-Caveat Lector- ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Sun, 31 Mar 2002 21:42:17 +0000 From: robalini <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Konformist: Cheney Still A Donkey Dick To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please send as far and wide as possible. Thanks, Robert Sterling Editor, The Konformist http://www.konformist.com http://www.latimes.com/ THE NATION Industry's a Key Player in Energy Data Politics: Bush team, faced with a deadline, releases documents on task force. Many passages are edited out, fanning controversy. By RICHARD SIMON and EDMUND SANDERS and ELIZABETH SHOGREN TIMES STAFF WRITERS March 26 2002 WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration Monday released thousands of documents on its energy task force, showing that industry groups provided substantial input in drafting the president's energy plan. In putting out 11,000 pages of documents before a midnight deadline, the Energy Department gave new ammunition to critics of the administration's energy policy, who say it is tilted in favor of the coal, gas, oil and nuclear industries. The documents show that Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham met with more than 30 industry representatives at eight sessions from Feb. 14 to April 26. The Nuclear Energy Institute, the Independent Petroleum Assn. of America and the American Coal Co. were among the business groups invited to those sessions. No representatives of environmental or consumer groups were listed as meeting with Abraham. In a statement, Abraham said the documents show that the energy plan was "balanced" and that the Energy Department "not only sought but included all viewpoints." Department officials said they sought input from environmentalists but were often rebuffed. Environmental groups have said their calls to administration officials weren't returned. The department said that Abraham had declined a number of requests from business executives for meetings. The documents did little to quell a legal and political controversy over the dealings of the energy task force, established by President Bush only days after he took office. Bush, a former oilman, named Vice President Dick Cheney, who had led an energy services company, to head the task force. The administration's refusal to provide details of the task force's meetings led the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to file its first-ever lawsuit Feb. 22 against the executive branch. That lawsuit has not been resolved. Separately, the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization, and Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, successfully brought court cases forcing the Energy Department and other federal agencies that participated in the task force to make their records available. Those two organizations had sought documents last spring under the Freedom of Information Act and sued when it appeared that the government was dragging its feet on those requests. The two judges in these lawsuits set Monday as the deadline to begin releasing the documents. Energy Dept. Withholds Thousands of Pages In addition to the Energy Department documents, about 5,000 pages of documents were released Monday by the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and Budget. The Energy Department withheld 15,000 pages of documents. Of the 11,000 provided, many were heavily redacted. The omissions fanned the controversy over the task force's secret meetings and contacts with industry groups, many of which were sources of sizable donations to the Bush-Cheney campaign. Abel Lopez, director of an Energy Department office that deals with requests for records, said the deletions were permitted under the Freedom of Information Act, which "protects advice, recommendations and opinions" that are part of the executive branch's decision-making process. Such redaction is not uncommon. Under the Freedom of Information Act, government agencies may refuse to release information for a variety of reasons, including protecting an individual's privacy or shielding policy debates. But Judicial Watch officials accused the administration of holding back key records and vowed to return to court. "They're withholding information that the public has a right to obtain," said Larry Klayman, chairman and general counsel of the conservative watchdog group. The documents were provided to a variety of environmental groups and media organizations, including The Times, which had requested the information under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents show that the California energy crisis last year was a much-discussed topic at the Energy Department, with e-mails on the state's troubles often flagged as high priority. But in most cases, the content of the e-mails was edited out. "Virtually all the e-mails we have seen have been completely blanked out," said John Walke, director of clean air programs for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "There are huge blank passages associated with the e-mails. Some of the sentences are cut off in the middle and redacted out in the bizarre way." Walke was particularly interested in learning about plans for the new source review provision of the Clean Air Act, which requires plants to install state-of-the-art pollution control devices when they renovate their plants in a way that increases pollution. But while the phrase "New Source Review" or its abbreviation may appear in the subject or below an attachment icon, there is no text. "It gives you nothing," Walke said. "The substance is purposefully stricken from the document." Give-and-Take Revealed in E-Mails Among the documents released were e-mails between energy officials, detailed schedules for the secretary's chief of staff and other key officials, e-mails from citizens praising the plan or suggesting various technologies that would help solve the country's energy woes. Some of the e-mails from industry lobbyists and representatives to key members of the administration's energy task force suggested that there was significant give-and-take in the development of the plan. For instance, the National Petrochemical and Refiners Assn. and the Nuclear Energy Institute supplied recommended paragraphs to drop into specific sections of the plan. The release also included many documents already public, such as energy proposals from think tanks, environmental groups and industry associations; administration officials' testimony to Congress; letters to the agency from members of Congress; and news reports on energy troubles from newspapers, wire services and broadcast outlets. The EPA documents included appeals by the oil industry for reducing the number of gasoline formulas used across the country and by the auto industry for reevaluating the government's fuel-economy standards. The administration's plan called for studying both issues. Democratic lawmakers contend that the energy industry, including scandal-plagued Enron Corp., heavily influenced shaping of a production-tilted energy policy that favors the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries. Indeed, the administration has acknowledged that Enron officials met six times with task force officials, including once with Cheney himself. The Republican-controlled House last summer approved an energy plan that included a number of the administration's initiatives, including opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. The Democratic-controlled Senate has been bogged down in a debate on a far different energy bill that would stress conservation over production. The GAO is continuing to wage its legal battle to secure additional information, including White House records. Administration officials have said they may claim executive privilege--a doctrine that presidents from George Washington onward have used to withhold information from Congress or the judiciary--to maintain the confidentiality of Cheney's records. They also contend that releasing the information would set a bad precedent for future administrations seeking candid advice from outside experts. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Monday that the release of the documents did not alter the White House's opposition to making public the details of Cheney's meetings. "The constitutional principle that the president and the vice president have enunciated remains in place," Fleischer said, "and the president will continue to fight for that." * Times researcher Robert Patrick contributed to this report. If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. For information about reprinting this article, go to www.lats.com/rights. ***** Judicial Watch Decries Missing Bush Energy Documents By Kathy A. Gambrell UPI White House Reporter 3-27-2 WASHINGTON (UPI) - The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch said Tuesday that more than 25,000 documents were missing from the thousands released by the Bush administration under a Freedom of Information Act request seeking information on deliberations between Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force and industry executives. Larry Klayman, attorney for Judicial Watch, told reporters during an news conference the organization would return to court on May 2 and ask a judge to give them the ability to question Bush administration officials about what information was missing from the 11,000 pages of documents it did release and to seek the disclosure of additional documents from the White House. Papers released under the court order were from the Department of Energy, White House Office of Budget and Management, Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Judicial Watch said about 15,000 documents from the Energy Department were missing and another 10,000 from the EPA were also missing. They said they have received none of the requested documents from the Department of Treasury or the Department of Commerce. White House officials called the May 2 hearing a "follow-up" hearing and said they were unaware that Judicial Watch planned to seek additional documents. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said the released information would only further confirm that the energy plan was a balanced plan and included all viewpoints. "It assures the American people that it was an open and appropriate process. Most importantly, the National Energy Policy provides a much- needed plan for energy security for America," Abraham said. The agency said it sought advice from energy, environmental and related organizations and leading experts to incorporate policy recommendations, but that in some instances, some interested stakeholders did not come forward with recommendations. To ensure a wide diversity of views was considered, the department solicited input and sought the advice from energy, environmental and related organizations and leading experts to incorporate policy recommendations. In some instances, DOE reached out and solicited the views of interested stakeholders that did not come forth with recommendations, Abraham said. Democrats have alleged that energy companies such as the now-bankrupt Enron Corp. unduly influenced the task force while ignoring environmental groups. Judicial Watch said it appeared that Enron sought favors from both the Clinton and Bush administrations. It suspected that the missing documents were related to the nearly defunct energy trading company. President George W. Bush had objected to the disclosure of communications between the White House and outside experts, considering it an issue involving the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government. Bush said he could not get honest feedback on issues if experts believed their discussions would be made public. Klayman called the document release important, but said it was only one half of the story. "The public deserves full accountability from the vice president and his energy task force, and Judicial Watch will continue to pursue that accounting through its other litigation under the Federal Advisory Committee Act." Klayman said the missing pages made the administration appear suspicious and that "Until they release all the documents, the inference is that they have something to hide." On Feb. 27, a federal judge ordered the Department of Energy to hand over thousands of documents related to meetings between energy industry officials and Cheney's task force. District Judge Gladys Kessler in a memo accompanying her order called the department "woefully tardy" in complying with the Freedom of Information Act request by the Natural Resources Defense Council to examine the documents. "It's an absolute stonewall. There is nothing in the e-mail [copies] because they've all been redacted. I haven't seen redaction of this nature even in the Clinton administration," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, of the papers released Monday. Among the documents were appointment book entries from Joseph Kelliher, a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Between April 2001 and May 2001, his schedule showed meetings with the National Mining Association, Western Independent Refiners Association, the Natural Petroleum Council and the National Domestic Petroleum Council, among others. "The train has left the station and I think the destination is full disclosure," said Fitton. By Tuesday afternoon the NRDC said it had reviewed only half of the papers and was expected to make a statement on its examination during a Wednesday press conference. Cheney's task force met with Enron Corp., which last fall collapsed and fell into bankruptcy. Kenneth Lay, then chairman of Enron and now under public scrutiny, was the only executive to have a private meeting with Cheney, according to material the vice president has released over the past year. Klayman said the relationship between Bush and Lay was so close that the president often referred to Lay as "Kenny boy." At the time Enron officials were meeting with the Cheney task force, they were lobbying hard to keep the federal government from placing a cap on energy prices in California. Gov. Gray Davis, D-Calif., and several Democratic members of Congress have accused Enron of manipulating energy prices that contributed to California's energy crisis last spring. After one meeting with an Enron official, Cheney announced that he would oppose caps. Several Democrats accused Cheney of succumbing to Enron's influence at an April meeting. But the vice president's office said Cheney and Bush had consistently opposed price caps and his position last spring was not influenced by Enron. The vice president refused to issue a detailed list of participants in oil industry meetings and what policy positions they pushed for in Bush's energy plan. Cheney denied anything improper took place at meetings. He has said that he and his aides were seeking policy suggestions from across the country. Copyright � 2002 United Press International. All rights reserved. ***** Bush Tapped Solar Energy Funds to Print Energy Plan Fri Mar 29, 9:33 AM ET By Tom Doggett WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While environmentalists have slammed the White House national energy plan for not doing enough to promote renewable energy, the Bush administration found those government research programs useful in paying the bill for printing copies of the 170- page plan. The administration took money from the Energy Department's solar and renewable energy and energy conservation budgets to pay for the cost of printing its national energy plan. Documents released under court order by the Energy Department this week revealed that $135,615 was spent from the DOE's solar, renewables and energy conservation budget to produce 10,000 copies of the White House energy plan released last May. Another $1,317.39 was spent for producing 16 "briefing boards" used by administration officials to illustrate and explain the White House energy plan. The newly released documents also show that $176.40 was taken from the energy conservation program to pay for an Alaska trip by Andrew Lundquist, the White House energy task force's staff director, to promote the energy plan. The administration's energy policy called for drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (news - web sites), a proposal strongly opposed by environmentalists. At the same time the White House tapped the renewable budget for funds to print the energy plan, administration was urging Congress to cut the renewable and energy efficiency research budgets by more than 50 percent. Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites), who headed the White House energy task force, criticized environmentalists for relying too much on renewables and conservation to solve the nation's energy problems. "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy," Cheney said two weeks before the energy plan was released last May. The administration did try to spread around the cost of producing the energy plan. It dipped into the DOE's fossil energy program, which covers primarily oil research, to pay $100.92 for a hotel room near the Government Printing Office where the policy publication was being produced. The documents did not name the official or if the hotel offered a government rate. If you are interested in a free subscription to The Konformist Newswire, please visit: http://www.eGroups.com/list/konformist Or, e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject: "I NEED 2 KONFORM!!!" (Okay, you can use something else, but it's a kool catch phrase.) Visit the Klub Konformist at Yahoo!: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/klubkonformist Your use of Yahoo! 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