Fox to be watchman for the chicken coop

 Governor Landry's proposal "calls for moving the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, now in the Department of Public Safety, and the Office of State Lands, now part of the state Division of Administration, into DENR, according to a Landry executive order." -- Mark Schleifstein   NOLA . com Environmental Reporter Jan 9 2024

As Governor Jeff Landry recommends to move CPRA back to the DNR, which is now the Dept of Energy and Natural Resources, it should give us all pause to realize oil & gas interests would have an obvious conflict of interest if hired to both oversee the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) and to protect our coastal environment  So, what does our future hold if both LDNR and CPRA are merged? Especially what would that mean with CPRA coastal permits for storing carbon underground, or for LNG?

Submit public comments online or via email BEFORE February 21 2024. Submissions received after February 21, 2024 will not be considered prior to the First Report

Reference Executive Order JML - 13  https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/ExecutiveOrders/2024/JML-Executive-Order-13.pdf

Submit public comments online here: https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/form/home/52 

Submit public comments via email DriveInitiative@la.gov with subject line "EO-JML-13 COMMENTS"

All comments and feedback will become part of the public record. Please refrain from submitting any information that you do not want to be publicly accessible. By submitting any information, you acknowledge that it becomes part of the public domain.

As Phil Johnson eloquently stated stated over 40 years ago, when the LDNR environmental protection responsibilities transferred to a new cabinet level department, the LDEQ: 

PITY THE POOR CHICKENS. 

"This new department [LDEQ] would take environmental affairs away from the Department of Natural Resources. It always seemed such an obvious conflict of interest. The Department of Natural Resources is run by people from the oil and gas industry, in the interests of the oil and gas Industry. To have them also monitor our environment is like hiring a fox to be watchman for the chicken coop. Pity the poor chickens."

WWL TV -- Phil Johnson Daily Editorial

1024 N Rampart St

New Orleans LA

February 1, 1983 Phil Johnson

It is good and It is about time. The announcement yesterday that Louisiana will finally get a full-blown, cabinet level department to deal with our environment. Or, to quote Governor Treen: "The time has come for us to focus on our environmental problems." Actually, that time came many years ago. But this is not the time to quibble. Let us be thankful that someone finally had the good sense to realize that we are threatening to kill ourselves because we are neglecting to take proper care of our environment. The announcement means that a new Department of Environmental Protection will be formed and funded -if the Legislature approves. And it is difficult to see how our lawmakers cannot approve. This new department would take environmental affairs away from the Department of Natural Resources. It always seemed such an obvious conflict of interest. The Department of Natural Resources is run by people from the oil and gas industry, in the interests of the oil and gas Industry. To have them also monitor our environment is like hiring a fox to be watchman for the chicken coop. Pity the poor chickens. The proposal for a Department of Environmental Pro-tection and protection is the key word here -is good news indeed. We look forward to its approval and its operation.