The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection is the head of Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, commonly known as DEEP.

In Hindi, the designation may be written as:

ऊर्जा एवं पर्यावरण संरक्षण आयुक्त

The Commissioner leads the state agency responsible for environmental protection, energy policy, pollution control, parks, forests, wildlife, fisheries, climate planning and environmental regulation.

Information checked: 10 August 2026
Official agency website: portal.ct.gov/deep

Quick Information

Particular	Details
Designation	Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection
Agency	Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Common abbreviation	CT DEEP
State	Connecticut, United States
Type of office	State executive-branch leadership position
Current officeholder	Emma Cimino, Acting Commissioner
Appointment	Appointed by Governor Ned Lamont in July 2026
Previous Commissioner	Katie Dykes, 2019–July 2026
Agency headquarters	79 Elm Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06106-5127
General DEEP phone	860-424-3000
Commissioner’s Office phone	860-424-3001
General DEEP email	DEEP.Webmaster@ct.gov
Commissioner’s Office email	DEEP.Commissioner@ct.gov
Official website	portal.ct.gov/deep
Official social-media page	Social Media at DEEP

Who Is the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection?

The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection is the senior executive responsible for Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The Commissioner’s work combines three broad policy areas:

Energy
Environmental quality
Natural-resource conservation and outdoor recreation

The position involves overseeing agency policy, regulatory programmes, permits, enforcement, environmental monitoring, state parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, climate initiatives and energy planning.

The current official DEEP homepage identifies Emma Cimino as Acting Commissioner. 1

Current Acting Commissioner: Emma Cimino

Quick Profile

Particular	Details
Name	Emma Cimino
Current designation	Acting Commissioner, Connecticut DEEP
Appointed	July 2026
Previous DEEP role	Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Quality
Appointment authority	Governor Ned Lamont
Education	Bachelor’s degree, University of Connecticut; master’s degree, Harvard Kennedy School
Official profile	Emma Cimino — Acting Commissioner

Emma Cimino was appointed Acting Commissioner by Governor Ned Lamont in July 2026 after the departure of Commissioner Katie Dykes.

Before becoming Acting Commissioner, Cimino served as DEEP’s Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Quality, overseeing areas including:

Air management
Water protection and land reuse
Materials management
Compliance assurance

According to her official DEEP biography, Cimino previously worked in the office of U.S. Senator Chris Murphy on energy, environmental and infrastructure matters. She also served as a senior policy adviser at the National Governors Association and worked in government affairs during the administration of former Governor Dannel Malloy.

She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines from 2009 to 2011. Cimino holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School. 2

Leadership Transition from Katie Dykes

Katie Dykes served as Connecticut DEEP Commissioner from 2019 until her departure in July 2026.

On 5 June 2026, Governor Lamont announced that Dykes would leave the position and that Emma Cimino would serve as Acting Commissioner. The Governor’s announcement described Cimino as an experienced DEEP leader who had previously overseen the agency’s Environmental Quality Branch. 3

Katie Dykes previously served as:

Chair of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority
Deputy Commissioner for Energy at DEEP
Legal and energy-policy official in the federal government

The official DEEP contact page and some older DEEP biography pages still display Katie Dykes as Commissioner. These pages appear not to have been fully updated after the July 2026 transition. The current DEEP homepage and Emma Cimino biography should be treated as the primary current leadership sources.

About the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection — DEEP was established on 1 July 2011.

It was formed through the consolidation of:

The former Department of Environmental Protection
The Department of Public Utility Control
Energy-policy staff from other parts of Connecticut state government

The environmental-protection agency had existed since 1971, while Connecticut’s public-utility regulatory institutions had much older roots.

DEEP’s official mission is to conserve, improve and protect Connecticut’s natural resources and environment while making cheaper, cleaner and more reliable energy available to residents and businesses. The department also aims to support economic development, job creation and a sustainable economy. 4

Organisational Structure of DEEP

DEEP is organised around the Office of the Commissioner and three principal branches.

1. Energy Branch

The Energy Branch develops and implements statewide energy policies, plans and programmes.

Its work may involve:

Electricity supply and reliability
Renewable energy
Energy efficiency
Clean-energy programmes
Electrification
Energy affordability
Grid planning
Climate-related energy policy
Energy technology and infrastructure

2. Environmental Quality Branch

The Environmental Quality Branch protects Connecticut’s air, water and land resources.

Its responsibilities include:

Air-emission regulation
Water-quality protection
Wastewater discharges
Solid-waste management
Hazardous-waste regulation
Pollution prevention
Environmental permits
Compliance monitoring
Enforcement
Environmental data and public education

3. Environmental Conservation Branch

The Environmental Conservation Branch manages the state’s natural resources and recreational lands.

It covers:

Fish and wildlife
Fisheries
Forestry
Hunting and trapping
State parks
Forests
Open-space conservation
Outdoor recreation
Environmental education
Natural-resource research

The Commissioner coordinates these branches and sets the overall direction of the department.

Main Duties of the Commissioner

The Commissioner’s responsibilities include:

Environmental Regulation

The Commissioner oversees the development and implementation of regulations concerning:

Air pollution
Water pollution
Hazardous substances
Solid waste
Industrial emissions
Wastewater
Contaminated sites
Environmental permits
Natural-resource use

Energy Policy

The Commissioner works with state agencies, utilities, municipalities, businesses and regional bodies on:

Clean-energy development
Energy affordability
Electric-grid reliability
Energy efficiency
Renewable-energy deployment
Transportation electrification
Climate and emissions planning

Climate Change

DEEP coordinates or supports Connecticut’s climate policies, including:

Greenhouse-gas reduction
Climate adaptation
Resilience planning
Flood mitigation
Extreme-weather preparation
Clean transportation
Environmental justice
Community-level climate planning

Parks, Forests and Recreation

The department manages Connecticut’s state parks and forests and supports:

Camping
Hiking
Fishing
Boating
Hunting
Swimming-water information
Trails
Wildlife viewing
Outdoor recreation programmes
Park infrastructure and accessibility

Permits and Enforcement

DEEP issues and administers permits and licences relating to:

Air emissions
Water discharges
Waste management
Construction and development
Coastal and inland resources
Dams
Hazardous materials
Underground storage tanks
Environmental remediation

The Commissioner also supervises enforcement and adjudication functions within the agency.

DEEP Programmes and Public Services

The DEEP website provides public access to a wide range of programmes, including:

Air-quality information
Climate-change resources
Recycling and waste reduction
Bottle-redemption information
Water protection
Stormwater management
Flood management
Dam safety
Coastal management
Long Island Sound protection
Fisheries and fishing regulations
Forestry and wildlife programmes
Environmental-conservation police
State parks and forests
Boating and paddling
Hunting and trapping
Environmental permits and licences
Grants and financial assistance
Remediation of contaminated sites
Environmental complaints
Geographic-information systems and maps

The complete DEEP Programmes and Services directory provides links to the relevant programme pages.

Current Policy Themes

Current DEEP work includes:

Making energy cleaner, cheaper and more reliable
Supporting climate resilience
Improving environmental permitting
Expanding environmental justice
Reducing waste
Protecting parks and open space
Improving air and water quality
Supporting clean transportation
Expanding access to outdoor recreation
Preparing for extreme weather and wildfire smoke
Strengthening natural-resource conservation

The agency’s homepage also highlights the 20BY26 Initiative, climate-change programmes, recycling, permits, public notices, parks, grants and energy resources. 1

Contact Details

Official DEEP Headquarters

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
79 Elm Street
Hartford, CT 06106-5127
United States

General DEEP contact

Phone: 860-424-3000
Email: DEEP.Webmaster@ct.gov

The general email page asks people to include their name, postal address and telephone number in email enquiries. 5

Office of the Commissioner

Phone: 860-424-3001
Role email: DEEP.Commissioner@ct.gov

Current-contact caution: The official contact page still labels this listing “Commissioner Katie Dykes,” even though the current DEEP homepage identifies Emma Cimino as Acting Commissioner. The phone and role mailbox are official DEEP contacts, but the current officeholder should be verified before addressing correspondence to a named commissioner.

Office of Communications

Phone: 860-424-4100
Email: DEEP.Communications@ct.gov
After-hours/weekends/holidays emergency line listed by DEEP: 860-424-3333

The communications office is the appropriate route for media enquiries, press questions and public-information requests.

Permit Assistance

Phone: 860-424-3003
Email: DEEP.OPPD@ct.gov

Accessibility assistance

Phone: 860-418-5910
Email: DEEP.Accommodations@ct.gov

For a specific permit, complaint, licence or environmental problem, users should contact the relevant DEEP programme rather than the Commissioner’s Office.

Selected Environmental-Problem Contacts

DEEP’s environmental-problems page provides programme-specific contacts. Examples include:

Outdoor air pollution and odours: 860-424-3436
DEEP Law Enforcement: 860-424-3333
Mercury spills: 860-424-3338
Recycling and solid-waste complaints: 860-424-3366
PCB programme: 860-424-3368
Distressed or nuisance wildlife: 860-424-3011
Private-well contamination/remediation: 860-424-3705

These numbers are issue-specific and should not be treated as a general Commissioner hotline. 6

Official Social Media

The official DEEP social-media page lists the following accounts.

Facebook

DEEP: facebook.com/CTDEEP

The page is intended for general information and current news from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, including climate-related updates.

Additional DEEP Facebook pages include:

X

DEEP news: @CTDEEPNews

The account identifies itself as the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and links to ct.gov/deep. It carries agency announcements, park notices, environmental updates and public-safety information. 7

Other DEEP-related X accounts include:

Instagram

DEEP: @ct.deep
Fish and Wildlife: @ctfishandwildlife
Climate Planning: @ctclimatechange
Boating: @ctdeep_boating
State Parks: @ctstateparks

YouTube

DEEP video channel: youtube.com/CTDEEPvideos

The channel contains videos relating to state parks, forests, fishing, boating, air, water and environmental protection.

DEEP LinkedIn page: State of Connecticut / CT DEEP

The official DEEP social-media page directs users to this LinkedIn presence for agency policies and initiatives. 8

Contact and Information Discrepancies

1. Katie Dykes versus Emma Cimino

Google results and some official DEEP pages continue to show:

Katie Dykes — Commissioner

However, the Governor’s official June 2026 announcement stated that Dykes would leave in July and that Emma Cimino would become Acting Commissioner. The current DEEP homepage and Emma Cimino biography also identify Cimino as Acting Commissioner.

Therefore:

Katie Dykes: Former Commissioner, 2019–July 2026
Emma Cimino: Current Acting Commissioner, appointed July 2026

Older biographies, directories and LinkedIn snippets should be treated as historical or stale where they still display Katie Dykes as the current Commissioner.

2. Official contact page versus current leadership page

The official general contact page continues to list:

Commissioner Katie Dykes
860-424-3001
DEEP.Commissioner@ct.gov

The contact details are official role-based DEEP information, but the named officeholder has not yet been updated on that page. For current leadership, the DEEP homepage and Acting Commissioner biography are more current.

3. Personal email addresses

Google search results and third-party websites may display older personal or individual email addresses associated with former Commissioner Katie Dykes. Those addresses should not be used as the primary current contact route.

The safer options are:

DEEP.Commissioner@ct.gov
DEEP.Webmaster@ct.gov
860-424-3000
860-424-3001

4. Old department URLs

Older search results may use:

www.ct.gov/deep
ct.gov/deep
Archived DEEP pages

The current official Connecticut government platform is generally located at:

portal.ct.gov/deep

5. Third-party contact directories

Third-party search results may list old phone numbers, outdated staff titles or personal contact details. They should be used only for discovery. The current official DEEP contact page should be treated as primary for telephone numbers and emails.

Some Lesser-Known Facts

DEEP was created in 2011. It combined environmental-protection, public-utility and energy-policy functions previously spread across different parts of state government.
The Commissioner oversees both energy and environmental policy. This makes the Connecticut model different from states where an environmental agency and an energy office are entirely separate.
The current officeholder is Acting Commissioner Emma Cimino. The transition occurred in July 2026 after Katie Dykes left the department.
DEEP includes state parks and outdoor recreation. Its responsibilities are not limited to pollution control and regulation.
The agency has its own Environmental Conservation Police. They support enforcement related to boating, wildlife, fisheries, parks and natural-resource laws.
DEEP operates a public permit-assistance function. The Client Concierge and Permit Assistance contacts are intended to help applicants navigate regulatory processes.
DEEP maintains several specialised social accounts. Boating, state parks, climate change, fisheries and recycling each have separate public-information channels.
A role-based mailbox is safer than a former commissioner’s personal email. This is particularly important during leadership transitions.
Some DEEP webpages are marked archived. An archived page may remain online for accessibility or historical reasons but should not automatically be treated as current.

Disclaimer

This is an original informational profile prepared from official Connecticut DEEP pages, the Governor of Connecticut’s official announcement, the current DEEP homepage, the DEEP contact page, official social-media listings and Google-indexed search results checked on 10 August 2026.

The designation, officeholder, phone numbers, email addresses, programme contacts and agency structure may change. Because the official DEEP contact page still displays some information relating to former Commissioner Katie Dykes, current leadership details should be verified on the live DEEP homepage before sending formal correspondence.

For the latest information, use:

Do not rely on agents, unofficial social accounts or third-party directories for permits, licences, payments, environmental complaints or regulatory deadlines.

Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut: Profile, Duties, Career, Contact Details & Social Media