State Trustees

This page displays documents and information pertaining to State natural resource trustees. Where available, the following policy documents are provided here:

• Documents (e.g., Executive Orders, Proclamations, letters, memos) bearing the Governor's signature, attesting to the designation of a State natural resource trustee. State natural resource trustee designations can change at a Governor's discretion. The documents displayed are the most current available to DOI.
• Agreements (i.e., Memoranda of Agreement, Memoranda of Understanding) between DOI (or its bureaus) and a State pertaining to natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities in that State. Currently, nine such agreements are in place nationwide.

Also, links are provided, where available, to State natural resource damage assessment and restoration websites.

States (including Territories and Commonwealths), in alphabetical order:

Alabama (AL)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
  • Geological Survey of Alabama
  • Alabama Oil and Gas Board
  • Alabama State Lands Division

Alaska (AK)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated March 10, 1999)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
    • Division of Spill Prevention and Response
  • Alaska Department of Law
  • Alaska Department of Fish and Game
  • Alaska Department of Natural Resources
    • Office of Project Management and Permitting

American Samoa (AS)

• Territory natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• Territory NRDAR website:

Arizona (AZ)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated December 29, 1995)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
    • Water Quality Division
    • State Emergency Response Commission

Arkansas (AR)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated September 3, 1991)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Arkansas Department of Agriculture
    • Forestry
    • Natural Resources
  • Arkansas Department of Energy and the Environment
    • Environmental Quality

California (CA)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated October 5, 2007)
• Redelegation (dated November 15, 2007)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • California Department of Fish and Wildlife
    • NRDA Office
  • California Department of Toxic Substance Control
    • Site Mitigation and Restoration Program
  • California State Lands Commission
  • University of California
  • California Wildlife Conservation Board
  • California Department of Parks and Recreation
  • California State Water Resources Control Board

Colorado (CO)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement: DOI-CO Memorandum of Understanding (dated February 8, 2024)
• State NRDAR website:
  • Colorado Office of Attorney General
  • Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
    • Hazardous Materials and Waste Management
  • Colorado Department of Natural Resources
    • Office of the Executive Director

Connecticut (CT)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
  • Connecticut Office of the Attorney General

Delaware (DE)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
    • Division of Fish and Wildlife
    • Division of Watershed Stewardship
    • Division of Waste and Hazardous Substance

Florida (FL)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Florida Department of Environmental Protection
    • Office of Emergency Response (Coastal Oil Spills)
    • Division of Waste Management
  • Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
    • Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

Georgia (GA)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Georgia Department of Natural Resources
    • Office of the Commissioner

Guam (GU)

• Territory natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated July 18, 1988)
• Agreement:
• Territory NRDAR website:
  • Guam Coastal Management Program

Hawaii (HI)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated September 30, 1991)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Hawaii State Department of Health
    • Office of the Director
  • Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
    • Board of Land and Natural Resources

Idaho (ID)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated June 27, 1988)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Idaho Governor's Office
    • Department of Fish and Game
    • Department of Environmental Quality

Illinois (IL)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Illinois Department of Natural Resources
    • Natural Resource and Damage Assessment
  • Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Indiana (IN)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement: FWS-IN Memorandum of Understanding (dated August 2, 1993)
• State NRDAR website:
  • Indiana Department of Natural Resources
  • Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Iowa (IA)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Iowa Department of Natural Resources
    • Legal Services Bureau
    • Fisheries Management

Kansas (KS)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement: DOI-KS Memorandum of Agreement (dated November 6, 2002)
• State NRDAR website:
  • Kansas Department of Health and Environment
    • Dry-clean and Superfund Unit

Kentucky (KY)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated July 18, 2008)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet

Louisiana (LA)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated March 27, 2017) & Governor's designation (dated August 20, 1992)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Louisiana Office of the Governor
  • Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office
  • Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
  • Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
  • Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
  • Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority

Maine (ME)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Maine Department of Environmental Protection
  • Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Maine Department of Marine Resources
  • Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry

Maryland (MD)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Maryland Department of the Environment
  • Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Massachusetts (MA)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs
    • Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup

Michigan (MI)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated March 18, 2011)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Michigan Attorney General
  • Michigan Department of Natural Resources
  • Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
    • Natural Resource Damage Assessment

Minnesota (MN)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
    • NRDA Program
    • Minnesota Closed Landfill Program
  • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Mississippi (MS)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

Missouri (MO)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement: DOI-MO Memorandum of Understanding (dated November 4, 2009)

DOI-FS-MO Memorandum of Understanding Addendum (dated Nov. 4, 2011)

• State NRDAR website:
  • Missouri Department of Natural Resources
    • Natural Resources Damage Program

Montana (MT)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Montana Governor's Office
  • Montana Department of Justice
    • Natural Resource Damage Program

Nebraska (NE)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality

Nevada (NV)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated April 12, 2004)

Redelegation (dated June 5, 2004)

• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Nevada Department of Wildlife
  • Nevada Division of Environmental Protection

New Hampshire (NH)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
  • New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs
  • New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

New Jersey (NJ)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
    • Office of Natural Resource Restoration

New Mexico (NM)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated January 19, 2011)
• Agreement: DOI-FS-NM Memorandum of Agreement (dated May 25, 2004)
• State NRDAR website:
  • New Mexico Office of Natural Resources Trustee

New York (NY)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • NY Department of Environmental Conservation
    • Natural Resource Damages

North Carolina (NC)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated August 10, 2009)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality

North Dakota (ND)

• Commonwealth natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• Commonwealth NRDAR website:

Northern Mariana Islands (MP)

• Commonwealth natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• Commonwealth NRDAR website:

Ohio (OH)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
    • Division of Environmental Response and Revitalization

Oklahoma (OK)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated July 7, 1988)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment
    • Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Oregon (OR)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated November 30, 1993)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
  • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • Oregon Department of Energy

Pennsylvania (PA)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Pennsylvania Game Commission
  • Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
  • Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
  • Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Puerto Rico (PR)

• Commonwealth natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• Commonwealth NRDAR website:
  • Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico

Rhode Island (RI)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

South Carolina (SC)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
  • South Carolina Office of the Governor
  • South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

South Dakota (SD)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Tennessee (TN)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated February 7, 2011)
• Agreement: DOI-TN Memorandum of Agreement (dated September 14, 2011)
• State NRDAR website:
  • Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

Texas (TX)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated July 29, 1988)
• Governor's designation addition (dated October 18, 1990)
• Agreement: DOI-NOAA-TX Memorandum of Agreement (dated September 5, 1995)
• State NRDAR websites:
  • Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
    • Natural Resource Damage Assessment
  • Texas General Land Office

Utah (UT)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement: DOI-UT Memorandum of Agreement (dated April 27, 2016)
• State NRDAR website:
  • Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Vermont (VT)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Vermont Agency of Natural Resources

Virgin Islands (VI)

• Territory natural resource trustee:
• Agreement: 
• Territory NRDA website: 
  • Department of Planning and Natural Resources

Virginia (VA)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated June 16, 2006)
• Agreement: DOI-VA Memorandum of Agreement (dated July 11, 2019)
• State NRDAR website:
  • Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources

Washington (WA)

• State natural resource trustee: Governor's designation (dated June 9, 1992)
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR websites:
  • Washington Department of Ecology
    • Toxics Cleanup Program
    • Nuclear Waste Program
    • Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Program
  • Washington Department of Natural Resources
  • Washington State Parks and Recreation
  • Washington Department of Health
  • Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation
  • Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

West Virginia (WV)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

Wisconsin (WI)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:
  • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
  • Wisconsin Department of Justice

Wyoming (WY)

• State natural resource trustee:
• Agreement:
• State NRDAR website:

To provide updated information for this page, contact Samantha Foster