Ep. 206: Katie Dykes, Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP)

Today's guest is Katie Dykes, Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP). Katie was nominated by Governor Ned Lamont to serve as the Commissioner of DEEP, and was confirmed on February 20, 2019.  Katie previously served as Chair of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) from 2015-2018, and as Deputy Commissioner for Energy at Connecticut DEEP from 2012-2015. Katie also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. (RGGI) from 2014 to 2017.  RGGI is a multi-state effort focused on reducing carbon emissions from electric generating facilities.  Katie joined CT DEEP in March 2012 after prior service as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality and as a Legal Advisor to the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy.  She is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale Law School. I was looking forward to this episode, as  government is not an area where I historically have been particularly strong, but it's so important for tackling a systems problem like climate change. And it's not just the federal government, state governments really matter as well, and Katie's in a key role, in a key state, doing really interesting things. This is a great opportunity to learn about how someone in Katie's shoes thinks about setting priorities for the state, getting things done, what form the transition should take, what role the federal government should play, what role the states should play, what some blockers are to getting things done, and how they can move faster. We also have a great discussion about how the private sector fits in, and the roles of technology and innovation. Enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Episode recorded March 29, 2022