Top Stories

Governor Jindal Appoints Stephen Chustz to Serve as Interim DNR Secretary

Office of the Governor: http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&catID=2&articleID=3566

BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Stephen Chustz to serve as Interim Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources upon the resignation of Secretary Scott Angelle. 

Governor Jindal said, “Scott has worn a lot of different hats for our administration and been a warrior for the people of Louisiana. He has helped shepherd critical reforms through the Legislature, including landmark education and pension laws. As the state’s point person on federal oil and gas permitting issues, Scott was at the center of the fight to get our people back to work after the federal government implemented a drilling moratorium. As I’ve said before, Scott is a public servant to the core with an incredible work ethic and a big heart. We look forward to working with Stephen at DNR as we continue to push the federal government to increase oil and gas permitting in order to fuel the nation and make sure our people have good paying jobs to pursue their dreams here in Louisiana.”

 Stephen Chustz Bio

Stephen Chustz earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.  He has more than 24 years of state service.  Chustz began his state career with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) in 1987.  His work at LDEQ included work in surface water enforcement, source water protection and ground water remediation and underground storage tank issues.

Chustz became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Coastal Management at the Department of Natural Resources in December 2008 and later, he became the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Coastal Management in October 2011. Chustz also has served as the Director of the Atchafalaya Basin Program since January 2009. 

Notice from DNR Public Information Office

To contact Scott Angelle as of August 8, 2012, please contact Maureen Dippel at (225) 342-2710 or maureen.dippel@la.gov.