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The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER) is the
executive department of the government of Puerto Rico The executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico is responsible for executing the laws of Puerto Rico, as well as causing them to be executed. Article IV of the Constitution of Puerto Rico vests the executive power on the Governor—wh ...
tasked with protecting, conserving, developing, and managing the
natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...
and
environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
resources in
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. As of April 2022 the current interim Secretary is Anaí Rodríguez after the resignation of Rafael A. Machargo. As of November 2020 the department has 1,096 employees.


History

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) was created by Law Number 23 of June 20, 1972. The first head of the Department was Cruz Matos. In 2016 the agency's headquarters where temporarily moved from the Cruz A. Matos building in Cupey due to problems with the ventilation. Repairs would permit the agency to return to the building by 2021 after an investment of $1.7 million. In 2018 governor
Ricardo Rosselló Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares (; born March 7, 1979) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2017 to 2019. He resigned on August 2, 2019, after protests related to the Telegramgate scandal. He is the s ...
signed senate project 859 into law which merged the Solid Wastes Authority, Board of Environmental Quality and Company of National Parks of Puerto Rico into the department. In 2019 secretary Tania Vázquez Rivera resigned after a federal investigation was launched into irregularities within the department. In February 2020 governor
Wanda Vázquez Garced Wanda Emilia Vázquez Garced (born July 9, 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 2019 to 2021. Prior to her tenure as governor, she served as the 19th secretary of Justice, from 2017 to 201 ...
nominated Rafael Machargo as the new secretary of the department. During a Senate hearing in August 2021 secretary Rafael Machargo confirmed the agency did not have a plan for solid waste on the island. As of 2021 the department also lacks engineers and other staff necessary to manage the
pumping station Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as well drilling, drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastru ...
s in various municipalities.


2021 ''Sol y Playa'' Condominium controversy

In the aftermath of
Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...
the DRNA had authorized an emergency reconstruction permit for the cement fence around the pool area, part of the "Sun and Beach" condominium in Los Almendros beach in Rincón. In 2021 the owners of the property gained another permit to rebuild the fence in the area with plans to construct a larger pool and recreation area. On June 2, 2021, environmentalist began protesting the construction due to the environmental impact it would have on
coastal erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...
, turtle nesting, and because of laws which protect the island's coastal areas, labelling them as part of public property. On July 2 a
Hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is largel ...
began nesting inside the construction site which resulted in the department ordering the construction be paralyzed. The turtle returned on two other occasions to continue nesting. In the following weeks lawyers of the agency noted the construction had continued even with the
cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
order. As a result, the dispute escalated with 200 people protesting on July 24. A group protested outside the DRNA headquarters asking for secretary Rafael Machargo to resign on July 7. On August 4 the
Puerto Rico Planning Board The Puerto Rico Planning Board ( es, Junta de Planificación) created in the May 12, 1942 during Rexford G. Tugwell's governorship as the Puerto Rico Planning, Urbanization, and Zoning Board, is the only government agency in charge of centralize ...
unanimously ordered the construction be halted after determining the permits granted where illegal. The board of the condominium insisted the construction was legal and that they were unjustly targeted. The board appealed the decision but a judge ruled against them indicating they must remove all the construction.


2022

In March 2022 governor
Pedro Pierluisi Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia (born April 26, 1959) is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer currently serving as governor of Puerto Rico. He has previously served as Secretary of Justice, Resident Commissioner, acting Secretary of State, i ...
announced the agency would receive $4 million to restart the training academy enabling the DRNA to hire new personnel for the agency.


Agencies

* Natural Resources Administration *Board of Environmental Quality * Natural Resources Ranger Corps * Solid Wastes Authority *Company of National Parks of Puerto Rico- administers state parks including the
Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo, officially named the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo of Puerto Rico, also known as the Mayagüez Zoo, was a zoo located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, owned by the Government of Puerto Rico and operated by the Puerto Rico Department o ...


References


External links


www.drna.pr.gov - official site
{{authority control Executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico Forestry in Puerto Rico Environment of Puerto Rico Natural resources agencies Forestry agencies in the United States Environmental agencies in the United States Natural resources in North America