contaminated with hazardous pollutants and that these sites are idle and unproductive because they have not been remediated. It is found that the owners of land with hazardous waste sites are reluctant to initiate or be involved in the remediation of these sites because of their potential present and future liability. Further, it is found that many such sites would be remediated and returned to productive use if those landowners who voluntarily clean up such sites were granted certain limitations on their liability as a result of such remediation activities.
B. It is the purpose of this Part to implement the policy of Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana to protect, conserve, and replenish the environment by affording limitations of liability for the voluntary cleanup of contaminated sites.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
A.(1) Subject to the provisions of this Part, any person who is not otherwise a responsible person under Part I of this Chapter shall not be liable under Part I for the discharge or disposal or threatened discharge or disposal of the hazardous substance or waste if the person undertakes and completes a remedial action to remove or remedy discharges or disposals and threatened discharges or disposals of hazardous substances and wastes at an identified area of immovable property in accordance with a voluntary remedial action plan approved in advance by the secretary following public notice and the opportunity for a public hearing in the affected community to inform the residents about the plan. The public notice shall appear in the local newspaper of general circulation in the parish where the property is located. The notice shall be at least four by six inches in size.
(2) In addition, persons owning immovable property contiguous to the property subject to the voluntary remedial action plan shall receive notice of the plan prior to approval by the secretary, by means of certified mail to the person or persons listed as the owner on the assessor's rolls for the parish in which the property is located and as of the date that the remediation plan is submitted.
B. The exemption from liability provided under this Section also applies to discharges or disposals or threatened discharges or disposals of hazardous substances and hazardous wastes at the identified property that are not required to be removed or remedied by the approved voluntary remedial action plan if the requirements of R.S. 30:2286 are met.
C. No provision of this Part shall exempt any person who undertakes or completes a voluntary remedial action plan from any liability which he would otherwise have under any federal rule or regulation.
D. Nothing in this Part shall affect the liability of any person with respect to damage caused to third parties.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 352, §1, eff. June 16, 1999.
A "responsible person" or "responsible landowner" is a person who is responsible under the provisions of this Chapter for the discharge or disposal or the threatened discharge or disposal of a hazardous substance or hazardous waste on or in immovable property. However, an owner of immovable property or a person who has an interest therein is not a responsible person for the purposes of this Part only, unless that person:
(1) Was engaged in the business of generating, transporting, storing, treating, or disposing of a hazardous substance or hazardous waste on or in the property, or knowingly permitted others to engage in such a business on the property;
(2) Knowingly permitted any person to make regular use of the property for disposal of waste;
(3) Knowingly permitted any person to use the property for disposal of a hazardous substance;
(4) Knew or reasonably should have known that a hazardous substance was located in or on the property at the time right, title, or interest in the property was first acquired by the person and engaged in conduct associating that person with the discharge or disposal; or
(5) Took action which significantly contributed to the discharge or disposal after that person knew or reasonably should have known that a hazardous substance was located in or on the property.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
A. The secretary may approve a voluntary remedial action plan submitted under this Part that does not require removal or remedy of all discharges or disposals and threatened discharges or disposals of hazardous substances and hazardous wastes at an identified area of immovable property if the secretary determines that all of the following criteria have been met:
(1) If reuse or development of the property is proposed, the voluntary remedial action plan provides for all remedial actions necessary to allow for the proposed reuse or development of the immovable property in a manner that does not pose a significant threat to public health, safety, and welfare and the environment.
(2) The remedial actions and the activities associated with any reuse or development proposed for the property will not aggravate or contribute to discharges or disposals or threatened discharges or disposals that are not required to be removed or remedied under the voluntary remedial action plan, and will not interfere with or substantially increase the cost of future remedial actions to address the remaining discharges or disposals or threatened discharges or disposals.
(3) The owner of the property agrees to cooperate with the secretary or other persons acting at the direction of the secretary in taking remedial actions necessary to investigate or address remaining discharges or disposals or threatened discharges or disposals, and to avoid any action that interferes with the remedial actions.
B. Under Paragraph (A)(3) of this Section, an owner shall be required to agree to any or all of the following terms necessary to carry out remedial actions to address remaining discharges or disposals or threatened discharges or disposals:
(1) To provide access to the property to the secretary and the secretary's authorized representatives.
(2) To allow the secretary, or persons acting at the direction of the secretary, to undertake activities at the property including placement of borings, wells, equipment, and structures on the property.
(3) To grant rights-of-way, servitudes, or other interests in the property to the agency for any of the purposes provided in Paragraph (1) or (2) of this Subsection.
C. An agreement under Paragraph (A)(3) of this Section shall be binding upon the successors and assigns of the owner. The owner shall record the agreement, or a memorandum approved by the secretary that summarizes the agreement, with the clerk of court of the parish where the property is located.
D.(1) The owners of land subject to a partial remediation pursuant to this Section shall impose use restrictions on the future use of the property as may be determined by the secretary to be necessary to prevent a significant threat to public health, safety, and welfare and to the environment. No land may be partially remediated under this Section unless such restrictions are imposed and recorded as provided herein.
(2) The secretary shall determine the use restrictions required by this Subsection and may conduct public hearings for the purpose of determining the reasonableness and appropriateness of such restrictions in the parish where the land is located. The use restrictions or a notice thereof shall be recorded with the clerk of court in the official records of each parish in which the land is located. The use restrictions may not be modified or cancelled or removed from the official records unless so authorized by the secretary.
(3) The secretary shall not authorize such modification, cancellation, or removal unless the land is further remediated to remove or remedy the remaining discharges or disposals and the remaining threatened discharges or disposals of hazardous substances and wastes in accordance with the requirements of the secretary. In order to determine whether to authorize such modification, cancellation, or removal, the secretary shall conduct at least one public hearing in the parish in which the property is located at least thirty and not more than sixty days prior to making the determination.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
A. Remedial Investigation Work Plan
(1) A person shall submit a plan for voluntary remedial investigation. The voluntary remedial investigation plan shall include a work plan that shall conform to the site investigation requirements of the department's Risk Evaluation/Corrective Action Program (RECAP) established pursuant to R.S. 30:2272.1, and such other requirements as established by rule. Any site investigation must be performed pursuant to a work plan reviewed and approved by the department.
(2) Within ninety days of receipt of the remedial investigation work plan, the department shall review the plan and either approve such plan or provide written notices of deficiencies in the investigation work plan.
(3) The secretary may waive the requirements for a separate remedial investigation work plan if the applicant incorporates a satisfactory investigative report with the voluntary remedial action plan submitted pursuant to department regulations.
B. In order to receive immunity from liability pursuant to R.S. 30:2285.1, after approval of the voluntary investigation report by the department, unless waived by the secretary pursuant to Paragraph (3) of Subsection A of this Section, an applicant shall submit a voluntary remedial action plan for approval by the secretary. The voluntary remedial action plan shall include an investigative report that describes the methods and results of the investigation of the discharges or disposals and threatened discharges or disposals at the identified area of immovable property. The secretary shall not approve the voluntary remedial action plan unless the secretary determines in writing that the nature and extent of the discharges or disposals and threatened discharges or disposals at the identified area of immovable property have been adequately identified and evaluated in the investigative report.
C. Remedial actions required in a voluntary remedial action plan under this Part shall meet the same standards for protection of public health, safety, and welfare and the environment that apply to remedial actions taken pursuant to Part I of this Chapter.
D. When the secretary approves a voluntary remedial action plan, the secretary may include in the approval an acknowledgment that, upon certification of completion of the remedial actions, the person submitting the plan will receive the exemption from liability provided under this Part.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996; Acts 2006, No. 645, §1.
Persons specified in R.S. 30:2288 or R.S. 30:2288.1(C) shall not be liable for aggravating or contributing to any discharge or disposal or threatened discharge or disposal identified in an approved voluntary remedial action plan for the purpose of R.S. 30:2289(1) as a result of their performance of the remedial actions required in accordance with the plan and the direction of the secretary. Nothing in this Part relieves a person of any liability for failure to perform the work required by the voluntary remedial action plan in a workman-like manner and in accordance with generally accepted standards of performance and operation applicable to such remedial work.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
A. Remedial actions taken under an approved voluntary remedial action plan are not completed until the secretary certifies completion in writing.
B. Certification of completion of remedial actions taken under a voluntary remedial action plan that does not require removal or remedy of all discharges or disposals and threatened discharges or disposals is subject to compliance by the owner, and the owner's successors and assigns, with the terms of the agreement and the use restrictions established under R.S. 30:2286.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
A. In addition to the person who undertakes and completes remedial actions, and subject to the provisions of R.S. 30:2289, the exemption from liability provided by this Part applies to the following persons when the secretary issues the certificate of completion of remedial actions:
(1) The owner of the identified property, if the owner is not responsible for any discharge or disposal or threatened discharge or disposal identified in the approved voluntary remedial action plan.
(2) A person who acquires or develops the identified property.
(3) A successor or assign of any person to whom the liability exemption applies.
B. Any person who provides financing for the implementation of a remedial action plan or for the development of the identified immovable property in accordance with the applicable use restrictions after completion and acceptance of said plan, shall not be liable for any damages, costs, or penalties under this Chapter unless such person is considered to be a responsible person under the provisions of Part I of this Chapter.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
A. Notwithstanding R.S. 30:2286.1(A), a responsible person who undertakes and completes an approved remedial action plan shall be exempt from liability under Part I of this Chapter if the remedial actions are undertaken and completed in accordance with this Section.
B. The remedial actions shall be undertaken and completed in accordance with a voluntary remedial action plan approved as provided in R.S. 30:2286.1. Notwithstanding R.S. 30:2286, a voluntary remedial action plan submitted by a responsible person shall require the remedy or removal of all discharges or disposals and threatened discharges or disposals at the identified area of immovable property. The identified area of immovable property must correspond to the boundaries of a parcel that is either separately platted or is the entire parcel.
C. Subject to the provisions of R.S. 30:2289, when the secretary issues a certificate of completion for remedial actions completed at an identified area of immovable property in accordance with this Section, the exemption from liability under this Part applies to:
(1) A person who acquires the identified immovable property after approval of the voluntary remedial action plan.
(2) A successor or assign of a person to whom the liability exemption applies under this Subsection.
D. Any person who provides financing for the implementation of a remedial action plan or for the development of the identified immovable property in accordance with the applicable use restrictions after completion and acceptance of said plan, shall not be liable for any damages, costs, or penalties under this Chapter unless such person is considered to be a responsible person under the provisions of Part I of this Chapter.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
The exemption from liability provided by this Part does not apply to:
(1) A person who aggravates or contributes to a discharge or disposal or threatened discharge or disposal that was not remedied under an approved voluntary remedial action plan.
(2) A person who was a responsible person under Part I of this Chapter for a discharge or disposal or threatened discharge or disposal identified in the approved voluntary remedial action plan before taking an action that would have made the person subject to the exemptions under R.S. 30:2288 or R.S. 30:2288.1.
(3) A person who obtains approval of a voluntary remedial action plan for purposes of this Part by fraud or misrepresentation, or by knowingly failing to disclose material information, or who knows that approval was so obtained before taking an action that would have made the person subject to the exemptions from liability under R.S. 30:2288 or R.S. 30:2288.1.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
A. The secretary may, upon request, assist a person in determining whether immovable property has been the site of a discharge or disposal or a threatened discharge or disposal of a hazardous substance or hazardous waste. The secretary may also assist in, or supervise, the development and implementation of reasonable and necessary remedial actions. Assistance may include review of department records and files, and review and approval of a requestor's investigation plans and reports and remedial action plans and implementation.
B. The person requesting assistance under this Section shall pay the department for the department's cost, as determined by the secretary, of providing assistance. Money received by the department for assistance under this Section shall be deposited into the site cleanup fund and used solely to implement the provisions of this Part.
C. A person who investigates a discharge or disposal or a threatened discharge or disposal in accordance with an investigation plan approved by the secretary under this Section, does not become a responsible person for the purposes of R.S. 30:2285.2(4) by reason of undertaking or completing such investigation.
D. The department is hereby authorized to charge and collect a participation fee not to exceed six hundred sixty dollars per application for approval of an investigation plan, and a fee not to exceed six hundred sixty dollars per application for approval of a remedial action plan. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations to provide for reimbursement to the state of the actual direct costs associated with oversight of activities conducted pursuant to this Part, such as review, supervision, investigation, and monitoring. The department may charge and collect only for reasonable and appropriate oversight of activities conducted pursuant to this Part. When the department holds a public hearing, the applicant shall be responsible for the actual costs of the public hearing, including but not limited to building rental, security, court reporter, and hearing officer.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 1296, §1, eff. July 12, 1999 ; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 134, §1, eff. July 1, 2002 and §2, eff. July 1, 2003.
A. Nothing in this Part affects the authority of the department or the secretary to exercise any powers or duties under this Chapter or other law with respect to any discharge or disposal or threatened discharge or disposal, or affects the right of the department, the secretary, or any other person to seek any relief available under this Chapter against any party who is not subject to the liability exemption provided under this Part.
B. The secretary is authorized to adopt rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this Part. However, the secretary shall not be authorized to adopt any rules or regulations that may subject any person to any additional violations under this Chapter.
Acts 1995, No. 1092, §1, eff. July 1, 1996.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Waste Reduction Law".
Acts 1987, No. 657, §2.
A. The legislature finds and declares that the handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous and solid waste is posing an ever increasing economic burden and environmental risk to the citizens of this state; that the past efforts taken by the state and federal government to control pollution from waste after such waste has been generated have often resulted in wastes being transferred from one medium to another; that generation of certain amounts of waste can accumulate to environmentally unacceptable levels when postpollution controlled discharges from many generators enter the environment; that waste management and treatment activities are and can be beneficial, but that all waste treatment and recycling facilities pose some environmental risk and thus require effective regulation, and that the most certain means of preventing environmental risk is through waste reduction; that waste reduction may be used as a tool to improve industrial efficiency, growth, and international competitiveness; and that establishing a comprehensive, omnimedia approach to reducing wastes going into the air, land, and water is essential.
B. To insure that proper emphasis is given to waste reduction as a policy of this state and as a primary goal of the Department of Environmental Quality, the legislature does hereby direct the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality to establish waste reduction as an issue of primacy for the department. The secretary shall assert and reflect the primacy of waste reduction in policies and determinations made pursuant to fulfilling his authority and duty under the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act.
Acts 1987, No. 657, §2.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Omnimedia" refers to all manners in which and all sources from which a pollutant escapes into the environment, and for the purposes of this Chapter shall encompass any emission, effluent, or discharge which escapes into the air, water, or land, whether permitted or not.
(2) "Waste" means all nonproduct outputs from all environmental media, even though they may be within permitted or licensed limits.
(3) "Waste management" means any of the various methods or means of reducing waste which are applied after the waste is generated or is outside of the location where waste is generated.
(4) "Waste reduction" means in-plant practices that reduce, avoid, or eliminate the generation of hazardous or solid waste so as to reduce the risks to human health and the environment.
(a) When recycling is environmentally acceptable and is an integral part of the waste generating industrial process or operation, such as a closed-loop application which returns potential waste as it is generated for reuse within the process, it shall be considered waste reduction. Recycling is not considered waste reduction if waste exits a process, exists as a separate identity, undergoes significant handling, or is transported from the waste generating location.
(b) Actions that reduce waste volume by concentrating the hazardous content of a waste or that reduce hazard level by diluting the hazardous content are not considered waste reduction.
(c) Actions that change the chemical composition and the concentrations of the components of the waste, but do not change the degree of hazard of the waste are not considered waste reduction.
Acts 1987, No. 657, §2.
The secretary shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To prepare and develop a general plan for the comprehensive, omnimedia, reduction of hazardous and nonhazardous waste generation in Louisiana.
(2) To develop disaggregated percent waste reduction data, derived from production-based waste generation data pursuant to R.S. 30:2295, that accurately measure and depict reduction of waste. The data herein developed shall be compiled and maintained within the department as a source library and bibliography.
(3) To redevelop the existing department fee schedule to encourage the reduction of waste generation in Louisiana.
(4) To provide technical assistance to generators of waste, to act as a clearinghouse for information concerning waste reduction, and to identify sources of outside assistance including other state programs, universities, and professional consultants.
(5) To consider, analyze, and determine the advisability and manner of granting regulatory and fee concessions that reward actual and significant waste reduction. Any concession granted pursuant to this Paragraph shall result in an overall net improvement in environmental protection.
(6) To adopt and promulgate rules and regulations consistent with applicable state and federal law and the general intent and purposes of this Chapter for the reduction of the amount of waste generation in Louisiana, or for any programs or activities authorized by this Chapter.
(7) To develop any necessary procedures and regulations conforming to applicable state and federal laws to amend existing permits, licenses, variances, or compliance schedules necessary for the proper administration and control of programs authorized under the provisions of this Chapter.
(8) To apply for and accept grants of money from the United States Environmental Protection Agency or other federal agencies for the purpose of obtaining funds for implementation, administration, and documentation of activities conducted under the authority of the Louisiana Waste Reduction Law, R.S. 30:2291 et seq.
(9) To make grants from the Alternative Technologies Research and Development Trust Fund to colleges and universities within Louisiana for generic research relative to waste reduction technologies, processes, or materials that can be transferred to and shared with other waste generators in the state.
Acts 1987, No. 657, §2.
A. Each year, every generator of waste in Louisiana subject to the laws under the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act or any rules or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto shall provide a report to the Department of Environmental Quality relative to the history and progress of such generator in waste reduction efforts.
B. Any report required herein shall use data sufficient in substance and form to convey an accurate analysis of any waste reduction heretofore accomplished or to be accomplished at some time in the future. The data shall be given on a production output basis as necessary to give the final waste reduction percentage based on waste generation and production data, not based solely on changes in the absolute amounts of waste generated.
C. Any data or information provided by generators for the purposes provided herein shall be subject to confidentiality as provided in R.S. 30:2030.
Acts 1987, No. 657, §2; Acts 1990, No. 588, §1.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Clean Water State Revolving Fund" or "CWSRF" means the water pollution control revolving loan fund previously established by Act No. 349 of the 1986 Regular Session of the Legislature, as amended, and formerly known as the "Municipal Facilities Revolving Loan Fund".
(2) "Department" means the Department of Environmental Quality.
(3) "Eligible recipient" means a political subdivision, public trust, agency or commission of the state, or a private entity, to the extent permitted by the federal act or federal regulations.
(4) "Federal act" means the Clean Water Act of 1972, as amended by the Water Quality Act of 1987, specifically Subchapter VI, Chapter 26 of Title 33 of the United States Code, and any amendments thereto relating to water pollution control revolving loan funds established by the respective states, including the CWSRF.
(5) "Federal regulations" means Part 35, Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR 35.3100, et seq.) relating to water pollution control revolving loan funds established by the respective states, including the CWSRF.
Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010.
A. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund is hereby established and shall be maintained and operated by the department. Grants from the federal government allotted to the state for the capitalization of the CWSRF, and state funds when required, or otherwise made available, shall be deposited directly in or credited to the account of the CWSRF in compliance with the terms of the federal or state grant. The CWSRF shall provide assistance to eligible recipients for any activities of the CWSRF as may be permitted by the federal act or federal regulations and by this Chapter.
B. The department is authorized to enter into contracts and other agreements in connection with the operation of the CWSRF including but not limited to credit enhancement devices, guarantees, pledges, interest rate swap agreements, contracts and agreements with federal agencies, political subdivisions, public trusts, agencies or commissions of the state, and other parties to the extent necessary or convenient for the implementation of the CWSRF. The department shall maintain full authority for the operation of the CWSRF in accordance with applicable federal and state law.
Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010.
A. Money in or credited to the account of or to be received by the CWSRF, including sums to be received pursuant to letters of credit or from any other source, shall be expended, committed, or pledged, in a manner consistent with terms and conditions of the grants and other sources of such deposits, credits, and letters of credit, and of all applicable federal and state law and may be used:
(1) To make loans to eligible recipients, or to purchase debt obligations using federal funds or funds on deposit in, credited to, or to be received by the CWSRF, including from the proceeds of letters of credit, at or below market interest rates for a period not to exceed thirty years from the completion of the construction of a project approved by the department.
(2) To offer and to make or enter into loan guarantees for eligible recipients.
(3) To provide payments to reduce interest on loans and loan guarantees to eligible recipients.
(4) To provide additional subsidization to eligible recipients in the form of bond interest subsidies, forgiveness of principal, negative interest loans or grants, or any combination of these.
(5) To provide bond guarantees to eligible recipients.
(6) To provide assistance to eligible recipients with respect to the nonfederal share of the costs of a project.
(7) To finance the cost of facility planning and the preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates for construction of projects for eligible recipients as may be approved by the department.
(8) To provide financial assistance to eligible recipients for the construction and rehabilitation of a project on the state priority list.
(9) To secure principal, interest, and premium if any, on bonds or other evidence of indebtedness issued by the department, or any agency, commission, authority, or public corporation of the state, by any public trust or by any other entity having the authority to issue debt for or on behalf of the state, or any political subdivision of the state if the proceeds of such bonds are deposited in the CWSRF, if the proceeds of such bonds are used to pay for a project approved by the department, or if the proceeds of such bonds are used to refund any obligation the proceeds of which are used to pay for an approved project to the extent provided and allowed by the terms of the federal grant.
(10) To make, enter into, or provide for loan guarantees for similar revolving funds established by instrumentalities, public trusts or agencies of the state, political subdivisions, or intermunicipal or interstate agencies.
(11) To purchase or refinance, at or below market rates, debt incurred by political subdivisions for wastewater treatment projects, where such debt obligations were incurred after March 7, 1985.
(12) To improve credit market access by guaranteeing, arranging, or purchasing bond insurance or other credit enhancement devices for debt obligations issued by the department, or any eligible recipient issued for a purpose authorized by this Section.
(13) To provide any other assistance or to fund any other programs which the federal government authorizes by law, regulation, or the terms of any grants.
(14) To fund the administrative expenses of the department related to the CWSRF.
(15) To provide for any other expenditure consistent with the federal grant program and state law, including grants.
B. Money not currently needed for the operation of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund or otherwise dedicated may be invested in an interest-bearing account. All such interest earned on investments shall be credited to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010.
A. Notwithstanding any provisions of law to the contrary, and in addition to the authority to borrow money or incur debt under any other provisions of law, any political subdivision or public trust is hereby authorized to borrow money from and incur debt payable to the CWSRF in accordance with the provisions hereof and subject to the approval of the State Bond Commission. This Section shall not be deemed to be the exclusive authority under which political subdivisions or public trusts may borrow money from or incur indebtedness to the CWSRF.
B. All bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of any political subdivisions and public trusts issued to represent an obligation to repay a CWSRF loan shall be authorized and issued pursuant to a resolution or ordinance of the governing authority of such entity, which shall prescribe the form and details thereof, including the terms, security for, manner of execution, repayment schedule, and redemption features thereof and such resolution or ordinance may provide that an officer of such entity may execute in connection with such obligation any related contract including but not limited to a credit enhancement device, indenture of trust, loan agreement, pledge agreement, or other agreement or contract needed to accomplish the purposes for which said indebtedness is given. Any such resolution or ordinance shall set forth the maximum principal amount, the maximum interest rate, the maximum redemption premium, if any, and the maximum term of such indebtedness.
C. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any political subdivision, or public trust upon entering into a loan from the CWSRF under this Section may dedicate and pledge a portion of any revenues it has available to it including but not limited to revenues from the general revenue fund, sales taxes, user fees, assessments, parcel fees, or property taxes of the political subdivision for a term not exceeding thirty years for repayment of the principal of, interest on, and any premium, administrative fee, or other fee or cost imposed by the department in connection with such loan; provided that any loan made solely for the purpose of financing the cost of facility planning and the preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates for construction of projects approved by the department shall have a term not to exceed five years from the date thereof.
D. Any evidence of indebtedness authorized pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter shall bear a rate or rates of interest that shall not exceed the rate or rates set forth in the resolution or ordinance authorizing and providing for the issuance thereof. Any such rate or rates of interest may be at fixed, variable, or adjustable rates.
E. Bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of a political subdivision shall be sold at a private, negotiated sale to the CWSRF at such price or prices, including premiums and discounts as shall be authorized in the resolution or ordinance of the borrower and agreed to by the department. The general laws of the state governing fully registered securities of public entities shall be applicable to the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness issued pursuant to this Section.
F. All resolutions or ordinances authorizing the issuance of bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of a political subdivision hereunder shall be published once in the official journal of the borrower. It shall not be necessary to publish exhibits to such resolution or ordinance, but such exhibits shall be made available for public inspection at the offices of the governing authority of the borrower at reasonable times and such fact must be stated in the publication. For a period of thirty days after the date of such publication, any persons in interest may contest the legality of the resolution or ordinance authorizing such evidence of indebtedness and any provisions thereof made for the security and payment thereof. After such thirty-day period no one shall have any cause or right of action to contest the regularity, formality, legality, or effectiveness of said resolution or ordinance and the provisions thereof or of the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness authorized thereby for any cause whatsoever. If no suit, action, or proceeding is begun contesting the validity of the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness authorized pursuant to such resolution or ordinance within the thirty days prescribed in this Subsection, the authority to issue the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness, or to provide for the payment thereof, and the legality thereof, and all of the provisions of the resolution or ordinance and such evidence of indebtedness shall be conclusively presumed, and no court shall have authority or jurisdiction to inquire into any such matter.
G. Bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of a political subdivision issued under the authority of this Section shall be exempt from all taxation for state, parish, municipal, or other purposes. Such bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness shall be legal and authorized investments for banks, savings banks, insurance companies, any other financial institution, tutors of minors, curators of interdicts, trustees, and other fiduciaries. Such bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness may be used for deposit with any officer, board, or political subdivision of the state, in any case where, by present or future laws, deposit of security is required for state funds.
H. The department may by suit, action, mandamus, or other proceedings, protect and enforce any covenant relating to and the security provided in connection with any indebtedness issued pursuant to this Section, and may by suit, action, mandamus, or other proceedings enforce and compel performance of all of the duties required to be performed by the governing body and officials of any borrower hereunder and in any proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds or other evidences of indebtedness.
Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010.
A. The department is hereby authorized to issue, incur, and deliver debt evidenced by bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, payable from or secured by sums deposited in, credited to, or to be received in, including sums received pursuant to letters of credit, by the department in the CWSRF.
B. The department is further authorized to undertake and to issue and deliver evidences of its guarantee of the debt of other entities and is authorized to enter and execute pledges of the sums deposited in, credited to, or to be received in the CWSRF, including payments pursuant to letters of credit, to secure the debt of other entities. Such bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, such guarantees, and such pledges issued and delivered pursuant to the authority hereof shall constitute special and limited obligations of the department, and shall not be secured by the full faith and credit of the state, any source of revenue of the state other than those sums on deposit in, credited to, or to be received in the CWSRF, including payments to be made pursuant to letters of credit. It is hereby found and determined that such bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, guarantees, and pledges shall constitute revenue bonds, debts, or obligations within the meaning of Article VII, Section 6(C) of the Constitution of Louisiana and shall not constitute the incurring of state debt thereunder.
C. Withdrawals from the CWSRF to pay debt service on any bond, note, or other evidence of indebtedness, obligation of guarantee of any debt, or pledge to secure any debt does not constitute and shall not be subject to annual appropriation by the legislature as provided by Article III, Section 16 of the Constitution of Louisiana.
D. The department is hereby authorized to issue, execute, and deliver refunding bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness for the purpose of refunding, readjusting, restructuring, refinancing, extending, or unifying in whole or any part of its outstanding obligations, and the department is also authorized to issue short-term revenue notes for the purposes of anticipating any revenues to be received by the department in connection with the CWSRF.
Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010.
A. All bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, guarantees of the debt of other entities or pledges of assets to the payment of debts of other entities shall be authorized and issued pursuant to an executive order issued by the secretary of the department, and such executive order shall include a statement as to the maximum principal amount of any such obligation, guarantee, or pledge, the maximum interest rate to be incurred or borne by such obligation or guaranteed by such obligation, the maximum redemption premium, if any, and the maximum term in years for such evidence of indebtedness, obligation, guarantee, or pledge, and such executive order shall prescribe the form, anticipated terms, security, manner of execution, redemption features, and method of fixing the final details thereof. Such executive order may provide that the secretary or his designee shall execute in connection with any such obligation any other related contract including but not limited to credit enhancement devices, indentures of trust, pledge agreements, loan agreements, or any other ancillary agreements or contracts needed to accomplish the purposes for which said evidence of indebtedness, guarantee, or pledge is given in substantially the form attached to said executive order but which final indenture, guarantee, pledge, or other contract or agreement may contain such changes, additions, and deletions as shall, in the sole opinion of the designated officer of the department executing any such contract, be determined to be appropriate under the circumstances. The bonds, notes, other evidences of indebtedness, and obligations issued under the provisions of this Section shall be subject to the general laws of the state regarding defeasance and fully registered securities of public entities.
B. Bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness of the department may bear, and the department may guarantee or pledge the assets of the CWSRF to the payment of debt of other entities that bear, a rate or rates of interest at fixed, variable, or adjustable rates. Any such obligation may be noninterest bearing in the form of capital appreciation obligations.
C. Bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness of the department shall be sold by the State Bond Commission at either public or private sale and may be sold at such price or prices, including premiums and discounts, as may be determined to be in the best interest of the department by the secretary, with the approval of the State Bond Commission. If any such evidences of indebtedness are to be sold at a public sale, a notice of the sale shall be published in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 39:1426 and shall be awarded to the best bidder therefor by the State Bond Commission, but the State Bond Commission may reject any and all bids received.
D. The department may, in connection with the sale of any bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, use municipal bond insurance, bank guarantees, surety bonds, letters of credit, interest rate swap agreements, and other devices to enhance the credit quality of any such obligations, the cost of which may be paid from the proceeds of the bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness or other lawfully available funds. Such credit enhancement devices may be entered into prior to, at the time of, or subsequent to, the issuance of any such obligations.
E. All executive orders of the secretary authorizing the issuance of bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness of the department shall be published once in the official journal of the state. It shall not be necessary to publish exhibits to any such executive order, but such exhibits shall be made available for public inspection at the offices of the secretary of the department at reasonable times and such fact must be stated in the publication. For a period of thirty days after the date of such publication any persons in interest may contest the legality of the executive order and any provisions thereof made for the security and payment of any such bonds, notes, or other obligations, guarantees, or pledges. After such thirty-day period, no one shall have any cause or right of action to contest the regularity, formality, legality, or effectiveness of said executive order and the provisions thereof or of the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness authorized thereby or any guarantee or pledge authorized thereby for any cause whatsoever. If no suit, action, or proceeding is begun contesting the validity of the bonds, notes, or other obligations authorized pursuant to such executive order within the thirty days herein prescribed, the authority to issue the bonds, notes, or other obligations, to enter into the guarantee, or to make the pledge to provide for the payment thereof, and the legality thereof, and of all the provisions of the executive order shall be conclusively presumed, and no court shall have authority or jurisdiction to inquire into any such matter.
F. Bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness issued under the authority of this Section or Chapter 32 of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, shall be exempt from all taxation for state, parish, municipal, or other purposes. Such bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness may be used for deposit with any officer, board, or other political subdivision of the state, in any case where, by present or future laws, deposit of security is required for state funds.
G. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Chapter, the department shall not directly issue any bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness except to any commission, authority, or public corporation of the state, any public trust, political subdivision of the state, or any other entity having the authority to issue debt for or on behalf of the state, or any other political subdivision of the state.
Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 524, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1116, §2.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana School Asbestos Abatement Act".
Acts 1985, No. 394, §1, eff. July 10, 1985.
A. The legislature finds and declares that:
(1) Asbestos-containing materials were used in elementary and secondary schools within the state for fireproofing, soundproofing, thermal insulation, decorative, and other purposes.
(2) Asbestos and asbestiform materials are potentially hazardous to the public health.
(3) Asbestos-containing materials in a friable condition can cause building airborne exposures to far exceed background ambient levels and then pose a potential health hazard.
(4) In view of the fact that the state of Louisiana has compulsory attendance laws for children of school age and these children must be educated in a safe and healthy environment, the presence and condition of friable asbestos-containing materials is of concern to the legislature.
B. Therefore, the legislature enacts this Chapter to provide for the identification and abatement of those friable-containing materials in schools that may pose an unreasonable risk to students and school personnel.
Acts 1985, No. 394, §1, eff. July 10, 1985.
As used in this Chapter:
(1) "Abatement" means maintenance and repair, encapsulation, enclosure, or removal of friable asbestos-containing materials in school buildings.
(2) "Asbestos" means the asbestiform varieties of: chyrsotile (serpentine); crocidolite (riebeckite); amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite); anthophyllite; tremolite; and actinolite.
(3) "Asbestos-containing material" means any material which contains more than one percent asbestos by weight.
(4) "Department" means the Department of Environmental Quality.
(5) "Encapsulation" means coating, binding, or resurfacing asbestos-containing materials with a sealant to prevent the release of asbestos fibers.
(6) "Friable material" means any material applied onto ceilings, walls, structural members, piping, ductwork, or any other part of a building structure which, when dry, may be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure.
(7) "Enclosure" means the erection of airtight and impact-resistant barriers to prevent the release of asbestos fibers into the air circulating in a building.
(8) "Removal" means the removal or stripping of friable asbestos-containing materials in a building.
(9) "Repair" means patching or other work on asbestos-containing materials to eliminate damaged conditions that make fiber release more likely.
(10) "School" means any public or private day or residential school that provides elementary, secondary, college, or post graduate education as determined under state law, or any school of any agency of the United States.
(11) "School building" means:
(a) Structures used for instruction, including classrooms, laboratories, libraries, research facilities, and administrative facilities.
(b) School eating facilities and kitchens.
(c) Gymnasiums or other facilities used for athletic or recreational activities, or for courses in physical education.
(d) Dormitories or other living areas or residential schools.
(e) Maintenance, storage, or utility facilities essential to the operation of the facilities described in this Paragraph.
Acts 1985, No. 394, §1, eff. July 10, 1985.
A. The secretary shall promulgate all rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this Chapter no later than December 31, 1985. The secretary shall seek the input of local educational agencies in the development of the rules and regulations.
B. The department shall promulgate specific rules and regulations governing:
(1) Procedures and requirements for certification of contractors involved in asbestos abatement activities.
(2) Objective standards to determine levels of airborne asbestos fiber concentration in school buildings above which requirements for priority abatement will be triggered.
(3) Air monitoring requirements for asbestos concentrations due to friable asbestos-containing materials in schools.
(4) Any other activities authorized by this Chapter.
(5) With respect to local education agencies, any rules or regulations by the department regarding the training of maintenance and custodial staff who may work in a building that contains asbestos-containing building material shall not exceed or be more stringent than regulations promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
C. In acting on rules and regulations, the department shall take into consideration the following:
(1) The department shall set exposure levels taking into account technologically and economically feasible monitoring methods and control procedures.
(2) The department shall base rules and regulations upon the best and most current scientific and medical data.
(3) Without endangering the public health, the department shall give due consideration to uniform rules and definitions of other states and of the United States.
D. Abatement activities shall be commenced as soon as rules and regulations concerning abatement are promulgated by the Department of Environmental Quality, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
E. The building owner shall select the method of abatement to be used from those set forth in R.S. 30:2343(1) or as provided in the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Chapter. Any method selected must be used in the manner that such rules and regulations require.
F. No school, which has commenced abatement work at a particular site prior to the effective date of regulations or standards adopted or imposed pursuant to this Chapter, shall be required to conduct a different type of abatement at the same site unless levels of airborne asbestos fibers exceed an abatement action level established by the regulations adopted pursuant to this Chapter which are applicable to all school buildings.
Acts 1985, No. 394, §1, eff. July 10, 1985; Acts 1986, No. 1069, §1; Acts 1992, No. 608, §1; Acts 2010, No. 295, §1.
Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 295, §2.
No person shall violate any rule or regulation adopted under this Chapter.
Acts 1989, No. 750, §1.
A. The legislature finds that lead poisoning is a significant health hazard to the citizens of the state. Lead poisoning particularly is a hazard to children, who typically are exposed to lead through environmental sources such as lead-based paint in housing and lead-contaminated dust and soil. It is the policy of the state to protect the health and welfare of its citizens through reduction of lead in the environment.
B. The legislature further finds that improper abatement of lead hazards within the state constitutes a serious threat to the public health and safety and to the environment.
C. The legislature further finds that the handling of lead-containing substances by inadequately trained employers, employees, and other persons subjects the citizens of the state to the risk of further release of lead into the environment.
D. The legislature therefore finds that the public health and safety, as well as the environmental concerns of the state, best will be protected when all employers and employees who handle lead-containing substances are thoroughly trained and knowledgeable with regard to safe methods of handling and disposing of such materials.
E. The legislature further finds that it is the policy of this state to encourage public awareness of the hazards associated with lead in the environment and to increase public awareness of state and federal regulations designed to correct hazardous conditions caused by lead.
F. The legislature further finds that the health and safety of the citizens of this state are promoted by encouraging citizens and employees engaged in lead-abatement activities to notify appropriate state authorities of any violations of laws, regulations, guidelines, or generally accepted procedures relating to safe handling of lead-containing substances.
G. The legislature therefore finds that it is the policy of this state to facilitate the confidential reporting to the government of hazards involving improper handling of lead-containing substances, and further to protect from reprisals those employees who report such hazards to state officials.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
As used in this Chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) "Abatement" means any set of measures as determined by the secretary designed to permanently eliminate lead hazards including:
(a) The removal of lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust, the permanent containment or encapsulation of lead-based paint, the replacement of lead-painted surfaces or fixtures, and the removal or covering of lead-contaminated soil.
(b) All preparation, cleanup, disposal, and post-abatement clearance testing activities associated with such measures.
(2) "Account" means the Lead Hazard Reduction Dedicated Fund Account created pursuant to this Chapter.
(3) "Accredited training provider" means a person certified by the secretary pursuant to this Chapter to provide training in lead hazard reduction activities.
(4) "Business entity" means a partnership, firm, association, corporation, sole proprietorship, or other business concern.
(5) "Certificate" means:
(a) With regard to a person engaged in a lead hazard reduction activity, a document issued by the secretary, or under the authority of the secretary, affirming that the person successfully has completed the training and other requirements for lead hazard reduction activities.
(b) With regard to a training provider, a document issued by the secretary affirming that the training provider meets the standards for accreditation under this Chapter.
(6) "Certified" means, with regard to a person engaged in a lead hazard reduction activity, that the person successfully has completed the training and other requirements for engaging in lead hazard reduction activities established by the secretary.
(7) "Child-occupied facility" means a building or portion of a building or common area, other than the child's principal residence, constructed prior to 1978, and meeting one of the following:
(a) Is visited regularly by the same child, who is six years of age or younger, on at least two different days within any week, provided that each day's visit lasts at least three hours, that the combined weekly visits last at least six hours, and that the combined annual visits last at least sixty hours. Examples of child-occupied facilities include but are not limited to public and non-public elementary schools, day care centers, parks, playgrounds and community centers.
(b) Has been determined by the department, in conjunction with the state health officer, to be a significant risk because of its contribution to lead poisoning or lead exposure to children who are six years of age or younger.
(c) Is a child-occupied unit and common area in a multi-use building.
(8) "Department" means the Department of Environmental Quality.
(9) "Discriminatory action" means an action taken by an employer that adversely affects an employee with respect to any terms or conditions of employment or opportunity for promotion. The term includes but is not limited to dismissal, layoff, suspension, demotion, transfer of job or location, reduction in wages, change in hours of work, or reprimand.
(10) "Employee" means a person currently employed, laid off, terminated with reemployment rights, or on leave of absence who is permitted, required, or directed to engage in any employment by an employer in consideration of direct or indirect gain or profit.
(11) "Inspection" means:
(a) A surface-by-surface investigation to determine the presence of lead hazards.
(b) The provision of a report explaining the results of the investigation.
(12) "Inspector" means a person certified pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter who conducts inspections.
(13) "Lead-contaminated waste" means any discarded material resulting from an abatement activity that fails the toxicity characteristic determined by the secretary due to the presence of lead or any material that is a mixture of discarded material resulting from an abatement activity and some other material.
(14) "Lead contractor" means any person employing workers engaged in lead hazard reduction activities and a self-employed individual who engages in lead hazard reduction activities.
(15) "Lead hazard" means any condition that causes exposure to lead from lead-contaminated dust, lead-contaminated soil, or lead-contaminated paint that is deteriorated or present in accessible surfaces, friction surfaces, or impact surfaces that would result in adverse human health effects as established by the secretary; and shall include lead-based paint as defined by the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992.
(16) "Lead hazard reduction activities" means the assessment of lead hazards, and the planning, implementation, and inspection of abatement activities, as determined by the secretary; and shall include lead-based paint activities as defined by the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992.
(17) "Lead hazard reduction planner" means a person certified pursuant to this Chapter who plans abatement activities.
(18) "Lead project supervisor" means a person employed by a lead contractor to supervise workers engaged in abatement activities.
(19) "License" means an authorization issued by the State Licensing Board for Contractors that allows a person to engage in certain lead hazard reduction activities.
(20) "Person" means any individual, business entity, governmental body, or other public or private entity including, to the extent not preempted by state or federal law or regulation, the federal government and its agencies.
(21) "Public entity" means the state, any of its political subdivisions, or any agency or instrumentality of either.
(22) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality.
(23) "Worker" means a person who conducts lead hazard reduction activities pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §§1, 2; Acts 2012, No. 733, §1; Acts 2012, No. 736, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
No person may perform any lead hazard reduction activities in the state, unless licensed pursuant to R.S. 30:2351.4 or certified pursuant to R.S. 30:2351.6.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
A. The secretary shall develop criteria and procedures for licensing or certifying persons engaged in any lead hazard reduction activities covered by this Chapter.
B. Categories of certification shall include:
(1) Lead hazard reduction planner.
(2) Inspector.
(3) Lead project supervisor.
(4) Worker.
C. The secretary may determine additional categories or subcategories of certification as deemed appropriate.
D. Lead contractors shall be licensed pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 30:2351.4.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1.
A. Licenses shall be issued by the State Licensing Board for Contractors to applicants meeting standards established by the department and by the board. The criteria established for licensure shall include at a minimum the requirements established by this Section.
B. To qualify for a license as a lead contractor, an applicant shall certify to the secretary that:
(1) Each employee or agent within its employ who will handle lead-contaminated waste or will be responsible for a lead hazard reduction activity:
(a) Is familiar with all applicable state and federal standards for lead hazard reduction activities.
(b) Has successfully completed a course of instruction for his particular category, which has been certified pursuant to R.S. 30:2351.9, and is capable of complying with all applicable standards of the state, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and other federal agencies that regulate lead hazard reduction activities.
(c) Is certified pursuant to this Chapter.
(2) It has access to at least one disposal site approved by the department that is sufficient for the deposit of all lead-contaminated waste that it will generate during the term of the license.
(3) It possesses a work plan that prevents the contamination or recontamination of the environment and protects the public health from the hazards of exposure to lead.
(4) It possesses evidence of certification under R.S. 30:2351.6 of all workers who will engage in abatement activities, and all lead project supervisors.
(5) It possesses a worker protection and medical surveillance program consistent with this Chapter, and with requirements established by the division of administration if the contractor is a public entity, or a worker protection program consistent with the requirements of the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration if the contractor is a business entity.
C-E. Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 1085, §2.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §§1, 2.
A. Each license issued pursuant to R.S. 30:2351.4 shall expire December thirty-first of the year in which it is issued in accordance with R.S. 37:2156. Licensees may apply to the State Licensing Board for Contractors for the renewal of a license. No renewal may be granted if the application is received more than two years following expiration of the previously issued license.
B. To qualify for renewal of a license, the applicant shall submit to the secretary:
(1) The appropriate fee as prescribed in R.S. 30:2351.59.
(2) Evidence of completion of any continuing education or training that may be required by rules promulgated by the secretary.
(3) A signed statement disclosing any violations of standards governing lead hazard reduction activities for which the applicant may have been cited by a state or federal regulatory agency. If no citations were received during the previous year, that fact shall be stated. The disclosure shall include evidence that all penalties and fees assessed to the applicant are paid in full.
(4) Any other documentation deemed necessary by the secretary.
C. To qualify for renewal of a license, the applicant shall submit to the State Licensing Board for Contractors those fees or documentation required by the board.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1.
A. Workers and lead project supervisors shall be certified. To qualify for certification, an applicant shall have completed a training course for the respective classification, conducted by an accredited training provider, that has been approved by the secretary as appropriate. In addition to completing an approved training course, lead project supervisors shall have participated or observed at least one abatement project as a requirement for initial certification.
B. Workers and lead project supervisors who successfully complete an approved training course shall be certified, with a certificate issued either by the secretary, or the accredited training provider, as authorized by the secretary.
C. Certified workers and lead project supervisors who successfully complete annual refresher training pursuant to R.S. 30:2351.7 shall be recertified, with a certificate issued either by the secretary, or the accredited training provider, as authorized by the secretary.
D. All persons engaged in the design and planning of abatement projects shall be certified as lead hazard reduction planners. To qualify for certification, an applicant must show to the department satisfactory evidence of the following:
(1) The applicant successfully has completed a training course approved by the secretary as appropriate for a person responsible for planning abatement activities.
(2) The applicant has passed an examination administered by the secretary for this category.
(3) The applicant has participated in or observed at least one abatement activity in addition to the training required in this Section.
(4) The applicant has met any additional requirements deemed necessary by the secretary.
E. All persons engaged in inspection activities shall be certified as inspectors. To qualify for certification, an applicant shall show to the secretary satisfactory evidence of the following:
(1) The applicant has satisfactorily completed a training course approved by the secretary as appropriate for an inspector.
(2) The applicant has passed an examination administered by the secretary for this category.
(3) The applicant has participated in or observed at least one abatement activity in addition to the training required in this Section.
(4) The applicant has met any additional requirements deemed necessary by the secretary.
F. The secretary shall determine appropriate standards for certification for additional categories or subcategories of certification established pursuant to R.S. 30:2351.3 and shall issue certificates to persons meeting those standards.
G. To qualify for certification and for the renewal of certification, applicants shall submit the appropriate fee as prescribed in R.S. 30:2351.59.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1.
A. In order to qualify for annual renewal of a license or certificate, an applicant shall successfully complete a refresher training course approved by the secretary for the particular category of license or certificate, and provided by an accredited training provider.
B. Refresher courses approved by the secretary shall be of a length determined by the secretary which is no less stringent than any minimum standards established under federal law or regulation and shall include instruction in current federal and state regulatory developments, as well as state-of-the-art procedures for conducting lead hazard reduction activities.
C. The date for completing the required refresher training shall be the anniversary of the completion of the initial training for the license or certification category.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1.
A. The secretary shall establish standards for accreditation of training providers under this Chapter, including provisions for training program quality control. The secretary shall issue a certificate of accreditation to training providers that meet the secretary's accreditation standard and pay the accreditation fee provided in R.S. 30:2351.59. The certificate of accreditation shall identify specifically the categories for which the training provider is accredited.
B. Training providers shall be accredited for all categories for which they qualify.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
A. The secretary shall develop rules establishing criteria and procedures for the approval of training course curricula, and examinations that shall ensure the qualifications of applicants for licensure or certification as required in this Chapter.
B. To facilitate overall development of work force skills and career paths in the lead hazard reduction industry, and to promote efficiency in training, the training criteria developed by the secretary shall utilize, to the maximum extent possible, a "tiered" approach under which training criteria for higher-skilled licensure or certification categories, such as lead project supervisors, and expand upon the criteria established for lower-skilled categories, such as workers.
C. To qualify for approval, a training course shall contain a combination of class instruction, practical application, and public health procedures of a length and content that, to the satisfaction of the secretary, shall ensure adequate training for the level and type of responsibility for each named certification category.
D. All courses certified under this Section shall be conducted by instructors whose training and experience is determined by the secretary to be appropriate for the subject matter being taught and the level of licensure category for which the course is designed.
E. An approved initial course for any category of person engaged in lead hazard reduction activities shall include all of the following, but not be limited to:
(1) Worker health and safety instruction no less stringent than that required under applicable federal regulations.
(2) Instruction in the importance of safe work practices in promoting public health, and the importance of proper decontamination procedures in eliminating the risk of contaminating the workers' home environment.
(3) Instruction in the workers' rights and obligations under federal and state law.
F. In addition to developing criteria for classroom instruction pursuant to this Section, the secretary shall develop minimum criteria for hands-on training or on-site instruction.
G. Minimum criteria for the length of initial classroom, hands-on or on-site instruction, which is no less stringent than any minimum standards established under federal law or regulation, shall be determined by the secretary.
H. The criteria for approval of training courses shall include minimum trainee competency and proficiency requirements, evidenced through both written examinations and minimum skills demonstration examinations.
I. Upon successful completion of an approved initial training course or approved refresher training course, the trainee shall be issued a certificate by the secretary, or the accredited training provider under the authority of the secretary.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1.
A. Each certificate of accreditation issued to a training provider under this Part shall expire one year after the date of issue. Certificate holders may apply to the secretary for the renewal of a certificate. No renewal may be granted if the application is received more than two years following expiration of the previously issued certificate.
B. To qualify for renewal of a certificate, the applicant shall submit all of the following:
(1) The appropriate fee as prescribed in R.S. 30:2351.59.
(2) A signed statement disclosing any violations of standards governing training programs for lead hazard reduction activities for which the applicant may have been cited by a state or federal regulatory agency. If no citations were received during the previous year, that fact shall be stated. The disclosure shall include evidence that all penalties and fees assessed to the applicant are paid in full.
(3) Any other documentation deemed necessary by the secretary.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
The secretary shall develop reciprocity agreements with other states when those states have established licensing and certification requirements that are at least as stringent as those set forth in this Chapter.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
A. The provisions of this Chapter shall apply to public entities when performing lead hazard reduction activities with employees. A public entity will not be required to be licensed as a lead contractor. However, employees participating in lead abatement activities shall be certified in the appropriate categories. A public entity shall not be required to pay permit fees as established in R.S. 30:2351.23. Employees shall comply with all other requirements of R.S. 30:2351.21 through 2351.23. Public entities shall not be exempt from fees charged for the disposal of lead-contaminated debris.
B. The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to individual homeowners who perform lead hazard reduction activities in or on a residential property owned and occupied by the homeowner at the time the activity is performed.
C. The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to lead hazard reduction activities or to persons performing such activities when such activities are performed wholly within an industrial facility and are performed by persons who are subject to the training requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Hazard Communication Standard. The secretary may establish, by regulation, exemptions from or alternatives to the lead certification and licensure requirements of this Chapter.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1.
The secretary shall promulgate rules that establish standards of acceptable professional conduct for licensees and certificate holders engaged in lead hazard reduction activities, as well as specific acts and omissions that constitute grounds for the reprimand of any licensee or certificate holder, the suspension or revocation of a license or certificate, or the denial of the renewal of a license or certificate.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
All modifications to facilities or structures and to their component systems that may occur in conjunction with an abatement activity shall be designed in accordance with applicable state and municipal building codes.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
A. A lead contractor may commence an abatement activity only after obtaining a permit for the project from the secretary.
B. Contractors with ongoing abatement activities involving continuous or intermittent actions at a single site may apply for an annual permit rather than for a project permit each time an abatement activity commences.
C. The secretary shall establish, by regulation, the requirements for obtaining a permit. The requirements shall include all of the following, but not be limited to:
(1) Use of certified workers.
(2) Use of certified lead project supervisors.
(3) Use of appropriate equipment and materials.
D. Permit applications shall include but not be limited to all of the following information:
(1) Name and address of the contractor responsible for the abatement activity.
(2) Name and address of the lead-contaminated waste transporter.
(3) Name and address of the lead-contaminated waste disposal facility.
(4) Name and address of the property owner.
(5) Location of the abatement activity.
(6) Description of the abatement activity, including the amount and location of lead-contaminated waste materials.
(7) Description of the procedures and equipment that will be used to perform the abatement activity.
(8) Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 1085, §2.
(9) Scheduled starting and completion dates.
E. The secretary may issue a permit after determining that the applicant has met the requirements established by the secretary. In addition, the secretary may impose upon a permit any additional terms and conditions deemed necessary to ensure compliance with the provisions of this Chapter or regulations promulgated under it.
F. After a permit has been issued, the applicant shall notify the secretary, in advance, of any material changes in the abatement activity not accounted for in the permit application and shall submit an amended permit application before project completion.
G. The secretary, upon finding that a person has failed to comply with the provisions of this Chapter or regulations promulgated under it, shall deny, suspend, or revoke a permit until the applicant is found to be in compliance with this Chapter.
H. The secretary shall establish a schedule of fees for obtaining permits pursuant to this Part. Fees collected pursuant to this Chapter shall be deposited into the Lead Hazard Reduction Dedicated Fund Account provided for in R.S. 30:2351.41.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §§1, 2; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
A. No person shall cause, suffer, permit, or allow a lead hazard reduction activity to be performed in violation of a provision of this Chapter or regulations promulgated under it. In addition, no person shall cause, suffer, permit, or allow the performance of any acts or operations in violation of any orders issued by the secretary pursuant to this Chapter and regulations promulgated under it.
B. The secretary shall have the power to issue an order requiring compliance with this Chapter or regulations promulgated under it. An order shall be served personally or by certified mail at the last known address of the persons violating the provisions of this Chapter or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto. In cases of a violation of lead hazard reduction activity standards, a copy of the order shall also be served personally or by certified mail at the last known address upon the registered property owner and shall be posted on the premises.
C. Where the secretary determines that a hazardous condition exists due to the failure to comply with the provisions of this Chapter and regulations promulgated under it, the secretary, in addition to invoking other sanctions available, may invoke any of the following remedies:
(1) Issue an order to immediately correct the hazardous condition and to cease any other abatement activities until the condition is corrected.
(2) Remove any workers, except those needed to abate the hazard, from the project work area until the condition is corrected in order to prevent further project activity.
(3) Evacuate appropriate portions of the site and vicinity until the condition is corrected.
(4) Certify the existence of a nuisance per se, and abate and remove the violation or contract for its cleanup and removal, charge the cost of the cleanup and removal to the person responsible for the hazardous condition, and collect the cost by lien or any other means as may be authorized by law.
(5) Apply to an appropriate court for relief by injunction or restraining order against any person responsible for the hazardous condition.
D. In addition to the sanctions or remedial orders provided in this Section, a person who either fails to comply with the requirements of this Chapter and regulations promulgated under it, or fails to obey an order issued by the secretary, may be subject to any of the following penalties:
(1) Suspension or revocation, or both, of permits issued under the provisions of this Chapter.
(2) Imposition of a civil administrative penalty of not more than one thousand dollars for the first offense, not more than five thousand dollars for the second offense, and not more than ten thousand dollars for the third and each subsequent offense.
(3) Imprisonment for a period of up to ninety days.
(4) Suspension or revocation of licenses issued under the provisions of this Chapter.
(5) Issuance of an order to cease any lead-contaminated waste project activity immediately.
(6) Initiation of legal action or proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction.
E. Each day a violation continues to exist shall constitute an additional, separate, and distinct violation for which a separate penalty shall be imposed.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
A. Any person aggrieved by an order, decision, or other sanction imposed by the secretary may file an appeal with the secretary within five days after receipt of notice of the order, decision, or sanction. A hearing shall be held promptly on each appeal filed.
B. While an appeal is pending, compliance with a decision, order, or sanction shall not be required unless the secretary has determined and certified in writing that the violation was intentional or that there exists a hazardous condition that requires immediate compliance with the secretary's order so as to eliminate a public health hazard.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
A. When analyzing lead in paint films, persons engaged in lead hazard reduction activities may use nondestructive testing procedures utilizing lead detection instruments approved by the appropriate federal agency or agencies. When laboratory testing is used to analyze lead paint films, soils, or dust, the laboratory must be an environmental testing laboratory that is part of an accreditation program recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or approved pursuant to rules promulgated by the secretary.
B. The secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide joint oversight for laboratories that offer lead analysis services.
C. The analysis of lead in human specimens may only be performed by laboratories accredited to analyze the levels of lead in blood under the provisions of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988, PL 100-578 and the Clinical Laboratory Personnel Law, R.S. 37:1311 et seq.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1.
A. The secretary may establish a program for the collection and analysis of data on lead hazard detection and lead hazard reduction activities in the state, and on the certification, accreditation, and enforcement activities of the department.
B. The owner of any licensed day care center, preschool, or public or nonpublic elementary school facility that qualifies as a child-occupied facility and first placed in operation after August 1, 2012, shall have an inspector conduct an inspection of the facility and grounds for the presence of lead hazards. No inspection shall be required if the facility or its grounds has been inspected or has been the subject of lead abatement or remediation since 1978. If a portion of the facility or its grounds has not been inspected or been the subject of lead abatement or remediation since 1978, then those portions of the facility or its grounds shall be subject to the provisions of this Section. The owner or operator of the facility shall maintain documentation that the inspection or lead abatement or remediation activities were conducted in accordance with applicable requirements. If a lead hazard is found to be present, the inspector and the owner shall report those findings to the state health officer and the secretary. The state health officer shall compile the results and report the findings to the legislature in the annual Louisiana Health Report Card.
C. The secretary may enter into agreements with the Louisiana Department of Health to implement this Section.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 2012, No. 733, §1.
A. The state health officer shall develop standards for a medical surveillance program for all individuals engaged in lead hazard reduction activities, which shall be consistent with those required under applicable federal law and regulations.
B. Lead contractors shall institute a medical surveillance program for all employees who are or will be exposed to lead-containing substances. All medical surveillance records shall be maintained for the duration of employment plus thirty years. Lead contractors may utilize the services of competent organizations such as industry trade associations and employee associations to maintain the records as required by this Section.
C. Whenever a lead contractor ceases to operate and there is no successor entity to receive and retain the records for the prescribed period, the lead contractor shall notify the secretary at least ninety days prior to disposal and, upon request, transmit the records to the secretary.
D. Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 1085, §2.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §§1, 2.
A. There is hereby created within the state treasury a special statutorily dedicated fund account designated as the Lead Hazard Reduction Dedicated Fund Account, hereafter referred to in this Part as the "account". Funds received pursuant to the provisions of this Part shall be deposited into the state treasury.
B. After compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, and prior to monies being placed in the state general fund, an amount equal to that deposited as required by Subsection A of this Section shall be credited to the account. The monies in this account shall be used solely as provided in Subsection C of this Section. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in the account at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the account. The monies in the account shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund, and interest earned on the investment of these monies shall be credited to the account. Monies deposited into the account shall be categorized as fees and self-generated revenue for the sole purpose of reporting related to the executive budget, supporting documents, and general appropriation bills and shall be available for annual appropriation by the legislature.
C. The monies in the account shall be used solely for the purpose of funding the programs and activities provided for in this Chapter, as determined by the secretary.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §6, eff. July 1, 2022.
A. The secretary shall in connection with other state agencies conduct a program of public education on lead hazards. This program shall include but not be limited to the distribution of educational materials to the general public and to persons living in the vicinity of sites known to pose a lead exposure hazard.
B. Educational programs and materials developed or authorized by the secretary, the state health officer, or other agencies may include but not be limited to the types of lead containing materials, the health effects of lead exposure, the recognition of lead hazards, proper lead control methods, procedures for reporting hazardous conditions pursuant to R.S. 30:2351.54, and the requirements of this Chapter.
C. The secretary also shall make available lists of all licensed contractors and accredited training programs.
D. The secretary shall also make available technical information regarding proper lead control methods, standards for conducting lead hazard reduction activities, and other requirements of this Chapter to property owners and contractors, supervisors, and workers.
E. All state and local agencies engaged in lead hazard reduction activities shall publish on their Internet website the lead hazard or clearance standards related to the activities performed. The standards shall match, follow, and adapt to the minimum lead levels established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1; Acts 2012, No. 734, §1.
A. Any health care provider, as defined by the state health officer, shall report to the state health officer the identity of persons whose blood test results are positive for the presence of lead and who are engaged in lead hazard reduction activities. The results of those tests shall also be reported. The state health officer shall define results which are positive for the presence of lead. Reports required under this Section shall be submitted within five business days of the receipt of the test results, in a format approved by the state health officer.
B. A lead contractor shall report immediately to the state health officer, with a copy to the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, those employees of his firm having positive blood test results for the presence of lead, as defined by the state health officer, and who are engaged in lead hazard reduction activities.
C. In implementing this Section, the state health officer may enter into agreements with other departments of the state to receive, compile, analyze, or retain reports of lead exposure.
D, E. Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 1085, §2.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §§1, 2.
A. The secretary shall notify the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Children and Family Services that notification of lead hazards, lead abatement activities, or any lead testing performed which exceeds applicable standards in any licensed day care center, preschool, or public or non-public elementary school facility first placed into operation after August 1, 2012, that qualifies as a child-occupied facility is required by this Chapter.
B. For a child-occupied facility subject to this Section, the owner and the inspector shall jointly provide notification in writing to the secretary and the state health officer within ninety days of receipt of reports of lead hazards, lead abatement activities, or any lead testing performed which exceeds applicable standards. A copy of the notification shall be displayed in a prominent location at the child-occupied facility subject to this Section.
C. A child-occupied facility subject to this Section shall provide notification to all parents or legal guardians of each child enrolled at the facility of lead abatement activities, lead testing which exceeds applicable standards or lead hazard reduction activities performed at the facility or on its grounds. The notification shall be made by written or electronic means, such as email or posting on the facility's website.
D. The notification required in this Section shall not be required if a facility or its grounds has been inspected or has been the subject to lead abatement or remediation prior to August 1, 2012. If a portion of the facility or its grounds has not been inspected or been the subject of lead abatement or remediation prior to August 1, 2012, then that portion of the facility or its grounds shall be subject to the provisions of this Section. The owner or operator of the facility shall maintain documentation that the inspection, lead abatement or remediation activities were conducted in accordance with applicable requirements.
Acts 2012, No. 736, §1.
A. The secretary shall receive reports of hazardous conditions relating to lead from the public or employees. All such reports shall be recorded. The secretary shall investigate all reports that are reasonably based in fact. Reports shall be received whether submitted in writing, by telephone call, or through other means.
B. In implementing this Section, the secretary shall make appropriate arrangements to insure that the public or employees may report hazardous conditions by telephone without incurring long-distance telephone charges.
C. The identity of any person making a report or statement as part of an investigation by the department shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed in any manner to anyone other than state officials without the prior consent of the person making the report or statement.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1.
A. A person may not discriminate or take retaliatory action against a person who exercises in good faith a right established by this Chapter or a regulation promulgated under it.
B. A person claiming to be aggrieved by a discriminatory or retaliatory action may commence an action under the terms and provisions of R.S. 30:2027.
C-E. Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 1085, §2.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §§1, 2.
A. Regulations promulgated pursuant to this Chapter shall be no less stringent than any minimum standards established under federal law or regulations.
B. If a provision of this Chapter conflicts with a federal law pertaining to lead hazard reduction activities, the provision shall not apply to the extent that it is preempted by the federal law.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
The secretaries of the Departments of Environmental Quality, and Health and Hospitals shall promulgate all regulations necessary to implement their respective responsibilities under this Chapter.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
In developing a program to implement this Chapter, the secretary may provide for interim licensing and certification procedures to ensure a transition period of not less than one hundred eighty days before the application of the requirements established in this Chapter.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1.
A. In accordance with the provisions of Article VII, Section 2.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana and R.S. 30:2014, the department is authorized to adopt and promulgate rules to establish the fees for licensure, certification, and training organization accreditation categories and notifications as provided for in this Section.
B. Licensure, certification, and accreditation fees shall be paid annually. Notification fees are assessed for each lead abatement project. Fees shall be paid upon application to the secretary and deposited into the Lead Hazard Reduction Dedicated Fund Account, R.S. 30:2351.41.
C.(1) License and certification fees shall be paid as follows:
(a) License evaluation fee of five hundred fifty dollars shall be paid by lead contractors.
(b) Certification fees shall be paid for the following disciplines:
(i) Lead project supervisor $ 275.00
(ii) Lead project designer $ 550.00
(iii) Risk assessor $ 275.00
(iv) Lead inspector $ 165.00
(v) Lead worker $ 55.00
(c) Emergency processing for licensure and certification fees shall be one and one-half times the regular processing fee.
(d) The secretary is authorized to establish subcategories within any category.
(e) A person applying for licensure under more than one category shall pay only the fee for the highest category.
(f) No fees shall be assessed to public entities or employees of public entities for certification.
(2) Accreditation fees for training organizations shall be paid as follows:
(a) In-state training organizations (Louisiana domiciliaries):
(i) Application processing fee $ 550.00
(ii) Processing fee per instructor $ 55.00
(iii) Emergency processing 1.5 times the regular fees
(b) Out-of-state training organizations (non-Louisiana domiciliaries):
(i) Application processing fee $ 825.00
(ii) Processing fee per instructor $ 110.00
(iii) Emergency processing 1.5 times the regular fees
(3) Notification fees will be due upon application as follows:
(a) For the lead abatement of a building or other structure, the fee shall be based upon the projected lead-based painted areas to be abated in the abatement project. Areas of lead-contaminated soil associated with the abatement process will be included in the projected square footage for the building or structure as follows:
(i) 2000 square feet and under $ 220.00
(ii) Each additional increment of 2000
square feet or portion thereof $ 110.00
(iii) Revisions to notification fees $ 55.00
(b) For the lead abatement of soil only, the fee shall be based upon the projected acreage of the abatement project as follows:
(i) Half acre or less $ 220.00
(ii) Each additional half acre or
portion thereof $ 110.00
(iii) Revisions to notification fees $ 55.00
(c) Emergency notification processing fees will be one and one- half times the regular fees.
Acts 1993, No. 224, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1085, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1253, §1; Acts 2016, No. 451, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022.
Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1253, §2.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Hazardous Materials Information Development, Preparedness, and Response Act" and may be referred to as the "Right-to-Know" Law.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
A. The legislature hereby adopts as a policy that the citizens of this state have the right and responsibility to know about and protect themselves from the risks and effects of hazardous materials in their environment. Inherent in the public's right to know is the public's need to know that state and local agencies have the information to both respond to their inquiries and to protect them by:
(1) Providing information to physicians for emergency medical diagnosis.
(2) Adequately preparing for disasters.
(3) Centralizing, and coordinating regional, and local long-range planning concerning the environmental hazards in various localities.
(4) Developing information on chronic health risks which may appear as the result of the presence of hazardous materials.
B. The purpose of this Chapter, therefore, is to create a comprehensive information system containing specific data regarding the presence and location of hazardous materials in Louisiana. Such information should be compiled in a way which permits the data to be shared with the public and among involved state agencies and local governing authorities.
C. The legislature recognizes that among the state agencies presently collecting, disseminating, and analyzing data there exists much of the technical capability, determination, and expertise to develop, implement, manage, and expand such an information system. The legislature therefore mandates and supports a cooperative effort of all involved agencies to work through an interagency advisory commission, and a single state supervisory agency to create a comprehensive information system, implement comprehensive state and local planning, and as soon as practical and feasible, make this crucial information available to the public through designated local repositories at a minimum of additional cost to owners or operators, the state, or local government.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1.
The following terms as used in this Chapter shall have the following meanings:
(1) "Commission" means the Emergency Response Commission appointed by the governor to implement the mandates of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act passed by the United States Congress in 1986. This commission is created within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, public safety services.
(2) "Department" means the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
(3) "Deputy secretary" means the deputy secretary for the office of public safety services in the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
(4) "Electronic Notification" means a process approved by the department for reporting required notifications.
(5) "Environment" includes water, air, and land and the interrelationship which exists among and between water, air, and land and all living things.
(6) "Extremely hazardous substance" (EHS) means a hazardous substance listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 40 CFR Part 355, Appendix A (the list of Extremely Hazardous Substances and Their Threshold Planning Quantities) and subject to the emergency planning, release reporting, MSDS filing, and inventory filing requirements of SARA Title III.
(7) "Facility" means the physical premises used by the owner or operator in which the hazardous materials are manufactured, used, or stored. A natural gas pipeline, including but not limited to transmission and distribution assets, shall be considered a facility and subject to the reporting requirements for facilities under this Chapter. A natural gas pipeline shall not be considered a transport vehicle or otherwise subject to the reporting requirements under Chapter 12 of Title 32 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, regarding hazardous materials transportation and motor carrier safety. A natural gas pipeline shall not be classified as a compressed natural gas facility.
(8) "Hazardous material" means any substance deemed a hazardous material or a hazardous substance and included on a list adopted by rule by the deputy secretary to include those materials deemed hazardous under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act (CERCLA), the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA, Title III U.S.C.), and certain substances included in the U.S. Department of Transportation regulations as found in 49 CFR Part 172.101. Hazardous material also means any substance designated by the deputy secretary by rule on recommendation of the commission which meets criteria established for adding other materials to the list. This term shall mean and include hazardous substances.
(9) "Hospitalization" means the admission into a hospital as a patient for an overnight stay or emergency treatment at a hospital to the extent that the owner or operator requested such treatment or becomes aware of such treatment within twenty-four hours of the initiation of the relevant release.
(10) "Immediately" means a reasonable period of time after identifying the nature, quantity, and potential off-site impact of a release considering the exigency of the circumstances.
(11) "Inventory form" means the reporting form adopted by the department, and completed by owners and operators, which contains certain requested information on hazardous materials and which is used in developing the information system mandated by this Chapter.
(12) "Local governing authority" means the police jury, parish council, the mayor's office of the city of New Orleans or the city-parish of East Baton Rouge or other primary governmental body of a parish.
(13) "Owner or operator" means any person, partnership, or corporation in the state including, unless otherwise stated, the state and local government, or any of its agencies, authorities, departments, bureaus, or instrumentalities engaged in business or research operations which use, manufacture, emit, or store a hazardous material in a facility.
(14) "Reasonably be expected to affect the public safety beyond the boundaries of the facility" means fire, explosion, incident, accident, or cleanup within a facility that may reasonably impact public safety beyond the facility, including but not limited to an impact of such nature as to require shelter-in-place orders, evacuations, immediate response by emergency responders, or off-site road closures. The term shall not include facility drills, internal facility announcements, internal facility alarms and sirens, or internal facility response activities such as rolling facility fire trucks or ambulances, and movement of facility personnel in personal protective equipment.
(15) "Release" means any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing into the environment (including the abandonment or discarding of barrels, containers, and other closed receptacles) of any hazardous material or substance. However, the term release as used in this Paragraph shall not include federal or state permitted releases.
(16) "Reportable release" means a release of a regulated hazardous material or substance which causes any injury requiring hospitalization or any fatality, results in a fire or explosion which could reasonably be expected to affect the public safety beyond the boundaries of the facility, or exceeds the reportable quantity when that reportable quantity, as defined pursuant to rules promulgated by the deputy secretary, could be reasonably expected to escape beyond the site of the facility. A reportable release as defined herein shall be based upon the quantity of hazardous material or substance discharged continuously, intermittently, or as a one-time discharge, within any continuous twenty-four hour period.
(17) "Repository" means the local entity designated pursuant to R.S. 30:2368 to house and record information on hazardous materials received from the department, regulated facilities, and other state agencies for public dissemination and inspection.
(18) "Retail gas station" means a retail facility engaged in selling gasoline or diesel fuel primarily to the public, for use in land-based motor vehicles.
(19) "Small business" means a single business establishment employing not more than nine full-time employees and having not more than two million dollars in average annual gross receipts. Any business employing more than nine persons shall not be considered a small business regardless of the average annual gross receipts. Any business with average annual gross receipts of over two million dollars shall not be considered a small business regardless of the number of employees.
(20) "Trade secret" means any confidential formula, pattern, process, device, information, or compilation of information, including chemical name or other unique identifier, that is used in an employer's business, and that gives the employer an opportunity to obtain an advantage over competitors who do not know or use it.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1992, No. 666, §§1, 2; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 1999, No. 424, §1, eff. June 18, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 771, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1166, §1, eff. July 9, 1999; Acts 2008, No. 550, §1, eff. June 30, 2008; Acts 2014, No. 311, §1; Acts 2021, No. 246, §1.
The Hazardous Material Information Development, Preparedness, and Response Advisory Board is hereby abolished and in its place the Emergency Response Commission, which is appointed by the governor, is hereby established and will assume the advisory function of the board. The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality or his designee shall also serve as a member of the Emergency Response Commission. This commission shall function under the supervision and authority of the deputy secretary, Department of Public Safety and Corrections, public safety services, office of the state police, and shall also be responsible for the following:
(1) Establishing emergency planning districts.
(2) Appointing local emergency planning committees.
(3) Supervising and coordinating the activities of the local emergency planning committees.
(4) Providing the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency with information concerning notification received on certain releases of hazardous materials and substances.
(5) Designating, as necessary, additional facilities to be covered under this Chapter.
(6) Recommending a standardized inventory form to be used in gathering the required information under this Chapter and providing for alternative reporting procedures to reduce duplication of reporting.
(7) Recommending, as necessary, additional substances which should be defined as hazardous materials based on location, toxicology, known short and long term health effects, and other characteristics.
(8) Acting as the centralized advisory body for coordinating the state and federal activities concerning community "Right-to-Know" legislation with regard to hazardous materials and substances.
(9) Establishing procedures for receiving and processing requests from the public for information.
(10) Reviewing local emergency planning committee (LEPC) emergency response plans and making recommendations to the LEPC on revisions of the plan that may be necessary to ensure the coordination of such plan with emergency response plans of other emergency planning districts.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
A. The deputy secretary shall:
(1) Develop rules and regulations governing criteria for defining a substance as a hazardous material and for the development, implementation, compilation, supervision, and management of the information system for hazardous materials.
(2) Make reasonable efforts to insure that owners and operators are aware of reporting requirements under this Chapter.
(3) Develop a rule for alternative reporting requirements for businesses as provided for in R.S. 30:2370.
(4) Supervise the dissemination of data to repositories and train repository personnel to provide information to the public. If the sheriff's office is not designated as the repository, the sheriff in each parish shall have access to the data compiled under this law through the local emergency planning committee and/or local fire departments in the respective parish.
(5) Apply for, accept, and expend money through the appropriate budgetary process from federal sources for the further development, implementation, and dissemination of information to agencies, to emergency response personnel, and to the public.
(6) Develop a centralized inventory reporting and notification system allowing for the standardization of reporting on the state, parish, and local government levels. The department, working in conjunction with other state agencies and parish government planning agencies, including local emergency planning committees and local response agencies, will identify the standard content of reporting and develop a centralized state inventory reporting and notification system that can be used by all government agencies.
(7) Develop a means to assist all parishes in developing comprehensive hazardous material emergency response plans which reflect local governments' primary responsibility for the protection of local citizens.
B. The department shall, whenever practical and feasible, consult with the commission in developing rules and regulations for the implementation of this Chapter.
C. The inventory form adopted under this Chapter shall replace, to the extent feasible and practical, all other reporting presently required for reporting the manufacture, use, storage, or release of all hazardous materials to state governmental agencies.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1992, No. 984, §18; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
A. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Quality shall consult with the deputy secretary regarding implementation of this Chapter. They shall, whenever practical and feasible, coordinate reporting efforts and requirements with the department through representation on the commission and through any established or created methods of cooperation and coordination among agencies covered by this Chapter.
B. The department shall forward information it develops or receives regarding long-term toxic effects of hazardous materials to the Louisiana Department of Health, which shall coordinate such information with the Louisiana Regional Poison Control Center.
C. The department shall communicate these laws and regulations to all state departments. The department shall coordinate its efforts in developing an electronic or telephonic notification system with all departments of state government. All departments of the state shall adjust the reporting requirements to allow for the development of the electronic or telephonic notification system for emergency release notifications. The Department of Environmental Quality shall also adjust its requirements for the prompt reporting of a release that does not cause an emergency condition, but is nonetheless reported to the department because it is in excess of an applicable reportable quantity.
D.(1) Upon development of the electronic or telephonic notification system for emergency release notifications, proper notification to the department of a release shall satisfy all emergency reporting obligations of the person making the notification, including all emergency reporting obligations of such person to the Department of Environmental Quality, other state agencies, and local response agencies.
(2) Upon development of the electronic or telephonic notification system for emergency release notifications, proper notification to the department of a release that is in excess of an applicable reportable quantity but does not cause an emergency condition shall satisfy all prompt reporting obligations, under LAC 33:I.3917(A), of the person making the notification, provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to the reporting of any release of radionuclides in excess of a reportable quantity determined in accordance with LAC 33:I.3929.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 2008, No. 81, §1, eff. June 5, 2008; Acts 2014, No. 311, §1.
A. Repealed by Acts 1992, No. 535, §1.
B.(1) Those manufacturers, storers, and users of liquified petroleum gas who make reports, pay fees, and are permitted through the Liquified Petroleum Gas Commission of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall not be required to pay additional fees for reporting under this Chapter.
(2) The deputy secretary of public safety services shall consult with the chairman of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission and the Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association to develop the necessary guidelines for incorporating reporting procedures and forms into inventory reports required by this Chapter or develop alternate reporting procedures under R.S. 30:2370(A)(2). Further, the deputy secretary and the chairman of the Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission shall develop a mechanism for sharing and including such data in the information management system developed under this Chapter.
(3) The administrative costs, as determined by the deputy secretary, of including information regarding liquified petroleum gas shall be paid by the Liquified Petroleum Gas Commission through fees presently paid to the commission by manufacturers, users, and storers of liquified petroleum gas.
(4) Nothing in this Subsection shall be intended to nullify an owner's or operator's obligation to report in compliance with rules promulgated under this Subsection.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1992, No. 535, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
A. The Emergency Response Commission shall designate the following as repositories for information gathered under this Chapter. The repositories shall be:
(1) The local emergency planning committee, as designated by the commission.
(2) The local fire department.
(3) The Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of state police, hazardous substance control section, acting for the Emergency Response Commission.
B.(1) Each repository designated pursuant to Subsection A of this Section shall provide information gathered under this Chapter to any person upon request during reasonable office hours and may charge such person a reasonable amount for copying charges and other administrative costs. The charges for the said costs shall be the same as the charges authorized for copies of public records as provided for in R.S. 44:32.
(2) In addition, the repository may refer public requests for information regarding specific medical, toxic, and health effects to the Louisiana Regional Poison Control Center.
C. The department shall, whenever practical and feasible, enhance the capability of local governing authorities and repositories to maintain and update public information, train personnel in repository management, and to develop other capabilities to assist in their compliance with this Chapter.
D. Each local governing authority may adopt an ordinance to impose fees or charges on owners or operators whose facilities are located within the parish and who are subject to the reporting requirements of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Title III, 42 U.S.C. 11022. The amount of the fee or charge imposed pursuant to this Subsection shall provide anticipated proceeds not to exceed the anticipated costs for performing the services required in this Section, and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Title III, 42 U.S.C. 11022, including those initial costs necessary to establish a system for storage, updating, and dissemination of the information herein required to be made available to the public. In no case shall the fees or charges imposed on any one person by the local governing authority exceed one dollar per page, fifty dollars per inventory report, or three hundred dollars per report including but not limited to reporting multiple facilities in one parish. In no case shall charges imposed on small businesses, as defined in this Chapter, exceed fifteen dollars per inventory report.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1988, No. 753, §1, eff. July 15, 1988; Acts 1992, No. 541, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
A. Owners or operators shall be responsible for filing inventory forms for all hazardous materials manufactured, used, or stored at their facilities and for immediately reporting releases of certain hazardous materials in certain reportable quantities to be established by rule as provided for in R.S. 30:2373(B) and (C)(2).
B.(1) Owners or operators shall have the responsibility to obtain inventory forms and submit them to the Emergency Response Commission by way of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of state police, Right-to-Know unit by March 1, 1988, and by March first of each year thereafter.
(2) This does not relieve the owner or operator from having to file inventory forms or make emergency release notification to other agencies, e.g., local fire departments or local planning committees, as may be required by federal law.
C. Repealed by Acts 1992, No. 565, §2.
D. Owners or operators shall post signs at their facilities, subject to a rule adopted by the deputy secretary, indicating that a hazardous material reported pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter is present on the premises. The deputy secretary shall develop, adopt, and disseminate rules and regulations which provide for such posting.
E.(1) Owners or operators who manufacture, use, store, or release a hazardous material at their facility shall so notify their present employees and each new employee within a reasonable time of his beginning employment. Such notification shall be made by posting a notice in a place in the facility where it is easily accessible to employees.
(2) Whenever the owner or operator has information regarding the toxic effects of a hazardous material manufactured, used, stored, or released at the facility, he shall so advise his employees, and make the information available to them on request for their examination only on the premises.
(3) Louisiana manufacturers, distributors, and packagers of hazardous materials and mixtures manufactured, blended, packaged, mixed, or distributed within Louisiana for those materials listed under the Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III, Sections 302, 304, 311, and 312, or Louisiana's Right-to-Know Law, R.S. 30:2361 et seq., shall incorporate on the hazardous material's material safety data sheet or supply a separate statement with the verbiage "This material may be regulated by Louisiana's Right-to-Know Law, R.S. 30:2361 et seq." for identifying the hazardous materials as regulated by the state of Louisiana or the Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III, Sections 302, 304, 311, and 312, or use language of similar nature. This Paragraph shall be effective only upon the promulgation by the deputy secretary of rules and regulations setting forth the criteria for the notice required herein. The deputy secretary may exempt from this requirement materials and mixtures with generic material safety data sheets used nationally or internationally.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1992, No. 565, §§1, 2; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 1999, No. 424, §1, eff. June 18, 1999.
A. The deputy secretary shall establish alternative reporting procedures for certain owners or operators. Such alternative reporting procedures shall only be established when the deputy secretary determines that the nature of the owner's or operator's enterprise is such that the collection or compilation of data under procedures required under R.S. 30:2369 would be difficult to report by the owner or operator and of marginal informational value to agencies or persons requesting or using the data. Alternative reporting procedures shall be available under the following circumstances:
(1) The nature of the owner's or operator's business is such that any hazardous material present at a facility would be present for a short period of time. Such businesses shall include but not be limited to building construction industries or wharf and dock facilities, where an inventory of any hazardous material would be present for only short periods of time; or
(2) Emergency response personnel are likely to be able to predict the nature and volume of hazardous materials present at the facilities without recourse to the information provided by the inventory form. Such facilities may include premises whose only structures are electrical transmission and distribution equipment or clearly marked storage tanks for liquified petroleum gas.
(3) The nature of the business is related to waste disposal and reclamation, in which the hazardous materials are collected in such a manner that the identity of each substance may not be individually identified under established reporting procedures.
(4) In the determination of the secretary, alternative reporting procedures would further the purposes of this Chapter.
B. Any alternate reporting requirement adopted pursuant to Subsection A of this Section shall define each of the following as precisely as possible:
(1) The nature of the activities which may be conducted at the facility.
(2) The identity of the hazardous materials which may be present at the facility.
(3) The maximum quantity of each such hazardous material which may be present at the facility.
C. The deputy secretary shall define and provide by rule for exemptions for "small quantities" of hazardous materials which need not be reported under this Chapter by certain categories of owners or operators. The definition of small quantities shall be based on the degree of hazard such quantities might potentially present in certain situations, either to emergency response personnel, the owner or operator, his personnel or property, or to the surrounding community. Such categories of owners or operators shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) Residential users.
(2) Owners or operators of hotels, motels, restaurants, apartment buildings, or office buildings which use only small quantities of air conditioning and cleaning supplies and do not exceed the small quantities exemption for any other hazardous material.
(3) Owners or operators of retail sales establishments which sell consumer products or food stuffs packaged for distribution to, and intended for use by, the general public, and who have storage areas or storerooms in such establishments which are separated from shelf or display areas but maintained within the physical confines of such retail establishments.
D. The exemptions provided for in Subsection C shall not apply to hazardous materials placed in a separate warehouse. However, owners or operators maintaining such a warehouse facility shall be required to make only one report under this Chapter, regardless of the number of warehouses, storerooms, and storage areas retained by the owner or operator.
E. The following substances shall not be required to be reported for purposes of inventory reporting:
(1) Repealed by Acts 1997, No. 1046, §2.
(2) Any food, food additive, color additive, drug, or cosmetic regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
(3) Any substance present as a solid in any manufactured item to the extent exposure to the substance does not occur under normal conditions of use.
(4) Any substance to the extent it is used for personal, family, or household purposes, or is present in the same form and concentration as a product packaged for distribution and use by the general public.
(5) Any substance to the extent it is used in a research laboratory or a hospital or other medical facility under the direct supervision of a technically qualified individual. This would not include substances stored in a separate warehouse or storage room.
(6) Any substance to the extent it is used in routine agricultural operations or is fertilizer held for sale by a retailer to the ultimate customer.
(7) Hazardous materials required to be reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by utilization facilities licensed under 10 C.F.R. 50 and R.S. 40:1299.100.
(8) Gasoline, all grades combined, that has been stored in tanks having a capacity of less than seventy-five thousand gallons, entirely underground, at a retail gas station that has been in compliance at all times during the preceding calendar year with all applicable underground storage tank requirements as provided in R.S. 30:2194. This exemption shall be effective March 1, 2001, for calendar year 2000 reporting. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, copies of any reports submitted by retail gas stations to the Department of Environmental Quality as required by this Chapter shall be provided by the Department of Environmental Quality to any local emergency planning committee and the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of state police.
(9) Diesel fuel, all grades combined, that has been stored in tanks with a capacity of less than one hundred thousand gallons, entirely underground, at a retail gas station that has been in compliance at all times during the preceding calendar year with all applicable underground storage tank requirements as provided in R.S. 30:2194. This exemption shall be effective March 1, 2001, for calendar year 2000 reporting. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, copies of any reports submitted by retail gas stations to the Department of Environmental Quality as required by this Chapter shall be provided by the Department of Environmental Quality to any local emergency planning committee and the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of state police.
F. Small businesses as defined under this Chapter shall be required to report inventories or releases of hazardous substances regulated under this Chapter with the exception being that they shall pay a reduced fee in accordance with R.S. 30:2374.
G. The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to retail establishments as defined by R.S. 47:301(4)(b) and (11), cosmetology salons, and barber salons.
H. The following nonexclusive list of facilities shall qualify, when otherwise required to report under this Chapter, for the alternate reporting procedures established under this Section:
(1) Oil and gas exploration and production facilities.
(2) Natural gas, crude oil, and hydrocarbon product pipelines.
(3) Hydrocarbon storage facilities other than at petroleum refineries.
(4) Gasoline service stations.
(5) Electrical transmission and distribution equipment.
(6) Transportation related industries.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1992, No. 566, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §§1, 2; Acts 1999, No. 771, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1166, §1, eff. July 9, 1999.
With regard to trade secret protection and the information disclosure requirements of this Chapter, the state of Louisiana, through the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, hereby adopts as its own the trade secret provisions as found in Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, 42 U.S.C. 11042. All petitions for trade secret protection must be filed with the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
A. With regard to trade secret information needed for medical diagnosis or treatment of a person exposed to a hazardous material, the state of Louisiana, through the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, hereby adopts as its own the trade secret provisions as found in Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, 42 U.S.C. 11042.
B. Nothing in this Section shall be construed so as to interfere with the duty of a physician to report actual or potential public health problems to the proper authorities.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
A. All owners and operators shall be required to report the information required under R.S. 30:2369 of this Chapter regarding the manufacture, storage, or use of hazardous materials by no later than March 1, 1988, and by March first of each year thereafter.
B.(1) Owners and operators shall immediately notify the department of any reportable releases, other than a federally or state permitted release or application of a pesticide or fertilizer, of a hazardous material or substance listed pursuant to this Chapter exceeding the reportable quantity when that reportable quantity could be reasonably expected to escape the site of the facility, as soon as the owner or operator has knowledge of the release. Failure to do so shall subject owners and operators to civil penalties as provided in Subsection C of this Section. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, natural gas from distribution lines shall have a reportable release of forty-two thousand pounds or more.
(2) Any reportable release of any hazardous material regulated by this Chapter which causes any injury requiring hospitalization or any fatality or any release which results in a fire or explosion which could reasonably be expected to affect the public safety beyond the boundaries of the facility shall be reported immediately to the department.
(3) Any incident, accident, or cleanup within a facility, which could reasonably be expected to affect public safety beyond the boundaries of the facility or where the owner or operator knows a protective action beyond the boundaries of the facility has been initiated, shall be reported immediately to the department.
(4) Any release or incident that occurs within the boundaries of a facility and may be subject to reporting under this Section shall not be reportable by the owner or operator of the facility, or the employees, non-commercial carriers, contractors, or consultants of such owner or operator pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 12 of Title 32 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, unless such release or incident involves a railcar that is in transportation and the owner or operator of the facility is required to report the release or incident under 49 C.F.R. 171.15.
(5) The department shall not subject an owner or operator to a civil penalty as provided in Subsection C based on any incident or release that was not required to be reported under this Section and that was reported by the owner or operator as a courtesy.
(6) The secretary may develop rules and regulations to implement and clarify the reporting requirements of this Subsection and to address changes in federal regulations.
(7) The Department of Environmental Quality shall make available to the public for examination any information contained in reports required pursuant to R.S. 30:2025(J), 2060(H), and 2076(D).
C.(1) For owners and operators who knowingly fail to file an inventory form on hazardous materials as required by this Chapter by March 1, 1988, and by March first of each year thereafter, the department may levy a civil penalty which shall not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars per hazardous material not reported. Small businesses who have an omission from the inventory reporting forms shall receive a warning only for their first offense.
(2) The department may also levy a civil penalty not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars per violation for failure to timely report nonpermitted releases pursuant to R.S. 30:2373(B).
(3) For owners and operators who knowingly fail to report a reportable release of a hazardous material regulated by this Chapter, the department may assess a civil penalty not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars per violation per day.
(4) The department shall consider, in determining whether to assess a fine, the financial situation of owners and operators of small businesses as well as any willfulness in failing to comply with the provisions of this Chapter. Such fines shall be deposited in the Right-to-Know Dedicated Fund Account pursuant to R.S. 30:2380.
D.(1) Any person who handles, stores, or otherwise maintains a hazardous material regulated by this Chapter in a negligent or unreasonable manner without regard for the hazards of the material and causes a significant impact to public health and safety as a result of a reportable release of a hazardous material shall be in violation of this Subsection.
(2) For any person, owner, operator, or facility that violates this Subsection, the department may levy a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars per violation.
E.(1) No person shall intentionally handle, store, or otherwise maintain any hazardous material regulated by this Chapter in a manner which endangers human life.
(2) Any person, owner, operator, or facility that willfully violates this Subsection may be assessed a civil penalty by the department not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars per violation per day or upon first conviction shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both. Upon second or subsequent conviction of a violation of R.S. 30:2373(E)(1), said person, owner, operator, or facility shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned with or without hard labor for not less than six months nor more than ten years.
F.(1) Any owner or operator who causes a reportable release that requires a significant emergency response by the department or is in violation of Subsection D of this Section shall reimburse the department for reasonable and extraordinary costs of emergency response, including actions taken by the department to mitigate such reportable release.
(2) Reimbursement to the department pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall preclude reimbursement for the same incident to the department from other response funds, including but not limited to the Hazardous Waste Protection Fund, R.S. 30:2198, the Motor Fuels Underground Storage Tank Trust Dedicated Fund Account, R.S. 30:2195 et seq., and the Oil Spill Contingency Fund, R.S. 30:2483 et seq.
(3) An owner or operator of a small business shall not be responsible for the emergency response costs of the department in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars.
G.(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 30:2380 to the contrary, the department may enter into settlements of civil penalty assessments that allow the respondent to perform beneficial emergency planning, preparedness, and response projects or provide for the payment of a cash penalty to the state, or both. Such settlements shall be considered a civil penalty for tax purposes.
(2)(a) Any settlement provided for in this Section that allows the respondent to perform a beneficial emergency planning, preparedness, and response project shall be submitted to the attorney general for his approval or rejection. The settlement shall be accompanied by the underlying enforcement action, a description of the beneficial emergency planning, preparedness, and response project that is an element of such settlement, and a justification for the settlement. Approval or rejection by the attorney general of any settlement shall be in writing and include, if rejected, a detailed written reason for rejection.
(b) Reasons for rejection shall be failure of the department to follow and adhere to the Right-to-Know Law, the regulations promulgated thereunder, or any other constitutional, statutory, or regulatory provisions.
(c) The attorney general shall make any request for additional information concerning the terms and condition of the settlement within thirty days of receiving the request for approval or rejection. Within thirty days of a request for additional information by the attorney general, the department shall provide its responses to such request.
(d) The department may execute the proposed settlement without the approval of the attorney general if the attorney general does not give written notice to the department of his rejection of the settlement within ninety days after receiving the proposed settlement.
(3) For purposes of this Subsection, a "beneficial emergency planning, preparedness, and response project" means a project that the respondent is not otherwise legally required to perform but that the respondent agrees to undertake as a component of a settlement of a civil penalty assessment under this Subsection; and a project that provides assistance or a benefit to a responsible state or local emergency planning, preparedness, or response entity. Beneficial emergency planning, preparedness, and response projects shall enable such entity to further fulfill its obligations to collect information to assess the dangers of hazardous materials present in a response situation, to develop emergency plans or procedures, to train emergency response personnel, and shall allow the respondent or state or local entity to better respond to emergency situations, including threats to communities from hurricanes or other natural disasters. Such projects may include providing computers and software, communication systems, chemical emission detection and inactivation equipment, and hazardous materials equipment and training.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1992, No. 665, §§1, 2; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9; Acts 1995, No. 850, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 1999, No. 355, §1, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 1087, §1; Acts 2008, No. 550, §1, eff. June 30, 2008; Acts 2009, No. 235, §1; Acts 2012, No. 853, §1; Acts 2014, No. 799, §1, eff. June 19, 2014; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2023, No. 250, §1.
A. An annual fee shall be submitted with the inventory form by each owner or operator required to report under this Chapter. The fee shall be assessed in proportion to the number of hazardous materials manufactured, used, or stored on site.
B.(1) The fees for facilities not meeting the definition of "small business" in R.S. 30:2363 shall be assessed as follows:
Number of Hazardous Materials
Amount of
Present at Facility
Fees Charged
01 to 25
$ 65.00
26 to 75
$ 85.00
76 to 100
$170.00
Over 100
$255.00
(2) Any facility required to pay a fee pursuant to this Section and any retail gas station exempt from reporting pursuant to R.S. 30:2370 shall not be required to pay an additional fee to the local emergency planning committee other than the fees already imposed by the local emergency planning committee for the collection of information required by this Chapter.
(3) In the case of owners or operators reporting facilities with numbers of hazardous materials referenced above at multiple locations throughout the state, no owner or operator shall be assessed total fees in excess of two thousand dollars.
(4) The fee per facility for small businesses as defined in this Chapter shall not exceed twenty-five dollars.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1992, No. 540, §1; Acts 1992, No. 984, §9; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 1999, No. 771, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1166, §1, eff. July 9, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 1087, §1; Acts 2003, No. 331, §1; Acts 2008, No. 884, §1.
A. When there has been a release subject to the reporting requirements of R.S. 30:2373(B), the owners and operators of the facility where the release occurred shall, upon the request or demand, allow access to the facility by the designated local emergency response agency without delay; however, each representative of the designated local emergency response agency seeking access to the facility shall be certified or qualified in the handling of hazardous materials by an appropriate governmental agency and qualified in dealing with the particular emergency and the equipment and/or the facility involved. The parish governing authority shall designate one local emergency response agency which shall have access to facilities within the parish pursuant to this Section. The owner or operator of a facility where a release has occurred may delay access to the facility for a reasonable period of time, to the extent necessary in order to secure the facility, insure immediate safety, preserve property, or verify the authority of those persons seeking access to the facility pursuant to this Section.
B. An owner or operator who fails to comply with the requirements of this Section shall be subject to a civil fine of five thousand dollars.
C. The fine provided for in this Subsection shall be due, in the aggregate, to the agencies denied access in violation of this Section and may be levied by the district court of the parish in which the violations occurred.
D. Each representative of a state or local emergency response agency provided access to a facility under this Section shall be under the strict supervision of facility personnel and shall not take any direct action to respond to the release unless specifically authorized to do so by such facility personnel.
E. None of the provisions of this Section shall prohibit or hinder the Transportation and Environmental Safety Section of the Office of State Police from coordinating an emergency response as authorized in R.S. 30:2376.
Acts 1995, No. 1037, §1.
A. The deputy secretary or his designees shall have the right to reasonably monitor owners or operators to ensure their compliance with this Chapter. They shall have the right to enter and inspect any facility in which they have reasonable cause to believe hazardous material, the reporting of which is required by this Chapter, is manufactured, stored, used, or released and which has not been reported, and to require the report of the presence of such hazardous material as required by this Chapter.
B. The deputy secretary may conduct investigations, make reports, conduct hearings, and conduct, directly or indirectly, the research, development, demonstration, or training activities necessary to undertake his responsibilities and exercise his authority under Subsection A of this Section. The deputy secretary, through the office of state police, hazardous materials unit, shall act as coordinator of emergency response activities arising as a result of releases of materials regulated under this Chapter.
C. Nothing in this Chapter shall be intended to diminish any sheriff's responsibility with regard to his authority to address emergency response needs in his parish.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
The Department of Public Safety and Corrections, in consultation with the commission, shall make an annual report by April first to the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment, and the governor regarding:
(1) The progress made in developing, implementing, compiling, disseminating, and coordinating the information system.
(2) The level of reporting by owners and operators.
(3) Additional recommendations for legislation and other recommendations to facilitate compliance with the provisions of this Chapter.
(4) The problems experienced by owners and operators and state and local government and agencies in complying with this Chapter.
(5) Reporting forms and procedures used by governmental agencies to require the reporting of the manufacture, use, storage, or release of hazardous materials which should be replaced by the inventory form.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. All proceedings conducted under this Chapter and all rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this Chapter shall be conducted or adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act and the Open Meetings Law.
B. All legislative oversight jurisdiction for the implementation of this Chapter, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, shall be placed with the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. No local governing authority, municipality, parish, or other local governmental entity may enact, adopt, or enforce an ordinance, law, or regulation relative to hazardous materials reporting or any other provisions of this Chapter, except as otherwise specifically authorized by state law. However, if reporting requirements to agencies in the federal government under federal law conflict with reporting requirements under this Chapter, the affected entities shall file those reports. This Chapter shall have prospective effect only.
B. The commission and the department shall, where practical and feasible, incorporate local purposes into the state information system and provide local access to such information, subject to the qualifications provided for in R.S. 30:2368(B)(1).
Acts 1989, No. 505, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1.
A. Subject to the exceptions contained in Article VII, Section 9 of the Constitution of Louisiana, all monies collected pursuant to R.S. 30:2373 shall be paid into the state treasury and shall be credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund. Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within a fiscal year, the treasurer shall, prior to placing such remaining funds in the state general fund, pay into a special statutorily dedicated fund account, which is hereby created in the state treasury and designated as the "Right-to-Know Dedicated Fund Account", hereinafter referred to as the "account", an amount equal to all monies collected pursuant to R.S. 30:2373. The balance in the account shall not exceed two million dollars. Any monies in excess of that amount shall revert to the general fund. Monies deposited into the account shall be categorized as fees and self-generated revenue for the sole purpose of reporting related to the executive budget, supporting documents, and general appropriation bills and shall be available for annual appropriation by the legislature.
B. Monies in the account shall be paid to the deputy secretary on his warrant and shall be used to develop the Louisiana Chemical Network (LCN), a statewide centralized inventory and release reporting system. This centralized reporting system is intended to eliminate duplication in reporting requirements, develop centralized data management, and provide processed data to all parishes via the local emergency planning committees (LEPCs). The department shall have the responsibility to develop a centralized data distribution system and provide the local emergency planning committees with the necessary equipment, software, and training to support its application. The monies in the account shall be dedicated to equipment acquisition and personnel training for LEPCs and for the department to properly staff the centralized data management functions. The deputy secretary shall adopt the necessary rules and regulations to administer this system.
Acts 1997, No. 1046, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §6, eff. July 1, 2022.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act".
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
The purpose of this Chapter is to establish standards for community air monitoring programs operated by entities to ensure that the data collected from such programs provides the public with access to accurate air quality information.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
This Chapter shall apply to entities that have implemented community air monitoring programs as defined in this Chapter.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
As used in this Chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) "Ambient air" means that portion of the atmosphere, external to buildings, to which the general public has access as defined in 40 CFR 50.1.
(2) "Community air monitoring programs" means measurement systems, testing equipment, tools, and processes of ambient air used or developed for the purpose of collecting air emissions data and measuring or recording air pollutant concentrations by entities that received public funds or use private funds. Such shall include both one-time monitoring events as well as multi-sampling events. Monitoring performed by "reporting entities" as defined in this Section for any purpose, including as required under judicial or administrative action, are excluded from this Paragraph and shall be subject to the requirements of the applicable statutes, rules, judicial action, or administrative action governing monitoring by reporting entities.
(3) "Criteria air pollutants" include those air pollutants for which NAAQS have been established under Section 109 of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7409, including ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, lead, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
(4) "Department" means the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
(5) "Environmental Protection Agency" or "EPA" means the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
(6) "Hazardous air pollutant" means a hazardous air pollutant as such term is defined in Section 112(a) of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412.
(7) "National Ambient Air Quality Standards" or "NAAQS" means the national ambient air quality standards established under Section 109 of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7409.
(8) "Private funds" means any money other than public funds.
(9) "Public funds" means any money that has been awarded, granted, distributed, or otherwise provided by federal, state, tribal, or local governments, departments, agencies, and instrumentalities.
(10) "Reporting entities" means any organization, group, company, owner, or operator of a stationary source developing or administering an air monitoring program.
(11) "Stationary source" means a stationary source as such term is defined in Section 112(a) of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7412(a).
(12) "Toxic air pollutants" means the term as defined in LAC 33:III.5103.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
A. Community air monitoring programs which seek to conduct monitoring of criteria air pollutants for the purpose of alleging violations or noncompliance with the federal Clean Air Act, Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, or any other applicable law, rule, or regulation for which the state has primary enforcement authority shall use the science-based standards set forth in 40 CFR Parts 50 and 58, including the NAAQS.
B. Community air monitoring programs which seek to conduct monitoring of hazardous air pollutant or toxic air pollutant emissions for the purpose of alleging violations or noncompliance with the federal Clean Air Act, Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, or any other applicable law, rule, or regulation for which the state has primary enforcement authority shall use an Environmental Protection Agency-approved or promulgated emission test or monitoring method, or the latest revision to such methods approved or promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
The parameters, equipment, and analytical methods along with any modeling or mapping software utilized for analysis of the monitoring data shall use the most current Environmental Protection Agency-approved or promulgated emission test or monitoring method. Analysis must be conducted through a laboratory approved by the Louisiana Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, known as LELAP, or include quality assurance certification of methods or equipment. Utilization of proprietary or not publicly available equipment or methods shall not be acceptable for community air monitoring programs.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
A. The department may use the data collected through the community air monitoring program to review compliance with the state's promulgated air monitoring requirements as part of its assessment of compliance with the air quality standards in 40 CFR Part 50, including the NAAQS.
B. If community air monitoring data indicates that ambient air is not in compliance with the NAAQS as determined in accordance with 40 CFR Part 50, the department may consider necessary actions to address the issue, including but not limited to identifying sources of pollution, implementing pollution control measures, and engaging in public outreach and education. All actions taken by the department to address noncompliance with NAAQS shall be consistent with the federal Clean Air Act, if applicable.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
A. The department may use the data collected through the community air monitoring program to review compliance with the state's ambient air quality standards for hazardous air pollutants and toxic air pollutants.
B. If community air monitoring data indicates that ambient air is not in compliance with the ambient air standards specified in LAC 33:III. Chapter 51, the department may consider necessary actions to address the issue, including but not limited to identifying sources of pollution, implementing pollution control measures, and engaging in public outreach and education. All actions taken by the department to address noncompliance with ambient air standards shall be consistent with the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, if applicable.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
Any release or communication of the collected monitoring data shall include clear explanations of data interpretation, appropriate context, including the applicable or comparable ambient air standard data limitations, and relevant uncertainties.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
A. Data produced from community air monitoring programs alone is insufficient to demonstrate that a stationary source is in violation of rule, regulation, or permit condition.
B. To promote compliance with this Chapter and the collection of accurate and reliable data from community air monitoring programs, any data produced from community air monitoring programs that are not in compliance with this Chapter shall not be used, disclosed, or disseminated by the department for purposes of or in support of the following:
(1) Issuing a fine, penalty, or violation against any person, including the owner or operator of a stationary source.
(2) Bringing an administrative, regulatory, or judicial enforcement action or proceeding against any person, including the owner or operator of a stationary source.
C. The prohibitions under this Section apply to use by the department or any person of any monitoring data not in compliance with this Chapter for purposes of alleging violations or noncompliance with the federal Clean Air Act, Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, or any other applicable law, rule, or regulation for which the state has primary enforcement authority.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
If any provision of this Chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the Chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Chapter are declared to be severable.
Acts 2024, No. 181, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Reclaimed Water Law".
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1.
The legislature hereby finds and declares that the use of potable water for nonpotable uses, including but not limited to cemeteries, golf courses, parks, highway landscaped areas, and industrial uses, is a waste of our most precious natural resource, which is an essential element for life. There is a need for a reliable source of water for uses that should not draw from the supply of potable water. With the proper investment and development of the necessary infrastructure, the creation of dependable reclaimed water resources will meet nonpotable needs and relieve stress on potable water resources. A drought-proof supply of water will assist industry and encourage economic development. In furtherance of the legislature's constitutional mandate to protect the natural resources of the state as provided in Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana, there is hereby established the Louisiana Reclaimed Water Law.
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1.
The following terms shall have the following meanings for the purposes of this Chapter:
(1) "Available reclaimed water source" means reclaimed water that meets all of the following requirements:
(a)(i) The source of reclaimed water is of sufficient quality for the proposed beneficial use considering all relevant factors including but not limited to safety, effects of the beneficial use based on specific constituents in the reclaimed water source, and effects on state and federal water discharge permits. The quality of the reclaimed water shall meet all applicable state and federal water quality standards and the following standards at the discharge from the producer's plant site:
BOD5 ≤ 5 mg/L
TSS ≤ 5 mg/L
NH³-N ≤ 2 mg/L
TN ≤ 10 mg/L
Chlorine residual ≥ 2 mg/L
(ii) The reclaimed water producer must keep verifiable records of water quality as determined by effluent testing seven days per week. Such tests must be either flow proportional composite sampling or electronic testing with laboratory verification.
(b) The use of reclaimed water will not adversely affect downstream water quality and will not be injurious to wildlife, fish, or plant life.
(c) The reclaimed water must be furnished to the user at a cost that is equal to or less than the cost of potable water, in accordance with R.S. 30:2396.
(2) "Beneficial uses" means the technologically feasible uses of reclaimed water for domestic, municipal, industrial, agricultural, recreational, or therapeutic purposes.
(3) "Reclaimed water" means water that, as a result of treatment of waste, is suitable for a direct beneficial use or a controlled use and that is therefore considered a valuable resource.
(4) "Reclaimed water producer" means any public or private entity that produces, transmits, or distributes reclaimed water.
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1.
A. No public or private entity shall use groundwater of quality suitable for potable domestic use to irrigate the grassy non-developed areas of cemeteries, golf courses built and completed on and after August 15, 2003, parks, and highway landscaped areas, if there exists an available reclaimed water source as defined in R.S. 30:2393(1).
B. Public or private entities that use a source of potable water for cooling tower applications and industrial purposes or to irrigate the grassy areas of golf courses built and completed before August 15, 2003, shall examine the use of reclaimed water, if an available reclaimed water source exists as defined in R.S. 30:2393(1), and may use the reclaimed water for those purposes and applications.
C. Public or private entities that use a source of potable water to irrigate crops not intended for human consumption are encouraged, but not mandated, to use reclaimed water.
D. Public or private entities which grow, package, or produce food for human consumption are specifically excluded from this Chapter.
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1.
A. Reclaimed water producers and potential customers may cooperate in joint technical, economic, and environmental studies to develop available reclaimed water sources.
B. Reclaimed water producers may identify potential customers for an available reclaimed water source. A reclaimed water producer that has identified a potential customer may, in writing, request that the customer enter into an agreement for the producer to provide reclaimed water.
C. Current users of potable groundwater for nonpotable uses may identify reclaimed water producers. Such a user that has identified a potential reclaimed water producer with an available reclaimed water source may, in writing, request that the reclaimed water producer enter into an agreement to supply reclaimed water.
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1.
The producers of reclaimed water shall not sell water to customers at a price over the following amounts which shall include the cost to the reclaimed water producer for physical facilities to produce and transport the reclaimed water:
(1) For customers currently purchasing potable water from a third party, the cost for reclaimed water shall not exceed the price per gallon, including the cost of piping or transporting the reclaimed water, that the customer paid to the third-party potable provider.
(2) For customers who currently self-produce and use water from a potable water source, the cost for reclaimed water, including any and all fees, shall not exceed the customer's cost of producing water.
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1.
The state treasurer shall each fiscal year deposit the revenues generated under the provisions of this Chapter from taxes applicable to the sale of reclaimed water or other sources as provided for by law into the Bond Security and Redemption Fund. Out of the funds from such sources remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund after a sufficient amount is allocated from that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within any fiscal year, the treasurer shall deposit an amount equal to one-quarter of the revenues generated from the reclaimed water program into the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, enacted in R.S. 30:2301 et seq., which shall be used for making grants to local governments to finance primary waste treatment facilities; one-quarter into the Coastal Resources Trust Dedicated Fund Account, created in R.S. 49:214.40; and the remainder shall be used by the Department of Conservation and Energy for the protection of groundwater resources. Use of these funds shall be subject to an appropriation by the legislature.
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1; Acts 2010, No. 296, §1, eff. June 17, 2010; Acts 2021, No. 114, §18, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
Any capital improvements made under this Chapter shall qualify for any tax deductions as provided by law.
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1.
A. Reclaimed water systems shall be designed with the goal of preventing the contamination of potable water.
B. All transmission and distribution piping for a reclaimed water system shall comply with the requirements of Part XII (Water Supply) and Part XIV (Plumbing) of the Louisiana State Sanitary Code relative to color-coding, nonpotable water identification, complete separation from potable water systems, separation distances from potable water piping when run in parallel, separation distance requirements when crossing potable water line, and such other necessary items.
Acts 2003, No. 985, §1.
A.(1) The legislature finds that removal of certain materials from the solid waste stream going into landfills currently being utilized for the disposal of solid waste in Louisiana is necessary in order to protect our environment, prevent nuisances, protect the public health, safety, and welfare, extend the usable life of the facilities, aid in the conservation and recovery of valuable resources, and to conserve energy by efficient reuse of these products, thereby benefiting all citizens of the state.
(2) The legislature further finds that the identification of markets and distribution networks for recyclable or recycled materials is a necessary prerequisite to the orderly development of statewide recycling programs.
(3) The legislature further finds that the state must demonstrate its commitment to proper solid waste management by establishing source separation and recycling programs, and by encouraging market development through the purchase of recycled products by the state government.
B. It is declared to be the purpose of this Chapter to:
(1) Establish a goal of reducing the solid waste stream through waste reduction, reuse, and recycling by thirty percent by December 31, 2006.
(2) Encourage the development of solid waste reduction and recycling as a management procedure at all solid waste facilities in the state and to promote recovery of recyclable materials so as to preserve and enhance the quality of air, water, and land resources.
(3) Encourage the development of the state's recycling industry, thereby conserving the natural resources and energy through reuse.
(4) Require state agencies to procure recycled goods to the maximum extent possible.
(5) Encourage political subdivisions to develop recycling programs allowing each subdivision flexibility to choose the type of program most advantageous to each.
(6) Develop and implement effective public education programs concerning recycling in order to encourage recycling so as to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the land, waters, and air of the state.
(7) Encourage the expansion of businesses located in Louisiana and to whatever extent possible, to look favorably on Louisiana businesses in the recycling industry, which industry includes, but is not limited to those businesses that manufacture, distribute, or act as brokers for recycled products.
C. It is the intent of the legislature, whenever economically feasible and as markets allow, to continually expand the policies of the state to require utilization of recycled resources in the daily operations of the state.
D. The provisions of this Chapter shall only apply to waste that is nonhazardous under the provisions of this Subtitle and the rules adopted pursuant thereto.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1995, No. 1297, §1; Acts 2006, No. 829, §1.
{{NOTE: SEE §§2 AND 3 OF ACTS 1989, NO. 185.}}
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Division" means the division of administration in the office of the governor.
(2) "Fraudulent taking" means the value gained from acts committed by an offender in violation of R.S. 30:2418(M)(1).
(3) "Label" means a molded imprint or raised symbol on or near the bottom of a plastic product.
(4) "Lubricating oil" includes but is not limited to any oil intended for use in an internal combustion engine, crankcase, transmission, gearbox, or differential of an automobile, bus, truck, vessel, airplane, train, heavy equipment, or machinery powered by an internal combustion engine.
(5) "Medium truck tire" means a tire weighing one hundred pounds or more and normally used on semitrailers, truck-tractor, semitrailer combinations or other like vehicles used primarily to commercially transport persons or property on the roads of this state or any other vehicle regularly used on the roads of this state.
(6) "Motor vehicle" means an automobile, motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, and utility terrain vehicle that is operated either on-road or off-road, truck, trailer, semitrailer, truck-tractor and semitrailer combination, or any other vehicle operated in this state, and propelled by power other than muscular power; but the term does not include bicycles and mopeds.
(7) "Motor vehicle dealer" means any person that sells or leases new motor vehicles that are required to be registered in or are intended for use in the state of Louisiana.
(8) "Off-road tire" means a tire weighing one hundred pounds or more and that is normally used on off-road vehicles.
(9) "Off-road vehicle" means construction, farming, industrial, mining, and other vehicles not normally operated on the roads of this state. This term does not include vehicles propelled solely by muscular power.
(10) "Oil recycling" means to prepare used oil for reuse as a petroleum product by rerefining, reclaiming, reprocessing, or other means or to use used oil in a manner that substitutes for a petroleum product made from new oil, specifically including the use of used oil as a fuel oil, provided the used oil meets all applicable rules and regulations.
(11) "Passenger/light truck/small farm service tire" means a tire weighing less than one hundred pounds and normally used on automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and utility terrain vehicles that are operated either on-road or off-road, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, front steer tractors, and farm implement service vehicles.
(12) "Pelletized paper waste" means pellets produced from discarded waste paper that has been diverted or removed from solid waste which is not marketable for recycling and which is wetted, extruded, shredded, or formulated into compact pellets of various sizes for use as supplemental fuel in a permitted boiler. The production of pellets for use as supplemental fuel in a permitted boiler may be used by a solid waste management facility or local governmental subdivision as credit toward attaining its waste reduction goal pursuant to R.S. 30:2413.
(13) "Person" means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation (including a government corporation), partnership, association, state, municipality, commission, political subdivision of a state, an interstate body, or the federal government or any agency of the federal government.
(14) "Plastic bottle" means a plastic container that has a neck that is smaller than the body of the container, accepts a screw-type, snap cap, or other closure and has a capacity of sixteen fluid ounces or more, but less than five gallons.
(15) "Post-consumer recovered fiber" means fiber beyond the papermaking process, excluding pulp substitutes, which has been altered by the use of inks, adhesives, wet strength, resins, coating, plastics, toners, asphalt, hot melt, wax, and other like materials.
(16) "Processed" means any method or activity that alters whole waste tires so that they are no longer whole; such as, cutting, slicing, chipping, shredding, distilling, freezing, or other processes as determined by the administrative authority. At a minimum, a tire is considered processed only if its volume has been reduced by more than half.
(17) "Program eligible waste tires" means those waste tires generated within Louisiana.
(18) "Reclaiming" means the use of methods, other than those used in rerefining, to purify used oil primarily to remove insoluble contaminants, making the oil suitable for further use; which may include settling, heating, dehydration, filtration, distillation, or centrifuging.
(19) "Recovered materials" means those materials which have known recycling potential, can be feasibly recycled, and have been diverted or removed from the solid waste stream for sale, use, or reuse, by separation, collection, or processing.
(20) "Recovered paper" means paper generated beyond the papermaking process which is subsequently recycled. The papermaking process ends after the first slitter/winder with the cutting and trimming of the reel into small rolls. Recovered paper includes the recovered material equivalent for cotton fiber paper.
(21) "Recyclable material" means those materials which are capable of being recycled and which would otherwise be processed or disposed of as nonhazardous solid waste.
(22) "Recycled content" means materials that contain a percentage of post-consumer materials as determined by the department in the products or materials to be procured, including but not limited to paper, aluminum, glass, and composted materials.
(23) "Recycled paper product" means all paper and woodpulp products which contain the recommended minimum content standards specified in the guidelines as adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-580, 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.), as amended, and which are specified in the rules and regulations promulgated by the secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality pursuant to R.S. 30:2415.4, except that high grade bleach printing and writing papers defined in such guidelines, rules, and regulations shall contain a minimum of fifty percent recovered paper or twenty percent recovered post-consumer fiber by fiber weight.
(24) "Recycling" means any process by which nonhazardous solid waste, or materials which would otherwise become solid waste, are collected, separated, or processed and reused or returned to use in the form of raw materials or products.
(25) "Rerefining" means the use of refining processes on used oil to produce high-quality base stocks for lubricants or other petroleum products. Rerefining processes may include distillation, hydrotreating, or treatments employing acid, caustic, solvent, clay, or other chemicals, or other physical treatments other than those used in reclaiming.
(26) "Rigid plastic container" means any formed or molded container, other than a bottle, intended for single use, composed predominantly of plastic resin, and having a relatively inflexible finite shape or form with a capacity of eight ounces or more but less than five gallons.
(27) "Sale of a motor vehicle" means any sale or lease of a new motor vehicle that would be required to be registered in or intended for use in the state of Louisiana.
(28) "Solid waste" means any garbage, refuse, sludge, and other discarded material, including those in a solid, liquid, or semisolid state resulting from residential, community, or commercial activities. As used in this Chapter, the term "solid waste" shall not include mining, agricultural, special and industrial wastes, or hazardous and infectious wastes. It also does not include or mean solid or dissolved material in domestic sewage or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits under R.S. 30:2074, or source, special nuclear, or byproduct material as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq., as amended, or hazardous waste subject to permits under R.S. 30:2171 et seq. The definition of solid waste shall not include recovered materials or uncontaminated scrap metal materials which are purchased for resale to be recycled or reused and are not destined for disposal. It also shall not include post-use polymers or recovered feedstocks as defined in R.S. 30:2153 that are converted through advanced recycling as defined in R.S. 30:2153 or are held at an advanced recycling facility as defined in R.S. 30:2153 prior to conversion.
(29) "Solid waste management facility" means any solid waste disposal area, volume reduction plant, transfer station, or other facility, the purpose of which is resource recovery or the disposal, recycling, processing, or storage of solid waste and which is owned or operated by or receives solid waste from a parish or municipality. This does not include advanced recycling facilities as defined in R.S. 30:2153 or those facilities which collect, process, remanufacture, or ship recovered materials unless the facilities are engaged in the management of solid waste.
(30) "Tire" means a continuous solid or pneumatic rubber covering encircling the wheel of a motor vehicle or off-road vehicle, including the spare tire of such vehicles.
(31) "Used oil" means any oil, whether refined from crude oil or synthetic oil, that has been used and as a result of such use, is contaminated by physical or chemical impurities.
(32) "Used oil collection facility" means automotive service facilities, governmentally sponsored collection facilities, or other facilities, which in the course of business accept for disposal of five gallons or less of used oil from the general public, all as is more fully set forth by rule, and which store used oil in tanks or containers approved by the department.
(33) "Used oil recycling facility" means any facility that accepts more than ten thousand gallons of used oil annually for oil recycling purposes.
(34) "Waste tire" means a whole tire that is no longer suitable for its original purpose because of wear, damage, or defect.
(35) "Waste tire collection center" means a site where used tires are collected from the public prior to being offered for recycling.
(36) "Waste tire generation" means the replacement of an unserviceable tire with a serviceable tire. The sorting, collection, exchange, trade, or transportation of a waste tire is not waste tire generation.
(37) "Waste tire material" means recovered material produced from whole waste tires which have been processed, unless abandoned or otherwise improperly disposed of in a manner that subjects the material to solid waste regulations.
(38) "Waste tire processing facility" means a site where equipment is used to cut, burn, or otherwise alter whole waste tires so that they are no longer whole.
(39) "White goods" means inoperative and discarded refrigerators, ranges, water heaters, freezers, microwave ovens, and other similar domestic and commercial large appliances.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, No. 379, §1; Acts 1991, No. 964, §§1 and 2; Acts 1992, No. 924, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1297, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1015, §1, eff. July 9, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 623, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 101, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2006, No. 829, §§1 and 2; Acts 2015, No. 427, §1; Acts 2016, No. 633, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2016; Acts 2023, No. 43, §1, eff. June 1, 2023.
A. The secretary shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To provide technical assistance to parishes, municipalities, and other persons, and coordinate with appropriate federal agencies, and private organizations in carrying out the provisions of this Subchapter.
(2) To adopt rules and regulations to encourage reduction, recycling, and resource recovery of solid waste as a source of raw materials to be utilized in the production of goods in the state and to carry out the purposes of this Chapter.
(3) To assist in and encourage, to the maximum extent possible, the development within the state of industries and commercial enterprises which are based upon resource recovery, recycling, and reuse of solid waste.
(4) To promote research on alternative, economically feasible, cost-effective, and environmentally safe solid waste management and encourage public input during the research process.
(5) To serve as an information source of recycling businesses operating in the state and assist in matching recovered materials with markets. Such information as may be compiled shall be made available to local governments to assist with their solid waste management activities.
(6) To award grants to local governments through a mechanism to be established by rule for solid waste recycling and recovery programs.
(7) To promote public education and public awareness of the necessity of initiating waste reduction and recycling programs as an integral part of all solid waste management programs in the state.
(8) To adopt, by rules, such fees as may be necessary to administer this Chapter. Such rules shall be adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act; however, any legislative oversight hearings shall be held before a joint oversight subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.
(9)(a) The secretary shall collect and compile information and data, to be provided by the parishes and municipalities, on resource recovery and recycling programs operated by such parishes and municipalities.
(b) The department shall report annually to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality its findings and conclusions on the status of resource recovery and recycling programs in the parishes and municipalities.
(10) To establish a recycling council composed of representatives from municipal, local, and state government, industry, business, solid waste management, academia, and organizations involved in recycling to delineate needs and to address solid waste management issues.
B. The secretary may require each parish, in conjunction with its major municipalities, to submit a plan for attaining a twenty-five percent waste reduction goal by December 31, 1992. The plans shall be reviewed annually by each parish and revisions or modifications submitted to the department along with an annual progress report. The initial plan should include proposed educational programs, recycling programs and incentives, review of recycled products markets and back-up markets being utilized, a review of existing recycling programs that are both public and private, and any contingency measures as appropriate.
C. Local governmental subdivisions are hereby authorized to pass through any fee imposed pursuant to this Chapter to any person provided any collection and disposal services regarding solid waste by a local governmental subdivision. However, such authorization shall not include deposits, fees, or assessments on any disposal beverage containers by any political subdivision or authority within the state of Louisiana.
D. In developing and implementing recycling programs, parishes and municipalities shall give consideration to the collection, marketing, and disposition of recyclable materials by persons engaged in the business of recycling on September 1, 1989, whether or not the persons were operating for profit. Parishes and municipalities are encouraged to use for-profit and nonprofit organizations in fulfilling their responsibilities under this Chapter.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, No. 21, §1, eff. June 14, 1991; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 2001, No. 562, §1, eff. June 22, 2001; Acts 2006, No. 829, §1; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
A. The legislature finds that hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused devastation throughout south Louisiana resulting in the generation of debris heretofore unanticipated. While the state has made progress in preparing a debris management plan, the legislature finds and declares that a plan for future events is vital to the protection and welfare of the people of the state of Louisiana. The legislature further finds and declares that a comprehensive management plan for debris generated by natural disasters within the state of Louisiana should be prepared in advance to facilitate a reasonable, efficient, and prompt recovery from natural disasters that will be protective of human health and the environment.
B. The secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality shall develop and implement a comprehensive debris management plan for debris generated by state and federally declared disasters and debris generated from the rebuilding efforts resulting from these disasters. The management plan shall be to reuse and recycle material and to divert debris from disposal in landfills to the maximum extent practical, efficient, and expeditious in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment. The plan shall be consistent with state and federal law and shall not supersede any ordinance adopted by a local governing authority. In developing such plan, the secretary shall utilize the following debris management practices in order of priority, to the extent they are appropriate, practical, efficient, timely, and have available funding:
(1) Recycling and composting.
(2) Weight reduction.
(3) Volume reduction.
(4) Incineration or co-generation.
(5) Land disposal.
C. Of the total green and woody debris intended for final disposal in a landfill, fifty percent shall be reduced by weight and fifty percent by volume prior to transport to a landfill. Green and woody debris may be used in coastal restoration projects, as compost, or as fuel. Green and woody debris shall not be disposed of in a landfill as the first option; however, such debris may be used as a component of the cover system for a landfill or a means for providing erosion control.
D. The comprehensive debris management plan shall utilize the most environmentally beneficial management techniques consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the state, to the extent funding is available, and shall promote the efficient and expeditious management of the debris. The plan shall place restrictions on open burning and shall require that any burning shall utilize equipment to reduce emissions of particulate matter if the department and respective local governing authority deem the use of equipment necessary to protect public health and the environment.
E. The goal of the comprehensive debris management plan shall be to reuse and recycle material, including the removal of aluminum from debris, in an environmentally beneficial manner and to divert debris from disposal in landfills to the maximum extent practical and efficient which is protective of human health and the environment. In complying with this goal, the plan shall require that uncontaminated wood debris generated from construction be segregated and reduced in weight and volume prior to transport to a landfill. In diverting debris from disposal in landfills, the plan shall require that recyclables and hazardous waste be segregated for beneficial environmental use or reduced in weight prior to transport to a landfill.
F. Such plan shall be submitted to the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and the House Committee on Environment no later than July 1, 2006.
Acts 2006, No. 662, §1.
The following wastes or activities are exempt from the requirements of this Chapter:
(1) Recovered materials, except used oils, if a majority of the recovered materials at a facility are demonstrated to be sold, used, or reused within twelve months.
(2) Recovered materials, except used oils, or the products or byproducts of operations that process recovered materials which are not discharged, deposited, injected, dumped, spilled, leaked, or placed into or upon any land or water so that such products or byproducts or any constituent thereof may enter lands or be emitted into the air or discharged into the waters, including groundwaters, or otherwise enter the environment or pose a threat to public health and safety or the environment.
(3) Recovered materials which are hazardous wastes and have not been recovered from solid wastes and which are defined as hazardous wastes under applicable state or federal regulations.
(4) Those wastes exempt under the Louisiana Solid Waste Management and Resource Recovery Law and the Louisiana Solid Waste Rules and Regulations.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, No. 964, §1.
A. The division of administration, in coordination with the department, shall adopt rules to require the use and purchase of goods with recycled content by all state agencies and political subdivisions. The rules shall, at a minimum, include the Environmental Protection Agency's comprehensive guideline for procurement of products containing recovered materials. Such rules shall also allow flexibility for the consideration of product performance, price, availability, content of recovered materials, remanufactured products, and no cost manufacturer take back programs.
B. Each state agency shall adopt a policy which encourages to the maximum extent possible the utilization of products with recycled contents.
C. The division of administration shall develop rules to allow up to a five percent differential in price for the purchase of products with recycled content, provided that such products are manufactured in Louisiana. These rules shall be reviewed annually by the division and department and a written report with data and recommendations submitted to the legislature annually.
D. The division shall establish a schedule to ensure a continued use of products with recycled content by establishing goals for state procurement of specified products. Such numeric goals shall be established by the division by January 1, 2007, and shall be directed toward the utilization of the maximum amount of goods and products with recycled content. In no case shall these goals be less than five percent of total applicable goods and purchases per year over a five-year period.
E. The Department of Transportation and Development shall, by January 1, 2007, initiate rulemaking to ensure the use of the maximum amount of recycled materials in highway construction and maintenance. The rules shall, at a minimum, include the Environmental Protection Agency's comprehensive guideline for procurement of products containing recovered materials.
F. State agencies in Louisiana and all others using state general funds shall encourage the purchase of paper and paper products, tissue and paper towels, which shall contain the recommended minimum content standards as provided in R.S. 30:2412.
G. The commissioner of administration shall monitor the goals for minimum uses by the state of recycled paper products, pursuant to R.S. 30:2415.1. A goal of an increase in the total state procurement shall be established that will result in an increase of five percent annually, until such time as a minimum goal of fifty percent of the total purchased is reached within ten years. A minimum of twenty percent of this total shall consist of high-grade white paper.
H. Each department of the executive branch, the legislature, and the judicial branch of state government shall adopt a program to reduce solid waste, including but not limited to adopting paperless office programs. Likewise each branch of state government shall adopt a recycling program with emphasis on single stream recycling so as to increase compliance.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1995, No. 1297, §1; Acts 2006, No. 829, §1; Acts 2010, No. 852, §1, eff. June 30, 2010.
The division shall give preference by rules to the purchase of recycled paper products as defined pursuant to R.S. 30:2412.
Acts 1995, No. 1297, §1.
A. Within six months after September 1, 1989, the department shall initiate rulemaking to prescribe allowable uses and application rates of compost sold as a product, and to establish the requirements necessary to produce hygienically safe compost products for various applications.
B. The rules shall classify the compost according to the following categories:
(1) The types of waste composted, including at least one category containing only yard trash.
(2) The maturity of the compost, including at least three categories for degree of decomposition for fresh, semimature, and mature compost.
(3) Categories based on levels of organic and inorganic constituents in the compost.
C. These rules shall establish methods for measuring:
(1) Compost maturity.
(2) Particle size.
(3) Moisture content.
(4) Average levels of organic and inorganic constituents, including heavy metals, for such classes of compost as the department establishes, and the analytical methods to determine those levels.
D. The rules shall also prescribe:
(1) The total quantity of organic and inorganic constituents, including heavy metals, allowed to be applied through the addition of compost to the soil per acre per year.
(2) The allowable uses of compost based on maturity and type of compost.
E. If compost is produced that does not meet the criteria prescribed by the department for agricultural and other uses, the compost must be reprocessed or disposed of in a manner approved by the department, unless a different application is specifically permitted by the department.
F. The department shall work with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry in developing the standards and in seeking ways to promote the use and development of markets for composted materials.
G. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to compost produced by an individual for his own use.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.
A. It is the intent of the legislature to reduce the amount of illegally disposed used oil by providing incentives to increase the number of used oil collection facilities for used oil recovery, and consequently recover more of this valuable natural resource and concurrently enhance the state's environment. On or before January 1, 1992, the secretary shall promulgate regulations and guidelines for a used oil recycling program to promote and encourage the proper collection and reuse of used oil. The regulations and guidelines shall provide for but not be limited to:
(1) Awarding grants, subsidies, and loans to municipalities, parishes, and other political subdivisions to establish and provide continuous operation of collecting services and facilities for used oil.
(2) Establishing and maintaining a used oil information program.
(3) Maintaining an "800+" telephone information program to inform the public of used oil collection locations.
(4) Encouraging the voluntary establishment of used oil collection and recycling programs by public interest groups, automotive service facilities, and others, and providing technical assistance to such program organizers.
(5) Regulating mixtures of used oil and hazardous waste as used oil if the hazardous waste contained in the mixture is so classified solely due to the waste's characteristic of ignitability, such as mineral spirits, provided that the mixture does not exhibit the characteristic of ignitability pursuant to such rules and regulations.
(6), (7) Repealed by Acts 2006, No. 829, §2.
B, C. Repealed by Acts 2012, No. 834, §13, eff. July 1, 2012.
D. The secretary shall develop guidelines to award grants, subsidies, and low interest loans to local government to encourage the establishment and maintenance of programs and facilities to reduce the improper disposal of used oil, which may include the following in the order of priority to be supported:
(1) Establishing publicly operated used oil collection facilities at landfills and other public places.
(2) Curbside pickup of used oil containers by a local government or its designee.
(3) Retrofitting solid waste equipment to promote curbside pickup or disposal of used oil at designated collection facilities.
(4) Providing containers and other materials and supplies that the public can use to store in an environmentally safe manner used oil for pickup or delivery to a collection facility.
E. The following activities are prohibited:
(1) No person may knowingly collect, transport, store, recycle, use, or dispose of used oil in any manner which endangers the public health or welfare.
(2) No person may knowingly discharge or cause to be discharged used oil into sewers, drainage systems, septic tanks, or any waters or lands of the state.
(3) After July 1, 1991, no person may knowingly mix or commingle used oil with solid waste that is to be disposed of in landfills or directly knowingly dispose of used oil in solid waste landfills within the state of Louisiana unless specifically approved by the department.
(4) Repealed by Acts 2006, No. 829, §2.
(5) Used oil shall not be used for road oiling, dust control, weed abatement, or other similar uses that have the potential to release used oil into the environment.
F. The department shall develop incentives for the reuse, recycling, and marketing of used oil. Such incentives may include a program to encourage individuals who change their own oil to return used oil to a used oil collection facility.
G. As of July 1, 1992, no person shall knowingly dispose of used oil in any manner other than at a permitted used oil collection facility, unless specifically approved by the department. Exempt from this requirement are entities which only burn used oil generated by the burner, provided such burning is done in compliance with applicable rules of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
H. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the collection, transportation, or disposal of used oil mixed or commingled with solid waste by any person engaged in the collection, transportation, and/or disposal of solid waste, unless it can be demonstrated that such person knew that such used oil had been mixed or commingled with the solid waste collected, transported, or disposed of and unless it can be demonstrated that it is economically and environmentally feasible to remove and recover such used oil from the solid waste collected, transported, or disposed of.
I. When purchasing lubricating oils, every person acting as purchasing agent for any agency, board, commission, or department of the state shall give preference to rerefined oil which meets manufacturer's warranty, provided the cost of rerefined oil does not exceed by more than five percent the cost of other oils, and so long as the product contains at least twenty-five percent rerefined oil.
J. For the purposes of this Section, the owner or operator of a used oil collection facility which accepts used oil from the public may presume that a quantity of no more than five gallons of used oil accepted from any member of the public is not mixed with a hazardous substance, provided that such owner or operator acts in good faith and provided that the recycled or used oil:
(1) Has been removed from the engine of a light duty motor vehicle, farm equipment, or a household appliance by the owner of such vehicle, equipment, or appliance.
(2) Is presented by such owner to the dealer for collection, accumulation, and delivery to an oil recycling facility.
(3) The owner or operator is not knowingly accepting used oil which has been mixed with any listed or characteristic hazardous waste or hazardous substance.
K. No person, including the state of Louisiana or any political subdivision thereof, may recover under R.S. 30:2276 from a permitted used oil collection facility for any response costs or damages resulting from a release or threatened release of any collected used oil if such used oil:
(1) Is not knowingly mixed with any other hazardous substance.
(2) Is stored, treated, transported, or otherwise managed in compliance with:
(a) The regulatory standards established by the secretary hereunder.
(b) The terms and conditions of the collection facility's permit.
L. The limitation of liability provided for in Subsection K of this Section shall not relieve a permitted used oil collection facility from the responsibility of responding to and taking appropriate remedial action in response to a discharge at the used oil collection facility.
M. No person shall dispose of used refined motor oil by discharge into municipal sewers, municipal drainage systems, surface or groundwaters, watercourses, or marine waters.
N. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the regulations and guidelines promulgated pursuant to this Section shall require all used oil collection centers, transfer facilities, and transporters as defined in LAC 33:V.4001, which are or will be located in a parish with a population of between nine thousand eight hundred seventy and nine thousand eight hundred ninety people based on the 1990 federal census, to obtain licenses or permits authorizing such centers, facilities, and transporters to handle used oil in compliance with this Section, if any such centers, facilities, and transporters are also conducting processing as defined in LAC 33:V.4001. Such processing includes but is not limited to physical separation of water from the used oil. Nothing in this Subsection shall apply to businesses that primarily engage in oil changes. Further, nothing in this Subsection shall apply to any center, facility, or transporter that is validly permitted or licensed and that began operations prior to January 1, 1999.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, No. 964, §1; Acts 1992, No. 537, §1; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2; Acts 1999, No. 1296, §1, eff. July 12, 1999; Acts 2006, No. 829, §1, 2; Acts 2012, No. 834, §13, eff. July 1, 2012.
A. The owner or operator of a waste tire collection center shall provide the department with a notification of the site's location, size, and the approximate number of waste tires that are accumulated at the site.
B. It is unlawful for any person to dispose knowingly and intentionally of waste tires in the state, unless the waste tires are disposed of for processing, or collected for processing, at a permitted solid waste disposal facility, a permitted waste tire processing facility, or a waste tire collection center.
C. Waste tires that are not subjected to processing or recycling may not be deposited knowingly and intentionally in a landfill as a method of ultimate disposal. However, notwithstanding any other law or rule to the contrary, waste tires that have been prepared for disposal by cutting, separating, shredding, or other means in accordance with the rules or standards of the department may be disposed of in a landfill.
D. The department shall by rule encourage the voluntary establishment of waste tire collection centers at all retail outlets that are engaged in the sale of tires. Such centers shall be open to the public and programs to encourage the return of waste tires to collection centers shall be undertaken by the department.
E. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the collection, transportation, or disposal of waste tires mixed or commingled with solid waste by any person engaged in the collection, transportation, or disposal of solid waste, unless it can be demonstrated that such person knew that such waste tires had been mixed or commingled with the solid waste collected, transported, and/or disposed and unless it can be demonstrated that it is economically and environmentally feasible to remove and recover such waste tires from the solid waste collected, transported, and/or disposed.
F. An owner or operator of a waste tire collection center may store waste tires for up to one year provided that such storage is solely for the purpose of accumulation of such quantities of waste tires as are necessary to facilitate proper recovery, processing, or disposal.
G. There is hereby established a statutorily dedicated fund account in the state treasury to be known as the "Waste Tire Management Dedicated Fund Account", hereafter referred to in this Section as the "account". Any fees collected, pursuant to the secretary's rules and regulations, on the sale of tires, and any other appropriations, gifts, grants, or other monies received by the Department of Environmental Quality for the credit of the account, shall be remitted to the state treasury and credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, as provided by the laws of this state and the Constitution of Louisiana. After a sufficient amount is allocated from the Bond Security and Redemption Fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which become due and payable within any fiscal year, the treasurer shall pay into the account an amount equal to the total amount previously deposited into the treasury. All interest earned on money from the account and invested by the state treasurer shall be credited to the account. The monies in the account shall be administered by the secretary solely for the purposes of solving the state's waste tire problem. No monies from the account shall be used to provide payments to waste tire processors for processing tires that are generated in Louisiana when those tires are processed in any other state. Monies deposited into the account shall be categorized as fees and self-generated revenue for the sole purpose of reporting related to the executive budget, supporting documents, and general appropriation bills and shall be available for annual appropriation by the legislature.
H. The secretary shall promulgate rules, regulations, and guidelines for the administration and enforcement of the waste tire program provided for in this Chapter, which shall be subject to legislative review and approval by the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment. The rules, regulations, and guidelines shall provide for but not be limited to:
(1) Establishing standards, requirements, and permitting procedures for waste tire transporters, collection sites, generators, and processors. The requirements for waste tire transporters, collection sites, and processors shall include proof of commercial liability insurance in a sufficient amount and other evidence of financial responsibility as determined by the secretary. For waste tire transporters, financial responsibility shall include a surety bond in a minimum amount of ten thousand dollars, as determined by the secretary.
(2) Encouraging local governing authorities to establish advisory councils to advise the secretary regarding waste tire clean up.
(3) Providing technical assistance and incentives to encourage market research and development projects.
(4) Providing incentives and assistance for those persons who collect and remit the fee imposed on the sale of tires.
(5) Providing incentives and assistance for collection and transportation of waste tires including, but not limited to, incentives and assistance for local governing authorities which shall be given the highest priority. Subject to Paragraph (7) of this Subsection, this Paragraph shall not prohibit local governing authorities from splitting, slicing, shredding, or baling tires as part of the disposal process or other beneficial use.
(6) Establishing a procedure for accepting voluntary payments from tire retailers to defray the costs of transporting and recycling tires collected at those facilities.
(7) Providing incentives and assistance to waste tire processing facilities, but only if such facilities use, consume, or process the tires so that they may be reused as a raw material, product, or fuel source. No incentives shall be provided to persons who transport waste tires generated in Louisiana and process those tires in any other state.
(8) Remediating environmental and public health problems caused by such waste tires.
(9) Establishing a procedure and criteria for local governing authorities to apply for and receive funds to remediate waste tire problems in their respective jurisdictions. Payment of funds to local governing authorities for waste remediation tire problems shall commence May 1, 1993.
(10) Establishing standards and requirements for expedited approval of customary end-market uses including but are not limited to those recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Rubber Manufacturers Association, or previously approved by the department. Such standards and requirements shall not include disposal as an end market use of eligible waste tire material. No such standard or requirement shall contravene Subsection C or E of this Section.
I.(1)(a) The fee on tires authorized to be levied pursuant to R.S. 30:2413(A)(8) shall not exceed the following:
(i) Two dollars and twenty-five cents per passenger/light truck/small farm service tire.
(ii) Five dollars per medium truck tire.
(iii) Ten dollars per off-road tire.
(b) The secretary may provide for exemptions from the fees levied on the sale of tires pursuant to this Chapter in the regulations provided for in Subsection H of this Section for the sale of tires sold at wholesale and certain tires which are de minimis in nature, including but not limited to lawn mower tires, bicycle tires, and golf cart tires. After June 1, 2004, the secretary may provide for the exemption of certain tire sales from the fee which tires were not previously exempted only through the department's rulemaking authority, including legislative oversight as provided in R.S. 30:2413(A)(8).
(2) A permitted waste tire processing facility shall be paid a minimum of seven and a half cents per pound of waste tire material that is recycled or that reaches end market uses or per pound of whole waste tires that are recycled or that reaches end market uses. This payment shall be made to the facility on or before the twelfth day of the month following the submission of the request for payment and shall be conditioned on the facility providing to the department any documentation, including but not limited to manifests, statements, or certified scale-weight tickets, required by law or by rules and regulations promulgated by the department.
(3)(a) In the event the balance of the account is insufficient to meet the obligations to waste tire processors provided for in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, the department, after meeting all payments required by law, shall pay any undisputed obligations in a pro rata share to waste tire processors having a standard permit when the request for payment was submitted. Any remaining undisputed obligations which would have been paid to waste tire processors but for the insufficiency of the account shall be paid from future surplus funds in the account as provided in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph. However, beginning August 1, 2013, such payments shall be applied in priority from the earliest incurred undisputed obligation to the most current undisputed obligation.
(b) In the event the account has a surplus after meeting all obligations of the account for the month, including any payments required by law, such surplus shall be distributed in a pro rata share to those waste tire processors having a standard permit when the request for payment was submitted and for whom there are unpaid obligations of the account, excluding any disputed amounts. Such surplus shall be processed for payment by the department within fifteen days after the end of the month in which the surplus arose.
(c) For purposes of this Section, "undisputed obligations" means those waste tire material payments which should have been paid by the department to a waste tire processor since January 1, 2003, but which have not been paid due to the insufficiency of the account.
(4) If litigation relating to account payments in dispute prior to March 1, 2004, is resolved through final judgment or settlement, the secretary shall pay from the account the portion of such final judgment or settlement which represents previously disputed account payments within one hundred eighty days of the judgment or settlement. This Subsection shall not be construed to limit or condition the right of the judgment creditor or obligee under the settlement agreement to obtain payment in satisfaction of the judgment or settlement from any source authorized by law.
J. The secretary or his designee shall submit an annual report to the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, and the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and appear before a joint meeting of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality during each regular session to present the report detailing the progress of the waste tire program for the preceding year, the current balance of the account, and the forecast for the account in the following year.
K.(1) Except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, the governing authority of each parish or municipality is hereby authorized to govern the siting of waste tire collection, processing, storage, and depository facilities within their respective jurisdictions. The department shall not issue any permit allowing the establishment of a waste tire collection, processing, storage, or depository facility unless the governing authority of the parish or municipality in which the proposed facility is to be located is first notified by the department of the proposed permit.
(2) The permit application submitted to the department shall be accompanied by a letter of compliance and certification of premises and buildings from the state fire marshal. The applicant shall post a bond in accordance with the requirements of the department sufficient to cover the costs of removal of tires from the site in the event operations cease.
(3) Copies of the permit applications to the department shall be made available to the public at the local governmental office. The department shall hold a public hearing within sixty days of submission of an application. The applicant shall cause the notice of the hearing to be published in the official journal of the parish or municipality on two separate days preceding the hearing. The last day of publication of such notice shall be at least ten days prior to the hearing. The applicant shall post a notice of the hearing at least two weeks prior to the hearing in the courthouse, government center, and all the libraries. A public comment period of at least thirty days shall be allowed following the public hearing.
L. The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations providing incentives, including but not limited to financial rewards, for the reporting of the unauthorized disposal of waste tires.
M.(1) No person shall, with the intent to defraud, prepare, submit, tender, sign, make an entry upon, or certify any invoice, report, manifest, request for payment, claim, or other document in connection with the origin, transportation, storage, transfer, assignment, sale, or disposal of waste tires, as defined by R.S. 30:2412.
(2) Penalties for a violation of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall be based on the value of the fraudulent taking. When the fraudulent taking results from a number of distinct acts by the offender, the aggregate amount of the payments, subsidies, credits, other disbursements, or things of value obtained shall determine the grade of the offense. Penalties shall be as follows:
(a) If the fraudulent taking amounts to a value of five hundred dollars or more, the offender shall be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than ten years, or may be fined not more than three thousand dollars, or both.
(b) When the fraudulent taking amounts to a value of three hundred dollars or more, but less than five hundred dollars, the offender shall be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than two years, or may be fined not more than two thousand dollars, or both.
(c) When the fraudulent taking amounts to less than three hundred dollars the offender shall be imprisoned for not more than six months, or may be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or both. However, if such a conviction is the offender's third or subsequent conviction for violations of this Subsection, the offender shall be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than two years, or may be fined not more than two thousand dollars, or both.
(3) A waste tire processor shall not request or receive payments from the account for any waste tires unless the waste tires are generated and processed in Louisiana, the generator and transporter have signed a statement swearing under penalty of law that the tires were not generated outside the state of Louisiana and are Louisiana-eligible tires, and the processor has signed a statement swearing under penalty of law that he has no knowledge contrary to the representations of the generator and transporter. The department shall provide a standard form to be used by generators, transporters, and processors to comply with this Paragraph.
(4) In addition to any other penalties provided for in this Subsection, any person convicted of violating Paragraph (1) of this Subsection may be barred from participating in the program, including requesting and receiving payments or reimbursements from the account, and any license or registration issued by the department that is required to participate in the program may be ordered to be surrendered. Participants shall include collectors, generators, processors, and transporters. Any such person convicted may be forever barred from employment with or from contracting with any license holder under this Section. Any sentence imposed which includes the suspension or barring under this Paragraph shall be suspended until after rendition of a final conviction from which no appeal may be taken.
(5) Nothing in this Subsection shall preclude the department from promulgating rules and regulations providing for the revocation of licenses or registrations through the Administrative Procedure Act.
N. The secretary shall promulgate rules to make payments to processors on the basis of weight or tire count. Payments to a waste tire processor, or any portion thereof, shall not be temporarily or permanently withheld or terminated prior to written notification by the department of the reasons for such withholding or termination to the processor by certified mail. Any such disputed funds shall be immediately placed in escrow pending final resolution of the matter.
O.(1) Failure by any person to timely remit fees collected that are imposed in this Section shall cause the fees to become immediately delinquent, and the secretary has the authority, on motion in a court of competent jurisdiction, to take a rule to show cause in not less than two nor more than ten days, exclusive of holidays, why such person should not be ordered to cease from further pursuit of business. This rule may be tried in chambers and shall always be tried by preference. If the rule is made absolute, the order rendered thereon shall be considered a judgment in favor of the state, prohibiting the person from the further pursuit of said business until he has paid the delinquent fees and any fines, interest, penalties, and other costs in connection with the fees, and every violation of the injunction shall be considered as a contempt of court and punished according to law.
(2) The provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall not apply if the person has entered into an installment agreement for the payment of the delinquent fees with the department and is in compliance with the terms of the agreement.
(3) Proceeds from the collection of the fees and any fines, penalties, interest, and costs collected in connection with the fees shall be deposited into the account to be used to administer the waste tire program authorized by this Section.
(4) The collection procedure provided for in this Subsection shall be in addition to any other collection procedure available to the department.
(5) In addition to the authority and collection procedure provided for in this Subsection, the secretary has the authority to impose upon any person failing to timely remit fees imposed by this Section, a delinquent fee of ten percent of the unpaid fee or twenty-five dollars, whichever is greater. A delinquent fee of twenty-five dollars may also be imposed upon any person failing to timely submit a monthly waste tire fee report required by any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant to this Section. Proceeds from the collection of the fees authorized by this Paragraph shall be used for special waste tire projects as determined by the secretary. Any such proceeds remaining at the end of the fiscal year that have not been used for special projects shall be deposited in the account.
P. The department shall be responsible for the removal of tires on any property containing more than one thousand tires, located in a historic district in a municipality with a population between twenty-eight and twenty-nine thousand according to the latest decennial census; however, in no event shall the department be responsible for the removal of more than three thousand tires from such property. The owner of any such property shall notify the secretary of the existence and need for removal of tires by certified mail. The department shall be responsible for the cost of labor, transportation, and disposal of any tires removed pursuant to this Subsection and shall have the removal of any such tires complete by September 30, 2022.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1992, No. 664, §1, eff. July 2, 1992; Acts 1993, No. 79, §1; Acts 1993, No. 158, §1; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 1999, No. 1015, §1, eff. July 9, 1999; Acts 1999, No. 1049, §1; Acts 2001, No. 623, §1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 101, §1, eff. April 18, 2002; Acts 2003, No. 582, §1, eff. June 27, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 789, §1; Acts 2004, No. 846, §1; Acts 2006, No. 821, §1, eff. July 5, 2006, and §2, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2; Acts 2010, No. 852, §1, eff. June 30, 2010; Acts 2012, No. 817, §1; Acts 2013, No. 323, §1; Acts 2015, No. 427, §1; Acts 2016, No. 633, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2016; Acts 2018, No. 541, §1; Acts 2021, No. 114, §6, eff. July 1, 2022; Acts 2021, No. 291, §1; Acts 2022, No. 480, §1.
NOTE: Section 2 of Act. No. 323 of the 2013 R.S. requires the Dept. of Environmental Quality to implement Section 1 of the Act through rulemaking and to submit the report required pursuant to R.S. 49:968(A) by December 31, 2013.
NOTE: See Section 3 of Act No. 323 of the 2013 R.S. for the required study and report by the Waste Tire Program Task Force.
NOTE: See Section 2 of Act No. 427 of the 2015 R.S. which extends the authority of the Waste Tire Program Task Force (created by Section 3 of Act No. 323 of the 2013 R.S.), requires annual reporting by the Task Force, and provides relative to the membership of the Task Force.
NOTE: See Sections 3 and 4 of Act No. 427 of the 2015 R.S. relative to the rules, regulations, and guidelines of the Department of Environmental Quality.
A. No person shall store more than twenty whole waste tires nor sell tires without holding a valid generator identification number or other authorization issued by the department.
B. No person subject to Subsection A of this Section shall allow the waste tires generated by his activities to be transported by a person without a valid transporter authorization certificate and a manifest satisfying the requirements of the department.
C. Any person who willfully or knowingly violates this Section shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of five thousand dollars, or imprisonment for six months, or both.
D. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to a commercial farmer as defined in R.S. 47:301(30).
E. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to persons operating a vehicle fleet and performing on-site maintenance exclusively on their own vehicles.
Acts 2021, No. 291, §1; Acts 2022, No. 480, §1.
A. No person shall transport more than twenty whole waste tires without a valid transporter authorization certificate or other authorization issued by the department and a manifest satisfying the requirements of the department.
B. A transporter of waste tires shall only accept and transport waste tires from a person who has obtained a valid generator identification number from the department.
C. Any person who willfully or knowingly violates this Section shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not less than three hundred dollars but not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisonment for six months, or both.
D. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to a commercial farmer as defined in R.S. 47:301(30).
E. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to persons operating a vehicle fleet, and performing on-site maintenance exclusively on their own vehicles, until such time as the department promulgates regulations governing such maintenance activities.
Acts 2021, No. 291, §1.
A.(1) No person may place knowingly and intentionally a lead acid battery in mixed solid waste, or discard or otherwise knowingly and intentionally dispose of a lead acid battery except by delivery to an automotive battery retailer or wholesaler, to a collection or recycling facility authorized under the laws of Louisiana to collect and recycle lead acid batteries, or to a secondary lead smelter permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
(2) No person may knowingly and intentionally deliver scrap to a scrap metal collection and recycling facility authorized under the laws of this state if such scrap contains any lead-acid or nickel cadmium battery, microwave oven, fluorescent light, capacitors exceeding one inch in length, width, or height, hazardous waste as defined by the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, R.S. 30:2001 et seq., radioactive materials regulated by the Louisiana Nuclear Energy and Radiation Control Law, R.S. 30:2101 et seq., and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, or refrigerants containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's).
(3) Any person delivering any scrap, including but not limited to automobiles or automotive parts, to a scrap metal collection and recycling facility must submit to the scrap metal collection and recycling facility a certification signed by a duly authorized representative that all lead-acid or nickel cadmium batteries, microwave ovens, fluorescent lights, capacitors exceeding one inch in length, width, or height, hazardous waste as defined by the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, R.S. 30:2001 et seq., radioactive materials regulated by the Louisiana Nuclear Energy and Radiation Control Law, R.S. 30:2101 et seq., and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, or refrigerants containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) have been removed from and are not included with the scrap delivered.
B. No automotive battery retailer shall dispose of a used lead acid battery except by delivery to an agent of a battery wholesaler, to a battery manufacturer for delivery to a secondary lead smelter, or to a collection or recycling facility authorized under the laws of Louisiana to collect and recycle lead acid batteries.
C. Each item improperly placed, delivered, or disposed of in violation of this Section shall constitute a separate violation.
D. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the collection, transportation, or disposal of lead acid batteries mixed or commingled with solid waste by any person engaged in the collection, transportation, and/or disposal of solid waste, unless it can be demonstrated that such person knew that such lead acid batteries had been mixed or commingled with the solid waste collected, transported, and/or disposed and unless it can be demonstrated that it is economically and environmentally feasible to remove and recover such lead acid batteries from the solid waste collected, transported, and/or disposed.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1997, No. 95, §1; Acts 2010, No. 410, §1.
A. Any person selling lead acid batteries at retail or offering lead acid batteries for retail sale in the state shall:
(1) Accept, at the point of transfer, in a quantity at least equal to the number of new batteries purchased, used lead acid batteries from customers, if offered by customers.
(2) Post written notice which must be at least eight and one-half inches by eleven inches in size and must contain the universal recycling symbol and the following language: "It is illegal to discard a motor vehicle battery or other lead acid battery. Recycle your used batteries. State law requires us to accept used motor vehicle batteries or other lead acid batteries for recycling, in exchange for new batteries purchased."
B. Any person selling new lead acid batteries at wholesale shall accept, at the point of transfer, in a quantity at least equal to the number of new batteries purchased, used lead acid batteries from customers, if offered by customers.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 2006, No. 829, §1.
A. After July 1, 1990, no person may knowingly and intentionally place, discard, or otherwise knowingly and intentionally dispose of white goods except in a collection or recycling facility in accordance with the rules and regulations of the department. However, any person engaged in the collection, transportation, and/or disposal of white goods pursuant to a contract with a parish or municipality on the effective date of this Chapter may continue to dispose of said white goods collected, transported, or presented for disposal during the term of said contract and any extension authorized under such contracts.
B. The department shall establish by rule a procedure to require that all persons engaged in the retail sale of products that will meet the definition of white goods once the product becomes inoperable or discarded post written notice at the point of sale informing the purchaser of the options and preferred methods for disposal of the used items.
C. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the collection, transportation, or disposal of white goods mixed or commingled with solid waste by any person engaged in the collection, transportation, and/or disposal of solid waste, unless it can be demonstrated that such person knew that such white goods had been mixed or commingled with the solid waste collected, transported, and/or disposed and unless it can be demonstrated that it is economically and environmentally feasible to remove and recover such white goods from the solid waste collected, transported, and/or disposed.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 2006, No. 829, §1.
A. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations to set goals to phase out the disposal of materials which have known recycling potential, which can be feasibly recycled, or have been diverted or removed from the solid waste stream for sale, use, or reuse, by separation, collection, or processing. Such rules shall include the provisions for establishment of a list of recyclable materials. No rules and regulations adopted by the secretary shall apply to any materials prior to their entering into the solid waste stream.
B. The department shall, at least annually, review the list of recyclable items. This review shall consider the available recycling technologies, markets, cost, and any other factors as deemed to be appropriate when compiling and reviewing the list of recyclable items.
C. The secretary may require each solid waste management facility to provide for a drop-off location for source separated recyclable materials if deemed necessary to meet the purposes and goals of this Chapter.
D. On or after January 1, 1991, no person shall knowingly and intentionally distribute, sell, or offer for sale in this state any plastic bottle sixteen ounces or larger, or rigid plastic containers eight ounces or larger unless the product is labeled with a code indicating the plastic resin used to produce the bottle or container. Rigid plastic bottles or rigid plastic containers with labels and basecups of a different material shall be coded by their basic material. The code shall conform to the code developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry.
E. On or after January 1, 1991, no container shall knowingly and intentionally be sold or offered for sale in this state that is connected to other containers by a separate holding device constructed of plastic rings unless such rings are composed of such material which is capable of being recycled or degraded in one hundred twenty days or less.
Acts 1989, No. 185, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.
A. No person engaged in the business of recycling may purchase or have in his possession aluminum materials consisting of official highway signs or signals that provide traffic information, control, or directions or highway guard rails unless such purchase or possession is accompanied by an act of sale from the public entity which owns such materials.
B. Any person found to be in violation of this Section may be liable for a civil penalty, to be assessed by the secretary, the assistant secretary for the office of environmental compliance, or the court, of not more than five hundred dollars.
Acts 1990, No. 682, §1; Acts 1999, No. 303, §1, eff. June 14, 1999.
This Chapter may be cited as the "Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act".
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. Louisiana is subject to greater exposure to a major oil spill disaster than any other state. This is the result of the large volumes of stored oil, numerous production platforms and miles of pipelines, large numbers of inland barges, and heavy tanker traffic, including the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port which receives fifteen percent of the oil imported into the United States. This exposure, coupled with the limited adequate highway access to the coast and remote inland areas for rapid transport of oil spill equipment and few areas suitable for staging facilities, creates great potential for a major oil spill event and its consequences in a state which has twenty-six percent of the nation's commercial fisheries, has the nation's highest marine recreational fishery catches, leads the nation in fur production and the world in alligator production, and has more overwintering waterfowl than any other state. Commercial and recreational marine fisheries are concentrated within a few miles inshore and offshore of the coastline where oil from a major coastal spill would concentrate.
B. Added to the high exposure and inaccessibility of large portions of the coast and inland areas is the vulnerability of Louisiana's nearshore and wetland environments. The numerous shallow interconnecting waterways and gentle slope of the coastal areas would allow deep penetration of oil into the state's estuaries. The vast expanses of Louisiana's soft unconsolidated marshes lying just a few inches above sea level would, in the event of an oil spill, soak up large amounts of oil.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1.
A. The legislature finds and declares that the release of oil into the environment presents a real and substantial threat to the public health and welfare, to the environment, the wildlife and aquatic life, and to the economy of the state. Further, the legislature declares that the purpose of this Chapter is to assist the legislature in fulfilling its duties to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources of this state in accordance with Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana.
B. The legislature declares that it is the intent of this Chapter to support and complement the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-380) and other federal law, specifically those provisions relating to the national contingency plan for cleanup of oil spills and discharges, including provisions relating to the responsibilities of state agencies designated as natural resources trustees. The legislature intends this Chapter to be interpreted and implemented in a manner consistent with federal law.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
In this Chapter:
(1) "Barrel" means forty-two United States gallons at sixty degrees Fahrenheit.
(2) "Coastal waters" means the waters and bed of the Gulf of Mexico within the jurisdiction of the state of Louisiana, including the arms of the Gulf of Mexico subject to tidal influence, estuaries, and any other waters within the state if such other waters are navigated by vessels with a capacity to carry ten thousand gallons or more of oil as fuel or cargo.
(3) "Comprehensive assessment method" means a method including sampling, modeling, and other appropriate scientific procedures to make a reasonable and rational determination of injury and cost-effective restoration alternatives to natural resources resulting from an unauthorized discharge of oil.
(4) "Coordinator" means the Louisiana oil spill coordinator.
(5) "Crude oil" means any naturally occurring liquid hydrocarbon at atmospheric temperature and pressure coming from the earth, including condensate.
(6) "Damages" means and includes any of the following:
(a) Natural resources - damages for injury to, destruction of, or loss of natural resources as defined in this Section, include the reasonable and any direct, documented cost to assess, restore, rehabilitate, or replace injured natural resources, or to mitigate further injury, and their diminution in value after such restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or mitigation, which shall be recoverable by the state of Louisiana.
(b) Immovable or corporeal movable property - damages for injury to, or economic loss resulting from destruction of, immovable or corporeal movable property, which shall be recoverable by a person who owns or leases that property. For purposes of this Chapter, "immovable property" shall have the same meaning as "immovables" as provided in Civil Code Article 462. For purposes of this Chapter, "corporeal movable property" shall have the same meaning as "corporeal movables" as provided in Civil Code Article 471.
(c) Revenues - damages equal to the net loss of taxes, royalties, rents, fees, or net profit share due to the injury, destruction, or loss of immovable or corporeal movable property, or natural resources, which shall be recoverable by the state of Louisiana.
(d) Public services - damages for net costs of providing increased or additional public services during or after removal activities, including protection from fire, safety, or health hazards, caused by a discharge of oil, recoverable by the state of Louisiana or any of its political subdivisions.
(e), (f) Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 740, §2.
(7) "Deepwater port" is a facility licensed in accordance with the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 1501-1524).
(8) "Discharge cleanup organization" means any group or cooperative, incorporated or unincorporated, of owners or operators of vessels or terminal facilities and any other persons who may elect to join, organized for the purpose of abating, containing, removing, or cleaning up pollution from discharges of oil or rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife or other natural resources through cooperative efforts and shared equipment, personnel, or facilities. Any third-party cleanup contractor, industry cooperative, volunteer organization, or local government shall be recognized as a discharge cleanup organization, provided the coordinator properly certifies the organization.
(9) "Discharge of oil" means an intentional or unintentional act or omission by which harmful quantities of oil are spilled, leaked, pumped, poured, emitted, or dumped into or on coastal waters of the state or at any other place where, unless controlled or removed, they may drain, seep, run, or otherwise enter coastal waters of the state.
(10) "Emergency" means an emergency declared by the governor in accordance with state law.
(11) "Facility" means any structure, group of structures, equipment, or device other than a vessel which is used for one or more of the following purposes: exploration for, drilling for, producing, storing, handling, transferring, processing, or transporting oil. This term includes any motor vehicle, rolling stock, or pipeline used for one or more of these purposes.
(12) "Federal fund" means the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.
(13) "Fund" means the Oil Spill Contingency Fund.
(14) "Harmful quantity" means that quantity of oil the discharge of which is determined by the coordinator to be harmful to the environment or public health or welfare or may reasonably be anticipated to present an imminent and substantial danger to the public health or welfare.
(15) "Hotline" means the emergency telephone number established in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter to respond to a threatened or unauthorized discharge of oil.
(16) "Marine terminal" means any terminal facility within the state of Louisiana used for transferring crude oil to or from vessels.
(17) "National contingency plan" means the plan prepared and published, as revised from time to time, under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. §§1321 et seq.) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. §§9601 et seq.).
(18) "Natural resources" means all land, fish, shellfish, fowl, wildlife, biota, vegetation, air, water, groundwater supplies, and other similar resources owned, managed, held in trust, regulated, or otherwise controlled by the state.
(19) "Negotiated assessment" means a restoration plan agreed upon by the coordinator, in consultation and agreement with any other state trustees, and the responsible party.
(20) "Oil" means oil of any kind or in any form, including but not limited to crude oil, petroleum, fuel oil, sludge, oil refuse, and oil mixed with wastes other than dredged spoil, but does not include petroleum, including crude oil or any fraction thereof, which is specifically listed or designated as a hazardous substance under Subparagraphs (A) through (F) of Section 101(14) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. §§9601 et seq.) and which is subject to the provisions of that Act.
(21) "Oil spill" shall have the same meaning as "discharge of oil" as defined in this Section.
(22) "Owner" or "operator" means:
(a) Any person owning, operating, or chartering by demise a vessel; or
(b)(i) Any person owning a terminal facility, excluding a political subdivision of the state that as owner transfers possession and the right to use a terminal facility to another person by lease, assignment, or permit; or
(ii) A person operating a terminal facility by lease, contract, or other form of agreement.
(23) "Person in charge" means the person on the scene who is directly responsible for a terminal facility or vessel when a threatened or unauthorized discharge of oil occurs or a particular duty arises under this Chapter.
(24) "Person responsible", "responsible person", or "responsible party" means:
(a) The owner or operator of a vessel or terminal facility from which an unauthorized discharge of oil emanates or threatens to emanate.
(b) In the case of an abandoned vessel or terminal facility, the person who would have been the responsible person immediately prior to the abandonment.
(c) Any other person, but not including a person or entity who is rendering care, assistance, or advice in response to a discharge or threatened discharge of another person, who causes, allows, or permits an unauthorized discharge of oil or threatened unauthorized discharge of oil.
(25) "Plan" means the state oil spill contingency plan.
(26) "Pollution" means the presence of harmful quantities of oil in waters of the state or in or on adjacent shorelines, estuaries, tidal flats, beaches, or marshes.
(27) "Refinery" means a facility located within the state of Louisiana where crude oil is converted into a finished or higher grade product.
(28) "Removal costs" means, with respect to an actual or threatened discharge of oil, all costs incurred in an attempt to prevent, abate, contain, and remove pollution from the discharge, including costs of removing vessels or structures under this Chapter, and costs of any reasonable measures to prevent or limit damage to the public health, safety, or welfare, public or private property, or natural resources.
(29) "Secretary" means the secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy.
(30) "Tank vessel" means a vessel that is constructed or adapted to carry, or that carries, oil or hazardous material in bulk as cargo or cargo residue, and that:
(a) Is a vessel of the United States.
(b) Operates on the navigable waters.
(c) Transfers oil or hazardous material in a place subject to the jurisdiction of the state of Louisiana.
(31) "Terminal facility" means any waterfront or offshore pipeline, structure, equipment, or device used for the purposes of drilling for, pumping, storing, handling, or transferring oil and operating where a discharge from the facility could threaten waters of the state, including but not limited to any such facility owned or operated by a public utility or a governmental or quasi-governmental body.
(32) "Unauthorized discharge of oil" means any actual or threatened discharge of oil not authorized by a federal or state permit.
(33) "Vessel" includes every description of watercraft or other contrivance used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, whether self-propelled or otherwise, including barges.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §§1, 2; Acts 2013, No. 394, §1, eff. July 1, 2014; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
The office of the Louisiana oil spill coordinator is hereby created within the Department of Conservation and Energy, and shall exercise the powers and duties set forth in this Chapter or otherwise provided by law. The office shall be administered by the coordinator who shall be a director pursuant to R.S. 36:357. The initial coordinator shall not perform any official duties prior to confirmation.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 2009, No. 409, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The coordinator, under the direction and control of the deputy secretary, shall:
(1) Develop a statewide oil spill prevention and response plan, taking into account the rules being developed by the federal government in accordance with the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990, P.L. 101-380, and similar plans being developed by other states.
(2) Provide a coordinated response effort from all appropriate state agencies in the event of an unauthorized or threatened discharge of oil affecting or potentially affecting the land, coastal waters, or any other waters of Louisiana.
(3) Coordinate the operational implementation and maintenance of the oil spill prevention program as provided in this Chapter.
(4) Administer a fund to provide for funding these activities.
(5) Provide clear delineation for state coordinated response efforts in relation to jurisdictional authorities and use of state and federal funds for removal costs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq., Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 321 et seq., and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, P.L. 101-380.
B. The coordinator, in consultation with the interagency council, as provided in this Chapter, shall adopt and promulgate rules necessary and convenient to the administration of this Chapter in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
C. The coordinator shall by rule establish procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act for all hearings required by this Chapter. The coordinator is hereby authorized to administer oaths, receive evidence, issue subpoenas to compel attendance of witnesses and production of evidence related to hearings, and make findings of fact and decisions with respect to administering this Chapter.
D.(1) The coordinator may contract with any public agency or private person or other entity, including entering into cooperative agreements with the federal government, acquire and dispose of nonresponse related real or personal property, delegate responsibility for implementing the requirements of this Chapter, and perform any other act within or without the boundaries of this state necessary to administer this Chapter.
(2) The coordinator may enter into any contracts for the purchase of goods or for services in accordance with the Louisiana Procurement Code and in consultation with the interagency council, including the emergency procurement procedures provided in R.S. 39:1598.
(3) Contracts entered into by the coordinator for legally sensitive services provided by scientists, including but not limited to biologists, geologists, ecologists, and chemists; economists; sociologists; modeling experts; statisticians; cultural resource experts; or other such practitioners to assist the state in the assessment and quantification of damages pursuant to the provisions of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), 33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq., the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1991 (OSPRA), R.S. 30:2451 et seq., or regulations promulgated pursuant to either, shall be deemed professional services contracts pursuant to Chapter 17 of Subtitle III of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.
E.(1) If the coordinator finds it necessary to enter property to conduct a vessel or terminal-facility audit, inspection, or drill authorized under this Chapter or to respond to an actual or threatened unauthorized discharge, the coordinator or his authorized agents, employees, contractors, or subcontractors, may enter the property after making a reasonable effort to obtain consent to enter the property.
(2) The coordinator and his authorized agents, employees, contractors, and subcontractors shall also have the power to enter upon any lands, waters, and premises in the state for the purpose of conducting assessment activities and studies, including surveys and sampling efforts, authorized under this Chapter. Such entry shall not be deemed a civil or criminal trespass, a temporary construction servitude, nor an entry under any eminent domain proceedings which may be then pending. Except for instances in which the coordinator deems it necessary to immediately enter lands, waters, or premises to prevent the loss of ephemeral information, the coordinator shall provide prior written notice of five days to resident owners and fifteen days to nonresident owners to the last recorded property owner as reflected in the parish assessment rolls. Written notice shall consist of notice by certified mail to the last known address of the owner as shown in the current assessment records. The coordinator shall indemnify the property owner for any loss or injury resultant from entry upon the property and shall make reimbursement for any actual damages resulting to lands, waters, and premises as a result of these activities.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1; Acts 2009, No. 409, §2, eff. July 1, 2009; Acts 2012, No. 832, §1; Acts 2014, No. 864, §§4 and 5; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The coordinator shall from time to time adopt, amend, repeal, and enforce reasonable regulations not in conflict with federal law or regulations, including but not limited to those relating to the following matters regarding the threatened or actual unauthorized discharge of oil:
(1) Standards and requirements for discharge prevention programs and response capabilities of terminal facilities and vessels.
(2) Standards, procedures, and methods consistent with federal law or regulations for designating persons in charge and reporting threatened or actual unauthorized discharges and violations of this Chapter.
(3) Standards, procedures, methods, means, and equipment to be used in the abatement, containment, and removal of pollution.
(4) Development and implementation of criteria and plans of response to unauthorized discharges of various degrees and kinds, including realistically foreseeable worst-case scenarios consistent with federal regulations.
(5) Requirements for complete and thorough audits of vessel contingency and response plans covered by this Chapter.
(6) Requirements for complete and thorough inspections of terminal facilities covered by this Chapter.
(7) Certification of discharge cleanup organizations.
(8) Requirements for the safety and operation of vessels, motor vehicles, motorized equipment, and other equipment involved in the transfer of oil at terminal facilities and the approach and departure from terminal facilities.
(9) Requirements that required containment equipment be on hand, maintained, and deployed by trained personnel.
(10) Standards for reporting material changes in discharge prevention and response plans and response capability for purposes of terminal facility certificate reviews.
(11) Such other rules and regulations consistent with this Chapter and appropriate or necessary to carry out the intent of this Chapter, consistent with federal law or regulations.
B. The coordinator may establish as a prerequisite for certification of any discharge cleanup organization, other than the Marine Spill Response Corporation and any discharge cleanup organization operated for profit or that has multi-state response jurisdiction, that the organization maintain on its governing body a minimum of two representatives from local governments within the area served by the organization.
C.(1) Any rule, regulation, guideline, or plan authorized by this Chapter, excluding Part VI, shall be proposed or adopted pursuant to the rulemaking procedures set forth in the Administrative Procedure Act and shall be subject to approval by the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment, Senate Committee on Natural Resources, and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.
(2) Any rule or regulation authorized to be adopted or promulgated in Part VI shall be subject to approval by the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs. Such approval shall be presumed unless either committee submits objections or notification of a hearing in writing to the coordinator within fifteen days after receipt of the proposed rule, regulation, or guideline. Such written objections or disapproval shall be subject to override by the governor within five days after receipt of the objections or notice of disapproval by the governor.
(3) The coordinator shall submit an annual budget to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget for the approval of a majority of members of the committee. The budget shall show all proposed expenditures by the office from the fund or otherwise.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1; Acts 1996, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1, eff. May 7, 1996; Acts 2008, No. 580, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
A. The coordinator shall develop and distribute to the public a state oil spill contingency plan of response for actual or threatened unauthorized discharges of oil and clean up of pollution from the discharges. In addition, the Department of Environmental Quality, in cooperation with the coordinator, shall recommend provisions of the plan relating to unauthorized discharges of oil. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, in cooperation with the coordinator, shall recommend provisions of the plan providing for protection, rescue, and rehabilitation of aquatic life and wildlife and appropriate habitats on which they depend under its jurisdiction. The executive director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, in cooperation with the coordinator, shall recommend provisions of the plan for providing for the protection and restoration of the coastal areas of the state. The Department of Conservation and Energy, in cooperation with the coordinator, shall recommend provisions of the plan providing for protection and rehabilitation of appropriate resources under its jurisdiction. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections, in cooperation with the coordinator, shall recommend provisions of the plan providing for emergency response coordination to protect life and property, excluding prevention, abatement, containment, and removal of pollution from an unauthorized discharge.
B. In promulgating the plan, the coordinator shall provide for clear designation of responsibilities and jurisdiction and avoid unnecessary duplication and expense. In promulgating the plan, the coordinator shall also provide for participation by local political subdivisions contiguous to coastal waters.
C. The plan shall be fully operational and implemented not later than one year after the latest effective date of the area and regional contingency plans designated for Louisiana pursuant to federal law and implemented by the United States Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency.
D. Prior to adopting the state oil spill contingency plan, the coordinator shall adopt a fully delineated inland boundary for coastal waters as defined in this Chapter, which boundary shall be based upon data provided by, including but not limited to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Department of the Interior, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy, and the oil and gas industry. The coordinator shall be authorized to amend the boundary by rule as conditions may warrant. The boundary, as adopted, shall be clearly marked on large scale maps or charts, official copies of which shall be available for public inspection in the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the office of coastal management in the Department of Conservation and Energy, in each agency comprising the interagency council, and in the parish seat of each parish located within the boundary.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1; Acts 2010, No. 734, §1; Acts 2016, No. 430, §2; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. The plan shall include all of the following:
(1) Detailed emergency operating procedures for initiating actions in response to unauthorized discharges.
(2) A response command structure and state response team.
(3) An inventory of public and private equipment and its location and a list of available sources of supplies necessary for response.
(4) A table of organizations with the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all persons and agencies responsible for implementing each phase of the plan and provisions for notification to such persons and agencies in the event of an unauthorized discharge.
(5) Plans for practice drills for the response command structure and the state response team.
(6) Establishment of a single state hotline for reporting incidents that will satisfy all state notification requirements under this Chapter and R.S. 32:1501 et seq., R.S. 30:2025(J), and R.S. 30:2361 et seq.
(7) Provisions for notifying the Department of Environmental Quality under the state oil spill contingency plan.
(8) Plans for volunteer coordination and training.
(9) Use of both proven and innovative prevention and response methods and technologies.
(10) The circumstances under which an unauthorized discharge may be declared to be a state of emergency under applicable law.
(11) The circumstances under which the unauthorized discharge may be declared to be abated and pollution may be declared to be satisfactorily removed.
(12) Designation of environmental and other priority zones to determine the sequence and methods of response and cleanup.
(13) Procedures for disposal of removed oil or hazardous substances.
(14) Procedures established in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and the Department of Conservation and Energy for assessment of natural resources damages and plans for mitigation of damage to and restoration, protection, rehabilitation, or replacement of damaged natural resources. Pursuant to R.S. 49:214.1 et seq., the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is responsible for integrated coastal protection in the coastal area of the state; therefore, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board shall assist the coordinator in a primary role in assessing natural resource damages in the coastal area.
(15) Any plan developed by the coordinator pursuant to this Chapter shall include appropriate local governmental authorities and shall provide for the participation and involvement of the appropriate local governmental authorities that may be affected by or involved in the prevention, response, and removal of an oil spill.
(16) Any other matter necessary or appropriate to carry out response activities, including but not limited to preapproval of the use of dispersants.
B.(1) The coordinator shall promulgate rules and a state contingency plan that, to the greatest extent practicable, conform to the national contingency plan and rules promulgated under federal law.
(2) The coordinator may impose requirements under such rules and the state oil spill contingency plan that are in addition to or vary materially from federal requirements if the state interests served by the requirements substantially outweigh the burdens imposed on those subject to the requirements.
C. The plan shall be filed with all state agencies participating in response operations and federal officials responsible for federal discharge response within waters of the state, and local political subdivisions deemed appropriate by the coordinator.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 2010, No. 734, §1; Acts 2016, No. 430, §2; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
On notification of an actual or threatened unauthorized discharge of oil, the coordinator shall take immediate action to assess the discharge and prevent, abate, or contain any pollution from the discharge.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. The coordinator, in consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality, is authorized to administer this Chapter and direct all state discharge response and cleanup operations resulting from unauthorized discharges of oil or threatened unauthorized discharges of oil in coastal waters, the land, or any other waters of Louisiana as directed by the governor or upon a declaration of emergency as declared by the governor. The Department of Environmental Quality, under the direction and control of the coordinator, is the lead technical agency of the state for response to actual or threatened unauthorized discharges of oil and for cleanup of pollution from unauthorized discharges of oil.
B. All persons and all other officers, agencies, and subdivisions of the state shall carry out response and cleanup operations related to unauthorized discharges of oil subject to the authority granted to the coordinator under this Chapter.
C. In the event of an unauthorized discharge of oil nothing in this Chapter shall preclude the Department of Environmental Quality from, at the earliest time practicable, assuming response and cleanup duties for the discharge of oil pursuant to R.S. 30:2001 et seq., provided, however, the coordinator is notified within twenty-four hours.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1.
A. Any person responsible for an unauthorized discharge of oil or the person in charge of any vessel or a terminal facility from or at which an unauthorized discharge of oil has occurred, as soon as that person has knowledge of the discharge, shall:
(1) Immediately notify the hotline of the discharge.
(2) Undertake all reasonable actions to abate, contain, and remove pollution from the discharge.
B. If the persons responsible or in charge are unknown or appear to the coordinator to be unwilling or unable to abate, contain, and remove pollution from an unauthorized discharge of oil in an adequate manner, the coordinator may abate, contain, and remove pollution from the discharge and may contract with and appoint agents who shall operate under the direction of the coordinator to abate, contain, or remove pollution from the discharge.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. In responding to actual or threatened unauthorized discharges of oil, the coordinator shall appoint a state-designated on-scene coordinator to act in the coordinator's absence in the event that the coordinator is unable to be physically present at the scene of the discharge.
B. If the unauthorized discharge of oil is subject to the national contingency plan, in responding to the discharge the coordinator or the state-designated on-scene coordinator shall act in accordance with the national contingency plan as is practicable under the circumstances and cooperate with the federal on-scene coordinator or other federal agency or official exercising authority under the national contingency plan.
C. The coordinator or the state-designated on-scene coordinator may act independently to the extent no federal on-scene coordinator or authorized agency or official of the federal government has assumed federal authority to oversee, coordinate, and direct response and cleanup operations.
D. The coordinator or the state-designated on-scene coordinator may act to protect any interests of the state that are not covered by the national contingency plan, and are consistent with the state or national contingency plans.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. Subject to the coordinator's authority as authorized by this Chapter to determine otherwise, any person or discharge cleanup organization may assist in abating, containing, or removing pollution from any unauthorized discharge of oil.
B. Any person or discharge cleanup organization that renders assistance in abating, containing, or removing pollution from any unauthorized discharge of oil may receive compensation from the fund for removal costs, provided the coordinator approves compensation prior to the assistance being rendered. Prior approval for compensation may be provided for in the state oil spill contingency plan. The coordinator, on petition and for good cause shown, may waive the prior approval prerequisite.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. No action or omission taken by any person, including any discharge cleanup organization, to abate, contain, remove, clean up, or otherwise respond to pollution from a threatened or actual unauthorized discharge of oil or refined petroleum product, or to otherwise render care, assistance, or advice, whether such action or omission is taken voluntarily, or pursuant to or consistent with the national contingency plan or state oil spill contingency plan, or pursuant to or consistent with a response plan required under this Chapter, or pursuant to or consistent with the request of an authorized federal or state official, or pursuant to or consistent with the request of the responsible person, shall be construed as an admission of responsibility or liability for the discharge.
B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and except for the responsible person, no person, including any discharge cleanup organization, that voluntarily, pursuant to or consistent with the national contingency plan or the state oil spill contingency plan, or pursuant to or consistent with any response plan required under this Chapter, or pursuant to or consistent with the request or direction of an authorized federal or state official, or pursuant to or consistent with the request of the potentially responsible person, renders care, assistance, or advice in abating, containing, removing, cleaning up, or otherwise responding to pollution from an unauthorized discharge or threat of discharge of oil or refined petroleum products is liable for removal costs, damages, or civil penalties, whether under this Chapter or other laws of this state, resulting from acts or omissions committed in rendering such care, assistance, or advice. This Section shall not apply to actions for personal injury or wrongful death or for acts or omissions of gross negligence or willful misconduct. A party responsible for the initial discharge is liable for any removal costs or damages for which another person is relieved under this Subsection.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
The coordinator may contract with any private person or entity for the use of equipment and personnel at places the coordinator determines may be necessary for response and prevention operations, in accordance with the state oil spill contingency plan. The coordinator may contract with any public agency, via interagency transfer of funds, to conduct baseline environmental, wetlands, water quality, habitat, wildlife, and natural resources assessments, or for any other matter deemed necessary to comply with the state and national oil spill contingency plans.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. If a responsible person, or a person or discharge cleanup organization under the control of a responsible person, participating in operations to abate, contain, and remove pollution from any unauthorized discharge of oil, reasonably believes that any directions or orders given by the coordinator or the coordinator's designee under this Chapter will unreasonably endanger public safety or natural resources or conflict with directions or orders of the federal on-scene coordinator, the party may refuse to comply with the direction or orders.
B. The party shall state at the time of refusal the reasons for his failure to comply. The party shall give the coordinator written notice of the reason or the reasons for the refusal within forty-eight hours of the refusal.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 1995, No. 740, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 458, §11, eff. Oct. 1, 2025.
Every owner or operator covered by this Chapter shall provide to the coordinator the tank vessel and facility response plans as provided in Section 4202(a)(5) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-380).
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
In conjunction with the United States Coast Guard and prior to being granted entry into any port in this state, the person in charge of a vessel subject to the provisions of this Chapter may be required to report or show to the coordinator:
(1) Any unauthorized discharges from the vessel since leaving the last port.
(2) Any mechanical or operational problem on the vessel creating the possibility of an unauthorized discharge.
(3) Any denial of entry into any port during the current voyage of the vessel.
(4) That the vessel has a discharge prevention and response plan and the personnel and equipment to implement it as required under this Chapter.
(5) That the vessel has evidence of financial responsibility as required under this Chapter.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
The coordinator, in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard, may subject a vessel covered by this Chapter as a condition to being granted entry into any port in this state, or a terminal facility to an announced or unannounced audit, inspection, or drill to determine the discharge prevention and response capabilities of the terminal facility or vessels.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. Each owner or operator of a tank vessel with a capacity to carry ten thousand gallons or more of oil as fuel or cargo subject to the provisions of this Chapter operating within coastal waters or a terminal facility shall maintain and furnish evidence of their financial responsibility for costs and damages from unauthorized discharges of oil in accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-380).
B. If a tank vessel with a capacity to carry ten thousand gallons or more of oil as fuel or cargo covered by this Chapter or terminal facility is not required under federal law to establish and maintain evidence of financial responsibility, the owner or operator of that vessel or terminal facility shall establish and maintain evidence in a form prescribed by rules promulgated under this Chapter that such registrant or vessel has the ability to meet liability that may be incurred under this Chapter.
C. After an unauthorized discharge of oil, a vessel shall remain in the jurisdiction of the coordinator until the owner, operator, or person in charge has shown the coordinator evidence of financial responsibility. The coordinator may not detain the vessel longer than twelve hours after proving financial responsibility.
D. In addition to any other remedy or enforcement provision, the coordinator may suspend a registrant's discharge prevention and response certificate or may deny a vessel entry into any port in waters of the state for failure to comply with this Section.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. The total of the liability of a responsible party for all damages and removal costs shall not exceed the following:
(1) For a tank vessel, the greater of:
(a) One thousand two hundred dollars per gross ton; or
(b)(i) In the case of a vessel greater than three thousand gross tons, ten million dollars.
(ii) In the case of a vessel of three thousand gross tons or less, two million dollars.
(2) For any other vessel, six hundred dollars per gross ton or five hundred thousand dollars, whichever is greater.
(3) For an offshore facility except a deepwater port, the total of all removal costs plus seventy-five million dollars.
(4)(i) For any onshore facility or a deepwater port, three hundred fifty million dollars; provided that, for onshore facilities, where the president of the United States, in accordance with Section 1004(d)(1) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-380), has established a limitation of less than three hundred fifty million dollars, the limitation of liability provided under this Paragraph shall be the limitation of liability established by the president of the United States.
(ii) Provided that for a deepwater port, where the secretary designated by Section 1004(d)(2)(C) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-380) has established a limitation of less than three hundred fifty million dollars, in accordance with Section 1004(d)(2)(C) of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-380), the limitation of liability under this Paragraph shall be the limitation of liability established by the secretary.
B.(1) For the purposes of determining the responsible party and applying this Chapter, and except as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, a mobile offshore drilling unit which is being used as an offshore facility is deemed to be a tank vessel with respect to the discharge, or substantial threat of discharge, of oil on or above the surface of the water.
(2) To the extent that removal costs and damages from any incident described in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection exceed the amount for which a responsible party is liable, as that amount may be limited under R.S. 30:2479(A)(1), the mobile offshore drilling unit is deemed to be an offshore facility. For the purposes of applying R.S. 30:2479(A)(3) the amount specified by that provision shall be reduced by the amount for which the responsible party is liable under R.S. 30:2479(A)(1).
C.(1) The limits of liability provided for in this Section do not apply if the incident was primarily caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct of, or the violation of an applicable federal, state, or local safety, construction, or operating regulation by the responsible party, an agent or employee of the responsible party, or a person acting pursuant to a contractual relationship with the responsible party, except where the sole contractual arrangement arises in connection with carriage by a common carrier by rail.
(2) The limits of liability provided for in this Section do not apply if the responsible party fails or refuses:
(a) To report the incident as required by law and the responsible party knows or has reason to know of the incident; or
(b) To provide all reasonable cooperation and assistance requested by a responsible state or federal official in connection with removal activities.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. In any action to recover natural resources damages, the coordinator, in consultation with any other state trustees, shall make the determination whether to assess natural resource damages and the amount of damages according to the procedures and plans contained in the state oil spill contingency plan, and such determination shall create a rebuttable presumption of the amount of such damages.
B. The coordinator may establish the rebuttable presumption by submitting to the court a written report of the damages computed or state funds expended according to the state plan. The written report shall be admissible in evidence, but the facts surrounding the cause of the unauthorized discharge of oil as set out in the report shall be subject to de novo review.
C.(1) The coordinator, in consultation with the state trustees, shall develop an inventory that identifies and catalogs the physical locations, the seasonal variations in location, and the current condition of natural resources; provides for data collection related to coastal processes, abandoned pits, facilities, sumps, reservoirs and oil spills; and identifies the recreational and commercial use areas that are most likely to suffer injury from an unauthorized discharge of oil. The inventory shall be completed by June 30, 1999, and shall be incorporated into the state oil spill contingency plan after public review and comment.
(2)(a) The physical locations surveyed for the inventory of natural resources shall consist of coastal waters as defined in this Chapter and depicted on the official state inland boundary map for coastal waters.
(b) The inventory shall initially concentrate on areas exhibiting a high probability for oil spills.
(3) The current condition of selected natural resources inventoried and cataloged shall be determined by, at a minimum, a baseline sampling and analysis of current levels of constituent substances selected after considering the types of oil most frequently transported through and stored near coastal waters.
(4)(a) The inventory shall consist of Phase I and Phase II. In Phase I of the inventory, the coordinator shall define and coordinate the formulation of the Oil Spill Technical Assistance Program which shall consist of a management and implementation plan for coastal waters as defined in this Chapter. The management and implementation plan shall provide for data gathering techniques, monitoring protocols, maintaining the state inland coastal waters boundary map and data management during the actual inventory and during any response and natural resources damages assessment phase of an unauthorized discharge of oil. The coordinator shall solicit input from the state trustees and other interested parties. Phase I shall be completed by June 30, 1999.
(b) Phase II of the inventory shall consist of the coordinator retaining a manager and program staff within the office of the coordinator for the Oil Spill Technical Assistance Program. In Phase II the coordinator, in consultation with the trustees, shall conduct and maintain an environmental baseline inventory. The environmental baseline inventory shall be developed and maintained in such a manner that it will provide the coordinator with the technical data regarding the coastal waters before, during and after an unauthorized discharge of oil. This data shall also be available to the trustees, other agencies of the state and to the potentially responsible party within twenty-four hours after being collected.
(5) The coordinator shall adopt administrative procedures and protocols for the assessment of natural resource damages from an unauthorized discharge of oil in accordance with the Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act. As developed with the trustees and other interested parties, the procedures and protocols shall require the trustees to assess natural resource damages by considering the unique characteristics of the spill incident and the location of the natural resources affected. These procedures and protocols shall be incorporated by reference in the state oil spill contingency plan by December 31, 1997.
(6) The administrative procedures and protocols shall include provisions which address the following:
(a) Notification by the coordinator to all trustees in the event of an unauthorized discharge of oil.
(b) Coordination with and among trustees, spill response agencies, potentially responsible parties, experts in science and economics, and the public.
(c) Participation in all stages of the assessment process by the potentially responsible party, as is consistent with trustee responsibilities.
(7) The administrative procedures and protocols shall also require the trustees to do the following:
(a) Assist the on-scene coordinator, during spill response activities and prior to the time that the state on-scene coordinator determines that the cleanup is complete, in predicting the impact of the oil and in devising the most effective methods of protection for the natural resources at risk.
(b) Identify appropriate sampling and data collection techniques to efficiently determine the impact on natural resources of the unauthorized discharge of oil.
(c) Initiate, within twenty-four hours after approval for access to the site by the on-scene coordinator, an actual field investigation which may include sampling and data collection; the protocols shall require that the responsible party and the trustees be given, on request, split samples and copies of each other's photographs and videos utilized in assessing the impact of the unauthorized discharge of oil.
(d) Establish plans, including alternatives that are cost-effective and efficient, including natural recovery, to satisfy the goal of restoring, rehabilitating, replacing, and/or acquiring the equivalent of the injured natural resources.
(8)(a) The administrative procedures and protocols shall also include the following types of assessments procedures and deadlines for their completion:
(i) An expedited assessment procedure which may be used in situations in which the spill has limited observable mortality and restoration activities can be speedily initiated and/or in which the quantity of oil discharge does not exceed one thousand gallons; the purpose of utilizing the expedited assessment procedure is to allow prompt initiation of restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, and/or acquisition of an equivalent natural resource without lengthy analysis of the impact on affected natural resources; this procedure shall, at a minimum, require that the trustees consider the following items:
(aa) The quantity and quality of oil discharged;
(bb) The time period during which coastal waters are affected by the oil and the physical extent of the impact;
(cc) The condition of the natural resources prior to the unauthorized discharge of oil; and
(dd) The actual costs of restoring, rehabilitating, and/or acquiring the equivalent of the injured natural resources;
(ii) A comprehensive assessment procedure for use in situations in which expedited or negotiated assessment procedures are not appropriate; and
(iii) Any other assessment method agreed upon between the responsible person and the trustees, consistent with their public trust duties.
(b) The coordinator, in consultation with the trustees, shall determine, within sixty days of the determination by the on-scene coordinator that the cleanup is complete, whether:
(i) Action to restore, rehabilitate, or acquire an equivalent natural resource is required;
(ii) An expedited assessment which may include early commencement of restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, and/or acquisition activities, may be required; and
(iii) A comprehensive assessment is necessary.
(9) At any time the coordinator, in consultation and with the agreement of the state trustees, deems appropriate, the coordinator may enter into a negotiated assessment.
D. The trustees may petition the coordinator for a longer period of time to make the determinations under Subsection C of this Section by showing that the full impact of the discharge on the affected natural resources cannot be determined in sixty days.
E. The coordinator shall complete the comprehensive assessment procedure within twenty months of the date of the determination by the state on-scene coordinator that the cleanup is complete. The trustees may petition the coordinator for a longer period of time to complete the assessment by showing that the full impact of the discharge on the affected natural resources cannot be determined in twenty months.
F. Any assessment generated by the coordinator shall use the protocols and the procedures implemented pursuant to this Chapter and shall be reasonable and have a rational connection to the costs of conducting the assessment and of restoring, rehabilitating, replacing and/or acquiring the equivalent of the injured natural resources. The coordinator shall ensure that the cost of any restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or acquisition project shall not be disproportionate to the value of the natural resource before the injury. The coordinator shall utilize the most cost-effective method to achieve restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or acquisition of an equivalent resource. Furthermore, the coordinator shall take into account the quality of the actions undertaken by the responsible party in response to the spill incident, including but not limited to containment and removal actions and protection and preservation of natural resources.
G. The potentially responsible party shall make full payment or initiate restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or mitigation of damages to natural resources within sixty days of the completion of the assessment by the coordinator or, if mediation pursuant to this Subsection is conducted, within sixty days of the conclusion of the mediation. To facilitate an expedited recovery of funds for natural resource restoration and to assist the coordinator and the responsible party in the settlement of disputed natural resource damage assessments at their discretion and at any time, all disputed natural resource damage assessments shall be referred to mediation as a prerequisite to the jurisdiction of any court. Results of the mediation and any settlement offers tendered during the mediation shall be treated as settlement negotiations for the purposes of admissibility in a court of law. Either the coordinator or the potentially responsible person may initiate the mediation process, after an assessment has been issued, by giving written notice to the coordinator within forty-five days of the date all assessment documents are received, who shall in turn give written notice to all parties. One mediator shall be chosen by the coordinator and one mediator shall be chosen by the responsible parties. Within forty-five days of the receipt of the assessment from the trustees, the mediators shall be designated. The mediation shall end no later than one hundred thirty-five days after the receipt of the assessment from the coordinator.
H. For the purposes of this Section, mediation shall consist of a minimum of three meetings whereby the mediators seek to facilitate a consensus decision by trustees and the potentially responsible party concerning all aspects of the assessment.
I. Any assessment issued by the coordinator shall be subject to a public hearing, if requested, and a comment period of no less than thirty calendar days.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1; Acts 1997, No. 882, §1; Acts 2001, No. 649, §1, eff. June 22, 2001.
A. To assist in making the natural resource damage assessment process more efficient, the Regional Restoration Planning Program, encompassing the entire geographic area of the state, is established in the office of the oil spill coordinator. The office of the oil spill coordinator shall develop and implement the program in coordination with the state natural resource trustees.
B. The office of the oil spill coordinator is authorized to employ additional staff members to implement, administer, and manage the program.
Acts 2001, No. 649, §1, eff. June 22, 2001.
A. To fulfill the constitutional mandate of Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources of the state, the legislature hereby establishes the Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund in order for the office of the oil spill coordinator to carry out the duties charged in R.S. 30:2480 and 2480.1.
B. Out of the funds remaining in the Bond Security and Redemption Fund after a sufficient amount is allocated from the fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state that become due and payable within the fiscal year, the treasurer in each fiscal year shall pay into the Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund an amount equal to the amount of all restoration monies received by the office of the oil spill coordinator from natural resource damage assessments. The monies in this fund shall be used solely as provided in this Section and only in the amounts appropriated by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in this fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. The monies in this fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund, and interest earned on the investment of these monies shall remain in the fund. The amounts placed in the fund shall be separate from the Oil Spill Contingency Fund and not counted toward the limitations established for in R.S. 30:2486. Any federal monies placed in the fund shall be administered in accordance with federal requirements for such monies.
Acts 2001, No. 649, §1, eff. June 22, 2001.
A person shall not be liable under the provisions of this Chapter if the discharge resulted solely from any of the following:
(1) An act of God, war, or terrorism.
(2) An act of government, either state, federal, or local.
(3) An unforeseeable occurrence exclusively occasioned by the violence of nature without the interference of any human act or omission.
(4) The willful misconduct or a negligent act or omission of a third party, other than an employee or agent of the person responsible or a third party whose conduct occurs in connection with a contractual relationship with the responsible person, unless the responsible person failed to exercise due care and take precautions against foreseeable conduct of the third party.
(5) Any combinations of Paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
If a responsible person alleges a defense under R.S. 30:2481 the responsible person shall pay all removal costs and damages; however, the responsible person shall be subrogated to any rights or cause of action belonging to those to whom such payment is made.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. "Secretary" as used in this Part shall mean the secretary of the Department of Revenue.
B. In order to fulfill the constitutional mandate of Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources of the state, the legislature hereby declares that sufficient funds shall be made available to the Oil Spill Contingency Fund, in order for prevention of and response to unauthorized discharges of oil.
C. The purpose of the fund is to immediately provide available funds for response to all threatened or actual unauthorized discharges of oil, for clean up of pollution from unauthorized discharges of oil, natural resources damages, damages sustained by any state agency or political subdivision, and removal costs from threatened, unauthorized discharges of oil.
D. All fees, taxes, penalties, judgments, reimbursements, charges, and federal funds collected pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, except as provided by R.S. 30:2480.2, shall be deposited immediately upon receipt into the state treasury.
E. After compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, and prior to monies being placed in the state general fund, an amount equal to that deposited, as required in Subsection D of this Section, and monies appropriated by the legislature shall be credited to a special fund hereby created in the state treasury to be known as the "Oil Spill Contingency Fund". The monies in this fund shall be used solely as provided in this Part and only in the amounts appropriated by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in this fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. The monies in this fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund, and interest earned on the investment of these monies shall remain in the fund.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2; Acts 2001, No. 649, §1, eff. June 22, 2001; Acts 2010, No. 962, §1, eff. July 6, 2010; Acts 2013, No. 394, §1, eff. July 1, 2014.
A. Money in the fund may be disbursed for the following purposes and no others:
(1) Administrative and personnel expenses of the office of the coordinator, excluding those of the oil spill technical assistance program.
(2) Removal costs related to abatement and containment of actual or threatened unauthorized discharges of oil incidental to unauthorized discharges of hazardous substances.
(3) Removal costs and damages related to actual or threatened unauthorized discharges of oil as provided in this Chapter.
(4) Protection, assessment, restoration, rehabilitation, or replacement of or mitigation of damage to natural resources damaged by an unauthorized discharge of oil as provided in this Chapter.
(5) Grants, with the approval of the interagency council, for interagency contracts as provided in R.S. 30:2495, including grants specifically for the purposes of research, testing, and development of discharge and blowout prevention and training using full scale well service training.
(6) The Oil Spill Technical Assistance Program established in R.S. 30:2480(C)(4).
(7) Operating costs and contracts for response and prevention as provided in this Chapter.
(8) Other costs and damages authorized by this Chapter.
B. Any state agency or political subdivision seeking an appropriation from the fund or proposing expenditures utilizing money from the fund must notify the coordinator in writing before submitting the appropriation request to the legislature.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1992, No. 426, §1; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1; Acts 1997, No. 882, §1; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 103, §1; Acts 2001, No. 649, §1, eff. June 22, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 1082, §1, eff. July 2, 2003; Acts 2010, No. 962, §1, eff. July 6, 2010; Acts 2013, No. 394, §1, eff. July 1, 2014.
A. There is hereby imposed a fee of one-quarter of one cent per barrel on every person owning crude oil received by a refinery for storage or processing. The person charged with the fee shall be the last owner of the crude oil prior to its transfer to the refinery or storage facility. This fee shall be in addition to all taxes or other fees levied on crude oil and the monies collected shall be placed in the Oil Spill Contingency Fund as provided in R.S. 30:2483.
B. The operator of the refinery shall collect the fee from the owner of the crude oil and remit the fee to the secretary. The fee shall be imposed only once on the same crude oil. The fee shall be paid quarterly by the last day of the month following the calendar quarter in which liability for the fee is incurred. For the expenses of collecting this fee, the operator of the refinery is authorized to withhold one and one-half percent of the fees due during each quarter provided that the amount due was not delinquent at the time of payment.
C. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the fee shall be levied at the rate of one-half cent per barrel if the coordinator certifies to the secretary of the Department of Revenue a written finding that the balance in the fund is less than five million dollars and that an unauthorized discharge of oil in excess of one hundred thousand gallons has occurred within the previous twelve months as certified by the coordinator. In addition, the fee shall be levied at the rate of one-half cent per barrel if the coordinator certifies in writing to the secretary of the Department of Revenue that the balance in the fund is less than five million dollars due to expenditures from the fund under the authority of R.S. 30:2484(A)(1) or (2) or (3) or (4) or (7) so long as the expenditures under the authority of R.S. 30:2484(A)(1) and (7) are for costs and contracts exclusive of administrative costs of the office of the coordinator.
D. In the event of a certification to the secretary under Subsection C of this Section, the secretary shall collect the fee at the rate of one-half cent per barrel until the balance in the fund reaches seven million dollars. The state treasurer shall certify to the secretary the date on which the balance in the fund equals seven million dollars. Upon such certification to the secretary, the fee shall revert to the standard fee delineated in R.S. 30:2485(A).
E. The fee levied by this Part shall be subject to the provisions of Chapter 18 of Subtitle II of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. The coordinator in conjunction with the secretary shall adopt rules for the collection and administration of the fee provided for in this Section.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 2013, No. 394, §1, eff. July 1, 2014.
NOTE: Section 3 of Act No. 394 of the 2013 R.S. provides "Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the fee levied by the provisions of R.S. 30:2485 shall be levied at the rate of one-half cent per barrel until December 31, 2015." eff. 7/1/14
Repealed by Acts 2013, No. 394, §2, eff. July 1, 2014.
Repealed by Acts 2013, No. 394, §2, eff. July 1, 2014.
A. The coordinator shall prescribe appropriate forms and requirements and by rule shall establish procedures for filing claims for compensation from the fund and for removal costs reimbursements to other state agencies from the fund.
B. The fund shall not be liable to any person for damage to equipment resulting from an oil spill discharge and which are compensable under the Fisherman's Gear Compensation Fund.
C. The fund shall be liable for the following removal costs and damages, provided that such are not recoverable under the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-380) and the claimant has exhausted all federal remedies:
(1) All proven, reasonable damages and removal costs incurred by state agencies or local governing authorities, authorized by this Chapter from a threatened or unauthorized discharge of oil.
(2) All natural resources damages from an unauthorized discharge of oil.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. The coordinator shall diligently pursue reimbursement to the fund of any sum expended or paid from the fund in accordance with the state and national oil spill contingency plans.
B. The coordinator shall recover for the use of the fund, either from persons responsible for the unauthorized discharge or otherwise liable, or from the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, all sums owed to or expended from the fund. The coordinator, on behalf of the state of Louisiana and the trustees, shall seek reimbursement from the federal fund for damages to natural resources in excess of the liability limits prescribed by this Chapter. If that request is denied or additional money is required following receipt of the federal money, the coordinator has the authority to pay the requested reimbursement from the fund for a period of two years from the date the federal fund grants or denies the request for reimbursement.
C. In any action to recover such sums, the coordinator shall submit to the court a written report of the amounts paid from or owed by the fund to claimants. The amounts paid from or owed by the fund to the claimants stated in the report shall create a rebuttable presumption of the amount of the fund's damages. The written report shall be admissible in evidence.
D. The coordinator shall ensure that there will be no double recovery of damages or response costs.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1.
A. In the event that the awards against the fund exceed the existing balance of the fund, the claimant or claimants shall be paid from the future income of the fund. Each claimant or claimants applying for reimbursement shall receive a pro rata share of all money available in the fund until the total amount of awards is paid.
B. The coordinator by rule may make exceptions to Subsection A of this Section in cases of hardship. Amounts collected by the fund from the prosecution of actions shall be used to satisfy the claims as to which such prosecutions relate to the extent unsatisfied.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. When applicable, the limitations of liability and immunities provided in this Chapter shall be exclusive and shall supersede any other liability provisions provided by any other applicable state law. The provisions of this Chapter shall supersede, but not repeal, any conflicting laws of this state. Any conflicting applicable federal law shall take precedence over this Chapter.
B. Notwithstanding any other provision of this law, nothing herein shall be construed to preclude the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries from bringing a civil suit to recover penalties for the value of each fish, wild bird, wild quadruped, and other wildlife and aquatic life unlawfully killed, caught, taken, possessed, or injured pursuant to R.S. 56:40.1 et seq.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
Any violation of the provisions of this Chapter shall be subject to the enforcement, penalty, procedural, and adjudicatory provisions of this Subtitle. In addition to other factors required to be considered by the secretary in such proceedings, the coordinator shall submit his report regarding a violation of this Chapter to the secretary, and the secretary shall give due consideration to the report.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
A. In implementing this Chapter, the coordinator to the greatest extent practicable shall employ federal funds unless federal funds will not be available in an adequate period of time.
B. All federal funds received by the state relating to removal costs for threatened or unauthorized discharges of oil under this Chapter shall be deposited in the fund.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
The coordinator may enter into agreements with other states consistent with and to further the purposes of this Chapter and may recommend legislation establishing interstate compacts consistent with federal law. The coordinator may also participate in initiatives to develop multistate and international standards and cooperation on unauthorized discharge prevention and response.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991.
The coordinator by interagency contract may provide grants to state institutions of higher education for research, testing, and development of discharge prevention and response technology; discharge response training; wildlife and natural resources protection, rescue, and rehabilitation; development of computer models to predict the movements and impacts of discharges; and other purposes consistent with and in furtherance of the purposes of this Chapter. Contracts or agreements relating to wildlife, aquatic resources, and habitats under the jurisdiction of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shall be made in coordination with that department. Contracts or agreements relating to wetlands and coastal resources under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation and Energy shall be made in coordination with that department. To the greatest extent possible, contracts shall be coordinated with studies being done by other state agencies, the federal government, or private industry to minimize duplication of efforts.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
The provisions of this Chapter shall be the exclusive authority on oil spill prevention, response, removal, and the limitations of liability.
Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:200 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:201 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:202 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:203 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:204 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:205 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:206 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:207 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:208 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:209 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:210 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:211 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:212 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:213 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:214 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:215 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:216 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:217 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:218 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:219 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Redesignated to R.S. 17:220 by Acts 2020, No. 317.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 1137, §1.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
A. Intentional littering. (1) No person shall intentionally dispose or permit the disposal of litter upon any public place in the state, upon private property in this state not owned by him, upon property located in rural areas in this state not owned by him, or in or on the waters of this state, whether from a vehicle or otherwise, including but not limited to any public highway, public right-of-way, public park, beach, campground, forest land, recreational area, trailer park, highway, road, street, or alley, except when such property is designated by the state or by any of its agencies or political subdivisions for the disposal of such litter and such person is authorized to use such property for such purpose.
(2) Whoever violates the provisions of this Subsection shall:
(a) Upon first conviction, be fined five hundred dollars and sentenced to serve eight hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court.
(b) Upon second conviction, be fined nine hundred dollars and sentenced to serve twenty hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court.
(c) Upon third or subsequent conviction, be fined two thousand five hundred dollars, have his motor vehicle driver's license suspended for one year, and be sentenced to serve eighty hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court, or all or any combination of the penalties provided by this Subparagraph.
(3) Whoever violates the provisions of this Subsection by the intentional disposal or permitting the disposal of cigarettes, cigarette butts, cigars, cigarillos, or cigar or cigarillo tips from a motor vehicle shall:
(a) Upon first conviction, be fined three hundred dollars and sentenced to serve eight hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court.
(b) Upon second conviction, be fined seven hundred dollars and sentenced to serve sixteen hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court.
(c) Upon third or subsequent conviction, be fined one thousand five hundred dollars, have his motor vehicle driver's license suspended for one year, and be sentenced to serve eighty hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court, or all or any combination of the penalties provided by this Subparagraph.
(4) A violation of this Subsection shall be cited within one year of the date on which law enforcement knew or reasonably should have known of the commission of the act.
B. Simple littering. (1) No person shall dispose of, or create a condition that the person knew or should have known was likely to result in the disposal of, litter upon any public place in this state, upon private property in this state not owned by him, upon property located in a rural area in this state not owned by him, or in or on the waters of this state, whether from a vehicle or otherwise, including but not limited to any public highway, public right-of-way, public park, beach, campground, forest land, recreational area, trailer park, highway, road, street, or alley.
(2) Persons found liable under the provisions of this Subsection shall be assessed the following civil penalties and costs:
(a) For a first violation, such person shall either be fined one hundred fifty dollars or given the option to perform eight hours of community service in a litter abatement work program in lieu of the assessed one hundred fifty dollar fine.
(b) For a second and each subsequent violation, such person shall either be fined nine hundred dollars or be given the option to perform twenty hours of community service in a litter abatement work program in lieu of the nine hundred dollar fine.
(3) A violation of this Subsection shall be cited within one year of the date on which law enforcement knew or reasonably should have known of the commission of the act.
C. Whoever violates the provisions of this Section shall pay special court costs of one hundred dollars in lieu of other costs of court, and the special court costs shall be disbursed as follows:
(1) For simple littering violations cited and prosecuted by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries:
(a) Seventy-five dollars shall be paid to the state treasury for credit to the Conservation Fund.
(b) Twenty-five dollars shall be paid to the state treasury for credit to the Litter Abatement and Education Account.
(2) For all other violations:
(a) Twenty dollars shall be paid to the judicial expense fund for that judicial district, or to the justice of the peace or the city court, as the case may be.
(b) Twenty dollars shall be paid to the office of the district attorney, to the constable, or to the municipal prosecuting attorney, as the case may be.
(c) Ten dollars shall be paid to the clerk of the district court, or to the justice of the peace or the city court, as the case may be.
(d) Twenty-five dollars shall be paid to the state treasury for credit to the Litter Abatement Account.
(e) Twenty-five dollars shall be paid to the law enforcement agency that issued the citation.
D.(1) If the litter is disposed from a motor vehicle, boat, or conveyance, except a bus or large passenger vehicle or a school bus, all as defined in R.S. 32:1, there shall be an inference that the driver of the conveyance disposed of the litter. If such litter was possessed by a specific person immediately before the act of disposing, there shall be an inference that the possessor committed the act of disposing. If there is photographic evidence of the license plate of a vehicle from which litter is disposed, there shall be an inference that the registered owner of the vehicle has violated this Section.
(2) When litter disposed in violation of this Section is discovered to contain any article or articles, including but not limited to letters, bills, publications, or other writings, which display the name of a person or in any other manner indicate that the article belongs or belonged to such person, there shall be an inference that such person has violated this Section.
E. A person who violates this Section shall be cited for the offense by means of a citation, summons, or other means provided by law.
F. A person may be found guilty or held liable and fined under this Section although the commission of the offense did not occur in the presence of a law enforcement officer if the evidence presented to the court establishes that the defendant has committed the offense.
G. For the purposes of this Section, each occurrence shall constitute a separate violation.
H. In addition to penalties otherwise provided, a person convicted or held liable under this Section shall:
(1) Repair or restore property damaged by or pay damages for any damage arising out of the violation of this Section.
(2) Pay all reasonable investigative expenses and costs to the investigative agency or agencies.
I. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, this Section shall not apply to any activity by persons owning or operating duly licensed commercial vehicles engaged in the collection and transportation of solid waste, construction, or demolition debris or wood waste, as such terms are defined by the rules and regulations of the Department of Environmental Quality, occurring in the course of servicing scheduled pickup routes pursuant to commercial or local government contracts or en route to an authorized pickup station, transfer station, or disposal facility. To qualify for the exemption provided for in this Subsection, the commercial vehicle shall be covered at all times, except during loading and unloading, in a manner that prevents rain from reaching the waste, prevents waste from falling or blowing from the vehicle, and ensures that leachate from the waste is not discharged from the vehicle during transportation.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3; Acts 2003, No. 950, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2004; Acts 2007, No. 233, §1; Acts 2014, No. 100, §1; Acts 2015, No. 368, §1; Acts 2017, No. 128, §1; Acts 2018, No. 509, §1; Acts 2022, No. 15, §1; Acts 2022, No. 17, §1; Acts 2022, No. 101, §1; Acts 2023, No. 78, §1.
A. No person shall intentionally dispose or permit the disposal of any household or office furniture or appliances, automotive parts, including but not limited to tires and engines, trailers, boats and boating accessories, tools and equipment, building materials, roofing nails, and bags or boxes of household or office garbage or refuse upon any public place in the state, upon private property in this state not owned by him, upon property located in rural areas in this state not owned by him, or in or on the waters of this state, whether from a vehicle or otherwise, including but not limited to any public highway, public right-of-way, public park, beach, campground, forest land, recreational area, trailer park, highway, road, street, or alley, except when such property is designated by the state or by any of its agencies or political subdivisions for the disposal of such items and such person is authorized to use such property for such purpose.
B.(1) If the litter listed in Subsection A of this Section is disposed of from a motor vehicle, boat, or conveyance, except a bus or large passenger vehicle or a school bus, all as defined by R.S. 32:1, there shall be an inference that the driver of the conveyance disposed of the litter. If such litter was possessed by a specific person immediately before the act of disposing, there shall be an inference that the possessor committed the act of disposing. If there is photographic evidence of the license plate of a vehicle from which litter is disposed, there shall be an inference that the registered owner of the vehicle has violated this Section.
(2) When litter disposed in violation of this Section is discovered to contain any article or articles, including but not limited to letters, bills, publications, or other writings, which display the name of a person or in any other manner indicate that the article belongs or belonged to such person, there shall be an inference that such person has violated this Section.
C. The person shall be cited for the offense by means of a citation, summons, or other means provided by law.
D.(1) Whoever violates the provisions of this Section shall, upon first conviction, be fined nine hundred dollars and sentenced to serve sixteen hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court and may be imprisoned for not more than thirty days. In addition to all other penalties under this Paragraph, when the offense of gross littering involves the disposal of tires, the offender shall be fined one thousand eight hundred dollars and shall be responsible for the cost of removal, transportation, and processing of the tires.
(2) Upon second conviction, an offender shall be fined not less than two thousand dollars nor more than five thousand dollars and sentenced to serve twenty-four hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court and may be imprisoned for not more than thirty days. In addition to all other penalties under this Paragraph, upon second conviction of gross littering involving the disposal of tires, the offender shall be fined not less than four thousand dollars and not more than ten thousand dollars and shall be responsible for the cost of removal, transportation, and processing of the tires.
(3) Upon third or subsequent conviction, an offender shall be fined not less than three thousand dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars, have his motor vehicle driver's license suspended for one year, be imprisoned for not more than thirty days, or sentenced to serve not less than forty-eight and not more than one hundred hours in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court, or all or any combination of the aforementioned penalties. In addition to all other penalties under this Paragraph, upon third conviction of gross littering involving the disposal of tires, the offender shall be fined not less than six thousand dollars and not more than twenty thousand dollars and shall be responsible for the cost of removal, transportation, and processing of the tires.
(4) The judge may require an individual convicted of a violation of this Section to remove litter from state highways, public rights-of-way, public playgrounds, public parks, or other appropriate locations for any prescribed period of time in lieu of the penalties prescribed in this Section.
E. A person may be found guilty and fined under this Section although the commission of the offense did not occur in the presence of a law enforcement officer if the evidence presented to the court establishes that the defendant has committed the offense.
F. For the purposes of this Section, each occurrence shall constitute a separate violation.
G. In addition to penalties otherwise provided, a person convicted under this Section shall:
(1) Repair or restore property damaged by or pay damages for any damage arising out of the violation of this Section.
(2) Pay all reasonable investigative expenses and costs to the investigative agency or agencies.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3; Acts 2006, No. 234, §1; Acts 2015, No. 368, §1; Acts 2017, No. 128, §1; Acts 2018, No. 499, §1; Acts 2022, No. 101, §1; Acts 2022, No. 480, §1.
Repealed by Acts 2003, No. 950, §4, eff. Jan. 1, 2004.
A. No person shall dispose or permit the disposal of litter resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, or agricultural operations in which the person has a financial interest upon any public place in the state, upon private property in this state not owned by him, upon property located in rural areas in this state not owned by him, or in or on the waters of this state, whether from a vehicle or otherwise, including but not limited to any public highway, public right-of-way, public park, beach, campground, forest land, recreational area, trailer park, highway, road, street, or alley, except when such property is designated by the state or by any of its agencies or political subdivisions for the disposal of such items and such person is authorized to use such property for such purpose.
B. No person shall operate any truck or other vehicle on any highway in such a manner or condition that litter resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, or agricultural operations in which the person is involved can blow or fall out of such vehicle or that mud from its tires can fall upon the roadway.
C.(1) If the litter is disposed of from a motor vehicle, boat, or conveyance, except a bus or large passenger vehicle or a school bus, all as defined by R.S. 32:1, there shall be an inference that the driver of the conveyance disposed of the litter. If such litter was possessed by a specific person immediately before the act of disposing, there shall be a permissive rebuttable presumption that the possessor committed the act of disposing.
(2) When litter disposed in violation of this Section is discovered to contain any article or articles, including but not limited to letters, bills, publications, or other writings, which display the name of a person or in any other manner indicate that the article belongs or belonged to such person, there shall be a permissive rebuttable presumption that such person has violated this Section.
(3) Any industrial, commercial, mining, or agricultural operation in the city of Donaldsonville shall construct and maintain fences or walls to enclose or contain litter generated by its operations. Failure to construct or maintain an enclosure shall constitute a separate violation of this Paragraph for each day that the enclosure is not built or maintained.
D. A person shall be jointly and severally liable for the actions of its agents, officers, and directors for any violation of this Section by any agent, officer, or director in the course and scope of his employment or duties.
E. The person shall be cited for the offense by means of a citation, summons, or other means provided by law.
F. Any person found liable under the provisions of this Section shall:
(1)(a) For a violation of Paragraph (C)(3) of this Section, pay a civil penalty of five hundred dollars.
(b) For any other violation, pay a civil penalty of two hundred dollars.
(2) Repair or restore property damaged by or pay damages for any damage arising out of the violation of this Section.
(3) Pay all reasonable investigative expenses and costs to the investigative agency or agencies.
(4) Pay for the cleanup of the litter unlawfully discarded by the defendant.
G.(1) Any person found liable under the provisions of this Section shall pay special court costs of fifty dollars in lieu of other costs of court which shall be disbursed as follows:
(a) Twenty dollars shall be paid to the judicial expense fund for that judicial district, or to the justice of the peace or the city court, as the case may be.
(b) Twenty dollars shall be paid to the office of the district attorney, or to the constable or to the municipal prosecuting attorney, as the case may be.
(c) Ten dollars shall be paid to the clerk of the district court, or to the justice of the peace or the city court, as the case may be.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Subsection, persons cited and prosecuted for commercial littering violations under this Section by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shall be subject to court costs and fees as provided pursuant to R.S. 56:32.1 rather than pay the special court costs provided for in this Subsection.
H. A person may be held liable and fined under this Section although the commission of the offense did not occur in the presence of a law enforcement officer if the evidence presented to the court establishes that the defendant has committed the offense.
I. For the purposes of this Section each occurrence shall constitute a separate violation.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3; Acts 2001, No. 865, §1; Acts 2015, No. 368, §1; Acts 2022, No. 17, §1.
A.(1) A "court-approved community service litter abatement program" means a community service litter abatement program that has been approved by the court having jurisdiction over the violation being prosecuted.
(2) Court-approved community service litter abatement work programs may be established in each parish under the administration of the sheriff or parish governing authority. Such program shall supervise* persons ordered to perform community service work collecting or removing litter. The establishing authority shall establish regulations deemed necessary for the management, supervision, and discipline of persons in the program. The program shall provide for the collection and removal of litter from public highways, rights-of-way, parks, roads, beaches, recreational areas, and other public areas within the sheriff's or the parish governing authority's jurisdiction.
B.(1) A community service litter abatement work program may be established by each municipality. The community service litter abatement work program shall be court approved in those municipalities that have a city court; otherwise, the program shall be established by ordinance adopted by the municipality. Such program shall supervise* persons ordered to perform community service work collecting and removing litter within its jurisdiction. The municipality shall establish regulations by ordinance it deems necessary for the management, supervision, and discipline of persons in the program. The program shall provide for the collection and removal of litter from public areas within the jurisdiction.
(2) A municipality may enter into a contractual arrangement with the sheriff or the parish governing authority for any or all services associated with this program.
C. A person who participates in a community service litter abatement work program established pursuant to this Section shall have no cause of action for damages against the entity conducting the program or supervising his participation therein, nor against any employee or agent of such entity, for any injury or loss suffered by him during or arising out of his participation in the program, unless the injury or loss was caused by the intentional or grossly negligent act or omission of the entity or its employee or agent. The entity shall not be liable for any injury caused by the individual participating in the program unless the gross negligence or intentional act of the entity or its employee or agent was a substantial factor in causing the injury. No provision hereof shall negate the requirement to provide an offender with necessary medical treatment as statutorily required.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3.
*As appears in enrolled bill.
A. All criminal violations under the provisions of this Part shall be prosecuted by the district attorney of the judicial district in which the violation occurred.
B. Civil violations under the provisions of this Part shall be prosecuted by the district attorney of the judicial district in which the violation occurred; the prosecuting attorney for a municipality having a city court within the municipality in which the violation occurred; the constable, if filed in justice of the peace court; or the prosecuting attorney for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for citations issued by that department.
C. Each governing authority on whose behalf citations are issued for alleged violations of the provisions of R.S. 30:2531 through 2531.3 shall establish a procedure by which alleged offenders may plead guilty to the alleged offense and pay the fine by mail; however, if the offender fails to pay the fine by mail in advance of adjudication and fails to appear at the time and date indicated on the citation, the court may impose an additional fine or penalty in an amount not to exceed the amount of the fine or penalty for the original violation. Further, the court may suspend the driver's license of the offender until such fines are paid. In addition, each governing authority shall establish a procedure allowing for payment of the fine by credit card as it may designate. However, the procedure shall not limit such payments to payment by credit card.
D. An action brought pursuant to R.S. 30:2531(B) or 2531.3 shall be tried as a summary proceeding pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Article 2591 et seq., except that such actions prosecuted by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries may be tried in accordance with R.S. 56:32.1.
E. Any suspension of a motor vehicle driver's license as a result of violation of any provision of R.S. 30:2531 through 2531.3 shall be referred to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and shall be handled in compliance with the provisions of R.S. 32:414 or any other provision of law or rule or regulation of the department relative to the suspension of driving privileges. Any cost of administering the suspension of driver's licenses under the provisions of R.S. 30:2531 through 2531.3 shall be payable from the receipts of penalties assessed pursuant to this Section.
F. Whenever the driver's license of a person has been suspended pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, the judicial officer of the court exercising jurisdiction shall immediately forward to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections notice of the time period of the suspension with information necessary for identification of the person. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall immediately notify the person of the suspension of his operator's license and the imposition of a fifty-dollar fee. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall also notify the person that upon expiration of the time period of suspension, and upon payment of an additional fifty dollars to the department, the operator's license of the person shall be renewed or reissued.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3; Acts 2003, No. 950, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2004; Acts 2014, No. 432, §1; Acts 2022, No. 17, §1.
A.(1) Whenever any person has allegedly violated any provision of R.S. 30:2531 through 2531.3, a law enforcement officer shall take the person's name, address, and driver's license number, and if the violation occurs from a motor vehicle, the license number of the motor vehicle, and shall issue a citation or summons or otherwise notify him in writing that he must appear in court at a time and place to be specified in such citation or summons.
(2) If applicable, the citation or summons shall indicate that the alleged violator may admit liability and, in lieu of appearing in court, make the payment of the applicable fines, penalties, and costs to the appropriate court by mail or credit card. The law enforcement officer shall provide, in writing, the date by which the payment must be received and the name and phone number of the court having jurisdiction over the alleged offense. The citation or summons shall instruct the alleged violator to contact the court to obtain the amounts of the applicable fines, penalties, and costs and advise him that if he has violated R.S. 30:2531 he must pay special court costs of one hundred dollars, but for violations of R.S. 30:2531(B) he has the option to perform community service in a court-approved litter abatement work program in lieu of paying a fine.
B. Each law enforcement officer upon issuing a citation or summons to an alleged violator of any provision of R.S. 30:2531 through 2531.3 shall deposit the original citation or summons or a copy of same with a court having jurisdiction over the alleged offense.
C. Upon the deposit of the original citation or summons or a copy of same with a court having jurisdiction over the alleged offense, the original citation or summons or a copy of same shall be disposed of only by trial in a court of proper jurisdiction or any other official action by a judge of the court, including payment of the appropriate fines, penalties, and costs to that court by the person to whom such citation or summons has been issued.
D. It shall be unlawful for any law enforcement officer or any other officer or public employee to dispose of a litter citation or summons or copies thereof or of the record of the issuance of the citation or summons in a manner other than as required herein.
E. The chief administrative officer of each law enforcement agency in the state shall require all officers under his supervision to return to him a copy of every litter citation or summons which was issued by the officer for the violation of a litter law or ordinance, and in addition shall require the return of all copies of every litter citation or summons which has been spoiled or upon which an entry has been made without having issued the citation or summons to the alleged offender.
F. The chief administrative officer shall also maintain or cause to be maintained in connection with every litter citation or summons issued by an officer under his supervision a record of the disposition of the charge by the court in which the original or a copy of the litter citation or summons was deposited.
G. Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting or interfering with the authority of a district attorney or other prosecuting attorney to dismiss a litter citation or summons or litter charge by entry of a nolle prosequi.
H. Whenever an alleged offender fails to appear before the judicial officer at the place and time specified in a citation or summons, the judicial officer of the court exercising jurisdiction shall immediately forward to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections notice of the failure to appear, with information necessary for identification of the alleged offender, and another date and time for the alleged offender to appear before the judicial officer. Thereupon, unless the original charges have been disposed of, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall immediately notify the alleged offender that:
(1) The judicial officer has taken judicial notice of his failure to appear at the hearing on the date and time listed on the original citation or summons and has found him in contempt of court and his failure to appear could subject him to additional penalties or fines.
(2) He must appear before the judicial officer on a specified date and time to answer the charges for his original violation and his contempt of court.
(3) His failure to appear at this second hearing could subject him to another charge of contempt of court along with the punishment of serving time in jail.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3; Acts 2003, No. 950, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2004.
The deputy secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of public safety services, shall promulgate rules and regulations to provide for a uniform citation document which shall be used for issuing citations for violations of this Part.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3.
It shall be the duty of all law enforcement officers of this state to enforce the provisions of this Part.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3.
A. Nothing in this Part shall limit the authority of any state agency to enforce any other laws, rules, or regulations relating to waste or the management of solid, biomedical, or hazardous waste.
B. Nothing in this Part shall be construed to affect any ordinance of any political subdivision of the state of Louisiana in effect on June 16, 1998, or to prohibit any political subdivision of the state from adopting ordinances aimed at litter control and reduction. Parish governing authorities may enact such ordinances as further provided in R.S. 33:1236(54).
C. Nothing in this Part shall be deemed to supersede, amend, or delete the provisions of R.S. 30:2545 and 2546.
D. Any occurrence in violation of this Part and otherwise regulated by any other Chapter of this Subtitle may be prosecuted under this Part. However, no person shall be prosecuted for an occurrence in violation of this Part if the person is being prosecuted for the same occurrence under any other Chapter of this Subtitle.
Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3.
A. All fines collected under the provisions of this Part shall be payable as follows:
(1) Civil fines recovered by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for citations issued by that department shall be deposited into the Conservation Fund.
(2) For all other fines:
(a) Twenty-five percent shall be paid to the law enforcement agency issuing the citation.
(b)(i) Fifty percent shall be paid to the law enforcement agency issuing the citation that shall transfer the funds to the retirement system of such law enforcement agency prior to the close of the fiscal year in which the fine was collected. The funds shall be applied to the oldest outstanding positive amortization base of the retirement system without reamortization of such base until all such bases are liquidated.
(ii) Upon liquidation of all positive amortization bases for the applicable retirement system, the amount remitted shall be added to the general funds of the retirement system until a new positive amortization base is created. Upon creation of a new positive amortization base, the fines collection shall be distributed in the manner prescribed in Item (i) of this Subparagraph.
(c)(i) Fifteen percent shall be paid to the sheriff of the parish, the parish governing authority, or the municipality where the violation occurred if a community service litter abatement program has been established pursuant to R.S. 30:2531.4.
(ii) When the law is enforced by a justice of the peace court, then fifteen percent shall be paid to the parish governing authority for reimbursement of expenses of the justice of the peace court.
(d) Five percent shall be paid to the office of the district attorney of the judicial district where the violations occurred, or if prosecuted in a justice of the peace court or a city court, then to the parish governing authority for reimbursement of expenses of the constable or to the municipality, as the case may be.
(e) The remainder shall be paid to the state treasury for credit to the litter abatement account.
B. Repealed by Acts 2022, No. 15, §5.
C., D. Repealed by Acts 2011, No. 265, §6, eff. July 1, 2011.
Acts 1986, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 32, §1; Acts 1987, No. 235, §1; Acts 1988, No. 692, §1; Acts 1989, No. 687, §1; Acts 1989, No. 768, §3; Acts 1992, No. 361, §§1 and 2, eff. July 1, 1992; Acts 1992, No. 362, §1; Acts 1992, No. 655, §1; Acts 1992, No. 984, §8; Acts 1993, No. 579, §3; Acts 1995, No. 1019, §§1, 9; Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3; Acts 2011, No. 265, §§1, 6, eff. July 1, 2011; Acts 2015, No. 368, §1; Acts 2022, No. 15, §§1, 5; Acts 2022, No. 17, §1.
A. Each court, except justice of the peace courts, may establish a litter violations bureau and provide for the operation and administration thereof, including any or all of the following:
(1) The fixing of a schedule of fines and costs for the various litter offenses within the limits of such penalties as are set by law.
(2) Providing that any person charged with such an offense may plead guilty before an officer designated by the court.
B. Nothing in this Part shall be construed to affect any ordinance of any political subdivision of the state of Louisiana in effect on the effective date of this Part or to prohibit any political subdivision of the state from adopting ordinances aimed at litter control and reduction. Parish governing authorities may enact such ordinances as further provided in R.S. 33:1236(54).
Acts 1986, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 32, §1; Acts 1989, No. 250, §1; Acts 1989, No. 296, §2; Acts 1995, No. 1019, §9.
Repealed by Acts 2008, No. 89, §2, eff. June 5, 2008.
A. Any owner or person in control of any property which is held out to the public as a place for parking consisting of fifteen or more parking spaces shall be responsible for the procurement, placement, and maintenance of litter receptacles. The section shall be authorized to adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations to implement this Section for the purpose of abating litter throughout the state, including placement, minimum standards, and removal.
B. A "litter receptacle" means a container of not less than fifteen gallons constructed, appropriately marked, and placed for use as a temporary depository for litter. Any containers, commonly referred to as "dumpsters", and any garbage receptacle for deposit of litter for single or multi-family residences may be used and shall in no way be governed by this Section.
C. A litter receptacle shall be required at any parking lot consisting of thirty or more parking spaces operated for public use.
D. All such receptacles may bear a logo designed by the section and made available to the public without cost.
E. Any person who violates the provisions of this Section shall be subject to the penalties prescribed in R.S. 30:2531(A).
Acts 1987, No. 936, §1; Acts 1989, No. 687, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1019, §§1, 9; Acts 2003, No. 950, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2004.
A. Any prisoner who has been sentenced to imprisonment in the parish prison for a period of less than one year may be set to work collecting litter on the parish roads under the supervision of the sheriff, or his designee, at the request of the governing authority of the parish. Such prisoners may be utilized by municipalities within the parish by mutual agreement between the sheriff and the governing authority of the municipality.
B. It shall be the duty of such prisoners to pick up and collect litter, trash, and other miscellaneous items that are unsightly to the public that have accumulated on the parish roads, municipal streets, and state highways.
C. Work performed by the prisoner pursuant to this Section shall be credited towards reduction of the prisoner's sentence in the following manner: for each ten-hour day worked on the road collecting litter by the prisoner, his sentence shall be reduced by one day.
D. The Department of Transportation and Development may provide one truck to each parish of sufficient size and design to hold and haul away the litter, trash, and other miscellaneous items as collected by such prisoners, and one employee capable of driving the truck provided upon request of the sheriff. However, the department shall use trucks owned by the department and shall not purchase additional trucks for the purpose of this Section. Any parish or municipality utilizing prisoners may furnish any transportation or trucks required in the utilization of prisoner labor.
E. A prisoner, who participates in a litter abatement or collection program pursuant to this Section, shall have no cause of action for damages against the sheriff conducting the program or supervising his participation therein, nor against his employee or agent, for any injury or loss suffered by him during or arising out of his participation in the program, if such injury or loss is a direct result of the lack of supervision or act or omission of the sheriff or his employee or agent, unless the injury or loss was caused by the intentional or grossly negligent act or omission of the sheriff or his employee or agent. The sheriff shall not be liable for any injury caused by the prisoner, unless the gross negligence or intentional act of the sheriff or his employee or agent was a substantial factor in causing the injury. No provision hereof shall negate the requirement to provide a prisoner with necessary medical treatment as statutorily required.
Acts 1987, No. 936, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1019, §9; Acts 1997, No. 656, §2.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
A. The public rights-of-way of all state, parish, and municipal roads, highways, and streets are hereby declared litter-free zones. No person shall dispose of litter, as both terms are defined in R.S. 30:2522(3) and (6), in a litter-free zone.
B. Each local governing authority should make a reasonable effort to recycle any recyclable litter collected in litter-free zones and shall use the proceeds from the sale of recyclable litter solely for the purposes of litter abatement in drug-free zones.
C. For the purposes of this Section, littering shall also be defined to include the posting, erecting, or displaying on any surface, pole, or stanchion of temporary signs, handbills, flyers, and notices, including but not limited to political campaign signs. However, no person shall be held in violation of any provision of this Section unless:
(1) The owner of a temporary sign, handbill, flyer, or notice fails to remove such item within thirty days after receiving notice, by certified mail, indicating the location or locations of such item and directing the immediate removal thereof.
(2) In the case of political signs, the candidate for political office, who is deemed to be the owner of the sign, fails to remove the sign within thirty days following the general election for the office which the sign was posted.
D. Whoever violates the provisions of this Section shall be fined in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 30:2531(A); however, for purposes of Subsection C of this Section no fine shall be assessed unless the owner has been properly notified as required by that Subsection.
E. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to abrogate or affect any ordinance of any political subdivision of the state which may be more restrictive than the provisions of this Section.
Acts 1989, No. 768, §3; Acts 1992, No. 361, §2, eff. July 1, 1992; Acts 1995, No. 844, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1019, §9; Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 148, §3; Acts 2003, No. 950, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2004.
A. No person shall use or carry a glass water or beverage container upon a beach in this state, nor shall any person throw, drop, deposit, discard, or otherwise dispose of such a glass container on a beach.
B. For the purposes of this Section:
(1) "Beach" means any area constituting the shore of the Gulf of Mexico within the boundaries of the state of Louisiana or Lake Pontchartrain which is operated as or held out to the public as an area of recreation associated with the respective body of water.
(2) "Beverage" means any drink, whether liquid or frozen including, but not limited to, soda pop, ale, beer, wine, fruit punch, milk, shakes, floats, whiskey, or any mixture or combination which includes these products.
(3) "Glass container" means any glass object used to hold water or a beverage, which is typically used to drink, sip, or eat the beverage from, and which is typically designed to hold between one and sixteen four-ounce servings.
C. An offender may be cited for the offense by means of a ticket, summons, or other means provided by law. Whoever violates a provision of this Section shall, upon conviction, be fined not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars.
Acts 1990, No. 949, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1019, §9.
A. It shall be unlawful for an operator, passenger, crew member, or any person on board any vessel to intentionally discharge, discard, and permanently abandon into the waters of the state any type of finished plastic products, including but not limited to synthetic ropes, fishing nets, and garbage bags, or to intentionally discharge, discard, and permanently abandon other garbage, including but not limited to paper products, glass, metal, dunnage, lining, and packing materials.
B. As used in this Section, "vessel" means any boat, barge, or other vehicle operating in the waters of the state, including all commercial and recreational watercraft.
C. Any person who violates the provisions of this Section shall be fined not less than fifty dollars nor more than two hundred dollars for each violation; subsequent to notification of such violation, each twenty-four hour day the condition remains uncorrected shall constitute a separate violation.
D. Repealed by Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
Acts 1992, No. 487, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1019, §9; Acts 2018, No. 509, §4.
NOTE: See Acts 2018, No. 509 in which the substance of this provision was amended and redesignated as R.S. 30:2514.
NOTE: See Acts 2018, No. 509 in which the substance of this provision was amended and redesignated as R.S. 30:2515.
A. The legislature finds and declares that the cleanup, redevelopment, and reuse of brownfields sites in the state should be encouraged and facilitated for the benefit of the state's citizens by way of economic development, health, and aesthetics. The legislature further finds and declares that providing loans for cleanup of brownfields sites will result in benefits to the public by reducing risk to public health and the environment.
B.(1) In furtherance of that purpose, there is hereby established a fund in the state treasury to be known as the "Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund" hereafter referred to as the "fund", which shall be maintained and operated by the Department of Environmental Quality. Grants from the federal government or its agencies allotted to the state for the capitalization of the fund and state funds when available shall be deposited directly in or credited to the account of the fund in compliance with the terms of the federal or state grant or state appropriation.
(2) Money in, credited to the account of, or to be received by the fund shall be expended in a manner consistent with terms and conditions of the grants and other sources of said deposits and credits and of all applicable federal and state legislation and may be used:
(a) To make loans from the fund at or below market interest rates.
(b) To provide assistance to a political subdivision, public trust, quasi governmental organization, or eligible nonprofit or private entity to remediate eligible brownfields' properties, except as provided in Subsection C of this Section.
(c) To fund other brownfields-related programs authorized by the terms of the grants and appropriations.
(d) To fund other programmatic activities of the department to develop and operate the revolving loan program.
(e) To provide for any other expenditure consistent with the federal grant program and state law.
(3) Money not currently needed for the operation of the fund or otherwise dedicated may be invested in an interest bearing account. All such interest earned on investments shall be credited to the fund.
C. Responsible persons shall not be eligible to apply for or receive loans pursuant to this Part.
D. The fund shall be administered by the department, which is authorized to enter into contracts and other agreements in connection with the operation of the fund. The department shall maintain full authority for the operation of the fund in accordance with applicable federal and state law.
E. Prior to making a loan, the department shall determine that the applicant has the ability to repay the loan. Further, the department may require security for loans made pursuant to this Part.
F. The secretary is authorized to adopt rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this Part. These rules shall include but not be limited to:
(1) Eligibility requirements of the entity or person and properties.
(2) Criteria for ranking and selecting applicants.
(3) Procedures for making and repaying loans.
(4) Requirement of security for loans to eligible non-profits and private entities.
(5) Establishment of procedures for interest rates on loans.
G. As used in this Part, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Subsection, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Brownfields site" means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
(2) "Loan" means a loan of money from the Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund.
(3) "Nonprofit organization" means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest; is not organized principally for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization.
(4) "Responsible person" means responsible person or responsible owner as those terms are defined in R.S. 30:2285.2.
H. The department shall provide an annual report of all loans made, a status of loan repayments, and a report of monies expended from the fund to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.
Acts 2020, No. 91, §1, eff. June 5, 2020.
A. Any political subdivision, public trust, quasi governmental organization, or eligible nonprofit or private entity, except as provided in R.S. 30:2551(C), is hereby authorized to make loans from and incur debt payable to the department in accordance with the provisions of this Section. The making of a loan from the Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund and the issuance of debt evidencing such loan by any political subdivision, eligible nonprofit organization, or eligible private entity shall be approved by the State Bond Commission. This Section shall not be deemed to be the exclusive authority under which a political subdivision, eligible nonprofit organization, or eligible private entity may borrow money from or incur indebtedness to the department. The department shall aggressively pursue leveraging of all funds to the maximum amount allowable by law.
B. All bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of any political subdivision, public trust, quasi governmental organization, or eligible nonprofit or private entity issued to represent a loan from the department or the fund shall be authorized and issued pursuant to a resolution of the governing authority of such entity, which resolution shall prescribe the form and details thereof, including the terms, security for, manner of execution, repayment schedule, and redemption features thereof, and such resolution may provide that an officer of such entity may execute in connection with such obligation any related contract, including but not limited to a credit enhancement device, indenture of trust, loan agreement, pledge agreement, or other agreement or contract needed to accomplish the purposes for which the evidence of indebtedness is given, in substantially the form attached to the resolution, but which final executed credit enhancement device, indenture of trust, loan agreement, pledge, or other contract or agreement may contain such changes, additions, and deletions as shall in the sole opinion of the executing officer be appropriate under the circumstances. Any such resolution shall include a statement as to the maximum principal amount of any such obligation, the maximum interest rate to be incurred or borne by the obligation or guaranteed by the obligation, the maximum redemption premium, if any, and the maximum term in years for such obligation, guarantee, or pledge.
C. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a political subdivision, public trust, quasi governmental organization, or eligible nonprofit entity, upon entering into a loan in accordance with the fund as provided in R.S. 30:2551, may dedicate and pledge a portion of any revenues it has available to it, including but not limited to revenues from the general revenue fund, sales taxes, assessments, or property taxes of the political subdivision, for a term not exceeding twenty years from the date of project completion for repayment of the principal of, interest on, and any premium, administrative fee, or other fee, or cost imposed by the department in connection with such loan.
D.(1) Bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of any political subdivision, quasi governmental organization, or public trust shall be sold at a private, negotiated sale to the department at such price or prices, including premiums and discounts, as shall be authorized in the resolution of the political subdivision, quasi governmental organization, or public trust authorizing the issuance of any such obligation and agreed to by the department. The general laws of the state governing fully registered securities of public entities shall be applicable to the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness issued pursuant to this Section.
(2) All resolutions authorizing the issuance of bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness pursuant to this Section shall be published once in the official journal of the political subdivision, quasi governmental organization, or public trust incurring said debt. It shall not be necessary to publish exhibits to any such resolution, but such exhibits shall be made available for public inspection at the offices of the governing authority of the political subdivision, quasi governmental organization, or public trust at reasonable times, and such fact must be stated in the publication within the official journal. For a period of thirty days after the date of such publication any persons in interest may contest the legality of the resolution authorizing such evidence of indebtedness and any provisions thereof made for the security and payment thereof. After such thirty-day period no one shall have any cause or right of action to contest the regularity, formality, legality, or effectiveness of said resolution and the provisions thereof or of the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness authorized thereby for any cause whatsoever. If no suit, action, or proceeding is begun contesting the validity of the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness authorized pursuant to such resolution within the thirty days prescribed by this Subsection, the authority to issue the bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness, or to provide for the payment thereof, and the legality thereof, and all of the provisions of the resolution and such evidence of indebtedness shall be conclusively presumed, and no court shall have authority or jurisdiction to inquire into any such matter.
E. Bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness issued under the authority of this Section shall be exempt from all taxation for state, parish, municipal, or other purposes. Such bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness shall be legal and authorized investments for banks, savings banks, insurance companies, any other financial institution, tutors of minors, curators of interdicts, trustees, and other fiduciaries. Such bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness may be used for deposit with any officer, board, or political subdivision of the state, in any case where, by law, deposit of security is required for state funds.
Acts 2004, No. 655, §1; Acts 2018, No. 612, §9, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2020, No. 91, §§1, 3, eff. June 5, 2020.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Environmental Regulatory Innovations Programs Act".
Acts 1997, No. 992, §1.
A. The legislature finds and declares that the improvement of the environment of the state of Louisiana is a matter of vital concern to all citizens of this state, and recognizes that existing environmental law plays a critical role in protecting the environment.
B. The legislature further finds and declares that environmental protection could be enhanced by authorizing innovative advances in environmental regulatory methods.
C. The legislature further finds that present laws and regulations applicable thereto do not provide the authority needed to comply with federal programs that offer industry regulatory flexibility in exchange for superior environmental performances.
Acts 1997, No. 992, §1.
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Final project agreement" means the final document agreed upon between the secretary and a program participant that specifically states the terms and duration of the proposed project. The final project agreement is an enforceable document.
(2) "Regulatory flexibility" means that a qualified participant in a regulatory innovations program may be exempted by the secretary from regulations promulgated by the department under this Chapter consistent with federal law and regulation.
(3) "Superior environmental performance" means:
(a) A significant decrease of pollution to levels lower than the levels currently being achieved by the subject facility under applicable law or regulation, where these lower levels are better than required by applicable law and regulation; or
(b) Improved social or economic benefits, as determined by the secretary, to the state while achieving protection to the environment equal to the protection currently being achieved by the subject facility under applicable law and regulation, provided that all requirements under current applicable law and regulation are being achieved by the facility.
Acts 1997, No. 992, §1.
A. The department shall establish and implement environmental regulatory innovations programs. The programs shall provide regulatory flexibility for participants in these programs. Participation in such programs shall be strictly voluntary, and the department shall not require participation in such programs.
B. The Louisiana Environmental Regulatory Innovations Programs shall include but are not limited to the excellence and leadership program.
C. Minimum criteria for participation in any of the Louisiana Environmental Regulatory Innovations Programs are:
(1) The demonstration project must provide superior environmental performance:
(a) Without increasing negative impacts on the environment, the local community, or worker health and safety.
(b) Without transferring the pollution impacts into a product.
(2) The pollution reduction goals of the demonstration project must be verifiable.
(3) The participant agrees to make available to the public in a format approved by the department all information he submits to the department about the demonstration project, except information that is declared confidential under R.S. 30:2030.
(4) The demonstration project must include stakeholder participation.
(5) The participant agrees to provide an annual written report to the department containing but not limited to pollution reduction data, economic benefits, and paperwork and other administrative tasks that do not directly benefit the environment.
(6) The project is consistent with federal law and regulation.
D. The secretary shall determine the number of environmental regulatory innovations programs and the number of projects to be conducted under the programs each fiscal year.
E. On or before June 30, 1999, and on a quarterly basis thereafter, the secretary shall report to the legislature on implementation of these innovative programs, their environmental results, the level of stakeholder support, and the costs and benefits.
F. The secretary shall give notice of the final project agreement to a person who has requested notice of the agreement. The program participant must publish a notice of the final project agreement in the official journal of the parish governing authority for the parish in which the project will occur.
Acts 1997, No. 992, §1.
A. The Excellence and Leadership Program shall allow regulatory flexibility to participants who agree to conduct a demonstration project that provides superior environmental performance.
B. In addition to meeting the minimum requirements in R.S. 30:2564 for participating in the Louisiana Environmental Regulatory Innovations Programs, any participant in this program shall also demonstrate that:
(1) A stakeholder group is involved in the demonstration project.
(2) The demonstration project reduces paperwork or financial costs.
(3) The demonstration project is transferable to other members of the regulated community.
(4) The demonstration project should not unduly shift the risk burden to citizens or communities.
(5) The pollution goals of the demonstration project are verifiable and enforceable.
(6) The project is consistent with federal laws and regulations.
Acts 1997, No. 992, §1.
On or before January 30, 1998, the secretary shall promulgate regulations, pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, for the administration of the Louisiana Environmental Regulatory Innovations Programs including the Excellence and Leadership Program. The regulations shall provide for but are not limited to:
(1) Developing regulatory flexibility for participants in the Excellence and Leadership Program.
(2) Encouraging facility owners and operators to assess the pollution they emit or cause, directly and indirectly, to the air, water, and land.
(3) Encouraging facility owners and operators to innovate, set measurable and verifiable goals, and implement effective pollution prevention, or other pollution reduction strategies for their facilities, while complying with verifiable and enforceable pollution limits.
(4) Encouraging superior environmental performance and continuous improvement toward sustainable levels of resource usage and minimization of pollution discharges.
(5) Establishing a priority system for the selection of demonstration projects.
(6) Reducing the time and money spent by the department and facility owners and operators on paperwork and other administrative tasks that do not benefit the environment.
(7) Increasing public participation and requiring stakeholder participation in the development of innovative environmental regulatory methods and in monitoring the environmental performance of projects under this Chapter.
(8) Encouraging groups of facilities and communities to work together to reduce pollution to levels lower than levels required by applicable law.
Acts 1997, No. 992, §1.
This Chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Louisiana Mercury Risk Reduction Act."
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. The legislature finds and declares that the control of mercury releases to the environment is essential for the reduction of human health risks. Mercury in the environment represents a persistent and growing problem for the citizens of the state. Mercury is a persistent and toxic pollutant that bioaccumulates in the environment. Mercury contamination in fish is resulting in increasing issuance of fish consumption advisories to abate a significant public health threat. Studies across the nation have documented that exposure to the elevated levels of mercury in the environment has resulted in harm to fish-consuming wildlife. There are many sources of mercury in the environment, many of which have existing regulatory means for control. However, landfilling of municipal and other solid waste with mercury-containing products, devices and substances is a largely uncontrolled source of mercury to the environment. Removal of mercury-containing products from the waste stream is an effective way to reduce mercury.
B. Accidental mercury spills, breakages, and releases have occurred throughout Louisiana and the nation, resulting in costly cleanups and mercury exposures to humans, and often children, who represent one of the most sensitive portions of the population. Nationally, health care facilities, educational and research institutions, and businesses have also experienced significant employee exposures and incurred significant costs due to accidental mercury releases.
C. The intent of this Chapter is to achieve significant reductions in environmental mercury by encouraging the establishment of effective state and local waste reduction, recycling, and management programs while encouraging non-mercury alternatives.
D. The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is hereby authorized to implement, by rules enacted pursuant to the Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act, any and all regulations necessary to carry out the provisions in this Chapter. The secretary may apply for grants, accept donations, or seek appropriations from the state general fund to carry out the provisions in this Chapter. The department shall not use existing fees collected for another purpose to carry out the provisions of this Chapter.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. As used in this Chapter, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term:
(1) "Fabricated mercury-added product" means a product that consists of a combination of individual components that combine to make a single unit, including but not limited to mercury-added measuring devices, lamps, and switches.
(2) "Formulated mercury-added product" means a chemical product, including but not limited to laboratory chemicals, cleaning products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and coating materials, that are sold as a consistent mixture of chemicals.
(3) "Health care facility" means any hospital, nursing home, extended care facility, long-term care facility, clinical or medical laboratory, state or private health or mental institution, clinic, physician's office, or health maintenance organization.
(4) "Manufacturer" means any person, firm, association, partnership, corporation, governmental entity, organization, combination, or joint venture which produces a mercury-added product or an importer or domestic distributor of a mercury-added product produced in a foreign country. In the case of a multi-component mercury-added product, the manufacturer is the last manufacturer to produce or assemble the product. If the multi-component product is produced in a foreign country, the manufacturer is the importer or domestic distributor.
(5) "Mercury-added novelty" means a mercury-added product intended mainly for personal or household enjoyment or adornment. Mercury-added novelties include, but are not limited to, items intended for use as practical jokes, figurines, adornments, toys, games, cards, ornaments, yard statues and figures, candles, jewelry, holiday decorations, items of apparel including footwear, or similar products.
(6) "Mercury-added product" means a product, commodity, chemical, or a product with a component that contains mercury or a mercury compound intentionally added to the product, commodity, chemical, or component in order to provide a specific characteristic, appearance, or quality or to perform a specific function or for any other reason. These products include formulated mercury-added products and fabricated mercury-added products.
(7) "Mercury fever thermometer" means a mercury-added product that is used for measuring body temperature.
B. The mere presence of mercury as a contaminate does not of itself make a product a mercury-added product.
C. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, dental amalgam, amalgam dispose caps, capsulated dental amalgam, or elemental mercury intended to be used for dental amalgam is not included in the definition of mercury-added product when dispensed by a qualified health care provider. Manufacturers of dental amalgam, amalgam dispose caps, capsulated dental amalgam and/or components of these items, and elemental mercury intended to be used for dental amalgam are subject to this Section.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. Effective January 1, 2007, no mercury-added product shall be offered for final sale or use or distributed for promotional purposes in Louisiana without prior notification in writing by the manufacturer of the product to the Department of Environmental Quality in accordance with the requirements of this Section. The notification to the department shall at a minimum include:
(1) A brief description of the product to be offered for sale, use, or distribution.
(2) The amount of and purpose for mercury in each unit of the product.
(3) The total amount of mercury contained in all products manufactured by the manufacturer.
(4) The name and address of the manufacturer, and the name, address and phone number of a contact at the manufacturer.
(5) For purposes of complying with this Section, the manufacturer may submit to the Department of Environmental Quality copies of reports sent by the manufacturer to the Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC). At a minimum, copies of the reports shall contain the information listed in Paragraphs (1) through (4) of this Subsection. Any changes in the information contained in these reports shall be reported to the Department of Environmental Quality when those changes are reported to IMERC.
B. Any mercury-added product for which federal law governs notice in a manner that preempts state authority shall be exempt from the requirements of this Section.
C. With the approval of the Department of Environmental Quality, the manufacturer may supply the information required above for a product category rather than an individual product. The manufacturer shall update and revise the information in the notification whenever there is significant change in the information or when requested by the Department of Environmental Quality. The Department of Environmental Quality may define and adopt specific regulations in accordance with Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act for the content and submission of the required notification.
D. Public disclosure of confidential business information submitted to the Department of Environmental Quality pursuant to this Section shall be governed by the requirements of R.S. 30:2030. Notwithstanding the requirements of R.S. 30:2030, the state may provide the Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse with copies of such information and the Department of Environmental Quality and the Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse may compile or publish analyses or summaries of such information provided that the analyses or summaries do not identify any manufacturer or reveal any confidential information.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. On and after July 1, 2007, no mercury-added novelty shall be offered for final sale or use or distributed for promotional purposes in Louisiana. Manufacturers that produce and sell mercury-added novelties shall notify retailers about the provisions of this product ban and how to dispose of the remaining inventory properly. Novelties for which the only added mercury comes from a removable mercury-added lamp or mercury-added button cell battery are exempt from this Subsection if the manufacturer of the mercury-added lamp or mercury-added button cell battery has complied with the applicable provisions of R.S. 30:2574, 2577, 2578, 2579, and 2581.
B. On and after January 1, 2007, no person shall sell or supply mercury fever thermometers to consumers and patients, except by prescription. The manufacturers of mercury fever thermometers shall, in addition to providing notice of mercury content and instructions on proper disposal, supply clear instructions on the careful handling of the thermometer to avoid breakage and on proper cleanup should a breakage occur. Mercury fever thermometer manufacturers shall also comply with R.S. 30:2574, 2576, 2577, 2579, and 2581.
C. On and after January 1, 2007, no school in Louisiana shall use or purchase for use in a primary or secondary classroom, bulk elemental or chemical mercury or mercury compounds. Manufacturers that produce and sell such materials shall notify retailers about the provisions of this ban and how to dispose of the remaining inventory properly. Other mercury-added products that are used by schools are not subject to this prohibition.
D. On and after July 1, 2007, no mercury dairy or natural gas manometers shall be offered for final sale or use or distributed for promotional purposes in Louisiana. Manufacturers that produce and sell mercury dairy or natural gas manometers shall notify retailers about the provisions of this product ban and how to dispose of the remaining inventory properly. The Department of Environmental Quality, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Department of Conservation and Energy, shall examine the feasibility of implementing a collection and replacement program for dairy and natural gas manometers, respectively, including technical and monetary assistance to operations that once contained mercury manometers.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.
A. No mercury-added product shall be offered for final sale or use or distributed for promotional purposes in Louisiana if the mercury content of the product exceeds:
(1) 1 gram (1,000 milligrams) for mercury-added fabricated products or 250 parts per million (ppm) for mercury-added formulated products, on and after July 1, 2008.
(2) 100 milligrams for mercury-added fabricated products or 50 parts per million (ppm) for mercury-added formulated products, effective July 1, 2010.
(3) 10 milligrams for mercury-added fabricated products or 10 parts per million (ppm) for mercury-added formulated products, effective July 1, 2012.
B. For a product that contains one or more mercury-added products as a component, this Section is applicable to each component part or parts and not to the entire product.
C. For a product that contains more than one mercury-added product as a component, the phase out limits specified in Subsection A of this Section shall apply to each component and not the sum of the mercury in all of the components. For a newly manufactured automobile containing mercury-added displays and lighting, the phase out limits would apply to each component separately, and not the combined total of mercury in all of the components.
D. Fluorescent lamps shall be exempt from the requirements of Subsection A of this Section. On and after July 1, 2014, the mercury content of fluorescent bulbs must either not exceed 10 milligrams or the manufacturer must comply with the exemption requirements pursuant to Subsection F of this Section.
E. A mercury-added product shall be exempt from the limits on total mercury content set forth in Subsection A of this Section, if the level of mercury or mercury compounds contained in the product are required in order to comply with federal or state health, safety, or homeland security requirements. In order to claim exemption under this Section the manufacturer must notify, in writing, the Department of Environmental Quality and provide the legal justification for the claim of exemption.
F. The department shall promulgate regulations that provide for manufacturers to apply for exemptions from this Subsection. Such rules shall provide that manufacturers of a mercury-added product may apply to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality for an exemption from the limits on total mercury content set forth in Subsection A of this Section for a product or category of products. Applications for exemptions must document the basis for the requested exemption or renewal of exemption; describe how the manufacturer will ensure that a system exists for the proper collection, transportation, and processing of the products at the end of their useful life; and document the readiness of all necessary parties to perform as intended in the planned system. The Department of Environmental Quality may grant with modifications or conditions an exemption for a product or category of products if it finds that a system exists for the proper collection, transportation, and processing of the mercury-added product. Such a system may include direct return of a waste product to the manufacturer or an industry or trade group that supports a collection and recycling system, or other similar private and public sector efforts and it considers each of the following criteria:
(1) Use of the product is beneficial to the environment or protective of public health or protective of public safety.
(2) There is no technically feasible alternative to the use of mercury in the product.
(3) There is no comparable non-mercury-added product available at reasonable cost.
G. Prior to issuing an exemption the Department of Environmental Quality shall consult with neighboring states and regional organizations to promote consistency. The state shall avoid to the extent feasible inconsistencies in the implementation of this Section. Upon reapplication by the manufacturer and findings by the Department of Environmental Quality of continued eligibility under the criteria of this Subsection and of compliance by the manufacturer with the conditions of its original approval, an exemption may be renewed one or more times and each renewal may be for a period of no longer than two years.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. No mercury-added product manufactured on and after July 1, 2008, shall be offered for final sale or use or distributed for promotional purposes in Louisiana unless both the product and its packaging are labeled in accordance with this Section, any adopted rules, or the terms of any approved alternative labeling or notification granted under R.S. 30:2579. A retailer may not be found in violation of this Subsection if the retailer lacked knowledge that the product contained mercury.
B. Where a mercury-added product is a component of another product, the product containing the component and the component must both be labeled. The label on a product containing a mercury-added component shall identify the component with sufficient detail so that it may be readily located for removal.
C. All labels must be clearly visible prior to sale and must inform the purchaser, using words or symbols, that mercury is present in the product and that the product should not be disposed of or placed in a waste stream destined for disposal until the mercury is removed and reused, recycled, or otherwise managed to ensure that the mercury in the product does not become mixed with other solid waste or wastewater.
D. Labels affixed to the product shall be constructed of materials that are sufficiently durable to remain legible for the useful life of the product.
E. On and after July 1, 2008, any person offering a mercury-added product for final sale or use or promotional purposes to an address in Louisiana shall clearly advise the purchaser or recipient at the point of sale that the product contains mercury. This requirement shall apply to all transactions where the purchaser or recipient is unable to view the labels on the package or the product prior to purchase or receipt, including but not limited to catalogue, telephone, and Internet sales.
F. Responsibility for product and package labels required by this Section shall be on the manufacturer and not on the wholesaler or retailer unless the wholesaler or retailer agrees with the manufacturer to accept responsibility in conjunction with implementation of an alternative to the labeling requirements of this Section approved under R.S. 30:2578. In the case of a multi-component product the responsible manufacturer is the last manufacturer to produce or assemble the product or, if the multi-component product is produced in a foreign country, the responsible manufacturer is the importer or domestic distributor.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
Notwithstanding the requirements of R.S. 30:2577, labeling of appliances which are sold in a store where the appliance is on display shall meet all requirements of this Chapter except that no package labeling is required. Labeling of fever thermometers and button cell batteries shall meet all requirements of this Section, except that no product labeling is required. Labeling of newly manufactured motor vehicles shall meet all requirements of this Section except that the mercury-added components are not required to be labeled. A doorpost label shall list the mercury-added components that may be present in the vehicle.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. A manufacturer may apply to the Department of Environmental Quality for an alternative to the requirements of this Section where strict compliance with the requirements is not feasible or the proposed alternative would be at least as effective in providing pre-sale notification of mercury content and in providing instructions on proper disposal or federal law governs labeling in a manner that preempts state authority.
B. Applications for an alternative to the requirements under this Section must document the justification for the requested alternative; describe how the alternative ensures that purchasers or recipients of mercury-added products are made aware of mercury content prior to purchase or receipt; describe how a person discarding the product will be made aware of the need for proper handling to ensure that it does not become part of solid waste or wastewater; document the readiness of all necessary parties to implement the proposed alternative; and describe the performance measures to be utilized by the manufacturer to demonstrate that the alternative is providing effective pre-sale notification and pre-disposal notification.
C. The Department of Environmental Quality may grant, deny, modify, or condition a request for an alternative to the requirements of this Section and approval of such alternative. The grant of the application for the alternative method of public notification shall be for a period of no more than two years and may, upon continued eligibility under the criteria of this Section and compliance with the conditions of its prior approval, be renewed for two-year intervals. Prior to approving an alternative, the Department of Environmental Quality shall consult with neighboring states, provinces and regional organizations to ensure that its labeling requirements are consistent with those of other governments in the region.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. On and after January 1, 2007, mercury shall not be discharged to water, wastewater treatment, and wastewater disposal systems except when it is done in compliance with applicable local, state, and federal requirements.
B. No person shall crush a motor vehicle unless the person has made a reasonable effort to remove or verify that the mercury contained within convenience lighting switches and antilock braking system components have been removed. Obtaining a certification by a duly authorized representative of the person delivering the scrap that the mercury contained within convenience lighting switches and antilock braking system components required to be removed have been removed and are not included with the scrap delivered, and conducting a visual inspection as practicable of the scrap delivered shall constitute verification that the mercury contained within convenience lighting switches and antilock braking system components have been removed.
C. No person shall shred an appliance unless the person has made a reasonable effort to remove or verify that the component mercury-added products have been removed. Obtaining a certification by a duly authorized representative of the person delivering the scrap that mercury-added products required to be removed have been removed and are not included with the scrap delivered and conducting a visual inspection as practicable of the scrap delivered shall constitute verification that all of the component mercury-added products have been removed.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. On and after July 1, 2007, no mercury-added product containing more than ten milligrams of mercury shall be offered for final sale or use or distribution for promotional purposes in Louisiana unless the manufacturer either on its own or in concert with other persons has submitted a plan for a convenient and accessible collection system for such products when the consumer is finished with them and such a plan has received approval of the Department of Environmental Quality. The manufacturer of any automobile subject to the removal of the mercury contained within convenience lighting switches and antilock braking system components as provided in R.S. 30:2580(B) shall either on its own or in concert with other persons, submit a plan effective until January 1, 2017 for a convenient and accessible collection system for the mercury contained within convenience lighting switches and antilock braking system components when removed from end-of-life vehicles. Where a mercury-added product is a component of another product, the collection system shall provide for removal and collection of the mercury-added component. The department shall promulgate regulations that provide for the requirements of the collection plan. Those regulations shall provide that the collection system plan shall include all of the following elements:
(1) A public education program to inform the public about the purpose of the collection program and how to participate in it.
(2) A targeted capture rate for the mercury-added products or components.
(3) A plan for implementing the collection system.
(4) Documentation of the willingness of all necessary parties to implement the proposed collection system.
(5) A description of the performance measures to be utilized and reported by the manufacturer to demonstrate that the collection system is meeting capture rate targets and other measures of program effectiveness as required by the Department of Environmental Quality.
(6) A description of additional or alternative actions that will be implemented to improve the collection system and its operation in the event that the program targets are not met.
B. In developing a collection system plan, manufacturers are encouraged to utilize or expand on existing collection and recycling infrastructure.
C. Within a year of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality approval of the collection system plan, the manufacturer or entity that submitted the plan on behalf of the manufacturer shall ensure that a convenient and accessible recovery system for the users of those products is in full operation. Two years following the implementation of the collection system plan required under this Section and biennially thereafter, the manufacturer or entity that submitted the plan on behalf of the manufacturer shall submit a report on the effectiveness of the collection system. The report shall include an estimate of the amount of mercury that was collected, the capture rate for the mercury-added products or components, the results of the other performance measures included in the manufacturer's collection system plan, and such other information as the Department of Environmental Quality may require. Such reports shall be made available to the public by the Department of Environmental Quality.
D. Mercury-added formulated products intended to be totally consumed in use, such as reagents, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other laboratory chemicals, shall be exempt from the requirements of this Section.
E. Manufacturers of mercury-added products may apply for an exemption from the collection requirements of this Section by forwarding an exemption request to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. In considering the request, the secretary shall consider the amount of mercury in the mercury-added product, the total of the mercury-added product sold in Louisiana, the total amount of mercury-added product disposed of in Louisiana, the feasibility of a collection system, and the overall risk to human health and the environment posed by the mercury-added product. The secretary shall promulgate rules for the implementation of this Section.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
On and after July 1, 2007, the manufacturers of formulated mercury-added products that are offered for sale or use to a health care facility in Louisiana shall provide both the Department of Environmental Quality and the recipient health care facility a notice of the mercury content of the product, down to a 1 part per million level. The notice shall report the result of an analysis performed for mercury on the specific batch or lot of that product offered for sale. The batch or lot number of the product shall be clearly identified on the product and on the notice.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. On and after July 1, 2007, no person shall offer for sale or distribute for promotional purposes or provide elemental mercury without providing a Material Safety Data Sheet, as defined in 42 U.S.C. 11049, and the seller, distributor, or provider shall require the purchaser or recipient at the time of receipt of any elemental mercury to sign a statement attesting the purchaser or recipient:
(1) Will use the mercury only for medical, dental, research or manufacturing purposes.
(2) Understands mercury is toxic and the purchaser will store, use, and otherwise handle exposure to such mercury in accordance with regulations promulgated by the department pursuant to the provisions of this Section. For qualified health care providers, those regulations shall incorporate best management practices in accordance with guidelines of the American Dental Association, the American Medical Association, and other nationally recognized professional health care organizations.
(3) Will dispose of the elemental mercury in accordance with state, federal, and local law and regulation.
B. The department shall promulgate regulations providing for the appropriate manner of disposal of mercury used for medical and dental purposes.
C. To facilitate compliance with the disposal ban, the Department of Environmental Quality may prepare and publish best management practice guidelines for dental offices and laboratories.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. Mercury-added products with a code or date of manufacture indicating the products were manufactured prior to June 2, 2006, or that are meant to service products manufactured prior to June 2, 2006, are exempt from the provisions of R.S. 30:2575, 2576, 2578, 2581, and 2583 if there are no reasonable non-mercury alternatives. If the mercury-added product has a date of manufacture or the manufacturer can provide documentation that the product in question was manufactured prior to June 2, 2006, or the product is a service part for a product manufactured prior to June 2, 2006, it is exempt from the provisions of R.S. 30:2575, 2576, 2578, 2581, and 2583 if there are no reasonable non-mercury alternatives. Situations that are beyond the control of the manufacturer, such as old stock being held by retailers, shall be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
B. Medical equipment containing mercury-added products currently being used in a heath care facility and manufactured prior to June 2, 2006, may remain in service until replaced or refurbished. In the event a mercury-added product being used in a health care facility is refurbished, medical equipment containing a mercury-added product shall be refurbished with a non-mercury containing component, unless there is no reasonable non-mercury alternative or the mercury containing component has been exempted by the provisions of R.S. 30:2576.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. The Department of Environmental Quality shall, as funds are available, implement a comprehensive public education, outreach, and assistance program for households, hazardous waste generators, local and regional solid waste management agencies, small businesses, health care facilities, scrap metal facilities, dismantlers, institutions, schools, and other interested groups in concert with other relevant state agencies. Public education, outreach, and assistance programs should focus on the hazards of mercury; the requirements and obligations of individuals and manufacturers, and voluntary efforts that individuals, institutions, and businesses can undertake to help further reduce mercury in the environment. The Department of Environmental Quality shall cooperate with manufacturers of mercury-added products and other affected businesses in the development and implementation of public education and technical assistance programs.
B. The Department of Environmental Quality may develop an awards program to recognize the accomplishments of manufacturers, municipalities, solid waste management facilities, solid waste recycling facilities, household hazardous waste collection facilities, citizens, or others who go beyond the minimum requirements in this legislation and excel at reducing or eliminating mercury in air emissions, solid waste, and wastewater discharges.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary or any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant thereto, for the procurement of equipment, supplies, and other products, all state agencies shall by July 1, 2007, revise their policies, rules, and procedures to implement the purposes of this Act. In purchasing decisions, state agencies shall give priority and preference to the purchase of equipment, supplies, and other products that contain no mercury-added compounds or components, unless there is no economically feasible non-mercury-added alternative that performs a similar function. In circumstances where a non-mercury-added product is not available, preference shall be given to the purchase of products that contain the least amount of mercury-added to the product necessary for the required performance. The division of administration is authorized to give a price preference of up to twenty percent for products that contain no mercury or less mercury than comparable mercury containing products. The procurement agent shall specify non-mercury or reduced mercury-added products, as applicable, in procurement bid documents. State dental insurance contracts negotiated after the effective date of this Act shall provide equal coverage for non-mercury fillings and dental amalgam fillings at no additional expense to the state employee.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A. On and after August 1, 2006, no person shall install a mercury switch or mercury containing device in any drinking water system or waste water system including, but not limited to level indicators, float switches, pump control, and pressure sensing systems.
B. On and after July 1, 2009, all mercury devices shall be removed from drinking water systems or wastewater systems where the installed switch may release mercury into the water, if damaged, broken or otherwise malfunctions. Mercury-added devices external to drinking water and wastewater systems are exempted from this provision.
C. Owners and operators of drinking water and wastewater management facilities shall implement the following mechanisms:
(1) Posting of signs at the facility providing notice of the prohibition of the introduction of mercury-added products at the facility.
(2) Development of written purchasing procedure to prohibit the purchasing of mercury or mercury containing products that will risk the introduction of mercury into drinking or waste waters.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
A violation of any of the provisions of this Chapter or of any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant thereto shall be punishable as provided in R.S. 30:2025 and any other law providing for the protection of human health and the environment.
Acts 2006, No. 126, §1, eff. June 2, 2006.
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