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 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.