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Connecticut Commissioner of Environmental Protection
From Ballotpedia
Contents |
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 office of natural resources commissioner is established by state law.[2]
General Statutes of Connecticut, 22a-439-2
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(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
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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
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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.
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]
Compensation
In 2010, the environmental protection commissioner received compensation in the amount of $138,123.[7] His salary is determined by law.
Contact info
Mailing address:
79 Elm Street
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 424-3000
E-mail: dep.webmaster@ct.gov
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, "Commissioner Daniel C. Esty - Detailed Biography," accessed August 3, 2011.
- ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "22a-439-2," accessed August 3, 2011.
- ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "4-46-8," accessed August 3, 2011.
- ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "4-46-6," accessed July 27, 2011.
- ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut, "4-46-7," accessed July 27, 2011.
- ↑ Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, "Organizational Charts," accessed August 3, 2011.
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2010 - Table 4.11," accessed July 25, 2011.
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