And let us not forget that Chevron was one of the main players in Afghanistan's Caspian pipeline project until the Taliban got to wanting a representative cut of the pie. The rest is history, ... but it's not about the oil....
Luc ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Addison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2004 2:45 PM Subject: [Biofuel] Schwarzenegger and ChevronTexaco > http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/business/technology/9566168.htm > AP Wire | 09/02/2004 | > Thu, Sep. 02, 2004 > > Schwarzenegger and ChevronTexaco > > TOM CHORNEAU > Associated Press > > SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ambitious plan to > reorganize almost every aspect of state government was influenced > significantly by oil and gas giant ChevronTexaco Corp., which managed > to shape such key recommendations as the removal of restrictions on > oil refineries. > > Many corporations and interest groups participated in the governor's > reform plan - known as the California Performance Review - but state > records and interviews with the participants show Chevron enjoyed > immense success in influencing the report through its array of > lobbyists, attorneys and trade organizations. > > And few corporations have spent so much political cash on the > governor, either. Since Schwarzenegger's election last October, the > San Ramon company has contributed more than $200,000 to his > committees and $500,000 to the California Republican Party. > > Chevron, whose officials acknowledge they lobbied hard to get their > ideas in the report, is one of about 20 companies that paid to send > the governor and his staff to this week's Republican National > Convention in New York. On Wednesday, Schwarzenegger attended a > closed-door meeting in New York with representatives of those > companies, including Chevron. And just three weeks after the > governor's office released the 2,700-page reorganization report, the > company gave $100,000 to a Schwarzenegger-controlled political fund. > > Environmental watchdogs and local agencies that regulate some of > Chevron's operations complain that they had no such access, and that > their counterproposals appear nowhere in the massive report. > > Disclosure of Chevron's determined role in what many believe is the > administration's most important political reform effort contrasts > sharply with statements he made during last year's election campaign > and afterward in which he promised to sweep out a corrupt system > where "contributions go in, the favors go out." > > Schwarzenegger launched the reorganization effort in January, calling > the state bureaucracy a "mastodon frozen in time" that needed to be > reviewed from top to bottom to eliminate waste and duplication. The > administration said the recommendations in the report would save $32 > billion over five years, a claim analysts said is exaggerated. > > Although the governor's senior aides helped organize and oversee the > reorganization effort, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger said the > review staff, not the governor's office, was responsible for the > report. Schwarzenegger announced the review in January and then > appointed its two top members, who then assembled the rest of the > staff. > > Ashley Snee, the governor's deputy press secretary, said it was > premature to assume any of the recommendations will be adopted and > that those who are unhappy with parts of the report can comment at a > series of statewide hearings on the proposal. > > Proposals that would benefit Chevron are peppered throughout the > four-volume report. They include: > > _ Streamlining the permit process for the construction of new oil > refineries and the expansion of existing ones. Chevron, which owns > two of the state's largest refineries in Richmond and El Segundo, > wanted the state's help in revising existing laws so local government > officials would be required to make decisions more quickly on > construction permits at refineries. > > _ Streamlining the activities of the San Francisco Bay Conservation > and Development Commission. That agency, which issues permits for > dredging and sand mining in the Bay Area, oversees activities related > to Chevron's interests in the Bay Area. > > _ Reorganizing the regulatory process for picking the locations for > refineries, tank farms, liquefied natural gas and other energy > facilities. Chevron has two proposals to build liquefied natural gas > (LNG) facilities in Southern California and the Mexican state of Baja > California. > > "California's ability to produce gasoline is shrinking at the same > time demand for gasoline is rising, contributing to California's > dubious position as a national leader in the fuel prices. > Time-consuming, costly and complex permitting processes are among the > obstacles to expanding ... California's petroleum infrastructure to > meet the growing demand," the CPR report said. "The state needs to > streamline its permitting processes to allow supply to more readily > keep pace with demand, so that price volatility and price > differentials are reduced." > > But Mark Petracca, a University of California, Irvine political > scientist, said Chevron's considerable influence on the CPR report > may taint the whole review because the study was presented to the > public as an objective and authoritative analysis of how to fix state > government. > > "This is good old fashioned interest-group politics," Petracca said. > "Powerful people who have money can hire powerful people and use > occasions like this report to set the agenda for policy beneficial to > those interests." > > In response, Snee repeated that the report was independent of the > governor's office. > > Chevron's operations have drawn steady and critical scrutiny from > state and federal regulators, including a settlement last October of > a lawsuit with the U.S. Justice Department that required the company > to install $275 million in air pollution equipment and pay $3.5 > million in civil penalties. > > Company officials said they were just doing their jobs through their > vigorous participation in the CPR process, which included meeting > with senior aides to the governor. > > "This is what we are here for," said Jack Coffey, Chevron's general > manager over state government relations, from New York where he was > attending the Republican convention. > > Chevron learned about the CPR early and "obviously understood their > agenda," Coffey said, adding that while there was direct contact by > company lobbyists, most contact came through trade groups of which > Chevron is a member. "We made an effort to feed those trade > associations who were more active." > > But, Coffey said, Chevron's donations to Schwarzenegger are because > of his "pro-business agenda" and have nothing to do with the CPR > report. > > In an interview, Chevron lobbyist K.C. Bishop said he met with > Richard Costigan, Schwarzenegger's legislative affairs secretary, in > April or May, about trouble the company was having with routine > refinery permits and proposed legislation on the issue. At the end of > the discussion, Bishop was directed to the CPR staff, which he > visited a week or so later. > > Neither the meeting with Costigan nor with CPR staff were reported in > Chevron's quarterly lobbying filings. > > Also acknowledged in the CPR report were Bishop; Mike Barr, a lawyer > with the San Francisco-based firm Pillsbury Winthrop and who > represents Chevron; and affiliated lobbyists of the Western States > Petroleum - Kahl/Pownall Advocates - of which Chevron is also a > member. > > Meanwhile, the Bay Planning Coalition - a business-oriented group of > which Chevron is a board member - contacted the governor's cabinet > secretary over problems its members were having with the San > Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. > > Schwarzenegger's staff sent the coalition's issue to the CPR staff, > which met with the coalition sometime in April, according Ellen > Johnck, the coalition's executive director. > > A letter from the coalition outlining the complaints - including some > lodged by Chevron - was used a primary source for the CPR report that > concluded BCDC had overstepped its authority. Although BCDC officials > offered significant documentation to rebut the allegations, none of > the commission's defense was included in the CPR report. > > In its section about making it easier to locate refineries or LNG > plants, the CPR report cites attorney Mike Carroll of the law firm > Latham & Watkins as a source. Based in the firm's Orange County > office, Carroll represents Chevron on a variety of regulatory issues, > according to the firm's Web site. > > Carroll did not return telephone calls for comment from The Associated Press. > > Chevron has two LNG proposals - a $650 million facility that would be > built offshore on an island near Tijuana in Baja California; and a > second plan that would place a facility at Camp Pendleton in Orange > County. > > Schwarzenegger is expected to meet with Mexican officials in Mexicali > later this month. One expected topic of discussion is Chevron's LNG > proposal. > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
