MEDIA ADVISORY from the Conservative Watchdog Group, Judicial Watch
CHENEY ENERGY TASK FORCE DOCUMENTS FEATURE MAP OF IRAQI OILFIELDS
Commerce & State Department Reports to Task Force Detail Oilfield &
Gas Projects, Contracts &
Exploration
Saudi Arabian & UAE Oil Facilities Profiled As Well
(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that
investigates and prosecutes government
corruption and abuse, said today that documents turned over by the
Commerce Department, under court order as a result of Judicial
Watch’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit concerning the
activities of the Cheney Energy Task Force, contain a map of Iraqi
oilfields, pipelines, refineries and terminals, as well as 2 charts
detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects, and “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi
Oilfield Contracts.” The documents, which are dated March 2001, are
available on the Internet at: www.JudicialWatch..org.
The Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates (UAE) documents likewise
feature a map of each country’s
oilfields, pipelines, refineries and tanker terminals. There are
supporting charts with details of the major
oil and gas development projects in each country that provide
information on the projects, costs, capacity, oil company and status
or completion date.
Judicial Watch has been seeking these documents under FOIA since
April 19, 2001. Judicial Watch was forced to file a lawsuit in the
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Judicial Watch Inc.
v.
Department of Energy, et al., Civil Action No. 01-0981) when the
government failed to comply with the
provisions of the FOIA law. U.S. District Court Judge Paul J.
Friedman ordered the government to produce the documents on March 5,
2002.
The documents were produced in response to Judicial Watch’s on-going
efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in government on
behalf of the American people. Judicial Watch aggressively pursues
those goals by making FOIA requests and seeking access to public
information concerning government operations. When the government
fails to abide by these “sunshine laws” Judicial Watch files lawsuits
in order to obtain the requested information and to hold responsible
government officials accountable.
“These documents show the importance of the Energy Task Force and why
its operations should be open to the public,” stated Judicial Watch
President Tom Fitton.
