Top Stories

DNR Assistant Secretary Louis Buatt to leave Office of Coastal Management to return to private sector

BATON ROUGE – Today, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Scott Angelle announced that Louis Buatt, DNR Assistant Secretary and head of the Office of Coastal Management (OCM), has elected to return to the private sector after nearly 17 years of state government service.

Buatt signed on with DNR in September 2008, serving as Assistant Secretary throughout his tenure with the agency, and also as acting Secretary of the State Mineral and Energy Board and acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Mineral Resources from March 2010 to September 2010.

“I appreciate the leadership and commitment to service Lou demonstrated in his time with this Department – he led his team by example in his work ethic and his creative approaches in the ongoing effort to find a balance between efficient processes that promote responsible development in our coastal zone and effective regulation of that development that never lost sight of the state’s role as steward of the coast,” Angelle said.

During his time with DNR, Buatt oversaw:

·         A reduction in coastal use permitting processing time by more than half since 2009

·         Changes to DNR’s program directing beneficial use of dredged material from coastal projects that led to an increase from 22 percent to 100 percent of dredged material tied to beneficial use in coastal areas

·         A report and recommendations used to redefine the state’s coastal zone boundary for the first time in three decades

·         Changes to OCM’s wetland mitigation program that direct more resources to the areas of greatest need

He also worked with Angelle and legislators to help craft the state’s first-ever regulatory framework dealing specifically with surface water, and took on oversight of cooperative surface water agreements with prospective users through OCM.

Buatt also took on the role of coordinator of the state’s Emergency Fuel Team – a mix of public and private interests brought together to coordinate fuel supplies to facilitate an orderly evacuation of citizens during times of mass emergency, such as hurricanes.

“From streamlining coastal use permitting and helping redefine the state’s coastal zone to steering more desperately needed resources toward coastal needs to stepping up in roles he probably never envisioned with the Mineral and Energy Board and the Fuel Team, both DNR and the state of Louisiana will benefit from his service for years to come,” Angelle said.

Prior to serving with DNR, Buatt worked with the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), from 1994 to 2008, starting as a senior attorney and rising to become DEQ general counsel and later an Assistant Secretary. While with DEQ, Buatt’s achievements included:

·         Assisting with the crafting of DEQ emergency orders in advance of 2005’s hurricanes Katrina and Rita that provided both regulatory control and flexibility allowing for quicker response and recovery from hurricane-related environmental threats

·         Achieving millions of dollars in state cost savings through evaluation of DEQ laboratory services that lead to outsourcing of those services

·         Establishing the Statewide Ozone Steering Committee to assist local governments and communities in assessing and acting on the impacts of changes to federal air quality standards

Buatt said his time in state service has been a great personal satisfaction, but new opportunities have drawn him to make a move back to the private sector.

“I feel very blessed to have worked with great teams with DEQ and DNR, and I hope that those who I have served, worked with or supervised have learned as much from me as I have from them. The men and women of both these Departments, from top to bottom, are dedicated to finding the best ways forward in balancing the promotion of our economy and the protection of our environment,” Buatt said. “I have been proud to serve, but I believe that those who follow me will continue to build on what has already been done in the ceaseless effort for excellence and realization of the state’s full potential.”