Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced today Jefferson Garn will provide oversight of the Office of Environmental Adjudication (OEA) while legislative changes are sought to consolidate OEA with the Office of Administrative Law Proceedings (OALP).
Garn, who is the deputy director and general counsel of OALP, will also serve as interim director of the agency during this time. Judge Mary Davidsen, who has served 20 years as OEA director, will retire on Dec. 29.
Consolidation of the two agencies will provide administrative efficiencies, further modernize case record documentation, and provide greater resources to support the review of environmental cases. Further details on the transition will be announced after legislation is considered.
OEA was created in 1995 to serve as an independent agency tasked with reviewing actions of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). OALP was created in 2019 to provide a central and independent review of agency disputes of more than 24 state agencies.