Katie Dykes of West Hartford was nominated Thursday by Gov. Malloy as a commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.

Katie Dykes of West Hartford has been nominated as a PURA commissioner. ct.gov photo

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Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced Thursday that he has nominated Katie Dykes of West Hartford to serve as a Commissioner of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).

Since March 2012, Dykes has served as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), where she has played prominent roles in both halves of the agency’s energy branch – with PURA on the regulatory side, and with the Bureau of Energy and Technology Policy on the energy strategy side. In this position, her leadership has helped DEEP move forward to achieve the goals of Connecticut’s energy agenda by focusing on bringing cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy to the state.

She also currently serves as the Chairperson of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s Board of Directors, and she represents Governor Malloy on the Board of Managers of the New England States Committee on Electricity.

“Katie has dedicated years toward providing strategic direction to Connecticut’s energy policy, and in particular her knowledge of the needs of Connecticut’s energy consumers and utility companies made her a natural fit for this position,” Governor Malloy said. “Over the last several years, my staff and I have had the pleasure of working closely with her on these topics, and I am confident that her passion and expertise will benefit PURA and seamlessly continue its mission.”

PURA, which operates under the leadership of three Commissioners, is statutorily charged with regulating the rates and services of Connecticut’s investor owned electricity, natural gas, water and telecommunication companies and is the franchising authority for the state’s cable television companies.  In the industries that are still wholly regulated, PURA balances the public’s right to safe, adequate and reliable utility service at reasonable rates with the provider’s right to a reasonable return on its investment. The group also keeps watch over competitive utility services to promote equity among the competitors while customers reap the price and quality benefits of competition and are protected from unfair business practices.

“In this new role, I look forward to working with other PURA commissioners and staff to advance Connecticut’s nationally-recognized energy agenda to bring cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable power to the families and businesses of our state,” Dykes said. “I thank Governor Malloy for his leadership on energy issues, his confidence in me, and for the new opportunity he has given me to serve the people of our state.”

Prior to joining DEEP, Dykes served with the White House Council on Environmental Quality as Deputy General Counsel, and with the U.S. Department of Energy as Legal Advisor to the General Counsel.  She is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.

The two other currently serving Commissioners of PURA are John W. Betkoski, III, who serves as the authority’s Vice Chair, and Michael Caron. Dykes will fill the position left vacant by Arthur House, who had most recently served as chair of the authority and left his position with PURA following his appointment by the Governor earlier this month to become the state’s new Chief Cyber Security Risk Officer.

PURA was created in 2011, replacing the former Department of Public Utility Control.  Together with the Bureau of Energy and Technology Policy, it functions as an office within DEEP’s Energy Branch.