• Secretary, RGGI, Inc. Board of Directors
• Deputy Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation

Jon Binder is the Deputy Commissioner for Climate Change, Air Resources, and Energy at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

As Deputy Commissioner, Jon oversees DEC’s Division of Air Resources and its Office of Climate Change. He is responsible for the development and execution of a wide range of efforts to reduce air pollutant emissions and help achieve the State’s climate and clean energy policies. For example, Jon is leading DEC’s implementation of the State’s ambitious and nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, most notably through the development of New York’s economywide cap-and-invest program. He is also responsible for DEC’s regulatory and permitting activities under the federal Clean Air Act and leads participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. 

Prior to being appointed Deputy Commissioner in Spring 2023, Jon served as a DEC attorney for 15 years. Jon focused on climate change issues as a lawyer too, most recently as Chief of the Bureau of Climate, Air, and Energy in DEC’s Office of General Counsel.

Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and Tulane University Law School. He resides in Albany, New York with his wife and two daughters.