§2480. Natural resource damages

A. In any action to recover natural resources damages, the coordinator, in consultation with any other state trustees, shall make the determination whether to assess natural resource damages and the amount of damages according to the procedures and plans contained in the state oil spill contingency plan, and such determination shall create a rebuttable presumption of the amount of such damages.

B. The coordinator may establish the rebuttable presumption by submitting to the court a written report of the damages computed or state funds expended according to the state plan. The written report shall be admissible in evidence, but the facts surrounding the cause of the unauthorized discharge of oil as set out in the report shall be subject to de novo review.

C.(1) The coordinator, in consultation with the state trustees, shall develop an inventory that identifies and catalogs the physical locations, the seasonal variations in location, and the current condition of natural resources; provides for data collection related to coastal processes, abandoned pits, facilities, sumps, reservoirs and oil spills; and identifies the recreational and commercial use areas that are most likely to suffer injury from an unauthorized discharge of oil. The inventory shall be completed by June 30, 1999, and shall be incorporated into the state oil spill contingency plan after public review and comment.

(2)(a) The physical locations surveyed for the inventory of natural resources shall consist of coastal waters as defined in this Chapter and depicted on the official state inland boundary map for coastal waters.

(b) The inventory shall initially concentrate on areas exhibiting a high probability for oil spills.

(3) The current condition of selected natural resources inventoried and cataloged shall be determined by, at a minimum, a baseline sampling and analysis of current levels of constituent substances selected after considering the types of oil most frequently transported through and stored near coastal waters.

(4)(a) The inventory shall consist of Phase I and Phase II. In Phase I of the inventory, the coordinator shall define and coordinate the formulation of the Oil Spill Technical Assistance Program which shall consist of a management and implementation plan for coastal waters as defined in this Chapter. The management and implementation plan shall provide for data gathering techniques, monitoring protocols, maintaining the state inland coastal waters boundary map and data management during the actual inventory and during any response and natural resources damages assessment phase of an unauthorized discharge of oil. The coordinator shall solicit input from the state trustees and other interested parties. Phase I shall be completed by June 30, 1999.

(b) Phase II of the inventory shall consist of the coordinator retaining a manager and program staff within the office of the coordinator for the Oil Spill Technical Assistance Program. In Phase II the coordinator, in consultation with the trustees, shall conduct and maintain an environmental baseline inventory. The environmental baseline inventory shall be developed and maintained in such a manner that it will provide the coordinator with the technical data regarding the coastal waters before, during and after an unauthorized discharge of oil. This data shall also be available to the trustees, other agencies of the state and to the potentially responsible party within twenty-four hours after being collected.

(5) The coordinator shall adopt administrative procedures and protocols for the assessment of natural resource damages from an unauthorized discharge of oil in accordance with the Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act. As developed with the trustees and other interested parties, the procedures and protocols shall require the trustees to assess natural resource damages by considering the unique characteristics of the spill incident and the location of the natural resources affected. These procedures and protocols shall be incorporated by reference in the state oil spill contingency plan by December 31, 1997.

(6) The administrative procedures and protocols shall include provisions which address the following:

(a) Notification by the coordinator to all trustees in the event of an unauthorized discharge of oil.

(b) Coordination with and among trustees, spill response agencies, potentially responsible parties, experts in science and economics, and the public.

(c) Participation in all stages of the assessment process by the potentially responsible party, as is consistent with trustee responsibilities.

(7) The administrative procedures and protocols shall also require the trustees to do the following:

(a) Assist the on-scene coordinator, during spill response activities and prior to the time that the state on-scene coordinator determines that the cleanup is complete, in predicting the impact of the oil and in devising the most effective methods of protection for the natural resources at risk.

(b) Identify appropriate sampling and data collection techniques to efficiently determine the impact on natural resources of the unauthorized discharge of oil.

(c) Initiate, within twenty-four hours after approval for access to the site by the on-scene coordinator, an actual field investigation which may include sampling and data collection; the protocols shall require that the responsible party and the trustees be given, on request, split samples and copies of each other's photographs and videos utilized in assessing the impact of the unauthorized discharge of oil.

(d) Establish plans, including alternatives that are cost-effective and efficient, including natural recovery, to satisfy the goal of restoring, rehabilitating, replacing, and/or acquiring the equivalent of the injured natural resources.

(8)(a) The administrative procedures and protocols shall also include the following types of assessments procedures and deadlines for their completion:

(i) An expedited assessment procedure which may be used in situations in which the spill has limited observable mortality and restoration activities can be speedily initiated and/or in which the quantity of oil discharge does not exceed one thousand gallons; the purpose of utilizing the expedited assessment procedure is to allow prompt initiation of restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, and/or acquisition of an equivalent natural resource without lengthy analysis of the impact on affected natural resources; this procedure shall, at a minimum, require that the trustees consider the following items:

(aa) The quantity and quality of oil discharged;

(bb) The time period during which coastal waters are affected by the oil and the physical extent of the impact;

(cc) The condition of the natural resources prior to the unauthorized discharge of oil; and

(dd) The actual costs of restoring, rehabilitating, and/or acquiring the equivalent of the injured natural resources;

(ii) A comprehensive assessment procedure for use in situations in which expedited or negotiated assessment procedures are not appropriate; and

(iii) Any other assessment method agreed upon between the responsible person and the trustees, consistent with their public trust duties.

(b) The coordinator, in consultation with the trustees, shall determine, within sixty days of the determination by the on-scene coordinator that the cleanup is complete, whether:

(i) Action to restore, rehabilitate, or acquire an equivalent natural resource is required;

(ii) An expedited assessment which may include early commencement of restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, and/or acquisition activities, may be required; and

(iii) A comprehensive assessment is necessary.

(9) At any time the coordinator, in consultation and with the agreement of the state trustees, deems appropriate, the coordinator may enter into a negotiated assessment.

D. The trustees may petition the coordinator for a longer period of time to make the determinations under Subsection C of this Section by showing that the full impact of the discharge on the affected natural resources cannot be determined in sixty days.

E. The coordinator shall complete the comprehensive assessment procedure within twenty months of the date of the determination by the state on-scene coordinator that the cleanup is complete. The trustees may petition the coordinator for a longer period of time to complete the assessment by showing that the full impact of the discharge on the affected natural resources cannot be determined in twenty months.

F. Any assessment generated by the coordinator shall use the protocols and the procedures implemented pursuant to this Chapter and shall be reasonable and have a rational connection to the costs of conducting the assessment and of restoring, rehabilitating, replacing and/or acquiring the equivalent of the injured natural resources. The coordinator shall ensure that the cost of any restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or acquisition project shall not be disproportionate to the value of the natural resource before the injury. The coordinator shall utilize the most cost-effective method to achieve restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or acquisition of an equivalent resource. Furthermore, the coordinator shall take into account the quality of the actions undertaken by the responsible party in response to the spill incident, including but not limited to containment and removal actions and protection and preservation of natural resources.

G. The potentially responsible party shall make full payment or initiate restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, or mitigation of damages to natural resources within sixty days of the completion of the assessment by the coordinator or, if mediation pursuant to this Subsection is conducted, within sixty days of the conclusion of the mediation. To facilitate an expedited recovery of funds for natural resource restoration and to assist the coordinator and the responsible party in the settlement of disputed natural resource damage assessments at their discretion and at any time, all disputed natural resource damage assessments shall be referred to mediation as a prerequisite to the jurisdiction of any court. Results of the mediation and any settlement offers tendered during the mediation shall be treated as settlement negotiations for the purposes of admissibility in a court of law. Either the coordinator or the potentially responsible person may initiate the mediation process, after an assessment has been issued, by giving written notice to the coordinator within forty-five days of the date all assessment documents are received, who shall in turn give written notice to all parties. One mediator shall be chosen by the coordinator and one mediator shall be chosen by the responsible parties. Within forty-five days of the receipt of the assessment from the trustees, the mediators shall be designated. The mediation shall end no later than one hundred thirty-five days after the receipt of the assessment from the coordinator.

H. For the purposes of this Section, mediation shall consist of a minimum of three meetings whereby the mediators seek to facilitate a consensus decision by trustees and the potentially responsible party concerning all aspects of the assessment.

I. Any assessment issued by the coordinator shall be subject to a public hearing, if requested, and a comment period of no less than thirty calendar days.

Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 740, §1; Acts 1997, No. 882, §1; Acts 2001, No. 649, §1, eff. June 22, 2001.