PART VI. OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY FUND

§2483. Oil Spill Contingency Fund

A. "Secretary" as used in this Part shall mean the secretary of the Department of Revenue.

B. In order to fulfill the constitutional mandate of Article IX, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana to protect, conserve, and replenish the natural resources of the state, the legislature hereby declares that sufficient funds shall be made available to the Oil Spill Contingency Fund, in order for prevention of and response to unauthorized discharges of oil.

C. The purpose of the fund is to immediately provide available funds for response to all threatened or actual unauthorized discharges of oil, for clean up of pollution from unauthorized discharges of oil, natural resources damages, damages sustained by any state agency or political subdivision, and removal costs from threatened, unauthorized discharges of oil.

D. All fees, taxes, penalties, judgments, reimbursements, charges, and federal funds collected pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, except as provided by R.S. 30:2480.2, shall be deposited immediately upon receipt into the state treasury.

NOTE: Subsection E, eff. until July 1, 2014. See Acts 2013, No. 394, §1.

E. After compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, and prior to monies being placed in the state general fund, an amount equal to that deposited, as required in Subsection D hereof, and monies appropriated by the legislature shall be credited to a special fund hereby created in the state treasury to be known as the "Oil Spill Contingency Fund". The monies in this fund shall be used solely as provided in this Section and only in the amounts appropriated by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in this fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. The monies in this fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund, and interest earned on the investment of these monies shall remain in the fund. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, the balance of the fund shall not exceed thirty million dollars, exclusive of all fees, other than all fees collected pursuant to R.S. 30:2485 and 2486, penalties, judgments, reimbursements, charges, interest, and federal funds collected pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter. As authorized by Article VII, Section 10.7(C) of the Constitution of Louisiana, the amount of monies in the fund shall not be limited to thirty million dollars during a declared state of emergency or disaster caused by an unauthorized discharge of oil.

NOTE: Subsection E as amended by Acts 2013, No. 394, §1, eff. July 1, 2014.

E. After compliance with the requirements of Article VII, Section 9(B) of the Constitution of Louisiana relative to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, and prior to monies being placed in the state general fund, an amount equal to that deposited, as required in Subsection D of this Section, and monies appropriated by the legislature shall be credited to a special fund hereby created in the state treasury to be known as the "Oil Spill Contingency Fund". The monies in this fund shall be used solely as provided in this Part and only in the amounts appropriated by the legislature. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in this fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund. The monies in this fund shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as monies in the state general fund, and interest earned on the investment of these monies shall remain in the fund.

Acts 1991, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 7, §1, eff. April 23, 1991; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2; Acts 2001, No. 649, §1, eff. June 22, 2001; Acts 2010, No. 962, §1, eff. July 6, 2010; Acts 2013, No. 394, §1, eff. July 1, 2014.