The Esty Death Watch II

Update 10.05.11: Now Esty says speech-giving and consulting are two different things. Of course, they're not identical. But the bottom line is the corporation is paying you for a service. A distinction without a meaningful difference, I'd say.

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The plot thickens. Apparently, the ethically challenged DEEP commissioner Daniel Esty neglected to disclose yet another consulting fee — this one from 2009 — that he collected from a utility company that currently falls under his department's regulatory authority.

But this one is a little more damning than the $200k+ from Northeast Utilities from from 1997 to 2005 that he failed to list during the vetting process for Gov. Malloy's cabinet. As watchdog Kevin Rennie observes:

Esty, who said he would recuse himself from matters involving companies he’d worked for in the past five years, did not include UI’s $7,500 speaking fee on his list … 

Esty’s 5-year rule is his own arbitrary creation for determining the bounds of his disclosure and the public’s right to scrutinize his ties to entities with business before his department.

The drip, drip of this mini-scandal must be driving the governor crazy. Kudos to The Courant's Jon Lender for staying on the trail of the stench estimable Esty.