2024 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 30
BY SENATOR FIELDS AND REPRESENTATIVE KNOX
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To create the Community Air Monitoring and Notification Task Force to study the
implementation of real-time community air monitoring and notification systems for
emission sources.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's mission is to
provide comprehensive environmental protection in order to promote and protect human
health, safety, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana requires the
legislature to enact laws to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources of the state,
including the air, insofar as possible and consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of
the people; and
WHEREAS, clean air is a necessity of life for ourselves, plant and animal life, and
the entire ecosystem, and polluted air endangers life, nature, and property; and
WHEREAS, air pollution presents serious risks to health, including short-term and
chronic respiratory ailments, and in extreme cases, the release of toxic chemicals carry the
threat of birth defects, heart disease and other long-term illnesses, cancer, and possibly
death; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana is blessed with a convergence of natural resources: plentiful
petroleum, natural gas, water, forests, fisheries, and avenues of transportation, including the
Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico; and
WHEREAS, industry is a major economic engine for our state, employing many of
Louisiana's citizens, supporting small businesses, and contributing, both directly and
indirectly, substantial revenue to the tax rolls of state and local governments; and
WHEREAS, industry and government must cooperate to ensure that Louisiana's
economic productivity does not come at the expense of human health and a clean
environment; and
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WHEREAS, Louisiana has many emission sources under the Title V Clean Air Act
permit program, and reducing pollution and its negative consequences would bolster
economic growth; and
WHEREAS, communities located near industrial facilities may be disproportionately
impacted by air pollution and its many adverse effects; and
WHEREAS, community air monitoring systems could play a critical role in assessing
air quality, identifying sources of pollution, and implementing measures to mitigate harmful
emissions, thereby promoting transparency and cooperation between government, industry,
and the public; and
WHEREAS, air monitoring systems can detect hazardous air pollutants and criteria
pollutants, provide real-time notification to first responders, neighboring communities, and
government agencies, and enable informed decision-making when emissions pose a threat
to public health; and
WHEREAS, air monitoring systems are in operation throughout the country near
major emission sources, demonstrating their viability and reliability; and
WHEREAS, air monitoring of industrial emissions sources is critically important to
safeguard public health and protect the environment.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
create the Community Air Monitoring and Notification Task Force charged with the
responsibility to study the implementation of real-time community air monitoring and
notification systems, specifically the costs and benefits of implementation of such systems
in communities disproportionately impacted by the negative affects of air pollution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Community Air Monitoring and Notification
Task Force shall be composed of the following members:
(1) The secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, or her designee.
(2) The assistant secretary of the office of public health, within the Louisiana
Department of Health, or her designee.
(3) The secretary of the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, or his
designee.
(4) A member appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
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(5) A member appointed by the president of the Senate.
(6) A member appointed by the chairman of the House Committee on Natural
Resources and Environment.
(7) A member appointed by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental
Quality.
(8) A member appointed by the Louisiana Environmental Action Network.
(9) A member appointed by the Clean Air Task Force.
(10) A member appointed by the Louisiana Chemical Association.
(11) A member appointed by the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the task force shall serve
without compensation, except per diem or expenses reimbursement to which they may be
entitled individually as members of their constituent organizations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of the Department of
Environmental Quality or her designee shall serve as chair of the task force and shall be
responsible for providing staff to assist the task force in performing its duties. The task force
shall convene its first meeting by August 1, 2024. At such meeting the task force shall adopt
rules of procedure, a work schedule, and any additional measures that it deems necessary for
the timely performance of its duties.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a written report of
its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the House Committee on Natural
Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality on or
before February 15, 2025.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this report shall include the following:
(1) The effectiveness and benefits of real-time community air monitoring and
notification systems in alerting first responders, neighboring communities, and state
regulatory agencies of air pollution threats to public health.
(2) Costs required to install, operate, and maintain such systems.
(3) Information on the types of air pollutants emitted by facilities in the state with
Title V air permits, the public health impacts associated with those air pollutants, and the
costs associated with those public health impacts.
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(4) Recommendations for implementing community air monitoring and notification
systems and the specific changes to law necessary for such implementation.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, the secretary of the Louisiana
Department of Health, the secretary of the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, the
executive director of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, and the Clean Air Task
Force.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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