News Release Archives

A New Jersey man and a Sulphur man were sentenced Thursday, Sept. 17, in the 31st Judicial District Court for violating Louisiana waste disposal laws and the Environmental Quality Act. George L. Ryals III, 63, of Newton, N.J., and Michael Anaker, 57, of Sulphur, illegally disposed of a large number of compressed gas cylinders by abandoning them in a warehouse in Roanoke.

A litter and debris cleanup effort along the Ouachita River and surrounding waterways in the Monroe and West Monroe area will take place 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. The "2015 Water Sweep" will be staffed by volunteers who donate their time and personal watercraft to remove debris along the river and shoreline.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has selected St. Martin Parish as the next stop for its drinking water protection campaign, "Protect Drinking Water One Drop at a Time." The program's goal is to increase the public's awareness and participation in protecting their area's drinking water.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Enviroschool is providing free training workshops for communities, businesses, and other organizations that will give an understanding of DEQ air policies. For several decades, LDEQ has added several "Air Policy" requirements in which our written regulations do not provide clear monitoring for demonstrating compliance. These policy sets are used for various control devices such as filters, scrubbers, cyclones and non-NSPS Flares, etc. This class will explain the regulatory basis that allows DEQ to add these requirements, and provides some insight into when a permit writer would add them to a permit. It also discusses the intent of the requirement and what it's trying to accomplish. These regulations can be modified to meet a specific facility's equipment. The session also provides additional information regarding stack testing.

Citizens of Louisiana, environmental groups and government representatives have created a turnkey solution that can address litter control and develop accompanying infrastructure to enable enforcement mechanisms. The Louisiana Local Government Litter Ordinance Template and Handbook will be introduced at the Louisiana Municipal Association Convention in Lafayette.

The Gulf of Mexico Program recently announced Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP) will receive a Second Place 2015 Gulf Guardian Award in the Partnerships Category. The awards ceremony will be held on July 30, 2015, at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Texas.

An Environmental Crime Investigation Techniques course will be held on August 4 through 7 at the Belle of Baton Rouge Hotel, 103 France St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802. Registration is from 1 to 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 4, with class concluding at noon on Aug. 7. The course is hosted by the Southern Environmental Enforcement Network and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

Tell us who about an Everyday Hero who helps fight litter in your community. Nominations are now open for the 2015 Keep Louisiana Beautiful Everyday Hero Awards until September 10, 2015.