Former Louisiana state official Scott A. Angelle will lead the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), according to a news release.

Angelle, who most recently served as vice chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, will assume his new position May 23.

Angelle has held numerous positions in Louisiana and parish governments, including interim lieutenant governor, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and St. Martin Parish president, the release said. In the aftermath of the BP oil spill, Angelle served at the request of then Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as liaison to the federal government and negotiated an early end of the previous administration’s drilling moratorium.

Under his leadership as Louisiana’s secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, a position he held for eight years, the state’s coastal permitting system was reformed. BSEE said the reform provided for efficient permitting while increasing drilling rig counts in Louisiana by more than 150% during his tenure.

In addition, Angelle has also served as chairman of the Louisiana State Mineral Board and a member of the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors, Southern States Energy Board and the Louisiana Coastal Port Advisory Authority, the release said.