Basil Seggos is the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, a

ppointed and confirmed unanimously in 2016, and leads an agency of over 3,200 professionals. As the longest serving DEC Commissioner, he oversees programs that promote a clean, healthy and accessible environment, including: protecting and restor

ing New York’s air, lands and waters, combatting climate change, enforcing State environmental laws and regulations, responding to natural and man-made disasters, and supporting world-class outdoor recreation, and restoring contaminated land.

Seggos was instrumental in the passage of the state’s nation-leading climate change law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, and now serves as the co-chair of its implementing body, the Climate Action Council. Seggos represents New York on national and international climate initiatives. Seggos also devised and is responsible for the $4.2 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act and spearheaded the reauthorization of the State’s Superfund law and reforms of the Brownfield Tax Credit program. As co-chair of the State’s Drinking Water Quality Council, Seggos oversaw the establishment of the most protective water quality standards in the nation for PFOA/PFOS and 1,4-dioxane.

In addition to leading DEC, Commissioner Seggos advises the Governor on environmental policy and issues. He also serves on a variety of boards, including as chair of the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), chair of the Hudson River Park Trust, the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), Delaware River Basin Commission, the Great Lakes Commission, the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Olympic Regional Development Auth

ority (ORDA), the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, NYS Energy Planning Board, and others. Seggos is a fellow at the American College of Environmental Lawyers.

Prior to becoming DEC Commissioner, Seggos served as the Deputy Secretary for the Environment for the Governor, where he counseled the Governor on environmental policy and the operations of New York’s environmental agencies, including DEC, the Office of State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, EFC and the APA, and was a liaison to the State Legislature on environmental issues and legislation.

Before his career in State government, Seggos served as Vice President of Business Development at Hugo Neu Corporation, an environmental and clean energy investment company. He served as Chief Investigator and Attorney for Riverkeeper. During law school, he was legal clerk at the President’s Council on Environmental Quality at the White House. He beg

an his career as an Associate at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Seggos graduated with a B.A. from Trinity College, and earned his law degree from Pace School of Law University, where he received the Environmental Law award and Alumni Achievement award.

Seggos served as a civilian first responder at Ground Zero after the terror attacks on September 11. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve from 2012 to 2021. He also is an active volunteer on Ukraine humanitarian efforts, serving as an ambulance driver at the front and has helped to provision orphanages and displaced persons shelters.