LDEQ Finalizes Regulations Amending The State's Voluntary Environmental Self-Audit Program

On January 20, 2026, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality ("LDEQ") published a final rule in the Louisiana Register that promulgated amendments to its voluntary environmental self-audit regulations, largely adopting the August 2025 proposed changes "to aid the department in continued implementation of the self-audit program."

These amendments add several definitions for key program terms, including, inter alia, "date of discovery": the time "when the owner or operator of a facility has an objectively reasonable basis for believing a violation has, or may have occurred." The amendments refine the program scope to require disclosure of violations within 30 days of the end of the audit period. Additionally, the amendments clarify that an environmental audit must be completed within six months of the audit commencement date, though extensions may be granted if requested with sufficient justification at least 30 days before the audit period