Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Last updated
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico
Emblem-department-of-natural-and-environmental-resources-of-puerto-rico.jpg
Department overview
FormedJune 20, 1972;51 years ago (1972-06-20)
Preceding Department
  • Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources
Type Executive department
JurisdictionPuerto Rico
Headquarters San Juan, PR
Employees1,096
Department executive
Child agencies
  • Natural Resources Administration
  • Solid Wastes Authority (ADS)
Key documents
Website http://drna.pr.gov/

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER) (Spanish : Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico) is the executive department of the government of Puerto Rico tasked with protecting, conserving, developing, and managing the natural and environmental resources in Puerto Rico. [1] [2] As of April 2022 the current interim Secretary is Anaí Rodríguez after the resignation of Rafael A. Machargo. [3] As of November 2020 the department has 1,096 employees. [4]

Contents

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. [5]

In 2016 the agency's headquarters where temporarily moved from the Cruz A. Matos building in Cupey due to problems with the ventilation. [6] Repairs would permit the agency to return to the building by 2021 after an investment of $1.7 million. [7]

In 2018 governor Ricardo Rosselló 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. [8] [9]

In 2019 secretary Tania Vázquez Rivera resigned after a federal investigation was launched into irregularities within the department. [10] [11] In February 2020 governor Wanda Vázquez Garced nominated Rafael Machargo as the new secretary of the department. [12]

During a Senate hearing in August 2021 secretary Rafael Machargo confirmed the agency did not have a plan for solid waste on the island. [13] As of 2021 the department also lacks engineers and other staff necessary to manage the pumping stations in various municipalities. [13]

2021 Sol y Playa Condominium controversy

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria 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, environmentalists began protesting the construction due to the environmental impact it would have on coastal erosion, turtle nesting, and because of laws which protect the island's coastal areas, labelling them as part of public property. [14] [15] On July 2 a Hawksbill sea turtle began nesting inside the construction site which resulted in the department ordering the construction be paralyzed. [16] [17] The turtle returned on two other occasions to continue nesting. [18] In the following weeks lawyers of the agency noted the construction had continued even with the cease and desist order. [19] As a result, the dispute escalated with 200 people protesting on July 24. [20] A group protested outside the DRNA headquarters asking for secretary Rafael Machargo to resign on July 7. [21] On August 4 the Puerto Rico Planning Board unanimously ordered the construction be halted after determining the permits granted where illegal. [22] The board of the condominium insisted the construction was legal and that they were unjustly targeted. [23] The board appealed the decision but a judge ruled against them indicating they must remove all the construction. [24]

2022

In March 2022 governor Pedro Pierluisi announced the agency would receive $4 million to restart the training academy enabling the DRNA to hire new personnel for the agency. [25]

Agencies

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caja de Muertos Island</span> Island on southern coast of Puerto Rico

Caja de Muertos is an uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Ponce. The island and its surrounding waters are protected by the Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve, because of its native turtle traffic and ecological value of its dry forests and reefs. Hikers and beachgoers are often seen in the island, which can be reached by ferry from the La Guancha Boardwalk sector of Ponce Playa. Together with Cardona, Ratones, Morrillito, Isla del Frio, Gatas, and Isla de Jueyes, Caja de Muertos is one of seven islands ascribed to the municipality of Ponce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Rico Department of Education</span> Agency of the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Department of Education is one of two jurisdiction-wide public education system in the United States, with Hawaii being the other. The PRDOE is the state education agency in charge of managing public schools in Puerto Rico as well as the island's education system and curricula. The department, headquartered in Hato Rey, San Juan, is the result of a United States state department of education. It is also the largest agency of the executive branch of Puerto Rico, with, as of 2019, an annual budget of more than $3.5 billion USD and over 72,000 staff—including more than 41,000 teachers, and as of 2020 the department is the third-largest school district in the United States by enrollment, with over 276,413 students and 857 schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Cerrillos</span> Human-made lake located in Maragüez, Ponce, Puerto Rico

Lake Cerrillos is a human-made lake located in barrio Maragüez, Ponce, Puerto Rico. The lake was finished in 1992 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The main purposes of the reservoir are flood control, water supply, and recreation. There is a variety of fish available for fishing such as largemouth bass, bluegills, catfish and tilapias. The 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games that were held in Ponce staged the canoeing competitions in this lake. It was used in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games for the sports of Canoeing, Rowing. The lake is the main drinking water source for the city of Ponce.

The Puerto Rico Natural Resources Ranger Corps is the law enforcement conservation officers for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Its primary mission is to protect endemic plants and animals of Puerto Rico, prevent the introduction of invasive animals and plants and prosecute any person who violates environmental laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Ecological Corridor</span> Protected Nature Reserve in Puerto Rico

The Northeast Ecological Corridor Nature Reserve (NECNR) refers to an area designated as a protected Nature Reserve located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico, between the municipalities of Luquillo and Fajardo. Specifically, the lands that comprise the NEC are located between Luquillo's town square to the west and Seven Seas Beach to the east, being delineated by PR Route # 3 to its south and the Atlantic Ocean to its north. It was decreed as a protected area by former Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal S. Acevedo-Vilá in April 2008, a decision reversed by Governor Luis G. Fortuño-Burset in October 2009, although he later passed a law in June 2012 re-designated as nature reserve two-thirds of its lands, after intense lobbying and public pressure. Later, in 2013, Governor Alejandro García-Padilla signed a law declaring all lands within the NEC a nature reserve. The area comprises 2,969.64 acres, which include such diverse habitats as forest, wetlands, beaches, coral communities, and a sporadically bioluminescent lagoon. The Corridor is also home to 866 species of flora and fauna, of which 54 are considered critical elements, meaning rare, threatened, endangered and endemic species classified by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), some even designated as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). These include, among others, federally endangered species such as the plain pigeon, the snowy plover, the Puerto Rican boa, the hawksbill sea turtle and the West Indian manatee. The beaches along the NEC, which are 8.74 kilometers long are important nesting grounds for the leatherback sea turtle, which starts its nesting season around April each year.

The Secretary of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico is responsible for protecting, conserving, and managing the natural and environmental resources of Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas</span> Nature reserve in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas is a nature reserve in Barrio Canas, Ponce, Puerto Rico. It consists of both a land area component as well as an offshore marine area. The land component has an area of 698 cuerdas while the marine component has an expanse of 3,516 cuerdas, for a total area of 4,214 cuerdas. The Reserve consists of mangrove ecosystems, coastal sand dunes, a saline lagoon known as Laguna Las Salinas, open water, and a century-old local community. The lagoon occupies and area of 347,898 m2 Ecological protection is managed and enforced by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Eight activities are allowed at the Reserve: scuba diving, boating, fishing, hiking, sun bathing, photography, bird watching and canoeing. Activities prohibited are: Camping, crabbing/trapping, horseback riding, water crafting, and hunting. Pets, ATVs, and fireplaces are also prohibited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punta Santiago, Humacao, Puerto Rico</span> Barrio of Puerto Rico

Punta Santiago is a barrio and fishing community located in the municipality of Humacao, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2020 was 3,716. Located in the estuary of Humacao, Punta Santiago is famous for its fishing heritage, its iconic pier and Cayo Santiago, popularly known as Monkey Island after its Rhesus macaque population. The barrio is also the home of the Humacao Nature Reserve and the Punta Santiago Beach and Vacation Area. Punta Santiago is one of the most vulnerable barrios to flooding and complete destruction whenever hurricanes enter Puerto Rico through the area of Humacao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Puerto Rico

The COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico was an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuevo Milenio State Forest</span> State forest in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Nuevo Milenio State Forest is one of the 20 forests that make up the public forest system of Puerto Rico. The forest is located east of the University of Puerto Rico Botanical Garden in the Sabana Llana Sur district of San Juan, making it one of the two state forests located within the capital's municipal boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bosque del Pueblo</span> Forest in Puerto Rico

Bosque del Pueblo is one of the 20 forest units that make up the public forest system of Puerto Rico. The 738-acres forest is located in the municipality of Adjuntas and it comprises a preserved zone which was endangered of being developed as a quarry between the years 1980 and 1995. The forest is located in lands shared by the Adjuntas barrios or districts of Vegas Arriba, Vegas Abajo and Pellejas de Adjuntas. In addition to preserving the forest, the reserve is important to the preservation of the hydrological basins of the Pellejas and Viví Rivers, and many of the tributaries of the Arecibo River have their sources in the forest lands. The forest also functions as an ecological corridor between the Guilarte, Río Abajo and Toro Negro Forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedras River (San Juan, Puerto Rico)</span> River in San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Piedras River, better known as Río Piedras in Spanish, is a river of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The river gives its name to Río Piedras, a former town and municipality, today a district of San Juan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia</span> Current cabinet of the Puerto Rican government

The government of Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia was formed in the weeks following the 2020 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election as he released a list of nominees for most of the positions before his swearing in on 2 January 2021. His New Progressive Party (PNP) not having a majority in either chamber of the 19th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico meant that he would have to further negotiate the approval of his nominees with the opposition parties that hold control of the legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Wanda Vázquez Garced</span> 19th Cabinet of the Puerto Rican Constitutional Government

The government of Wanda Vázquez Garced was formed the week following the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares as a result of the massive protests resulting from the Telegramgate scandal, and a Supreme Court decision that vacated the office from an invalid occupant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Ricardo Rosselló Nevares</span> 18th Cabinet of the Puerto Rican Constitutional Government

The government of Ricardo Rosselló Nevares was formed in the weeks following the 2016 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election and ended prematurely on the first week of August 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Alejandro García Padilla</span> 17th Cabinet of the Puerto Rican Constitutional Government

The government of Alejandro García Padilla was formed in the weeks following the 2012 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election and was sworn in initially in January 2013, with some confirmations coming in later. It featured a pro-Independence secretary, a non-partisan Secretary of Governance, as well as the continuation of the previous PNP administrations' Commissioner of Safety and Public Protection.

Nature Reserve of Puerto Rico is a title and special designation given by the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico to specific natural areas or features throughout the territory. All nature reserves in Puerto Rico are protected by Puerto Rico Law #150, first approved on August 8, 1988, better known as the Puerto Rico Natural Heritage Program Act that seeks to protect the natural resources of the island for the purpose of natural preservation and tourism. These are managed by different agencies within the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, public-private partnerships such as the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico and its management unit Para la naturaleza, and other grassroots and community institutions and programs.

References

  1. ↑ "Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA)". Government of Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ley Orgánica del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales" (PDF). Government of Puerto Rico. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ "La secretaria interina del DRNA acepta que hubo "crímenes ambientales" en bahía Jobos en Salinas" [The interim secretary of DRNA accepts there was environmental crimes in Bay of Jobos in Salinas]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  4. ↑ "El DRNA se quedaría sin la mitad de sus empleados si se pone en vigor la Ley 80". Primera Hora (in Spanish). 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  5. ↑ Informe de Auditoría DB-99-12 (PDF) (Report). Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, Administracion de Recursos Naturales, Area de Recursos de Agua y Minerales. 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Cerrado por problemas edificio de agencias ambientales en Río Piedras". www.noticel.com. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  7. ↑ "DRNA moverá animales exóticos al zoológico de Mayagüez" [DRNA moves exotic animals to Zoo of Mayagüez]. El Vocero (in Spanish). 2021-03-07. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  8. ↑ Claudio, Ronald Ávila. "Rosselló firma reorganización del Departamento de Recursos Naturales". Metro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  9. ↑ M. Quintero, Laura. "Quedó formalizado el nuevo DRNA" [New DRNA is formalized]. El Vocero (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  10. ↑ "Tania Vázquez renuncia como secretaria de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales" [Tania Vázquez resigns as secretary of Natural and Environmental Resources]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  11. ↑ "Renuncia Tania Vázquez como secretaria del DRNA" [Tania Vázquez resigns as secretary of DRNA]. Primera Hora (Puerto Rico) (in Spanish). 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  12. ↑ "Wanda Vázquez designa a Rafael Machargo como secretario del DRNA" [Wanda Vázquez designates Rafael Machargo as secretary of DRNA]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  13. 1 2 Vargas, Salomé Ramírez. "DRNA no cuenta con plan de trabajo actual sobre manejo de desperdicios sólidos". Metro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  14. ↑ Virella, Aiola (2021-07-19). "No causa contra Eliezer Molina y otros dos ambientalistas por protesta en Rincón" [No cause against Eliezer Molina and two other environmentalist for protest in Rincón]. Metro (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  15. ↑ "No se detienen las manifestaciones en condominio de Rincón" [No end for protest in Rincón condominio]. Noticel (in Spanish). 2021-07-26. Archived from the original on 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  16. ↑ Vargas, Salomé Ramírez. "Condominio en Rincón asegura que salvaron a carey de una "jauría de perros"" [Condominio in Rincón assures that they saved sea turtle from "pack of dogs"]. Metro (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  17. ↑ "El DRNA pide paralizar la construcción de piscina en Rincón para proteger el hábitat del carey" [The DRNA request construction of pool in Rincón be paralyzed to protect sea turtle habitat]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2021-07-09. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  18. ↑ "Regresa carey a anidar en la zona de construcción del condominio Sol y Playa en Rincón" [Sea turtle returns to nest in zone of construction of the Soly y Playa condominium in Rincón]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2021-08-03. Archived from the original on 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  19. ↑ "Abogado del DRNA denuncia que la construcción en Sol y Playa continuó ilegalmente" [Lawyer of DRNA denounces that construction at Sol y Playa continues illegally]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2021-07-20. Archived from the original on 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  20. ↑ NotiCel (2021-07-04). "Cerca de 200 manifestantes llegan hoy a Rincón mientras la Policía sigue custodiando el lugar" [Close to 200 protesters arrive today at Rincón while police keeps custody of the place]. Noticel (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  21. ↑ Marrero, Juan. "Organizaciones exigen renuncia de Rafael Machargo en manifestación frente al DRNA". Metro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  22. ↑ "Junta de Planificación ordena paralización en condominio Sol y Playa de Rincón por presunta ilegalidad en permiso de construcción" [Puerto Rico Planning Board orders paralyzing of Sol y Playa condominium in Rincón for alleged illegality of construction permits]. El Nuevo Día . 2021-08-04. Archived from the original on 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  23. ↑ Jiménez, Lester. "Residentes de complejo en Rincón aseguran construcción de su piscina está en ley". www.noticel.com. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  24. ↑ "Un juez de Aguadilla ordena demoler la piscina del Condominio Sol y Playa de Rincón" [A judge in Aguadilla orders the pool at Condominium Sun and Beach of Rincón to be demolished]. El Vocero . 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  25. ↑ "Gobernador asigna 4 millones al DRNA para nueva academia de vigilantes • WIPR" [Governor assigns 4 million to DRNA for new academy of rangers]. WIPR. 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  26. ↑ "Fallece el fundador del Zoológico de Puerto Rico". Ciencia Puerto Rico (in Spanish). 2014-03-03. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.