Bill > HB1191

This bill establishes a voluntary "certificate of compliance" process for oilfield and exploration and production sites in Louisiana, allowing surface owners and operators of interest to jointly request an evaluation by the department to certify that a site meets applicable environmental laws at a specific time. The process involves a joint notice to the department, a review period where the requesting parties can submit data and the department conducts inspections, and culminates in either a certificate of compliance, a report of environmental noncompliance, or a notice of administrative deficiency. A certificate of compliance creates a rebuttable presumption that the site was operated reasonably and in conformance with standards, and it generally bars future legal claims for environmental or property damage related to pre-certification site conditions, though it does not prevent the department from addressing conditions that arise after certification. The bill also outlines a corrective action period for sites found to be noncompliant, makes certain information generated during the process confidential, and designates the Nineteenth Judicial District Court as the exclusive venue for related lawsuits.