Connecticut Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection

	Connecticut Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection
	; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Non-partisan
Office website:	Official Link
2012-2013 FY Budget:	$144,095,381
Term limits:	None
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	General Statutes of Connecticut, 22a-439-2
Selection Method:	Appointed by the governor
	Current Officeholder
	; ;
Name:	Daniel Esty
Assumed office:	March 1, 2011
Compensation:	$134,093
	Other Connecticut Executive Offices
	Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Secretary of State•Attorney General•Treasurer•Comptroller•Commissioner of Education•Agriculture Commissioner•Insurance Commissioner•Energy & Environmental Protection Commissioner•Labor Commissioner•Public Utilities Regulatory Authority

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The Connecticut Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection is a state executive position in the Connecticut state government. The commissioner oversees the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, which seeks to protect the state's environment through regulation and conservation efforts.

Current officeholder

The current commissioner is Daniel Esty, who was first appointed by Governor Dan Malloy in March 2011.

Before becoming commissioner, Esty was a professor of environmental law and policy at Yale University. He has also served as director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for Business and the Environment. Prior to entering academia, Esty worked in a number of senior positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and practiced law in Washington, D.C.^[1]

Authority

The Department of Environmental Protection is established by state law.^[2]

General Statutes of Connecticut, 22a-439-2

(a) There shall be a Department of Environmental Protection which shall have jurisdiction over all matters relating to the preservation and protection of the air, water and other natural resources of the state. Said department shall be under the direction of a Commissioner of Environmental Protection

Qualifications

The environmental protection commissioner, like all state appointive officers, must be "qualified by training and experience for the duties of his office." There are no other specific requirements for the office.^[3]

General Statutes of Connecticut, 4-46-8

Each department head shall be qualified by training and experience for the duties of his office.

Appointments

Environmental protection commissioners are appointed by the governor subject to confirmation by the state legislature. The commissioner serves at the governor's pleasure for four year terms beginning on the first day of March in the year of his appointment.^[4]

General Statutes of Connecticut, 4-46-6

the Governor shall, with the advice and consent of either house of the General Assembly, appoint each department head in the manner prescribed by section 4-7 and section 4-8, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor but no longer than four years from the first day of March in the year of his appointment, unless reappointed under the provisions of said sections.

Term limits

There are no term limits associated with the office of environmental protection commissioner.

Vacancies

As with all state appointive offices, vacancies in the office of environmental protection commissioner are filled by the governor and approved by a majority vote in both houses of the state legislature. If a vacancy occurs while the legislature is not in session, the governor may appoint a replacement to serve until the sixth Wednesday of the next legislative session.^[5]

Duties

The commissioner is the chief executive of the Department of Environmental Protection, which monitors and regulates the exploitation of the state's natural resources and seeks to protect the health of its environment. The department oversees use of Connecticut's marine fisheries, wildlife and forests, and establishes permits, licenses and fees for their use. It also manages state parks, monitors pollution and performs research related to the state's natural resources or environment.

In addition to its regulatory studies, the department is responsible for surveying land and manages a land portfolio which it leases to citizens for various uses.

Click here to view a larger-scale image of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment Protection Organizational Chart as of August 2012.

Divisions

Bureau of Financial and Support Services
- Human Resources
- Agency Support Services
- Financial Management
Bureau of Natural Resources
- Inland Fisheries
- Marine Fisheries
- Forestry
- Wildlife
- Planning, Coordination & Fiscal Management
Bureau of Outdoor Recreation
- State Parks
- Environmental Conservation Police Division
- Boating
Bureau of Air Management
- Planning & Standards
- Radiation
- Engineering & Enforcement
Bureau of Materials Management & Compliance Assurance
- Emergency Response and Spill Prevention
- Regulation Coordination
- Engineering and Enforcement
- Permitting and Enforcement
Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse
- Planning & Standards
- Inland Water Resources
- Remediation
- Office of Long Island Sound Programs^[6]

State budget

The budget for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year was $144,095,381.^[7]

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

In 2012, the Connecticut Environmental Protection Commissioner was paid an estimated $134,093. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

His salary is determined by law.

Recent news

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