Office of the Secretary

Audit Services plays a critical role in keeping the Department accountable and financially sound. The section performs two main functions: internal and external audit reviews. Internal Audit Services reviews the agency’s operations, including safety practices, records management, performance, and financial controls. These audits ensure the Department runs efficiently and follows proper procedures. External Audit Services audits the regulated community to verify financial submittals. This includes checking businesses such as new and used tire dealers and motor fuel distributors that report fees to the Department. When fees are unpaid or reported incorrectly, Audit Services assesses delinquent accounts with fees and interest. By conducting performance, operational, investigative, and financial audits, Audit Services provides assurance that all required fees are reported accurately and paid on time. This protects public funds, promotes compliance, and strengthens trust in the Department’s operations.

The Communications Section of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) manages all media functions, including press releases, media inquiries, and content for the Department’s website and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, to keep the public informed about environmental activities that affect them. The section produces educational and informational videos, supports public hearings, workshops, and environmental projects, and develops outreach materials such as brochures, the monthly Discover DEQ enewsletter, and the LDEQ Annual Report, ensuring that communities have clear, timely, and accurate information about environmental quality, regulations, and initiatives across Louisiana. The staff of the Communications Section is dedicated to providing reporters, writers, photographers, members of the media and concerned citizens with accurate information regarding LDEQ activities, events and general information.

Meagan Molter serves as the Press Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), where she leads the agency’s communications efforts, including media relations, public affairs, social media, and community outreach. In this role, she coordinates the distribution of press releases, manages public information requests, and oversees the agency’s newsletter, Discover DEQ. She also works closely with the media to provide accurate and timely information about LDEQ’s activities and environmental initiatives.

Molter was press secretary at LDEQ in 2024. Most recently, she was legislative assistant for the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services. She was the Manager of Public Affairs and Communications for the Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) and the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance (LCIA) 2022-2024, where she managed communications strategies, media relations, and public outreach efforts. Before her tenure at LCA and LCIA, she worked for Congressman Garret Graves, serving in various roles including Staff Assistant in Washington, D.C., community liaison, caseworker, and grants coordinator in his Baton Rouge office.

Molter is a graduate of Louisiana State University (LSU), where she earned a degree in Mass Communication with a focus on political communications and a minor in Arabic. She is actively involved in the Baton Rouge community, and is a member of the local Baton Rouge Alumnae chapter of the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women. She is also a graduate of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) Leadership Class of 2022.

The Legal Affairs Division provides legal advice, consultation, and representation to all offices within the Department, ensuring compliance with state and federal laws while specializing in environmental and internal matters. Its attorneys represent the Department in state and federal courts, handle cases that repair environmental damage and enforce environmental regulations, pursue violators to collect penalties and fees, defend permits and agency actions during administrative hearings, draft and negotiate contracts, agreements, and settlements, and prepares legal opinions, reports, and documentation that support agency decisions, all with the goal of maintaining fairness, accountability, and regulatory compliance to protect Louisiana’s environment and its communities.

The Criminal Investigations Division (CID) enforces compliance investigating serious environmental crimes, notifying the appropriate district attorney when a potential violation occurs, and providing all necessary information for possible prosecution. The division strengthens the Department’s mission by deterring would be violators through arrests, search warrants, and the development of criminal cases, while also complementing civil enforcement by focusing on the most serious or repeat offenders and escalating cases when civil remedies are insufficient. CID further enhances its effectiveness by partnering with state and federal law enforcement agencies on cases with an environmental connection.

The mission of the Small Business / Small Community Environmental Assistance Program is to provide environmental compliance technical assistance and information to small businesses and small communities. This program also offers educational outreach and education to businesses, municipalities, communities, nongovernmental organizations, schools, and the public, helping ensure that all citizens and regulated industries have the knowledge and resources needed to meet environmental quality standards and contribute to a healthier Louisiana.

Planning and outreach serves two very distinct purposes within LDEQ. Planning manages the development, oversight, and reporting for the LDEQ Strategic & Operational Plans, and the EPA Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) workplan. This involves outlining agency and office missions, goals, objectives and activities that achieve the mission of the Department and delegated EPA requirements. Through Agency outreach, LDEQ uses various approaches to ensure protection and improvement of the environment including partnership building, environmental education and outreach. This is accomplished through interactions with the entire community including businesses, municipalities, non-governmental organizations, schools and universities, and the public at large. Several programs satisfy this mission: Enviroschool, Envirothon, Environmental Leadership Program, Louisiana Environmental Ambassadors Program and many other activities through partnerships with schools and organizations statewide.