HB 1191 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

ENERGY/OIL & GAS WELLS: Creates a certificate of compliance process for oilfield and exploration and production sites (EG INCREASE SG RV See Note)

This bill establishes a formal certificate of compliance process for oil and gas sites, allowing surface owners or other interested parties to request an official assessment of a site's condition. If the regulatory department refuses to issue a certificate, the requesting parties are granted a specific period to take corrective action, with the department required to provide a confidential report detailing any alleged violations. The legislation defines who qualifies as an "operator of interest," clarifies how the resulting certificate binds future property owners, and strictly prohibits using the process to gather evidence for lawsuits. Additionally, the bill outlines rules regarding liability for costs, confidentiality of reports, and limitations on how the certificate can be used in legal proceedings.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 31, 2026 Last action May 19, 2026

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What changed between versions

HB1191 Original → HB1191 Engrossed · 9 edits

MAJOR

The bill was renumbered and reorganized to streamline the definitions of key terms, replacing the plural 'departments' with the singular 'department' for consistency. The scope of the bill was expanded by adding a new definition for 'Environmental damage' and clarifying who qualifies as an 'operator of interest' to exclude passive financial owners. These changes aim to create a clearer, more efficient voluntary evaluation process for historic oilfield sites.

Scope change

The bill's scope was slightly expanded by adding a definition for 'Environmental damage' and clarifying the definition of 'operator of interest' to exclude royalty owners and other passive investors from participating in the compliance process.

DEFINITION

Changed references from 'departments' to 'department' throughout the text to ensure consistent singular usage.

Added a new definition for 'Environmental damage' that references existing state law (R.S. 30:29(I)(2)).

Added a new definition for 'Most feasible plan' that references existing state law (R.S. 30:29(I)(4)).

Added a new definition for 'Notice' to clarify it is a joint filing by requesting parties to start the voluntary process.

Added a new definition for 'Operator of interest' that excludes royalty owners and passive investors who do not bear direct operational responsibility.

Reorganized the definition of 'Requesting parties' to explicitly state that a certificate of compliance cannot be issued unless both the surface owner and the operator of interest join the process.

Reorganized the definition of 'Review period' to clarify the timeline for submitting data and conducting site evaluations.

Reorganized the definition of 'Site' to include the standard description of locations and environmental media subject to regulation.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the notice and evaluation process requirements to reflect the singular 'department' and the new definitions of requesting parties and operators.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (13-3).

lower

Apr 1, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors