(a) There is established a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which shall have jurisdiction relating to the preservation and protection of the air, water and other natural resources of the state, energy and policy planning and regulation and advancement of telecommunications and related technology. For the purposes of energy policy and regulation, the department shall have the following goals: (1) Reducing rates and decreasing costs for Connecticut’s ratepayers, (2) ensuring the reliability and safety of our state’s energy supply, (3) increasing the use of clean energy and technologies that support clean energy, and (4) developing the state’s energy-related economy. For the purpose of environmental protection and regulation, the department shall have the following goals: (A) Conserving, improving and protecting the natural resources and environment of the state, and (B) preserving the natural environment while fostering sustainable development. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority within the department shall be responsible for all matters of rate regulation for public utilities and regulated entities under title 16 and shall promote policies that will lead to just and reasonable utility rates. The department head shall be the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection who shall be appointed by the Governor in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-5 to 4-8, inclusive, with the powers and duties therein prescribed. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall establish bureaus, one of which shall be designated an energy bureau.

(b) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall constitute a successor department to the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Utility Control in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-38d, 4-38e and 4-39.