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ENERGY News:
 Water
-  Technology
-  Company
-  Environment
-  Minnesota
-  Texas
"Nation's First 'Underwater Wind Turbine' Installed in Old Man River." ... "The nation's first commercial hydrokinetic turbine, which harnesses the power from moving water without the construction of a dam, has splashed into the waters of the Mississippi River near Hastings, Minnesota." ... "The 35-kilowatt turbine is positioned downstream from an existing hydroelectric-plant dam and — together with another turbine to be installed soon — will increase the capacity of the plant by more than 5 percent. The numbers aren't big, but the rig's installation could be the start of an important trend in green energy." ... "And that could mean more of these "wind turbines for the water" will be generating clean energy soon." ... ""We don't require that massive dam construction, we're just using the natural flow of the stream," said Mark Stover, a vice president at Hydro Green Energy, the Houston[ Texas]-based company leading the project. "It's underwater windpower if you will, but we have 840 or 850 times the energy density of wind."" ... "Hydrokinetic turbines like those produced by Hydro Green and Verdant capture the mechanical energy of the water's flow and turn it into energy, without need for a dam." ... "Hydro Green's Stover hopes that his company's new unit will help shorten that regulatory process by generating environmental impact data that could ease concerns the turbines will disrupt river ecosystems and habitats." -By Alexis Madrigal -Wired
 Global
-  Climate
-  History
-  Earth
- Fossil
Fuel -  Gases
- Antarctic
- Pacific
Ocean -  US
-  Britain
"NASA reports 2008 is ninth warmest year since 1880." ... "The year 2008 was the ninth warmest year since instrumental temperature measurements began in 1880, and all of the nine warmest years have occurred in the past 11 years, NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] reported on Tuesday." ... "The new data from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and other government agencies on Tuesday adds to the evidence scientists have been observing about a warming Earth as fossil fuel burning emits heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere." ... "NASA also reported that the January to November global temperature was 0.76 degrees Fahrenheit above the average for the 20th Century." ... "NASA also noted that the past year was cooler than any since 2000. Scientists note that global warming is a steady trend, but within it there are natural variations." ... "The NASA report noted that "Eurasia, the Arctic and the Antarctic Peninsula were exceptionally warm, while much of the Pacific Ocean was cooler than the long-term average." It said the relatively cooler temperature in the tropical Pacific was due to a La Nina, the cool phase of a natural temperature variation." ... "Britain's Met Office on Tuesday also said that La Nina was part of the reason 2008 was slightly cooler than earlier years this decade. By Britain's accounting, 2008 was the 10th warmest year on record dating back to 1850, and all 10 of the warmest years occurred since 1997." -By Renee Schoof -McClatchyDC.com
 Auto
-  Makers
- Emergency
- Money
-  Politics
-  Workers
- Environmental
-  Laws
- Fuel
- Technology
- Emissions
-  Government
-  Michigan
-  California
"Murky future for auto rescue amid GOP opposition." ... "A House-passed bill to speed $14 billion in loans to Detroit's [Michigan] automakers stands on shaky ground in a bailout-weary Congress, undermined by Republican opposition that could derail the emergency aid in the Senate." ... "Republicans are challenging lame-duck [Republican] President George W. Bush on the proposal, arguing that any support for the domestic auto industry should carry significant concessions from autoworkers and creditors and reject tougher environmental rules imposed by House Democrats." ... "The automakers initially asked Congress for $25 billion, then returned two weeks later to plead for as much as $34 billion. But with the {Republican President Bush] White House refusing to dole out new spending for the Big Three [Automakers], congressional Democrats agreed to use an existing program that was to help carmakers retool their factories to make more fuel-efficient cars." ... "That fund yielded only $15 billion in emergency loans, and when negotiators agreed to leave some money in the environmental program, the amount fell to $14 billion." ... "Democrats agreed to scrap language — which the White House had declared a deal-breaker — that would have forced the carmakers to drop lawsuits challenging tough emissions limits in California and other states. But they kept a provision to force the automakers to abide by those states' limits — a kind of consolation prize for environmentalists, who already were livid at the raid of the fuel-efficiency program." -By Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Ken Thomas -AP via -Yahoo 
 Animals
- Federal
- Law
-  Enforcement
- Science
- Politics
- History
- Global
- Climate
- Ice
- Oil
- Emissions
-  Construction
- Money
"Environmentalists: New rule guts Endangered Species Act." ... "In a move environmental groups says strikes at the heart of the Endangered Species Act, the [Republican President] Bush administration on Thursday announced a new rule that would let federal agencies decide on their own whether their projects harm endangered species, instead of requiring them in many cases to get a second opinion from federal wildlife experts." ... "Opponents said the move destroys the checks and balances that have helped the gove rnment save hundreds of species from extinction under the 1973 law." ... "[Republican President Bush's] Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said the reason for the rule change was linked to global warming." ... "Kempthorne listed the polar bear as a threatened species in May but said that the Endangered Species Act could not be used to try to halt global warming. The new regulation specifies that there is no need for consultations when the harm to endangered or threatened species is a result from a global process that's too broad to measure." ... "Kempthorne said it's impossible to pinpoint the death of any single animal from emissions from any single polluter. In fact, emissions of heat-trapping gases disperse evenly in the atmosphere around the globe and remain there for centuries. The resulting warming and melting of polar ice have put the polar bear at risk of extinction by mid-century, scientists have said." ... "The rule changes also go further and specify that federal agencies are not required to consult with the biologists of the two agencies that enforce the act — the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Services — if they think a project such as a timber sale or construction of a power plant won't harm or kill a threatened or endangered species. The changes do not rule out voluntary consultations." ... "The Interior Department on Thursday also finalized a rule implementing another section of the Endangered Species Act to clarify that it will not protect polar bears from oil and gas development or greenhouse gas emissions." -By Renee Schoof -McClatchyDC.com
Global
- Climate
- Floods
- Oil
- Companies
-  Human
- Environmental
- Emissions
- Litigation
- Politics
- UK
- US
"Science paves way for climate lawsuits." ... "People affected by worsening storms, heatwaves and floods could soon be able to sue the oil and power companies they blame for global warming, a leading climate expert has said." ... "Myles Allen, a physicist at Oxford University, said a breakthrough that allows scientists to judge the role man-made climate change played in extreme weather events could see a rush to the courts over the next decade." ... "He said: "We are starting to get to the point that when an adverse weather event occurs we can quantify how much more likely it was made by human activity. And people adversely affected by climate change today are in a position to document and quantify their losses. This is going to be hugely important."" ... "Allen's team has used the new technique to work out whether global warming worsened the UK [United Kingdom] floods in autumn 2000, which inundated 10,000 properties, disrupted power supplies and led to train services being cancelled, motorways closed and 11,000 people evacuated from their homes - at a total cost of £1bn." ... "There may also be grounds for a case on the basis that firms have tried to misinform the public - as in US [United States] cases against tobacco firms - about the effects of their business." ... "Owen Lomas, head of environmental law at City firm Allen & Overy, said: "If you look at the extent to which certain major companies in the US are accused of having funded disinformation to cast doubt on the link between man-made emissions and global warming, that could open the way to litigation."" -By David Adam and Afua Hirsch -Guardian.co.uk 
Employment
- Market
-  Housing
- Rebuilding
-  Roads
-  Schools
- Energy
-  Obama
- Politics
"Employers cut 533K jobs in Nov., most in 34 years." ... "Skittish employers slashed 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years, catapulting the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent, dramatic proof the country is careening deeper into recession." ... "The new figures, released by the Labor Department Friday, showed the crucial employment market deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid clip, and handed Americans some more grim news right before the holidays. The net loss of more than a half-million jobs was far worse than analysts expected." ... "The U.S. [United States] tipped into recession last December [2007], a panel of experts declared earlier this week, confirming what many Americans already thought." ... "[Republican] President George W. Bush, who used the word "recession" for the first time to describe the economy's state, pledged Friday to explore more efforts to ease housing, credit and financial stresses." ... "[Democratic] President-elect Barack Obama said the dismal job news underscored the need for forceful action, even as he warned that the pain could not be quickly relieved." ... ""There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis ... and it's likely to get worse before it gets better," Obama said. "At the same time, this ... provides us with an opportunity to transform our economy to improve the lives of ordinary people by rebuilding roads and modernizing schools for our children, investing in clean energy solutions to break our dependence on imported oil, and making an early down payment on the long-term reforms that will grow and strengthen our economy for all Americans for years to come."" -By Jeannine Aversa -AP via -Yahoo
Barack
Obama -  Stephen
Johnson - Water
- Earth
- Coal
- Companies
- Government
- Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
-  Kentucky
-  Tennessee
"EPA to gut mountaintop mining rule that protects streams." ... "The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday approved a last-minute rule change by the [Republican President] Bush administration that will allow coal companies to bury streams under the rocks leftover from mining." ... "The 1983 rule prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop removal mining within 100 feet of streams. In practice, the government hadn't been enforcing the rule. Government figures show that 535 miles of streams were buried or diverted from 2001 to 2005, more than half of them in the mountains of Appalachia. Along with the loss of the streams has been an increase of erosion and flooding." ... "The 11th hour change before President George W. Bush leaves office would eliminate a tool that citizens groups have used in lawsuits to keep mining waste out of streams. Mining companies had been pushing for the change for years." ... "It also means that [Democratic] President-elect Barack Obama's administration will have to decide whether to try to restore and enforce the rule, a process that could take many months of new rulemaking. Obama's transition team declined to comment on its plans on Tuesday." ... "Another option would be for opponents to go through the courts. Opponents have argued that the rule change is illegal." ... "For now, however, the EPA's approval means there are no further obstacles to the Office of Surface Mining's plans to change the rule. The White House's Office of Management and Budget approved it on Monday. The Department of Interior, which includes the mining office, plans to make the rule final in December after briefing members of Congress, and it will go into effect 30 days after that, said spokesman Peter Mali." ... "The timing means the rule is expected to be in effect when Obama takes office in January." ... "In approving the change in writing as required by law, [Republican President Bush's Environmental Protection Agency] EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson rejected the appeals of environmentalists and some coal-country officials, including Kentucky [Democratic Governor] Gov. Steve Beshear and Tennessee [Democratic Governor] Gov. Phil Bredesen, both Democrats." ... "In a letter in November to Johnson, Beshear said his state had to protect its water and that while coal was important to the economy, it should be mined in environmentally responsible ways." -By Renee Schoof and Bill Estep -Herald-Leader -McClatchyDC.com 
Electric
- Cars
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Technology
- Transportation
- Infrastructure
- Jobs
- Consumer
-  Military
- Historic
- San
Francisco - Sacramento
- California
- Michigan
-  Oregon
-  Washington
- US
- Global
- Planet
- Climate
- Emissions
"Recharge America with Electric Cars." ... "Today, our country is facing a set of seemingly insurmountable problems:" "• an economic meltdown of historic proportions""Yesterday, joined by San Jose [California] Mayor Chuck Reed and Oakland [California] Mayor Ron Dellums I [San Francisco, California's mayor Gavin Newsom] announced a nine-step policy plan for transforming the Bay Area into the "Electric Vehicle (EV) Capital of the U.S. [United States]" In support of this initiative Better Place, a global electric transportation company announced that it would enter the U.S. market with California as its first state, beginning in the Bay Area." ... "Commercial availability of electric cars is targeted to begin in 2012, and Better Place estimates its network investment in the Bay Area will total $1 billion when the system is fully deployed. I welcomed Better Place's announcement and anticipate many other EV companies will focus on the Bay Area as a top-priority market." ... "Electric vehicles represent an overarching, game-changing solution that allows us to transform, and recharge the American transportation sector for the 21st century. By accelerating the conversion of the car industry from its oil dependent past, to a new electric century, we can jump start the car industry, eliminate our dependence on oil, reduce our required presence in the middle east, create millions of jobs, and eliminate a significant portion of our CO2 emissions." ... "This plan ties together a triangle of influence that can get our nation back on track: Detroit [Michigan] car makers who know how to scale production, working in concert with San Francisco's culture of innovation, aided by Sacramento [California's capital] and Washington DC [America's capital] policy-making. The goal is to create a sustainable strategic advantage for the US instead of a series of bailouts." ... "As California prepares to launch this electric recharge infrastructure project, it can also serve as a blueprint for a more widely integrated solution." ... "California can generate upwards of $2.5B in new investment in jobs and the economy for the infrastructure effort, with billions more in cars and battery sales to consumers. The nation as a whole can trigger tens of billions in infrastructure, manufacturing and innovation investment. At the same time, this conversion reduces the cost to the consumer and nation per mile we drive. California, followed by the western US states of Oregon and Washington are ready to drive this effort." -By Gavin Newsom -HuffingtonPost.com
 Ted
Stevens - Criminal
- Oil
- Money
- Federal
- Law
-  Alaska
- History
- 2008
Election
"Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens loses re-election bid." ... "[Alaska Republican Senator] Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, narrowly lost his [2008 Election] re-election bid Tuesday, marking the downfall of a Washington political power and Alaska icon who couldn't survive a conviction on federal corruption charges. His defeat by Anchorage [Alaska] Mayor Mark Begich moves Senate Democrats within two seats of a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority." ... "Stevens' ouster on his 85th birthday marks an abrupt realignment in Alaska politics and will alter the power structure in the Senate, where he has served since the days of the [Democratic President] Johnson administration while holding seats on some of the most influential committees in Congress." ... "Last month just days before the election, Stevens was convicted by a federal jury in Washington of lying on Senate disclosure forms to conceal more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations from an oil field services company. -By Michael R. Blood with contributions by Jesse J. Holland, Andrew Taylor and Rachel D'Oro -AP via -Yahoo
 Al
Gore - Barack
Obama - Global
- Climate
- Technology
- Money
- Environmental
- Emissions
- Law
- Politics
- San
Francisco - California
"Gore urges US to try for 100% renewable energy within a decade." ... "[Democratic President-Elect] Barack Obama should set drastic targets to force the US [United States] to switch to renewable energy in an effort to slow down climate change, according to the former [Democratic] vice president Al Gore. Gore said that one of Obama's first acts as US president should be to demand a move to 100% renewable energy within 10 years." ... ""We can do that," he said during the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco [California] last Friday. "The declaration from [Democratic] President [John F] Kennedy that we would land a man on the moon and bring him back safely was thought by many to be impossible."" ... "During his presidential campaign, Obama promised to invest $150bn (£96bn) in renewables over 10 years as part of the plan to increase US energy security amid fear of oil shortages, while also cutting carbon emissions. Many hope to see those policies enacted with a far-reaching climate-change bill that would bring the US back into the global environment fold." -By Bobbie Johnson -Guardian.co.uk
 Nuclear
- Technology
- Industry
- Factories
- Government
-  New
Mexico
"Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes." ... "Nuclear power plants smaller than a garden shed and able to power 20,000 homes will be on sale within five years, say scientists at Los Alamos [New Mexico], the US [United States] government laboratory which developed the first atomic bomb." ... "The miniature reactors will be factory-sealed, contain no weapons-grade material, have no moving parts and will be nearly impossible to steal because they will be encased in concrete and buried underground." ... "The US government has licensed the technology to Hyperion, a New Mexico-based company which said last week that it has taken its first firm orders and plans to start mass production within five years. 'Our goal is to generate electricity for 10 cents a watt anywhere in the world,' said John Deal, chief executive of Hyperion. 'They will cost approximately $25m [£13m] each. For a community with 10,000 households, that is a very affordable $250 per home.'" ... "The company plans to set up three factories to produce 4,000 plants between 2013 and 2023." ... "The reactors, only a few metres in diameter, will be delivered on the back of a lorry to be buried underground. They must be refuelled every 7 to 10 years." -By John Vidal and Nick Rosen -Guardian.co.uk
Auto
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Jobs
- Fuel
-  Retirees
-  Health
Care - California
-  Nevada
-  Henry
Paulson
"Dem Leaders Want Bush To Aid Auto Industry." ... "Democratic leaders in Congress asked the [Republican President] Bush administration on Saturday to provide more aid to the struggling auto industry, which is bleeding cash and jobs as sales have dropped to their lowest level in a quarter-century." ... "House Speaker [and California Democratic Representative] Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader [and Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that the administration should consider expanding the $700 billion bailout to include car companies." ... ""A healthy automobile manufacturing sector is essential to the restoration of financial market stability, the overall health of our economy, and the livelihood of the automobile sector's work force," they wrote. "The economic downturn and the crisis in our financial markets further imperiled our domestic automobile industry and its work force."" ... "Automakers already want an additional $50 billion in loans from Congress to help them survive tough economic conditions and pay for health care obligations for retirees." ... "The money would be on top of the $25 billion in loans that Congress passed in September to help retool auto plants to build more fuel-efficient vehicles." -By Deb Riechmann -AP via -HuffingtonPost.com
 Sarah
Palin -  Russia
- Alaska
- Energy
- Markets
- US
- 2008
Election
"Palin unaware of Russian energy meeting in Alaska." ... "The campaign of [Republican] vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said the Alaska governor was unaware of a visit by Russian energy officials to Anchorage [Alaska] on Monday." ... "Eight high-level officials from Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy conglomerate, traveled to Anchorage earlier this week to meet with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the chief executive of ConocoPhillips to discuss energy projects and the possibility of expanding into new markets." ... "But the campaign said the governor did not know that the Gazprom delegation was meeting with the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, who is a Palin appointee." -By Peter Hamby -CNN
 John
McCain -  William
Timmons - Criminal
- Oil
- Money
-  Terrorism
- Politics
-Government
-  Iraq
- International
- Law
- South
Korea - US
- 2008
Election
"McCain Transition Chief Aided Saddam In Lobbying Effort." ... "William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime." ... "The two lobbyists who Timmons worked closely with over a five year period on the lobbying campaign later either pleaded guilty to or were convicted of federal criminal charges that they had acted as unregistered agents of Saddam Hussein's government." ... "During the same period beginning in 1992, Timmons worked closely with the two lobbyists, Samir Vincent and Tongsun Park, on a previously unreported prospective deal with the Iraqis in which they hoped to be awarded a contract to purchase and resell Iraqi oil. Timmons, Vincent, and Park stood to share at least $45 million if the business deal went through." ... "Timmons' activities occurred in the years following the first Gulf War, when Washington considered Iraq to be a rogue enemy state and a sponsor of terrorism." ... "Virtually everything Timmons did while working on the lobbying campaign was within days conveyed by Vincent to either one or both of Saddam Hussein's top aides, Tariq Aziz and Nizar Hamdoon. Vincent also testified that he almost always relayed input from the Iraqi aides back to Timmons." ... "Talking points that Timmons produced for the lobbyists to help ease the sanctions, for example, were reviewed ahead of time by Aziz, Vincent testified in court. Proposals that Timmons himself circulated to U.S. [United States] officials as part of the effort were written with the assistance of the Iraqi officials, and were also sent ahead of time with Timmons' approval to Aziz, other records show." ... "Vincent, an Iraqi-born American citizen with whom Timmons worked most closely, pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges in January 2005 that he had acted as an unregistered agent of Saddam Hussein's regime. Tongsun Park, the second lobbyist who Timmons worked closely with, was convicted by a federal jury in July 2006 on charges that he too violated the Foreign Agent Registration Act." ... "At the time Timmons introduced the two men, Park's notorious background was well known:" ... "In the 1970s, Park had admitted to making hundreds of thousands in payments and illegal campaign contributions to U.S. congressmen on behalf of the South Korean government. Park was indicted on 36 counts by a federal grand jury, but fled to South Korea before he could face trial. All of the charges were later dismissed in exchange for Park providing information about which public officials received funds from the South Korean government." -By Murray Waas with contributions by Patrick B. Anderson -HuffingtonPost.com
Noteworthy
- Sarah
Palin - Military
- Terrorism
- Alaska
- Federal
- Oil
- Land
- Money
- Politics
- 
- International
- Law
- US
- 2008
Election
"Alaskan Independence Party: The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel." ... "[2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah] Palin, it could be argued, following her own logic, thinks so little of America's perfection that she continues to "pal around" with a man--her husband, actually--who only recently terminated his seven-year membership in the Alaskan Independence Party. Putting plunder above patriotism, the members of this treasonous cabal aim to break our country into pieces and walk away with Alaska's rich federal oil fields and one-fifth of America's land base--an area three-fourths the size of the Civil War Confederacy." ... "AIP's charter commits the party "to the ultimate independence of Alaska," from the United States which it refers to as "the colonial bureaucracy in Washington." It proclaims Alaska's 1959 induction as a state "as illegal and in violation of the United Nations charter and international law."" ... "AIP's creation was inspired by the rabidly violent anti-Americanism of its founding father Joe Vogler, "I'm an Alaskan, not an American," reads a favorite Vogler quote on AIP's current website, "I've got no use for America or her damned institutions." According to Vogler AIP's central purpose was to drive Alaska's secession from the United States. Alaska, says current Chairwoman Lynette Clark, "should be an independent nation."" ... "Vogler was murdered in 1993 during an illegal sale of plastic explosives that went bad. The prior year, he had renounced his allegiance to the United States explaining that, "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government." He cursed the stars and stripes, promising, "I won't be buried under their damned flag...when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home." Palin has never denounced Vogler or his detestable anti-Americanism." ... "Palin's husband Todd remained an AIP party member from 1995 to 2002. Sarah can be described in McCarthy-era palaver as a "fellow traveler." While retaining her Republican registration, she attended the AIP's 1994 convention where the party called for a draft constitution to secede from the United States and create an independent nation of Alaska. The McCain Campaign has reluctantly acknowledged that she also attended AIP's 2000 Convention. She apparently found the experience so inspiring that she agreed to give a keynote address at the AIP's 2006 convention and she recorded a video greeting for this year's 2008 convention." -By Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -HuffingtonPost.com
John
McCain - Barack
Obama - Financial
- Law
-Veterans
- Housing
- Energy
- 2008
Election - US
-  Iran
"McCain has not sponsored a banking bill this Congress." ... "[2008 Election] Republican presidential nominee John McCain has not introduced any banking or housing bills in the 110th Congress, while [2008 Election Presidential] Democratic rival Barack Obama has proposed five." ... "Obama’s legislation calls for bolstering housing assistance for veterans, amending the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 to provide shareholders with an advisory vote on executive compensation, halting mortgage transactions that promote fraud, authorizing local and state governments to crack down on companies that invest in Iran's energy sector and authorizing a pilot program to prevent at-risk veterans from becoming homeless." -By Bob Cusack -TheHill.com
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Money
- Politics
- Federal
- Alaska
- Oil
- 2008
Election
"Palin's Project List Totals $453 Million." ... "Last week, [2008 Election] Republican presidential candidate [and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain said his running mate, Alaska [Republican Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin, hadn't sought earmarks or special-interest spending from Congress, presenting her as a fiscal conservative. But state records show Gov. Palin has asked U.S. [United States] taxpayers to fund $453 million in specific Alaska projects over the past two years." ... "These projects include more than $130 million in federal funds that would benefit Alaska's fishing industry and an additional $9 million to help Alaska oil companies. She also has sought $4.5 million to upgrade an airport on a Bering Sea island that has a year-round population of less than 100." ... "During an appearance Friday on ABC's "The View," Sen. McCain said Gov. Palin shared his views, and hasn't sought congressional earmarks. "Not as governor she hasn't," he said." ... "In fact, in the current fiscal year, she is seeking $197 million for 31 projects, the records show. In the prior year, her first year in office, she sought $256 million for dozens more projects ranging from research on rockfish and harbor-seal genetics to rural sanitation and obesity prevention." ... "The state's earmark requests stand out in part because its state government is among the wealthiest in the U.S. Flush with oil and gas royalties, it doesn't impose income or sales taxes. In fact, money flows the other way: Every man, woman and child this year got a check for $3,200." ... "The McCain campaign has also come under fire for saying on the stump and in TV ads that Gov. Palin killed the controversial "Bridge to Nowhere," a $223 million earmark linking the mainland to a sparsely populated island. In fact, she supported the project initially and killed it after it was widely criticized and Congress allowed the state to use the funds for other projects." -By Laura Meckler and John R. Wilke -WSJ.com
John
McCain - William
E. Timmons, Sr. - Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- Oil
-  Drug
- Housing
- Consumer
- Investigation
- Law
- Foreign
-  Japan
- US
- 2008
Election
"Obama Memo on a [Republican McCain] "Lobbyist-Run White House"." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain's Team of Lobbyists Grows, As They Plan for a Lobbyist-Run White House" ... "Joining the ranks of the seven lobbyists running McCain's campaign, William Timmons, a top Washington lobbyist, has been named to plan McCain's transition effort. With at least 177 lobbyists helping advise, raise money and run his campaign, there was little doubt who would be influencing McCain's White House, should he win, but this appointment just confirms: a John McCain White House will be organized, managed and influenced by lobbyists and the same old Washington politics John McCain has decried. Campaigning on reform while surrounding himself with lobbyists for the oil industry, big drug companies and foreign interests doesn't seem much like change, and nothing shows that more than naming a top Washington lobbyist to plan his transition." ... "SEPTEMBER 2008: TIMMONS JOINS MCCAIN TEAM" ... "One Of DC's “Most Senior Inside Players,” A Special Interest Lobbyist To Help McCain Transition Planning Effort. William E Timmons, Sr., the McCain campaign's new senior advisor of a hypothetical transition, is a “prominent Washington lobbyist who has worked for every Republican president since Richard Nixon” pointed out Time magazine. This year alone, he is registered as a lobbyist for Freddie Mac, Anheuser-Busch, an insurance industry trade group, an oil industry group, and a pharmaceutical company. Time called him one “of Washington's steadiest and most senior inside players.” [Time, 9/12/08; Senate Office of Public Records]" ... "Timmons, A Former Nixon Aide, Founded Lobbying Shop In The Aftermath Of Watergate. “Aftershocks of the Watergate scandal were still rumbling in 1975 when William Timmons and three other former Nixon aides decided to launch their own lobbying shop. ‘We figured if we got 10 clients to pay us $100,000 a year, we'd be in the clover,' recalls the 76-year-old Timmons.” [Politico, 3/7/07]" ... "WHILE MCCAIN CRITICIZED FREDDIE MAC'S LOBBYISTS, TIMMONS EARNED MILLIONS LOBBYING FOR FREDDIE MAC." ... " ... Timmons Earned More Than $2.7 Million for His Firm Lobbying for Freddie Mac from 2000-2008. William Timmons earned $2,795,000 in lobbying fees for his firm lobbying from 2000 through the 2nd Quarter of 2008. His firm lobbied for Freddie Mac on housing issues. [Timmons and Company Lobbying Disclosures, 2000-2008]" ... "TIMMONS ALSO EARNED MILLIONS FOR HIS FIRM LOBBYING FOR OIL COMPANIES" ... "Timmons Earned $2.1 Million for His Firm Lobbying for Unocal and Also Lobbied for Chevron. William Timmons lobbied for Unocal from 1999-2005 and then briefly lobbied for Chevron in 2005 after the firm purchased Unocal. [Timmons and Company Senate Lobbying Disclosures, 1999-2005]" ... "Timmons Lobbied on Two Price Gouging Prevention Bills For Oil Industry. According to lobbying disclosure forms, William Timmons – on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute – lobbied on S. 94 and S. 1263 in 2007, two bills which dealt with prohibiting price gouging by merchants. Timmons continued his registration, which began in 1999, into the summer of 2008. [Timmons and Company Senate Lobbying Disclosures]" ... "HITACHI: Timmons Contract Came As US Government Opened Investigation" ... "8/2/85: Justice Dept. Opens Investigation Of Hitachi For Antitrust Violations. In early August 1985, the US Dept. of “investigation of Hitachi Ltd. for alleged unfair pricing practices.” The probe “accused the Japanese of closing their doors to U.S.-produced goods while using unfair tactics to make gains in the domestic U.S. marketplace.”. [San Diego Union Tribune, 8/7/85]" ... "8/27/85: Hitachi Hires Timmons's Firm. The $75,000 contract (one year) was to “represent the interests of Hitachi before the legislative and executive branches.” [FARA, Exhibit AB, http://www.fara.gov/docs/3489-Exhibit-AB-19850901-D0V9DI01.pdf ]" ... "[FARA (Foreign Agent Registration Act) filings, US Dept. of Justice (fara.gov)]" -From the capaing of Barack Obama -TIME.com McLobbyist.com 
John
McCain - William
Timmons -  Rick
Davis - Corporate
- Government
- Political
- History
- Oil
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- 2008
Election
"McCain Taps Lobbyist for Transition." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain transition planner William] Timmons is the chairman emeritus of Timmons and Company, a small but influential lobbying firm he founded in 1975 shortly after leaving the [Republican Nixon-Ford] White House. According to Senate records, he registered to lobby in 2008 for a wide range of companies and trade groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, the American Medical Association, Chrysler, Freddie Mac, Visa USA and Anheuser-Busch." ... "His registrations include work on a number of issues that have become flashpoints in the presidential campaign. He has registered to work on bills that deal with the regulations of troubled [home] mortgage lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, a bill to provide farm subsidies and bills that regulate domestic oil-drilling." ... "By tapping Timmons, McCain has turned to one of Washington's steadiest and most senior inside players to guide him in the event of a victory — but also to someone who represents the antithesis of the kind of outside-of-Washington change he has recently been promising. One Republican familiar with the process said the decision to involve Timmons could become a political liability for the campaign's reformist image, especially in the wake of the controversies over the lobbying backgrounds of other McCain staffers, including campaign manager Rick Davis. "It's one more blind spot for Rick Davis and John McCain," the person said." -By Michael Scherer -TIME.com
Corporate
- Oil
- Government
- Political
-  Accounting
- Legal
- Investigation
- Drugs
"Sex, drug use and graft cited in U.S. agency scandal." ... "As Congress prepares to debate expansion of drilling in taxpayer-owned coastal waters, the Interior Department agency that collects oil and gas royalties has been caught up in a wide-ranging ethics scandal — including allegations of financial self-dealing, accepting gifts from energy companies, cocaine use and sexual misconduct." ... "In three reports delivered to Congress on Wednesday, the department's inspector general, Earl E. Devaney, found wrongdoing by a dozen current and former employees of the Minerals Management Service, which collects about $10 billion in royalties annually and is one of the government's largest sources of revenue other than taxes." ... ""A culture of ethical failure" pervades the agency, Devaney wrote in a cover memo." ... "The reports portray a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the [Republican President] Bush administration's watch." ... "The highest-ranking official criticized in the reports is Lucy Denett, the former associate director of minerals revenue management, who retired earlier this year as the inquiry was progressing." ... "One former official named in the report, Jimmy Mayberry, pleaded guilty to a felony conflict-of-interest charge in August and faces a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine." ... "In late 2002, when he was about to retire from the government, Mayberry drafted a "statement of work" for a consulting contract to perform essentially identical functions to his own. He then retired, started a company, and in June 2003 won the contract with the help of Denett and Milton Dial, another friend at the agency who later went to work for Mayberry." ... "Denett did not return a message left at her home on Wednesday with her husband, Paul Denett, who was the top procurement official in the [President Bush] White House Office of Management and Budget until he resigned this month. He declined to comment." ... "The other high-ranking official the Justice Department has declined to prosecute is Gregory Smith, the former program director of the royalty-in-kind program." ... "Some 19 officials — a third of the program's staff — took gifts from oil and gas executives, some with "prodigious frequency."" ... "On one occasion, the report said, the royalty-in-kind program allowed a Chevron representative who won a bid to purchase some of the government's oil to pay taxpayers a lower amount than his winning offer because he said he had made a mistake in his calculations. A report from Devaney's office earlier this year found that the program had frequently allowed companies that purchase the oil and gas to revise their bids downward after they won contracts. It documented 118 such occasions that cost taxpayers about $4.4 million in all." (1, 2, 3) -By Charlie Savage -NYTimes via -IHT.com |
