BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The reorganization of Louisiana’s Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) is slated to finish Oct. 1 after two years.
The agency’s new name will be the Department of Conservation and Energy (C&E). Officials said planning for the reorganization started when Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order in February 2024.
The change is part of Landry’s initiative to streamline state government. Secretary Dustin Davidson, who was named the agency’s new leader in August, said the department had been operating just as it did when it first formed almost 50 years ago, adding that it was time it “caught up” with modern-day practices.
“Throughout this effort, we have worked to craft an approach that is guided by the core principles of transparency in communication and processes, balance in addressing the needs of economic growth and environmental stewardship, and solutions based in technology, with clear guidance to industry and the public,” Davidson said.
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Reorganization involves going from four primary divisions to six. According to officials, having six divisions allows the agency to be better tailored to specific roles. The previous organization led to inefficiency due to the broad umbrella that the four divisions presented.
Here are the new offices and their responsibilities.
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Office of the Secretary: Responsibilities include agency strategic management, legal services, and staffing the National Resources Commission. It also has specialized functions like the Oilfield Site Restoration and LOSCO oil spill response.
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Office of Administration: Officials said this office functions as the centralized nexus for all core administrative and strategic operations.
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Office of Permitting and Compliance: This office combined the Office of Coastal Management and the Office of Conservation.
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Office of Enforcement: This includes tasks such as site inspections, documentation, and enforcement of state rules.
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Office of State Resources: Officials said this office has oversight of leading, servitudes, and right-of-way for state lands and water resources. Also staffs the state Mineral and Energy Board.
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Office of Energy: This office aims to catalyze the state’s development of a reliable and resilient energy ecosystem. Officials said it would also act as a conduit for energy/resilience federal grant funding.
“There will still be an adjustment period for some time to come – for our staff, as we break decades worth of old habits and workflows that were inefficient but familiar; for the regulated community, who we hope to see embracing the changes we are making to create understandable and predictable processes; and to the people we serve, as we make the changes needed to set and maintain modern standards for environmental protection and resource management,” Davidson said.
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