The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (“LDEQ”) issued an Emergency and Administrative Order on March 19, 2020, to address hardships posed to regulated facilities by efforts to combat the COVID-19 virus. The Order expires on April 18, 2020, but may be extended and/or amended as necessary. Among other things, the Order provides for the following:
- All scheduled public hearings are postponed until further notice. Public comments are being accepted by the LDEQ through email or mail.
- LDEQ will accept electronic submittals of permit applications or other permit related materials during the duration of the Order. However, hard copies must be submitted to the LDEQ withint 30 days of the expiration of the Order. Failure to submit hard copies may result in a suspension or revocation of the permit action.
- LDEQ will accept DocuSign and other e-signatures from responsible officials during this time until the expiration of the Order.
- LDEQ will accept online payments in lieu of checks.
- The Order extends by 30 days the time required to comply with the following deadlines that occur between March 19, 2020 and April 18, 2020, only if the facility does not have appropriate personnel available due to COVID-19:
- Deadline for Reports required by permits, regulations, other authorizations, enforcement actions, or settlement agreements, except no deadlines for reporting required by Title IV, Title V or PSD air permits are extended.
- Deadline to conduct periodic monitoring required by permits, regulations, other authorizations, enforcement actions, or settlement agreements, except no deadlines for reporting required by Title IV, Title V or PSD air permits are extended.
- The time deadlines to file an application for renewal of an existing permit are extended by 30 days if the existing deadline falls between March 19, 2020 and April 18, 2020, except for Title V air permits. Any renewal application shall be submitted no later than the expiration date of the existing permit.
You should review the full order and/or discuss with legal counsel if you have any questions or concerns about how this Order may affect your business.
https://www.deq.louisiana.gov/assets/docs/Covid-19/DeclarationofEmergencyandAdminOrder_COVID_19.pdf
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