General DNR News

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources partners with Corps to provide greater efficiency in permitting work

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are partnering to provide more efficient coastal use permitting by sharing space in DNR’s Baton Rouge office.

Through an agreement between the state and federal agencies, a Corps of Engineers representative is sharing space with DNR’s Office of Coastal Restoration and Management in Baton Rouge.

“With our shared responsibility of protection and restoration of Louisiana’s coast and wetlands, it is appropriate that DNR’s coastal staff and the Corps of Engineers have the ability to work together directly on a day-to-day basis,” said Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle. “We at DNR are always seeking new ways to improve efficiency in our work while maintaining our regulatory standards and protection for our state.”

Having DNR’s coastal staff and a member of the Corps of Engineers’ team sharing space will mean better communication between the agencies and more efficiency in the regulatory review process.

“This is a great chance for the Corps to collaborate more thoroughly and effectively than ever before with DNR,” said Col. Alvin Lee, New Orleans District Commander.  “This opportunity of being co-located allows us to discuss any issues at the earliest possible time and to resolve any concerns either organization has.”

The arrangement provides opportunities to cut the time needed for resolving differences in state and federal regulatory requirements for coastal activity permits, and the overall application processing time, without sacrificing either agency’s responsibilities for regulatory protection of the coast and wetlands.

“Both DNR and the Corps of Engineers have detailed processes in place to protect coastal wetlands, but we also want to ensure that people and businesses are able to make responsible use of our natural resources,” said DNR Assistant Secretary Louis Buatt for coastal affairs. “This change will mean a quicker, more simplified process for permit applicants, with both agencies having better access to information from one another.”

Applicants will not only have the added convenience and speed that come with having access to both DNR and the Corps of Engineers in the same centrally located office, but DNR staff will also have improved ability to train with the Corps of Engineers on the latest federal requirements for applications and mitigation – meaning greater coordination in assessing and processing coastal use permits.

The co-location will also mean greater coordination in handling emergency use requests in times of major disaster, as well as establishing an alternative for the Corps, should its New Orleans office be damaged or otherwise made unusable following a hurricane.