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Louisiana

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM)

Agency Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) is one of the programs of the Radiation Section of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). LDEQ's Radiation page lists it among the areas where LDEQ says it holds regulatory authority through agreements with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. LDEQ says NORM can become concentrated through certain industrial activities, particularly in the oil and gas industry, and that it regulates activities involving NORM so that handling, storage, transportation and disposal are done safely. It says the program reviews permits, conducts inspections and provides guidance, to reduce exposure risks and prevent environmental contamination.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name NORM records among its standard record sources. On a property used by the oil and gas industry, they can show whether LDEQ treated it as a place where NORM was handled. That is advice for the search, not something LDEQ says. Four details from LDEQ's pages shape it.

  • The inspections go to yards and cleaning sites. LDEQ says its NORM inspections visit sites such as pipe-cleaning facilities, waste handling locations, storage yards and decontamination operations. Inspectors evaluate radiation surveys, worker protection, waste management practices and compliance with the state's NORM regulations. If the property served the oil and gas industry as one of these, ask the Radiation Section whether it was inspected, and for the surveys.
  • The radiation rules are LAC 33, Part XV. LDEQ says its radiation compliance work is guided by Louisiana Administrative Code Title 33, Part XV, the Radiation Regulations, which set standards for licensing, inspection, reporting and enforcement. Its Radiation Forms and Applications page links a NORM form under its Applications heading; it is a PDF and was not opened for this handbook.
  • Violations go to the Enforcement Division. LDEQ says that when an inspection or incident shows non-compliance, the Radiation Section documents the findings and refers the case to Enforcement, and some situations also require reporting to the relevant federal agency, depending on the type of incident and the regulatory authority involved. Its Waste/Multimedia Enforcement Section takes referrals under the radiation protection regulations. See Enforcement Actions.
  • The radiation files are not open online. LDEQ says documents pertaining to radiation are searchable but not viewable through its Electronic Document Management System (EDMS), and points to a public records request for documents not available there.

Oil and gas field waste may be another agency's record. LDEQ's Solid Waste Permitting page says exploration and production (E&P) wastes are regulated by the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy and are not typically disposed of in solid waste landfills. LDEQ's Exploration and Production (E&P) Waste page links USGS NORM and EPA NORM References under the heading NORM Information; neither was opened for this handbook.

Where to look a site up

The pages read link no list of NORM sites, permits or inspections. Search the EDMS quick search for what is indexed, then ask for the documents. The Radiation Section is at 225-219-3041. To report a radiological incident, LDEQ gives its 24-hour Radiological Services Hotline, 225-765-0160.

Getting the file

LDEQ's routes to a file are its Electronic Document Management System, an online public records request form, and visits to its Public Records Center or a regional office. They are described on the Public Records Requests page.

Sources

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 16, 2026, no modified date shown:

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