SENATOR BOB HENSGENS ELECTED CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS SOUTHERN OFFICE (CSG SOUTH) ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana Senator Bob Hensgens was unanimously elected chair of the Energy and Environment Committee for The Council of State Governments Southern Office (CSG South) by members of the committee during the 78th Annual Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) held on July 21 - 25 at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia.
The CSG South Energy and Environment Committee is comprised of state legislators and legislative staff from the 15 CSG South member states. Recent policy and program issues addressed by the committee include emerging nuclear power technologies, baseload power in Southern states, carbon capture, and liquid natural gas storage.
“I am honored to be the Chair of this committee and representing CSG South and the fifteen Southern states,” said Senator Hensgens. “Coming from an energy-rich state, the knowledge and insight of other Southern state leaders will only benefit our efforts in Louisiana. As is often said at CSG South, ‘Why reinvent the same thing 15 times!’”
As chair of the CSG South Energy and Environment Committee, Senator Hensgens will work with the committee’s vice chair, Georgia Representative Bill Werkheiser, in guiding the committee’s policy focus and projects, including programming for the 79th Annual Southern Legislative Conference, July 19 - 23, 2025, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Senator Hensgens represents District 26 in the Louisiana Senate and is the Chair of the Natural Resources Committee. He was elected to the Louisiana Senate in 2018. Prior to becoming a state senator, he served in the Louisiana House for seven years and, before that, was the Mayor of the Town of Gueydan in Vermilion Parish. Senator Hensgens graduated from Vermilion Catholic High School and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He went on to build his own successful healthcare management business. He and his wife, Nancy, are active members of St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Gueydan.

About CSG South

Established In 1947, The Council of State Governments Southern Office (CSG South) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that exists to support members in all three branches of state government. At CSG South we act as an extension of state government, fostering the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy and create problem-solving partnerships.
The mission of CSG South is to promote and strengthen intergovernmental cooperation among its 15 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Predominantly, this is achieved through the ongoing work of CSG South's seven standing committees and supporting groups.
Legislative leadership, members, and staff depend on CSG South to identify and analyze solutions for the most prevalent and unique policy issues facing Southern state governments. We facilitate outreach in state capitols, leadership development, staff exchange programs, domestic and international policy delegations, and other efforts to support state policymakers and legislative staff in their work to build stronger, more successful states.
The Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) is the largest regional gathering of legislative members and staff. SLC boasts an array of well-established programs—focusing on both existing and emerging state government innovations and solutions—providing policymakers and staff diverse opportunities to interact with policy experts and share their knowledge with colleagues.