PART III. STATE OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY PLAN

§2459. State oil spill contingency plan

            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 Energy and Natural Resources, 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 Energy and Natural Resources, 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 Energy and Natural Resources, 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.