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DEQ secretary outlines permit modernization, emergency response as committee moves agency reauthorization
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Summary
Secretary Courtney Burdett told the House Natural Resources Committee that LDEQ is modernizing permit intake with an online portal, coordinating cross‑agency responses to spills, and responding to roughly 8,000 citizen calls last year; the committee reported HB 6 97 favorable after Q&A about tire dumps and waste‑tire funds.
Secretary Courtney Burdett testified to the House Natural Resources Committee that the Department of Environmental Quality is moving toward an online permitting portal, expanding cross‑agency coordination on major projects and spills, and stepping up field inspections and emergency response.
Burdett, who identified herself as LDEQ secretary and an agency attorney with about 12 years of service, said the department is building an online intake system to replace voluminous paper files and hopes to streamline initial intake reviews with technology. She also described the department’s emergency response work and a criminal investigations division that partners with local law enforcement on illegal dumping.
During Q&A, Representative McCormick raised a longstanding local complaint about an estimated 200,000‑tire tire dump near Black Bayou in North Kettle Parish and asked whether DEQ has funds for cleanup. Burdett and agency staff said the department administers a waste‑tire management fund that can be used on tire dumps in some circumstances, that regulations are being updated, and that staff would follow up with the member on specifics.
Committee members commended the department’s outreach and cooperation and, following the exchange, the committee moved HB 6 97 favorable by voice vote.
Next steps: HB 6 97 was reported favorable from committee and will continue through the legislative process.
