Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/515487
www.CTGreenGuide.com SUMMER 2015 • Connecticut Green Guide 21 tening to both sides has been a stick- ing point at the Attorney General's Office since Jepsen took over in 2011. "If we get our facts wrong, we can destroy a person's business," Jepsen said. "Attorneys know Matt is not a bomb-thrower. He is tough but responsible." The attorney general's office is structured like a pyramid with Jep- sen at the top, setting policy. Below him is the deputy attorney general and four associate attorney gener- als, including Levine's predecessor as the Environment Department head, Kimberly Massicotte. Below them are the heads of the 15 departments like energy, finance, child protection, and transportation. Levine oversees 13 attorneys and is responsible for setting the tone in how environ - mental cases are handled, assign- ing cases, devel- oping talent, and strategizing legal approaches — including wheth - er to settle a case or go to trial. "Matt is very good at saying, 'That is ridiculous, and we are not doing it,'" Massicotte said. Levine's department receives its cases from Department of Energy & Environmental Protection and state Department of Agriculture inspectors. Those departments can resolve enforcement cases on their own, so ones that arrive at the at- torney general's office are serious State of Connecticut Office of the Attorney General with significant evidence. The environment department currently has 179 cases pending. They can include issues like solid waste management, hazardous waste, air pollution, water pollu- tion, and animal cruelty. "It only seems when litigation is inescapable that the attorney gen- eral's office is likely to get involved in a matter," said Diane Whitney, head of Hartford law firm Pullman & Comley's land use department. Whitney said Levine has a strong reputation for being practical in deal- ing with environmental cases, so the way his department handles environ- ment matters shouldn't change that much from when Massicotte ran it. That isn't to say that Levine won't take environmental matters seriously. "I get frustrated when I see pol- lution not being addressed," Levine said. "The cases we see here, they are violating the law." When he is not prosecuting envi- ronmental cases, Levine, a native of Woodbridge who was born at Yale- New Haven Hospital, likes to be out in nature with his family. Their latest ad - venture was hiking the mountain at Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden. Keeping experiences like this available for future generations motivates Levine at the attorney general's office, knowing his work leads to less pollution. "When you read about something that is not being addressed, you like to think there is a solution for it," Levine said. "Here, you feel like you are really accomplishing that." Special Counsel/ Legislation Robert Clark Senior Advisor Justin Kronholm Senior Policy Advisor Susan Kinsman Attorney General George Jepsen Executive Assistants Robert Blanchard Jaclyn Falkowski Deputy Attorney General Perry Zinn Rowthorn Associate Attorneys General Gregory D'Auria Antoria Howard Kimberly Massicotte Joseph Rubin Departments Antitrust and Government Program Fraud Child Protection Civil Rights/Torts Collections & Child Support Consumer Protection Energy Employment Rights Environment Finance Health & Education Privacy and Data Security Public Safety Special Litigation Transportation Workers' Compensation and Labor Relations Chief Administrative Officer Diana L. Comeau Business Office Human Resources Affirmative Action Systems Management Payroll Services Facilities Library Services Attorney General George Jepsen