Esty Says Land Swap Opponents Blew Issue out of Proportion

After months of silence on the controversial Haddam land swap proposal, Daniel Esty, commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection has broken his silence, criticizing some environmentalists for blowing the land swap "out of proportion."

Speaking before the Hamden Land Conservation Trust last week Esty said the land deal is “not the most important environmental issue,” according to a story on the blog environmentalheadlines.com.

Esty had come under increasing pressure from environmentalists to publicly stake his position on the heated issue, but did not do so in the weeks leading up to the legislature’s approval of the measure last week. The bill awaits Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s signature.

Under the proposal the DEP would swap 17.4 acres it owns in Tylerville near the Connecticut River for 87 privately owned acres that abut the Cockaponset State Forest in Higganum. A developer wants to use the Tylerville land for retail and other developments and hopes to create a resort destination at the site.