See also: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/23888/story.htm Energy sector generous to likely House energy chair
http://tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9996 The Power Player Sheryl Fred is an investigative reporter for the Center for Responsive Politics and its online newsletter, CapitalEye.org. One of the most coveted committee slots on Capitol Hill became vacant this week when Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., officially stepped down as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Members of the committee-and the chairman, in particular-regularly rake in campaign contributions from energy companies, drug manufacturers, telecom firms and others within the committee's wide-ranging jurisdiction. It looks as though Tauzin will now turn to an even more lucrative endeavor. Having already turned down an attractive offer to replace Jack Valenti as chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Tauzin is reportedly weighing a multimillion-dollar offer to become the chief lobbyist of the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). As Tauzin moves on, energy, pharmaceutical and telecom interests are losing a key ally in the House. But Tauzin's likely successor, Texas Rep. Joe Barton, may prove to be an even more loyal friend to many of these industries. A champion of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), storing nuclear waste in Nevada's Yucca Mountain and weakening the Clean Air Act, Barton is a longtime advocate for energy companies, which have generously funded his campaigns. The congressman has received $1.6 million from the energy sector since 1989, more than any other member of the House. Barton's support from oil and gas companies ($829,000 since 1989) and electric utilities ($650,000 since 1989) comes as no surprise given his history of unabashed support for energy industry deregulation. He started his career in 1981 as an aide to Department of Energy Secretary James Edwards, the force behind one of the first efforts to eliminate price controls on natural gas. After a short stint as a natural gas "decontrol consultant" to Atlantic Richfield Oil & Gas, Barton was elected to the House in 1984. Nearly 20 years on the job have only strengthened his resolve to push for deregulation. Barton demonstrated his unwavering commitment to this policy following the Enron energy trading scandal in 2001. At a time when most lawmakers were keeping their distance from energy interests, Barton introduced a bill that would have deregulated the industry even further. "In terms of energy markets, I think Enron shows that markets work," he told National Journal in January 2002. "When the Enron trading room stopped, the markets opened the next morning and prices didn't go up, contracts were delivered. There was no discernable impact at all." No Friend To The Environment Barton also has repeatedly called for drilling in ANWR, a move environmentalists strongly oppose. Barton's top contributor in the 2004 election cycle so far is Anadarko Petroleum, one of the country's largest independent oil and gas companies and, by its own admission, "the most active driller in North America." The company's employees and their immediate families gave Barton $48,000 in 2003 alone. Already drilling in parts of Alaska, Anadarko is one of many companies hoping that Congress will green-light oil exploration in ANWR soon. Barton, as chairman of the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee, authored much of the energy legislation that passed the House in November. Although his ANWR provision was dropped from the final bill, Barton did manage to score some major victories for his top contributors. In addition to tax breaks for the oil and gas, nuclear power and coal industries, the House energy bill included legal protections for the makers of MTBE, a fuel additive known to pollute groundwater. The bill also contained provisions that would repeal the Public Utility Holding Company Act, a consumer-protection law that slows utility consolidation, and allow the Energy Department to sidestep certain environmental laws when placing electrical transmission lines on federal lands. Barton has said he will now turn his attention to the Senate, where Democrats filibustered the bill last fall. "My first priority will be to work with the president to ensure a comprehensive energy bill passes the Senate," he said after being nominated to succeed Tauzin. Caring For Health Corporations Though he has made his mark primarily on energy issues, Barton, a member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, also has a good working relationship with the health sector. Contributors in this category have given him a combined $646,000 since 1989. In 2003, health professionals ($43,000) and drug companies ($40,000) were Barton's third- and fourth-largest contributors, respectively. Much to the delight of the health sector, Barton has been an outspoken critic of the sometimes-lagging approval process at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or what the congressman has called the "Foot-Dragging and Alibi Association." Barton also has long championed the idea of a privatized health care system. Last year's passage of the Medicare prescription drug benefit legislation-engineered largely by Tauzin-was a boon for pharmaceutical companies and private health care firms. Barton floated a much more controversial proposal that would have restructured Medicare and encouraged seniors to switch to private managed care insurers. As Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, Barton would also work closely with the telecom industry. Though the congressman is on good terms with telecom companies-he was a featured speaker at the U.S. Telecom Association's annual conference last year-he has already indicated that the industry's issues will be tabled until after this year's elections. Those issues include revisiting the 1996 Telecom Act, which deregulated the industry but has been fraught with problems. Barton has received $95,000 from telephone utilities and $60,000 from telecom services and equipment companies since 1989. Published: Feb 20 2004 Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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