State DEP plans 'back to basics' department reordering
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The state Department of Environmental Protection will change the way it administers its oil and gas program and move all departmental operations "back to basics" as part of an extensive reorganization unveiled to department employees Monday.
The Corbett administration's long-awaited reorganization plan will create a new stand-alone oil and gas bureau for the program that oversees regulation of booming, and sometimes controversial, Marcellus Shale gas development in the state.
The administrative structure will be similar to that of DEP's mining bureau, with the new oil and gas bureau reporting directly to DEP administrators in Harrisburg and not to the regional offices.
DEP Secretary Michael Krancer announced the upcoming reorganization in an email to DEP employees Thursday afternoon, and its details were to be unveiled at employee meetings Monday.
According to Mr. Krancer's Thursday afternoon email to DEP employees, the reorganization was undertaken "to help us refocus our efforts to the department's core mission of protecting human health and the environment." The email also said the reorganization will "enhance coordination and communication between program development and implementation staff" and "ensure statewide consistency" in the administration of oil and gas regulations.
Mr. Krancer will also brief a variety of environmental organizations, business interests and "key stakeholders" about the changes and his "vision and goals" for the DEP at a meeting this morning in the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg.
The email from Alisa Harris, DEP special deputy secretary for external affairs, inviting "partners" to that briefing, states, "Our vision for the department moves the focus back to essential environmental protection practices and permitting functions, or 'back to basics.' " The email also restates departmental goals of open communication, coordination and consistency.
Katy Gresh, a spokeswoman for the DEP, did not respond to requests for comment about the specifics of the reorganization, except to say the department "is not planning any layoffs." A source indicated Monday that furloughs are part of the reorganization.
First Published September 20, 2011 12:00 am
