Since taking office, Gov. Jeff Landry has set his sights to rewrite and revamp several aspects of Louisiana’s government, including the state’s constitution as well as its economic development agency and coastal protection authority, The Center Square reports.
On Feb. 1, Landry issued an executive order placing the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the CPRA Board under the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources.
The nonprofit Bureau of Governmental Research sent Landry a letter later that month, writing the first-term GOP governor that the work of the CPRA and its board is “distinct” from the energy department’s mission: CPRA provides transparency and accountability and can make a case for more federal funding for conservation projects.
House Bill 806, by Rep. Brett F. Geymann, R-Lake Charles, also looks to make changes to the CPRA’s governing board. The proposal, if approved by lawmakers, would remove several state officials from the CPRA board, including the secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development; the secretary of the Department of Economic Development, the commissioner of administration; the commissioner of agriculture and forestry; the commissioner of insurance; and the director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
The bill is before the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.
