Feb 26, 2014
Baton Rouge - Today, DEQ hosted the Environmental Leadership Awards. DEQ Secretary Peggy Hatch was joined by Senator Mike Walsworth, chair, Senate Environmental Quality Committee and Representative Gordon Dove, chair, House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, to recognize environmental achievements. New and existing members of ELP were commended for their voluntary pollution prevention efforts and community environmental outreach initiatives. The ceremony highlighted projects that went above and beyond regulatory compliance to substantially improve the quality of the environment.
ELP Awards were presented to large, medium and small businesses, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and schools/universities. This year, DEQ presented 14 awards and recognized a total of 17 new members that joined in 2013-2014 in recognition of the following:
- Pollution Prevention - 299,783,059 pounds (lbs) of pollutants were removed including: Criteria pollutants, toxic air pollutants, biosolids, GHG emissions, etc.
- Reduction in Water Usage - 4,080,000 gallons (gals) of water/day
- Recycling of Materials - 78,000 pounds/yr of Metals, and 1,995,757 gals/yr of Hydrocarbon contaminated water, soapy water, used oil, etc.
Two special recognition awards were also presented to:
- City of West Monroe – Sparta Re-Use Facility
- Lafayette Consolidated Government-Lafayette Utilities System and Public Works Department-Rain Barrel Program
“Since the Environmental Leadership Program recognizes voluntary pollution reductions by government, schools, businesses and community groups it highlights effort to improve the environment in Louisiana,” said DEQ Secretary Peggy Hatch. “The winners have gone above and beyond regulation to combat pollution, spearhead community outreach efforts, or present educational programs that make a positive difference in the quality of Louisiana’s environment.”
The ELP began in 1995 as a cooperative effort between DEQ and participating companies in the state. Today, any company, federal entity, municipality, non-governmental organization, school or university committed to improving the quality of the state’s environment is eligible to join the program. For more information on the ELP, please contact Linda Hardy at 225-219-3954 or visit the DEQ Web Site at www.deq.louisiana.gov/elp