Commissioner Dan Esty disclosed Wednesday $1.2 million in speaking fees earned over the past five years in response to scrutiny of his wife’s financial disclosure forms.
Esty, who heads the newly former Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, was a Yale professor, environmental consultant and lecture-circuit regular before taking the post.
His wife, former state Rep. Elizabeth Esty, had to disclosure her husband’s income while she served in the state legislature. Rep. Esty’s disclosures revealed Commissioner Esty received income from United Illuminating, ING and UTC Power.
Commissioner Esty received these payments – and numerous others – for speaking engagements. His recusal list and other previous disclosures dealt with consulting relationships, which a DEEP spokesman characterized as more formal.