Committee renews the Department of Environmental Quality; secretary urges modernization

Chair introduced House Bill 697, which would recreate the Department of Environmental Quality before its scheduled termination. Courtney Burdette, secretary of LDEQ, told senators the department needs to remain "robust and active" given the state’s industrial footprint and said the agency is working to modernize permitting and public‑record access through an electronic document management system and mobile air monitoring laboratories that can be deployed rapidly during incidents.

Senator Henschkins noted the department’s increased openness and moved to report the bill favorably. The motion carried with no recorded opposition and House Bill 697 was reported favorably by the committee.