Cheryl Nolan

Assistant Secretary
Office of Environmental Compliance

Nolan received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Louisiana College and a Master of Science in Biology from Northeast Louisiana University. She was appointed to serve as the Administrator for the Air Permit Division in 2005. Prior to her appointment, she worked in air enforcement and water permitting and enforcement with the department. She has been with the DEQ for more than 15 years. Prior to this appointment, Nolan served as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Services.

Organization and Functions

The Office of Environmental Compliance is divided into four divisions:

 Chris Piehler

Administrator 
Inspection Division

Piehler received a Master of Science degree from Northwestern State University. He has worked for the state of Louisiana in various capacities for more than 27 years; 19 years with DEQ. Since 1999, he worked extensively with the DEQ Mercury program and recently completed the Louisiana Mercury Risk Reduction Plan. He conducted numerous containment studies to assist the administration of Surveillance activites as they relate to water resources. He has managed the Louisiana Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Network and has been involved in spill response issues and events. Piehler received the Louisiana Governor's Award from the Louisiana Wildlife Federations and the National Wildlife Federation and was named Conservationalist of the Year for 2007.

• Regional Offices
• Surveillance
• Inspections
• Underground Storage Tank
• Early Warning Organic Compound Detection System (EWOCDS) 
• Complaint Resolution

Tim Knight

Administrator
Assessment Division

Knight is currently the administrator of the Assessment Division and was formerly the administrator of  the Underground Storage Tank Division. He has worked for DEQ since 1980. His tenure at the agency includes experience in Solid Waste, Inactive and Abandoned Sites, Criminal Enforcement, Regulation Development, and Environmental Technology.  He holds a B.S. degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Louisiana State University, and an M.S. in Environmental Health Sciences from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. 

• Water Surveys
• Emergency Response
• Air Field Services
• Radiation

Tom Harris

Administrator
UST and Remediation Division

Function: To protect the soil and groundwater resources of the state from unauthorized and historical releases to the environment from leaking USTs and other sources (old landfills and historical spills that occurred before environmental regulations).

Remediation Services

Underground Storage Tanks

Brownfields Program

• Remediation
• RECAP
• Inactive and abandoned site cleanup
  • UST Registration
  • UST Certified Worker
  • UST Response Action Contractors
  • UST Installations
  • UST Closures
  • UST Inspections
  • UST Remediation

Celena Cage

Administrator
Enforcement Division

• Enforcement Actions
• Beneficial Environmental Projects
• Settlement Agreements

MISSION

The mission of the environmental compliance  program is the ensure the public and occupational welfare of the people and environmental resources of Louisiana by conducting inspections of permitted facilities and activities, responding to environmental emergencies and issuing sound enforcement actions. The program establishes a multi-media compliance approach; creates a uniform approach to compliance; assigns accountability and responsibility to the appropriate parties; provides standardized radioactive material training to compliance; and provides for the execution and timely resolution of activities.