The new commissioner of the state’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection hopes to streamline application processes for environmental permits for commercial construction projects in Connecticut.
Katie S. Dykes was named to succeed DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee by incoming Gov. Ned Lamont shortly after he was sworn into office in January. Dykes said her department hopes to bring newfound “predictability and clarity” to an environmental permitting process plagued by long delays and a significant backlog of applications.
Dykes was in New Haven midday Wednesday to speak to the Government Affairs Committee and Energy Roundtable of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. Some business leaders, attorneys, officials and commercial Realtors attended the luncheon meeting.
Dykes brings significant regulatory experience to her new position. Before assuming the top job at DEEP she was Chair of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) from 2015 until last year, and before that was deputy commissioner for energy at DEEP from 2012-2015.
A graduate of both Yale College and Yale Law School, Dykes told the business group that “Jobs one, two, three and four of this [Lamont] administration is how to turn Connecticut’s economy around and enhance our economic competitiveness.”
“And to accomplish that while protecting our environment,” Dykes added. “Because a clean and healthy environment is the cornerstone of a thriving economy.”
