Surprise, surprise, surprise-Oil execs met Cheney task force

[Palestinian Jew]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A White House document shows oil executives met with Vice President Dick Cheney's 2001 energy task force which critics say secretly formed energy policy favorable to the industry, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The document, obtained this week by the newspaper, shows that officials from four major oil companies met in the White House complex with Cheney aides who were formulating the Bush administration's energy policy, the report said.

The newspaper said the document shows that officials from Exxon MobilCorp., Conoco (before its merger with Phillips), Shell Oil Co. and BP America Inc. met with the Cheney aides.

The White House refused to divulge information about the task force.

Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride declined to comment on the document but told the newspaper that the courts have upheld "the constitutional right of the president and vice president to obtain information in confidentiality."

The Sierra Club environmental group and the watchdog group Judicial Watch sued unsuccessfully to find out the names and positions of the task force members and to learn about their contacts with industry executives.

They claimed that Cheney, the former chief executive of energy and construction company Halliburton Co., drafted a policy that favored the industry by consulting oil industry executives.

The task force produced a policy paper calling for more oil and gas drilling and a revived nuclear power program.

According to The Washington Post, a person familiar with the task force's work said the document obtained by the paper was based on records kept by the Secret Service. The source requested anonymity out of concern about retribution, the Post said.

During a Senate hearing last week, chief executives of the major oil companies either denied that their firms participated in the task force or that they did not know, the newspaper said.

Chevron was not named in the White House document, but the Government Accountability Office has found that Chevron was one of several companies that gave recommendations to the task force, the Post reported.

According to the person familiar with the task force's work, Cheney had a separate meeting with John Browne, BP's chief executive. That meeting is not noted in the document, the newspaper said.
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Totally expected
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-11-16T115746Z_01_RID642176_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENERGY-CHENEY.xml&archived=False

 

[Mr. P]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A White House document shows oil executives met with Vice President Dick Cheney's 2001 energy task force which critics say secretly formed energy policy favorable to the industry, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The document, obtained this week by the newspaper, shows that officials from four major oil companies met in the White House complex with Cheney aides who were formulating the Bush administration's energy policy, the report said.

The newspaper said the document shows that officials from Exxon MobilCorp., Conoco (before its merger with Phillips), Shell Oil Co. and BP America Inc. met with the Cheney aides.

The White House refused to divulge information about the task force.

Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride declined to comment on the document but told the newspaper that the courts have upheld "the constitutional right of the president and vice president to obtain information in confidentiality."

The Sierra Club environmental group and the watchdog group Judicial Watch sued unsuccessfully to find out the names and positions of the task force members and to learn about their contacts with industry executives.

They claimed that Cheney, the former chief executive of energy and construction company Halliburton Co., drafted a policy that favored the industry by consulting oil industry executives.

The task force produced a policy paper calling for more oil and gas drilling and a revived nuclear power program.

According to The Washington Post, a person familiar with the task force's work said the document obtained by the paper was based on records kept by the Secret Service. The source requested anonymity out of concern about retribution, the Post said.

During a Senate hearing last week, chief executives of the major oil companies either denied that their firms participated in the task force or that they did not know, the newspaper said.

Chevron was not named in the White House document, but the Government Accountability Office has found that Chevron was one of several companies that gave recommendations to the task force, the Post reported.

According to the person familiar with the task force's work, Cheney had a separate meeting with John Browne, BP's chief executive. That meeting is not noted in the document, the newspaper said.
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Totally expected
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-11-16T115746Z_01_RID642176_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENERGY-CHENEY.xml&archived=False

Old News man, I heard Cheney admit to this meeting with these oil executives on "Meet the Press" in 02.

Try again.

 

[theHawk]

What exactly is the big problem with our government dealing with big oil companys? This country (as well as every other) is completely dependant on oil. Its in our best interest is get as much of it as we can. Why do liberals always try to paint oil companys as big evil entities? They supply us all with one of our most basic needs....gasoline and energy. If you don't like the companys, don't buy their products. If you got a better way to get petro into our rides, by all means show us.

 

[Avatar4321]

so where is the surprise here? I mean we are talking about an energy task force. Who on earth is the vice president supposed to meet with if not the leaders of the energy industry?

That would be like the EPA creating a task force and talking to *gasp* environmentalists. How scandalous!

 

[Mr. P]

What exactly is the big problem with our government dealing with big oil companys? This country (as well as every other) is completely dependant on oil. Its in our best interest is get as much of it as we can. Why do liberals always try to paint oil companys as big evil entities? They supply us all with one of our most basic needs....gasoline and energy. If you don't like the companys, don't buy their products. If you got a better way to get petro into our rides, by all means show us.

No, no, no Hawk… Palestinian Jews’ post is all about the liberal claim that the war in Iraq is for oil. Cheney runs Halliburton, W & company own and operate oil Companies. All the old conspiracy stuff over and over, they just can't give it up..

 

[Gunny]

No, no, no Hawk… Palestinian Jews’ post is all about the liberal claim that the war in Iraq is for oil. Cheney runs Halliburton, W & company own and operate oil Companies. All the old conspiracy stuff over and over, they just can't give it up..

It's because they are originality-challenged, and they can't find as many excuses to twist the facts as they have accusations.

 

[Mr. P]

It's because they are originality-challenged, and they can't find as many excuses to twist the facts as they have accusations.

Yea, I guess..that explains the 5 year drum beat "Bush..lied stoled etc", doesn't it?

 

[Freedom Lover]

Who cares that Cheney met with oil execs? If you do, do you also care that Democrats have met with the largest special interest group in America, BIG LABOR, and for the past 40-50 years have passed legislation at their behest and in return Labor has given hundreds of millions of dollars to Democrat candidates as payment for those laws that were passed to benefit them? If you do not care about this too, then shame on you!