General DNR News
MINERAL BOARD POSTS DECEMBER LEASE SALE
The State Mineral Board conducted a Lease Sale December 9, 1998 at 10:00 a.m. in the Mineral Board Hearing Room located in the State Land and Natural Resources Building in Baton Rouge. Below are the preliminary results of the Lease Sale and 1998-99 Fiscal Year totals.
NOVEMBER MINERAL LEASE SALE ANNOUNCED BY BOARD
The State Mineral Board conducted a Lease Sale November 10, 1998 at 10:00 a.m. in the Mineral Board Hearing Room located in the State Land and Natural Resources Building in Baton Rouge. Below are the preliminary results of the Lease Sale and 1998-99 Fiscal Year totals.
DNR GEOLOGIST RECEIVES PRESIDENTIAL AWARD
The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG ) has honored Dr. Madhurendu B. Kumar with its Presidential Certificate of Merit for his leadership as General Chairman of the 1998 AIPG National Conference held in October in Baton Rouge. The award also recognized his latest publication, Issues and Answers on Petroleum in the Environment, which was presented at AIPG's 35th annual conference at the Baton Rouge Hilton.
Unprecedented Consensus: COAST 2050 PLAN APPROVED BY STATE WETLANDS AUTHORITY, CWPPRA TASK FORCE, 20 COASTAL PARISHES
BATON ROUGE – In an unprecedented joint meeting this week of the State Wetlands Authority and the CWPPRA (Coastal Wetlands Protection, Preservation and Restoration Act, or Breaux Act) Task Force, the Coast 2050 Plan strategies and habitat objectives were approved. The Coast 2050 strategies and the model of parish involvement used in the planning process have been unanimously approved by all 20 coastal Louisiana parishes.
COASTAL PARISHES TO RECEIVE DNR GRANTS
Twelve coastal parishes in the state will receive grants this year to implement their local coastal programs. The Department of Natural Resources' Coastal Management Division announced this week that award monies to local governments for coastal management plans have been approved under provisions of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act.
EMERGENCY RULE FOR OILFIELD WASTE TESTING AMENDED, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials have amended Statewide Order No. 29-B starting October 1, continuing oilfield waste testing at commercial disposal facilities for 120 days, while eliminating exploration and production (E&P) waste testing at the well sites.
Coast 2050 Time Capsule Event Held Today at Thibodaux Festival
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Jack Caldwell today presented to Nicholls State University a piece of history in the form of a "Time Capsule" for safekeeping until the year 2050. The Time Capsule presentation took place during the opening event of the Barataria-Terrebonne Culture and Ecological Festival at Peltier Park in Thibodaux. The capsule contains plans, policies, letters, maps and videos associated with the state's Coast 2050 planning initiative from the years 1997-1998.
ST. MARY AND VERMILION PARISH PROJECTS HELP PROTECT MARSH LAND IN COASTAL LOUISIANA — BREAUX ACT PROJECTS DEDICATED TODAY —
‘Reversing the Tide,' Louisiana's battle against coastal erosion, was demonstrated today in St. Mary Parish as the Cote Blanche Hydrologic project was dedicated and visited by federal, state and local officials, and the public. The Cote Blanche project and the Freshwater Bayou Bank Stabilization project in Vermilion Parish were constructed under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (Breaux Act) sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the state Department of Natural Resources.
CONSERVATION FIELD AGENTS MEET FOR TRAINING SEMINAR
Commissioner of Conservation Philip N. Asprodites assembled Office of Conservation field agents to Baton Rouge for a training seminar last week to review the latest legal and environmental issues affecting site inspections of oil and gas wells in Louisiana. The Commissioner sees education and training of his staff as high priority in these highly technical times.
Plant Research May Help Save Louisiana Wetlands
The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources has teamed with the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center and the University of Southwestern Louisiana to identify and duplicate exceptional native plants and then disperse them in the field to combat wetland loss.