ALBANY — The head of the state Environmental Conservation department said he was fired yesterday by Gov. Paterson’s top aide after the exec’s memo criticizing the governor’s plan to cut staff was leaked.

DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said the aide, Larry Schwartz, called him Wednesday and demanded his resignation over the leak, which Grannis says wasn’t his doing. Grannis refused to resign and said Schwartz called him last night and fired him.