Oil Spill Section

The Oil Spill Section is responsible for planning, response, and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) activities resulting from oil spill incidents that occur in the Louisiana Coastal Zone. Primary duties of the Oil Spill Section staff are related to NRDA and the Louisiana Regional Restoration Planning Program planning, development, and implementation. Staff is also responsible for routine interagency coordination regarding oil spill events.

The Oil Spill Section is responsible for planning, response, and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) activities resulting from oil spill incidents that occur in the Louisiana Coastal Zone.  The OPA, 33 USC 2701 et seq. and the Louisiana Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1991 (OSPRA), La. Rev. Stat. 30:2451 et seq., are the principal federal and state statutes, respectively, authorizing federal and state agencies and tribal officials to act as natural resource trustees for the recovery of damages for injuries to natural resources and services resulting from incidents in Louisiana.  Primary duties of the Oil Spill Section staff are related to NRDA and the Louisiana Regional Restoration Planning Program planning, development, and implementation.  Staff is also responsible for routine interagency coordination regarding oil spill events.

Under the Oil Pollution Act (33 USC 2706[b]) and the National Contingency Plan (40 CFR 300.600), certain federal and state agencies and tribal authorities are designated natural resource trustees for trust resources and services injured by a discharge or substantial threat of a discharge of oil.  To guide these efforts, the cooperating parties follow the NRDA process.

As a Louisiana state natural resource trustee, LDENR is responsible for conservation, management, and development of water, minerals, and other such natural resources of the state, including coastal restoration and management, except timber, fish, and wildlife. LDENR works to manage, protect, and preserve the State's nonrenewable natural resources, consisting of oil, gas, groundwater, wind, and wetlands to fulfill their statutory responsibilities as a natural resource trustee for the State of Louisiana.

The OPA, 33 USC 2701 et seq. and the Louisiana Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1991 (OSPRA), La. Rev. Stat. 30:2451 et seq., are the principal federal and state statutes, respectively, authorizing federal and state agencies and tribal officials to act as natural resource trustees for the recovery of damages for injuries to natural resources and services resulting from incidents in Louisiana

On the state level, the trustees include:

Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO, Lead Administrative Trustee)
Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA)
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ)
Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (LDNR)
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF)  

The federally designated natural resource trustees include:

U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC)/ National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
U.S. Department of the Interior (USDOI)
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE)
U.S. Department of Defense (USDOD)
Federally recognized tribes