Ah, so perhaps this kind of stuff is what they've been trying to hide... from a Judicial Watch press release... __________________ 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.
Thanks rimrocker. I haven't heard anything about this. I had heard that Cheney and the task force weren't willing to hand over documents but I hadn't heard anything about what the documents contained.
Judge Orders Release of Energy Documents WASHINGTON - A federal judge told the government to release more documents related to a White House task force that met behind closed doors to develop a national energy policy. Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group, and the environmental group the Sierra Club want the records as part of an inquiry into whether energy executives and lobbyists helped draft a policy friendly to their industries early in President Bush's first year in office. The administration maintains that only government employees were members of the task force, which disbanded in 2001. Judicial Watch has alleged that former Enron chairman Ken Lay and lobbyists Mark Racicot, Haley Barbour and Thomas Kuhn may have participated. The order Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman covers material that the Energy Department, Interior Department and other federal agencies had refused to produce since a similar federal court ruling two years ago. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...2&u=/ap/20040401/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_energy
BTW rim, saw this yesterday.. Families flee as Colorado wildfire moves toward homes By CATHERINE TSAI, ASSOCIATED PRESS LAPORTE, Colo. (AP) - Scores of families fled a wind-whipped wildfire Thursday as it crept toward homes in the northern Colorado foothills. The evacuation was voluntary and no homes were burned. Officials said the fire was being pushed by wind gusting to 35 mph. It nearly doubled in size Thursday to 3,500 acres. Sheriff Jim Alderden said flames had drawn within a quarter-mile of some homes by Thursday evening. --------------- Guess it's about that time of year to go back to work huh?
Yes it is... we have a 2,000 acre fire over in AZ as well. It dried out incredibly fast here, but luckily we have a system that will drop anywhere from .75-2 inches of precip over the weekend. That'll buy us a good week or so. Still, by late April and certainly May and June we're expecting above average activity. Here's the forecast map for the nation...
I remember posting comments about Cheney and his "Energy Task Force" (re: sharing info with oil and utilities head honchos on how to exploit the Iraq war, not to mention how to make money in California---remember a little thing about the so-called California energy crisis?) And a few well-meaning posters trashed me for it. "Dick Cheney wouldn't do that!" Well, you know, I say he would.
