DPNR warns staffing gaps and flat federal grants hamper enforcement and library operations

Commissioner Jean Pierre Oriole, commissioner for the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, told the Committee on Economic Development and Agriculture on March 10 that the department is running well below the workforce it needs to execute its duties. “We currently have 158 individuals working within the department. However, we need to be around 200 employees to achieve full efficiency,” Oriole said, laying out recruitment challenges and funding constraints.

The department reported just over $49,000,000 in federal awards for fiscal 2025 but said only about $18,000,000 of that is available for operations; the remainder is pass‑through funding to utilities. Oriole said roughly $4,000,000 in previously awarded grants has been paused by one grantor agency and that delays or staffing changes in federal grant offices have slowed reimbursements. “We are not in danger of losing any funding due to noncompliance,” he said, but added that the pause has delayed hiring for at least one position and slowed project starts.

Why this matters: DPNR is the territory’s primary regulator for coastal zone activities, water and air quality, historic preservation and permitting. The committee's oversight hearing focused on enforcement capacity, rule updates and the practical effects of stagnant federal grant levels in a high cost territory.

Regulatory and enforcement limits Oriole told senators the department’s zoning penalties are decades out of date…