The Department of Environment and Natural Resources was established with passage of the Executive Organization Act of 1971, which consolidated environmental functions that had previously been under the authority of multiple divisions and departments. Today there are five main areas within the Department of Natural and Economic Resources (NER): the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Department of Labor, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Commerce, and the Wildlife Resources Commission.
In fiscal year 2014-15 Natural and Economic Resources spending within the General Fund increased by 9.7 percent, or $36 million.
