Office of the Secretary

DNR SECRETARY GIVEN SPECIAL HONOR BY US DOE

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jack Caldwell was honored Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for his demonstrated commitment to natural resource conservation and environmental protection.

Mark Ginsberg, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Building Technologies, State and Community Programs, presented the award to Secretary Caldwell at a ceremonial signing of Louisiana's new commercial building energy conservation code. The ceremony took place in the governor's press conference room in Baton Rouge.

The DOE award recognized Caldwell's leadership in assembling a blue ribbon panel of commercial building stakeholders, government representatives and environmental and citizens groups which developed the energy conservation code and his efforts in successfully guiding the legislation through the state legislature.

"It is not every day that we encounter a state official with the vision and commitment of Secretary Caldwell," Ginsberg commented in presenting the award. "DOE has a long history of working closely with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and I can truthfully say that the performance of DNR under the leadership of Secretary Caldwell is extraordinary and in my experience outstanding," he said.

In addition to his efforts on the commercial building energy code, the DOE proclamation cited Caldwell's efforts in establishing one of the nation's leading residential energy conservation programs as well as his commitment to incorporating energy efficiency and sustainable design elements into the state's new three-building, one million square foot state office complex to be built in downtown Baton Rouge.

Editors: For more information, contact DNR's Energy section, Project Manager Wade Byrd at (504) 342-3476.