Roger Léron studied at the University of Grenoble’s Faculty of Law and received a Law Degree as well as a Diploma in Political Science from the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies. He started his career as a research attaché to the Research Centre in Grenoble. In 1977 he was appointed the first Deputy Mayor of Valence and held this position until 1995. Between 1988 and 1993, he was a Socialist member of the French Parliament representing the Drôme département. Between 2000 and 2006, he served as the first president of ACNUSA (Autorité de Contrôle des Nuisances Aéroportuaires – airport nuisance control authority).
Throughout his political career, Roger Léron was very involved in ecological, economic and social activities, areas that he devoted considerable time and effort to as a president of several organisations: a pioneer in the fields of sustainable development and energy, in 1978 he became the founding member of Rhônalpénergie-Environnement (RAEE) – the regional energy agency of Rhône-Alpes – which he chaired from 1992. His devotion and great ability to anticipate future developments and bring together players from the energy and the environment sector greatly contributed to the success of the missions developed by RAEE.
As the president of RAEE, Roger Léron was one of the pioneers who created the FEDARENE in 1990. He was also keen to give a national dimension to energy and environment agencies by participating in the creation of RARE (French network of regional energy and environment agencies) in 1995, a network which he also chaired for a year.
Roger Léron was well known for his passion relating to energy and environmental issues. In this regard, he was well aware of the importance of activities performed at the local and regional levels. These actions not only directly influence the quality of life at the local level but also contribute to reaching national and European objectives. When successful locally developed best practices and solutions are replicated elsewhere, their impact and reach expand well beyond the initially targeted areas.
Bearing in mind that local authorities do not always have technical and project management know-how when it comes to sustainable energy, professional bodies are needed to create, coordinate and implement programmes aimed at scaling up energy efficiency and the utilisation of renewable energy sources. This is where regional and local energy agencies come in. Roger Léron recognised their important role and promoted both regions and their energy agencies as on-site drivers crucial to steering towards a more sustainable Europe.