This section says Louisiana citizens have a right and responsibility to know about hazardous materials risks and to protect themselves, and it directs involved agencies to work together to build and share a hazardous-materials information system.
§2362. Declaration of policy and purpose A. The legislature hereby adopts as a policy that the citizens of this state have the right and responsibility to know about and protect themselves from the risks and effects of hazardous materials in their environment. Inherent in the public's right to know is the public's need to know that state and local agencies have the information to both respond to their inquiries and to protect them by: (1) Providing information to physicians for emergency medical diagnosis. (2) Adequately preparing for disasters. (3) Centralizing, and coordinating regional, and local long-range planning concerning the environmental hazards in various localities. (4) Developing information on chronic health risks which may appear as the result of the presence of hazardous materials. B. The purpose of this Chapter, therefore, is to create a comprehensive information system containing specific data regarding the presence and location of hazardous materials in Louisiana. Such information should be compiled in a way which permits the data to be shared with the public and among involved state agencies and local governing authorities. C. The legislature recognizes that among the state agencies presently collecting, disseminating, and analyzing data there exists much of the technical capability, determination, and expertise to develop, implement, manage, and expand such an information system. The legislature therefore mandates and supports a cooperative effort of all involved agencies to work through an interagency advisory commission, and a single state supervisory agency to create a comprehensive information system, implement comprehensive state and local planning, and as soon as practical and feasible, make this crucial information available to the public through designated local repositories at a minimum of additional cost to owners or operators, the state, or local government. Acts 1985, No. 435, §1, eff. July 11, 1985; Acts 1987, No. 347, §1.