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Several organizations that work for cleaner air held a press conference at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality today to recognize Air Quality Awareness Month and to promote the Advance Program.May is Air Quality Awareness month, both nationally and in Louisiana. While the air quality in Louisiana is better than it has been since the implementation of the Clean Air Act, May is also traditionally the start of ozone season. DEQ is encouraging citizens to become familiar with the Air Quality Index, to understand what causes ozone formation and to take voluntary steps to help prevent the formation, further improve air quality and meet or continue to meet the current national air quality standards.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality continues to enhance its electronic business model and has developed many online services, including the ability to pay fees. All fees invoiced by the department can be paid online. This includes monitoring and maintenance fees, annual registration fees, annual licensing fees and most pre-paid application fees.

One in every 10 homes has a leak that is wasting at least 90 gallons of water per day. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) WaterSense program encourages Americans to check and replace leaky plumbing fixtures and sprinkler systems, helping households save more than 10,000 gallons of water per year and as much as 10 percent on utility bills.

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 Environmental Committee, to recognize environmental achievements at the 2013 ceremony. 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. In 2013, the ELP enrolled 26 new members.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality is offering training for permittees on the use of the NetDMR online application for the submission of discharge monitoring reports. A discharge monitoring report, known as a DMR, is a self-reporting document that is generated by permittees that have a Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The DMR contains information pertaining to water discharges into waters of the state.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has partnered with the Information Exchange Workgroup. The Information Exchange Workgroup is a collaboration of Louisiana's petroleum refining and chemical manufacturing industries, which was formed to provide information on environmental protection, identify the most common causes of upsets and malfunctions and provide expertise from industry leaders on efficiency measures. The workgroup also facilitates the identification and sharing of best management practices and other strategies to minimize emissions.

Cleanup activities are set to commence again soon at the Marine Shale Processors site in St. Mary Parish. The cleanup will involve dismantling portions of the facility and disposing of all the waste contained in the tanks and equipment at offsite locations permitted to accept the waste.

Today, Lobdell Percy Brown III, the owner and Chief Executive Officer of Mandeville-based T&F Oil Company, entered a plea of guilty as a result of the illegal discharge of pollutants into state waters.