DELAWARE - Shawn M. Garvin, who served as Cabinet Secretary for DNREC during both terms of Gov. John Carney's administration, is stepping down after eight years in the role.
In a recent release, DNREC highlighted funding challenges facing the agency, stating it is "experiencing crippling shortfalls." On Tuesday, Jan. 14, DNREC told Coast TV,
"DNREC will not be commenting at this time on what former Secretary Garvin pointed out about fees collected by the department."
Garvin’s tenure included initiatives in climate action, environmental justice, coastal preservation and state park improvements. Under his leadership, Delaware State Parks earned a National Gold Medal, recognizing it as the best state parks system in the country.
A document on the DNREC website claims that raising fees would make parks and park programs more sustainable in the long run. It goes on to say that, if that doesn’t happen, parks could face environmental problems that may not be caught until they become emergencies or threats to public health.
DNREC says 92% of the fee changes in the proposed legislation haven’t been raised in 32 years. Parks fees and Fish & Wildlife license fees are not impacted by this legislation.