Lawrence Bengal

Lawrence Bengal has served as the Director of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission since 2005.

He holds a degree in geology from the University of Wisconsin and has over 40 years of mining, petroleum and geologic experience in the public and private sectors working in various states throughout the United States. Commissioner Bengal serves as Governor Hutchinson’s representative for Arkansas and has previously served as Illinois’ representative to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) where he has served as IOGCC Second Vice-Chair and Vice-Chair, Chair of the Environmental Committee, Chair of the IOGCC Carbon Capture and Geologic Storage Task Force and currently serves as Chair of the IOGCC-GWPC State Oil and Gas Regulatory Exchange. He has testified before United States Senate and House Committees regarding regulatory frameworks for geologic storage of CO₂ and other oil and gas matters and is a recipient of the Interstate Oil and Gas Commission E.W. Marland Award honoring outstanding state regulators.