Office of Conservation

German engineer returns home after working with Conservation office

—Business and personal relationships built in short stay—

Ulf Larres never appeared to be out of place as he reported to work each day for three months at the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources' building. From November 1st to January 31st, he happily showed up at 8 am to begin his work as an inspector with the Injection and Mining division of the Office of Conservation. With a master's degree in mining engineering from the Technical University of Aachen in Germany in addition to his special training from his own workplace –Oberbergamt Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Larres worked quite comfortably with co-workers in charge of approving permits, inspecting oil and gas facilities and other related environmental programs of the agency.

Conservation Commissioner Philip N. Asprodites enthusiastically pointed out that international business relationships like this one helps the office to grow in many ways. He said that Larres's stay was subsidized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Technology and Transport of Lower Saxony, Germany as part of its international relations program established in 1998. Its premise is to give their professional civil service employees the extraordinary opportunity to learn about cultures, laws, and work habits of other nations as they spend several months in a foreign country.

Larres stressed the benefits of having made personal contacts that would not be forgotten, and the lasting impressions of having tackled some issues different from his own at home. He said he was particularly interested in "seeing" the differences in geological and technical conditions here as compared to Lower Saxony. He also wanted to carefully review our health and safety rules during his time here.

Additionally, Larres prepared and exchanged information on mineral production activities offshore in the North Sea and onshore. Exploitation of gas is prevalent there as is underground mining of potassium salt (potash) and open pit extraction such as lignite, sand and clay, he said.

Co-workers in the Injection and Mining division were very open to working and learning from Larres and most couldn't get enough of wanting to know the comparisons in life-styles. "What's the cost of utilities there as compared to here," seemed to top the list of frequently asked questions by fellow employees and acquaintances. His farewell party from the Conservation office featured large servings of homemade Mexican food. Fellow workers prepared his favorite dishes that included tacos, seven- layer taco salad, soup and dips. "He was a pleasure to work with and his English was very good," shared one co-worker Sarah Tomlinson.

Worlds away now but certainly not forgotten. Something ventured, something gained. Asprodites said, "the partnership was an experience that enlightened all of us."

Editors Note: For a comparison profile of Louisiana to the District of Oberbergamt prepared by Ulf Larres, the following is provided:

Louisiana, USA	Oberbergamt Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
51,844 sq. miles	24,920 sq. miles
4.3 million population	13.0 million population
Natural gas production ‘99     5,372 billion cubic ft.	Natural gas production ‘99     809 billion cubic ft. (96 % of Germany's production)
Oil production ‘99     120 million barrels	Oil production ‘99     3 million barrels (95 % of Germany's production)
Lignite production ‘98     3.3 million tons	Lignite production ‘98     4.7 million tons (3 % of Germany's production)

Larres shown at his workstation in the DNR Office of Conservation's Injection and Mining division.

Larres shown with Office of Conservation leadership. Director of Injection and Mining Carroll Wascom, Assistant Commissioner of Conservation Jim Welsh, Engineer Ulf Larres, Commissioner of Conservation Philip N. Asprodites, Asst. Director Joe Ball, and Petroleum Engineer Doyle Johnson.

Editors: For more on this topic, please contact DNR Public Information Officer Phyllis Darensbourg at 225-342-8955.