Office of Conservation

Divisions

The responsibilities of the Office of Conservation are managed within six divisions:

Executive >>

Benjamin C. Bienvenu, Commissioner
John Adams, Assistant Commissioner
9th Floor

Coordinates and administers the various activities of the Office of Conservation.

Provides oversight of statutory responsibilities and regulations, professional service contracts, budget, personnel, information, safety, and emergency matters.

Engineering- Administrative >>

Vacant, Engineering Director - Administrative
9th Floor

Administers regulatory programs that prevent waste of nonrenewable oil and natural gas resources and protects the correlative rights of all Louisiana citizens concerned.

Implements rules and regulations outlined in LAC 43:XIX (Statewide Order 29-B) concerning the construction, permitting, spacing of oil and gas wells; the measurement, transportation and reporting of production; and the collection, imaging, and retention of well records.

Engineering- Regulatory >>

Chris Sandoz, Engineering Director - Regulatory
9th Floor

Implements rules and regulations outlined in LAC 43:XIX.Subpart 1 (Statewide Order No. 29-B) concerning the construction, maintenance, and closure of oilfield pits; plugging of oil and gas wells; and the inspection of well sites.

Administers the Oilfield Site Restoration Program [LAC 43:XI.Subpart 2] as well as the Underwater Obstruction Removal Program [LAC 43:I.Subpart 2].

Manages the District Offices that are field locations that support inspection and enforcement activities.

Environmental >>

Gavin Broussard, Environmental Division Director
8th Floor

Implements the ground water management program [LAC 43:Part VI.Subpart 1], the water well programs for driller licensing, well registration and enforcement (construction and plugging standards) [LAC 46:Part LXXXIX and LAC 56:Part I], and the exploration and production waste (E & P waste) program for off-site (commercial) management of E & P waste [LAC 43:XIX.Subpart 1.Chapter 5].

Manages all settlement and court related activity for litigation subject to the provisions of ACT 312 of 2006 pertaining to site evaluation or remediation pursuant to the ACT and LAC 43:XIX.Subpart 1.Chapter 6, and serves as technical support to other divisions for matters involving ground water impact resulting from E & P waste sources.

Geological Oil & Gas >>

David Elfert, Petroleum Scientist Administrator-Division Director
9th Floor

Administers a regulatory program to prevent waste of oil and gas, to conserve the natural resources of the State, to prevent the drilling of unnecessary wells and to protect the correlative rights of mineral owners through the application of State laws, rules, regulations, and policies of the Office of Conservation. These tasks are accomplished by managing a comprehensive program that includes accepted petroleum geological practices in conjunction with accepted petroleum engineering practices administered by the Engineering Divisions of the Office of Conservation.

Injection & Mining (IMD) >>

Stephen Lee, Injection and Mining Division Director
8th Floor

Implements two major federal environmental programs which were statutorily charged to the Office of Conservation: the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program with federal oversight from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and the Surface Mining Program with federal oversight from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining.

Pipeline >>

Steven Giambrone, Pipeline Division Director
9th Floor

Regulates the intrastate pipeline operators to ensure safety and compliance as authorized under the Federal certification process found in Chapter 601, Title 49 of the United States Code.

Regulates the intrastate natural gas pipeline network under the Natural Resources and Energy Act of 1973, Act 16 of the 1973 Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature.