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2007 Energy Archive:

20071229

John Edwards - Barack Obama - Oil - Drug - Money - Foreign - Government - United States - Iowa - 2008 Election - "Edwards Pledges Ban on Lobbyists." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards vowed Saturday that corporate lobbyists would not be allowed to work in his administration, if elected." ... "“When I am president of the United States, no corporate lobbyists or anyone who has lobbied for a foreign government will work in my White House,” Mr. Edwards said, speaking at a public library." ... "He followed it up with an implicit attack on [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama] Mr. Obama." ... "[John Edwards said,] “I hear people argue that the way you can get things done is you sit at a table with drug companies, insurance companies, oil companies and negotiate with them, and somehow they will voluntarily give away their power,” he said. “I think it is a complete fantasy.”" ... "In a November speech to Iowa Democrats, Mr. Obama promised that lobbyists would not work in his White House." ... "But he [Obama] later amended his position, saying that lobbyists would not “dominate” his White House.”" ... "When campaigning, Mr. Edwards frequently reminds voters that he has never taken campaign contributions from lobbyists." -By Julie Bosman -NYTimes

20071225

Bill Richardson - John Edwards - Iowa - Energy - - New Mexico - North Carolina - 2008 Election - "Iowa caucus can elevate second choice." ... "Bill Grove is a [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Bill Richardson man. He thinks the New Mexico governor, with his background as a United Nations ambassador and secretary of the U.S. [United States] Department of Energy, is well seasoned for the White House." ... "But Grove has a backup plan." ... "If Richardson fails to qualify under Iowa's complicated system of counting Democratic caucus votes, Grove says he will switch his vote to former North Carolina Sen. [Senator and 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards." ... "Second choices usually don't fare well in politics. In Iowa, though, being second could be critical to success." ... "When Iowa Democrats caucus on Jan. 3, candidates who receive less than 15 percent of the vote are considered nonviable. Their backers have the choice of either going home or casting their ballots for their second choice." ... "Grove picked Edwards as his second choice because he likes Edwards' emphasis on helping restore rural America and his populist message about the declining middle class." ... ""I like his fighting spirit," he said." ... ""His message really resonates with you. I just personally like him."" -By Rob Christensen -McClatchy via -KansasCity.com

20071222

Families - Poverty - Agriculture - Christmas-Holidays - Thanksgiving - Gasoline - Households - Money - People - "Food Bank Shelves Going Bare At Holidays: High Living Costs Hurting Donations, While Increasing Demand By Needy Families." ... "The reports from across the country are dismaying: Food pantries are running short and cannot meet the needs of all those seeking help." ... "In the Department of Agriculture's most recent study of hunger in America, released in November, more than 35.5 million Americans, including 12.6 million children, were found to have "low" or "very low food security" (defined as households where hunger was prevalent, where there was not enough money to buy adequate food supplies, where food purchased did not last, or where family members had to cut down or skip meals - sometimes not eating for a day or longer)." ... "That's roughly 1 in 9 households. And the numbers are rising from last year." ... "Everywhere, people are feeling the crunch of rising gasoline and grocery prices, as well as utility bills, rent and mortgage payments." ... "Those factors also are cutting into people's ability to donate to food banks for others in need." ... "At Thanksgiving, the [America's Second Harvest] organization estimated that food banks nationally were short a total of 15 million pounds of food, or roughly 11.7 million meals. " -AP via -CBSNews

20071219

Stephen Johnson - Mary E Peters - Dick Cheney - Government - Political - Gas - Auto - Makers - Fuel - Economy - Laws - Environmental - Health - Safety - American - People - Transportation - California - History - Global - Climate - Clean Air Act - "EPA blocks California bid to limit greenhouse gases from cars." ... "The [Republican President] Bush administration blocked efforts by California and 16 other states Wednesday to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, setting up a political and legal fight over whether states can take a lead role in combatting global warming." ... "[Republican President Bush's] Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson rejected California's request for a waiver from the federal government to impose its tough tailpipe emissions standards. The other states were poised to adopt similar rules if California's request was granted." ... "The states represent nearly half the U.S. [United States] population, and their laws would effectively require automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions nationwide, despite [Republican] President Bush's rejection of mandatory national standards." ... "Johnson said Congress' passage of an energy bill this week that raises fuel economy standards for all cars and trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 made the state laws unnecessary." ... "California officials said they believed Johnson had long ago decided to oppose the state's waiver, and said he was using the newly passed energy bill as an excuse. Nothing in the new law prevents states from taking stronger action, they said." ... ""I find this disgraceful," said [California Democratic Senator] Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.[Democratic-California], who helped write the fuel-economy law. "The passage of the energy bill does not give the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] a green light to shirk its responsibility to protect the health and safety of the American people from air pollution."" ... "It was the first time the EPA has flat-out denied a waiver request by California under the Clean Air Act. The law gives California special authority to set stronger standards because the state has a long history of smog and other air-quality problems." ... "California officials complained that EPA's decision-making process for the waiver was tainted months ago when documents revealed that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters led a lobbying campaign to urge lawmakers to call the EPA and oppose the waiver request." ... "Automakers have been meeting regularly at the White House to discuss the new fuel-economy standards. The Detroit News reported that [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney met with the CEOs [Chief Executive Officers] of Chrysler and Ford this fall to try to influence the policy." -By Zachary Coile -SFGate.com

20071218

Wave - Technology - Company - Canada - San Francisco - California - Oregon - US - Global - Climate - "PG&E agrees to buy power from Canadian firm's proposed 'wave park'." ... "The dream of generating electricity from the ocean's waves will take a major step forward today when Pacific Gas and Electric Co. announces its support for plans to build the nation's first commercial wave power plant off the coast of Northern California, the latest step in the state's efforts to combat global warming." ... "The plant will consist of eight buoys bobbing in the water 2 1/2 miles offshore, each buoy generating electricity as it rises and falls with the waves. If all goes as planned, the "wave park" will begin operating in 2012." ... "The power it generates won't be much - enough to light 1,500 homes at most. But it represents another potential front in the fight against climate change. California has ordered utilities such as PG&E to buy more power from renewable sources that don't spew greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and heat the planet. The utilities are turning to the sun, the wind and now the ocean as a result." ... "San Francisco's [California] PG&E won't build or own the proposed wave park, near Eureka [California], which will be designed and built by Canadian company Finavera. Instead, PG&E has agreed to buy the plant's power." ... "That promise will help Finavera get financing for the project by showing potential investors that it already has a customer. It's an unusual step for a technology that, until now, has existed more in the lab than in the water." ... "There's no guarantee that the project will work. Finavera's prototype buoy sank off the Oregon coast earlier this year, for reasons the company hasn't completely nailed down." -By David R. Baker -SFGate.com
Iran - Russia - Fuel - Business - Construction - US - International - Military - Politics - "Russia starts nuclear fuel deliveries to Iran." ... "Iran passed a significant milestone in its quest for nuclear power status yesterday when it received a first delivery of enriched uranium from Russia, allowing for the completion of a long-delayed reactor at Bushehr [Iran]." ... "The head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, announced that 80 tonnes of fuel had been received, with further consignments expected in the next two months." ... "The delivery appeared to signal a weakening of the international coalition opposing Iranian nuclear ambitions which the US and its allies suspect are aimed at building an atomic bomb." ... "It also means Iran is just months away from having its first nuclear power station, after years of delays. The Russian contractors building the Bushehr plant, which will be used to generate electricity, say it could be operational within six months." -By Robert Tait -Guardian.co.uk

20071217

John Edwards - Working - Families - Energy - Corporate - Government - 2008 Election - Iowa - "Edwards Offers Middle-Class Pitch: [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards Sharpens Pitch Aimed At Working Families." ... "Edwards, on the seventh day of an eight-day bus tour of the state [of Iowa], spelled out the components of what he calls his "middle class rising agenda," including tax breaks for working families, tougher trade policies and investment in alternative energy." ... ""Corporate greed and political calculation have taken over our government and sold out the middle class," Edwards said. "That is wrong. It doesn't say 'life, liberty and the pursuit of endless corporate profits' in the Declaration of Independence."" ... ""We have a fight in front of us, we have a fight for the future of this country," he said. "We need someone who is going to step into that arena on your behalf, someone who is ready for that fight, somebody who has got it inside, somebody who has the toughness and strength and fight." ... ""Brothers and sisters, I was born for this fight," he told the more than 500 people jammed into a high school gym [in Iowa] to hear him." ... "Edwards also is making the case that he's best positioned to win the White House in November [2008's Election], pointing to polls that show him ahead of all the leading Republican presidential contenders." ... ""I was the only Democrat who beat every Republican in head-to-head matchups," Edwards said, telling backers to use that argument with wavering voters. "Make sure they know that the data is powerful, that I'm a winner. Say it that way."" -AP via -CBSNews

20071216

John Edwards - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - North Carolina - Illinois - New York - 2008 Election - Government - Oil - Drug - Companies - Health-Care - US - Iraq - Military - Iowa - Fields - "Edwards cuts sharper edge in Iowa trail speeches." ... ""The few, the powerful, the well-financed, they now control the government," [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards told a tight crowd of about 350 last week. "They've taken over your democracy. And it affects everything that happens in this country."" ... ""Everything," he emphasized." ... "During an 18-minute span, the former North Carolina senator took aim and fired freely at insurance, oil and drug companies and failed chief executives rewarded with golden parachutes. He described the Republican field as [Republican President] "George Bush on steroids" and said his Democratic competitors are talkers, not fighters." ... "In what has often been portrayed as a two-Democrat battle between [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Hillary Clinton of New York the populist Edwards is making an eight-day blitz across the frozen fields of Iowa, a sort of red-meat express to convince the middle class that he is the one who will wrest the country from the clutches of "corporate power and greed."" ... ""I know some people suggest we'll be able to sit at the table with drug companies and oil companies and think they can get their power away. Right," Edwards said dismissively, indirectly referring to the approaches he says Obama and Clinton would take." ... ""I'll tell you when they'll [corporations] lose their power: when we take it away from them," he told a cheering crowd at the [Iowa] Grinnell Eagles Club." ... ""There's been a change in America. We have greater concentration of wealth and power in a few. We have an increasingly dysfunctional health-care system. We have this war in Iraq that has gotten much worse," he said. "I think we need a president who's willing to be tough and to go after these things."" -By Tim Jones -ChicagoTribune

20071211

John Edwards - US - Iraq - Military - Corporate - Government - Energy - Drug - Health - Family - Farmers - 2008 Election - "AP Interview: Edwards on Iraq and Dems." ... "While [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John] Edwards continues to invoke ending the [Iraq] war as one of the major challenges facing the nation, the thrust of his message is that entrenched corporate power has prevented the government from tackling long-standing domestic problems." ... ""You hear a lot more questions about corporate power, health care, energy, family farmers," he said. "Those are the things people ask about."" ... ""My focus for these last few weeks is on a positive agenda," he said. "That's what America rising is all about."" ... "That's not to say Edwards' message doesn't have an edge." ... "His culprits are "powerful, well-entrenched, well-financed interests that are distorting the democracy in their favor and against the interests of most Americans."" ... ""The specific examples are oil companies, drug companies, insurance companies, power companies, there are lots more examples," he said. "They've used money and power to spread their influence and have kept the democracy from working for most people."" (1, 2) -By Jim Kuhnhenn -AP via -NOLA.com

20071210

Rudy Giuliani - Federal - Energy - Legislation - Politics - Wind - Technology - Environment - 2008 Election - Massachusetts - Georgia - Ohio - "Giuliani Firm, Utilities Team Up to Fight Renewable-Energy Plan." ... "A lobbying blitz by some of the U.S.'s biggest utility companies is likely to strangle the most potent provision in energy legislation that's making its way through Congress." ... "[Atlanta, Georgia-based] Southern Co., [Ohio based] American Electric Power Co. and other producers hired top Washington lobbyists, including [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani's firm, to help defeat a measure that would force them to boost electricity generated by wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy to 15 percent of the U.S. total by 2020. That's up from less than 2 percent today, and is a move the industry says would cost at least $67 billion." ... "The Senate failed on Dec. 7 to get the 60 votes needed to move the legislation, a day after the House of Representatives approved it. To get the bill to [Republican] President George W. Bush's desk this year and steer clear of a White House veto threat, the Senate will probably have to pass a weakened measure." ... "``The lobbying effort led by Southern Co. is the principal obstacle to America unleashing a renewable-electricity revolution,'' says Representative Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat[ic Representative] who has led the fight for a federal standard on the new energy sources." ... "The legislation pits the utilities and oil companies against wind and solar-electricity producers, as well as venture-capital firms such as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where former [Democratic] Vice President Al Gore is a partner. Those firms have made billions of dollars in clean-energy-technology investments, which would pay off if the bill becomes law." -By Daniel Whitten and Tina Seeley -Bloomberg

20071203

United States - Debt - Government - Fiscal - Politics - People - Parents - Accounting - History - Homeowners - Japan - China - Britain - Saudi Arabia - Oil - Countries - "National Debt Grows $1 Million a Minute." ... "Like a ticking time bomb, the national debt is an explosion waiting to happen. It's expanding by about $1.4 billion a day -- or nearly $1 million a minute." ... "What's that mean to you?" ... "It means almost $30,000 in debt for each man, woman, child and infant in the United States." ... "Even if you've escaped the recent housing and credit crunches and are coping with rising fuel prices, you may still be headed for economic misery, along with the rest of the country. That's because the government is fast straining resources needed to meet interest payments on the national debt, which stands at a mind-numbing $9.13 trillion." ... "And like homeowners who took out adjustable-rate mortgages, the government faces the prospect of seeing this debt -- now at relatively low interest rates -- rolling over to higher rates, multiplying the financial pain." ... "The national debt -- the total accumulation of annual budget deficits -- is up from $5.7 trillion when [Republican] President Bush took office in January 2001 and it will top $10 trillion [$10,000,000,000,000.00] sometime right before or right after he leaves in January 2009." ... "Foreign governments and investors now hold some $2.23 trillion -- or about 44 percent -- of all publicly held U.S. debt. That's up 9.5 percent from a year earlier." ... "Japan is first with $586 billion, followed by China ($400 billion) and Britain ($244 billion). Saudi Arabia and other oil-exporting countries account for $123 billion, according to the Treasury." ... "Democrats are blaming the runup in deficit spending on [Republican President] Bush and his Republican allies who controlled Congress for the first six years of his presidency." (1, 2, 3) -By Tom Raum -APvia -ChicagoTribune

20071201

Secret - Rudy Giuliani - Cops - Car - Family - Travel - Gas - Account - New York - Pennsylvania - Christmas - 2008 Election - "City taxpayers picked up tab for Judith Giuliani's visit to kin in Pennsylvania." ... "In the fall of 2001, [New York City, New York] city cops chauffeured [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani's then-mistress, Judith Nathan, to her parents' Pennsylvania home 130 miles away on the taxpayers' dime." ... "Records show that city cops refueled at an ExxonMobil station down the road from Nathan's childhood home in Hazleton on Oct. 20, 2001, while Giuliani stayed behind in New York attending 9/11 funerals." ... "A similar receipt pops up at a different Hazleton gas station two months later, when Nathan apparently went home for a pre-Christmas visit with her parents." ... "The records show that - in addition to using [New York] City Hall funds to take Giuliani and Nathan to 11 secret trysts in the Hamptons, as has been previously reported - taxpayers were paying to ferry Nathan on long-distance trips without Giuliani, now a Republican contender for President." ... "The expenses were all paid with a City Hall American Express card funded with money from mayoral office units that had nothing to do with travel or security." -By Michael Saul and David Saltonstall -NYDailyNews.com

20071130

Business - Government - Politics - 2008 Election - Family - Health - Safety - Environment - Air - Water - Soil - Labor - Animal - Farmers - Energy - Transportation - Automakers - Consumer - History - "Business Lobby Presses Agenda Before ’08 Vote." ... "Business lobbyists, nervously anticipating Democratic gains in next year’s elections, are racing to secure final approval for a wide range of health, safety, labor and economic rules, in the belief that they can get better deals from the [Republican President] Bush administration than from its successor." ... "Hoping to lock in policies backed by a pro-business administration, poultry farmers are seeking an exemption for the smelly fumes produced by tons of chicken manure. Businesses are lobbying the Bush administration to roll back rules that let employees take time off for family needs and medical problems. And electric power companies are pushing the government to relax pollution-control requirements." ... "The Federal Register typically grows fat with regulations churned out in the final weeks of any administration. But the push for such rules has become unusually intense because of the possibility that Democrats in 2009 may consolidate control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives for the first time in 14 years." ... "At the Transportation Department, trucking companies are trying to get final approval for a rule increasing the maximum number of hours commercial truck drivers can work. And automakers are trying to persuade officials to set new standards for the strength of car roofs — standards far less stringent than what consumer advocates say is needed to protect riders in a rollover." ... "At the Interior Department, coal companies are lobbying for a regulation that would allow them to dump rock and dirt from mountaintop mining operations into nearby streams and valleys." ... "Some of the biggest battles now involve rules affecting the quality of air, water and soil." (1, 2) -By Robert Pear -NYTimes

20071127

Secret - US - Iraq - Texas - Oil - Money - Criminal - UN - Food - "Texas oilman Wyatt sentenced to year in prison." ... "Texas oilman Oscar Wyatt was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Tuesday for conspiracy in the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, becoming the most prominent figure jailed over corruption in the program to buy oil from Saddam Hussein's Iraq." ... "Under his plea agreement, prosecutors dropped four other counts against him, cutting short a trial in which they made a case that he paid secret kickbacks to Saddam's government to win oil contracts from Iraq." ... "U.S. criminal investigations into the corrupted U.N. program has so far produced the convictions of seven individuals and two companies, including Chevron Corp. which agreed to pay $30 million to resolve criminal and civil liabilities." (1, 2) -By Christine Kearney with contributions by David Wiessler -Reuters

20071126

US - Iraq - Military - Oil - Money - UN - "Iraqis may offer US deal to stay longer." ... "Iraq's government, seeking protection against foreign threats and internal coups, will offer the U.S. a long-term troop presence in Iraq in return for U.S. security guarantees as part of a strategic partnership, two Iraqi officials said Monday." ... "In Washington, [Republican] President Bush's adviser on the Iraqi war, [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, confirmed the proposal, calling it "a set of principles from which to begin formal negotiations."" ... "As part of the package, the Iraqis want an end to the current U.N.-mandated multinational forces mission, and also an end to all U.N.-ordered restrictions on Iraq's sovereignty." ... "The Americans appeared generally favorable subject to negotiations on the details, which include preferential treatment for American investments, according to the Iraqi officials involved in the discussions." ... "Preferential treatment for U.S. investors could provide a huge windfall if Iraq can achieve enough stability to exploit its vast oil resources." -By Qassim Abdul-Zahra -AP via -Yahoo

20071116

Saudi Arabia - Oil - Industry - Terrorism - Osama bin Laden - US - Politics - "Saudi builds security force of 35,000 to guard oil." ... "Saudi Arabia is building up a special 35,000-strong rapid reaction force to protect its energy installations from attacks by militants targeting the world's largest oil exporter." ... "The kingdom started recruiting and training the industrial security force a year ago, after a failed al Qaeda attack on the world's largest oil processing plant at Abqaiq in February 2006." ... "The network's Saudi branch vowed more strikes on oil facilities after the attack, the first to directly target the kingdom's oil sector since militants began a campaign against the U.S.-allied Saudi royals in May 2003." ... "Al Qaeda's Saudi-born leader, Osama bin Laden, has called for it to take aim specifically at oil." ... "The new force already has around 9,000 personnel either in training or already active, and will reach full strength of up to 35,000 in three to four years, Mansour said." (1, 2, 3) -By Simon Webb with contributions by Samira Kawar -Reuters

20071113

US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Military - Jobs - Oil - Medical - Politics - "'Hidden Costs' Double Price Of Two Wars, Democrats Say." ... "The economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, according to a new study by congressional Democrats that estimates the conflicts' "hidden costs"-- including higher oil prices, the expense of treating wounded veterans and interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars." ... "That amount is nearly double the $804 billion the White House has spent or requested to wage these wars through 2008, according to the Democratic staff of Congress's Joint Economic Committee. Its report, titled "The Hidden Costs of the Iraq War," estimates that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have thus far cost the average U.S. family of four more than $20,000." ... "The report argues that war funding is diverting billions of dollars away from "productive investment" by American businesses in the United States. It also says that the conflicts are pulling reservists and National Guardsmen away from their jobs, resulting in economic disruptions for U.S. employers that the report estimates at $1 billion to $2 billion." ... "Oil prices have more than tripled since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the report notes, to a peak of more than $90 per barrel. "The war in Iraq is certainly not responsible for all of this increase," the report states, but it estimates that declining Iraqi production "has likely raised oil prices in the U.S. by between $4 and $5 a barrel." The report added that "because of the many factors affecting oil markets, this should be seen as a highly approximate estimate."" ... "The committee's Democrats estimated that injuries due to the wars could add more than $30 billion in future disability and medical care costs, including billions in lost earnings for veterans who cannot work because of post-traumatic stress disorder." (1, 2) -By Josh White with contributions by Julie Tate -WashingtonPost

20071112

Al Gore - US - Global - Climate - Planet - Environment - Energy - Technology - Politics - Lawmakers - "Al Gore's next act: Planet-saving VC: The recovering politician is teaming with a legendary venture capitalist and bigtime moneyman to make over the $6 trillion global energy business. A Fortune exclusive." ... "[Former Democratic Vice President Al] Gore appears utterly comfortable with this drill, but in fact he's engaging in some on-the-job training. The recovering politician, environmental activist, and Nobel laureate is adding another title to his résumé: venture capitalist. After "a conversation that's gone on for a year and a half," according to Gore, he has decided to join his old pal John Doerr as an active, hands-on partner at Kleiner Perkins, Silicon Valley's preeminent venture firm." ... "According to Doerr, by 2009 more than a third of Kleiner's latest fund, which was raised in 2006 and totals $600 million, will be invested in technologies that aim to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Already Kleiner has invested more than $270 million from various funds in 26 companies that make everything from microbes that scrub old oil wells to electric cars to noncorn ethanol. Twelve of Kleiner's 22 partners now spend some or all of their time on green investments." ... "In turn, Doerr, the master networker whose greatest hits include initial investments in Netscape, Amazon (Charts, Fortune 500), and Google(Charts, Fortune 500), will join the exclusive advisory board of Generation Investment Management. That's the $1 billion investment company Gore started three years ago in London with David Blood, the former head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, to analyze and invest in publicly traded "sustainable" companies. Over the past five weeks Gore, Doerr, and Blood agreed to give Fortune an exclusive look at their new alliance." ... "Already they've begun to pool information. Generation came across a small company engaged in carbon trading that Kleiner is analyzing, and Kleiner has shared intelligence about which startups could threaten the established companies in Generation's portfolio. In the long term, though, they want to help drive something much larger, "bigger than the Industrial Revolution and significantly faster," as Gore puts it." ... "They argue that to halt global warming, nothing less will be required than a makeover of the $6 trillion global energy business. Coal plants, gas stations, the internal-combustion engine, petrochemicals, plastic bags, even bottled water will have to give way to clean, green, sustainable technologies. "What we are going to have to put in place is a combination of the Manhattan Project, the Apollo project, and the Marshall Plan, and scale it globally," Gore continues. "It'd be promising too much to say we can do it on our own, but we intend to do our part."" (1, 2, 3) -By Marc Gunther and Adam Lashinsky -Fortune via -CNN

20071019

Oil - History - World - US - EU - "Crude Oil Breaches $90 a Barrel on Dollar Drop Against Euro." ... "Crude oil breached $90 a barrel in New York for the first time as the dollar traded near a record low against the euro, enhancing the appeal of commodities as an investment." ... "Investors purchased oil on speculation the Federal Reserve will cut borrowing costs to bolster the U.S. economy when policy makers meet on Oct. 31. Interest-rate futures show a 70 percent likelihood the Fed will lower its target rate for overnight loans a quarter-percentage point to 4.5 percent. The euro reached a record $1.4310 yesterday. " -By Bill Murray and Nesa Subrahmaniyan -Bloomberg

20071018

Iraq - Iran - China - US - Construction - Power - Politics - Military - "Iraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S.." ... "Iraq has agreed to award $1.1 billion in contracts to Iranian and Chinese companies to build a pair of enormous power plants, the Iraqi electricity minister said Tuesday. Word of the project prompted serious concerns among American military officials, who fear that Iranian commercial investments can mask military activities at a time of heightened tension with Iran." ... "The Iraqi electricity minister, Karim Wahid, said that the Iranian project would be built in Sadr City, a Shiite enclave in Baghdad that is controlled by followers of the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr. He added that Iran had also agreed to provide cheap electricity from its own grid to southern Iraq, and to build a large power plant essentially free of charge in an area between the two southern Shiite holy cities of Karbala and Najaf." ... "The expansion of ties between Iraq and Iran comes as the United States and Iran clash on nuclear issues and about what American officials have repeatedly said is Iranian support for armed groups in Iraq. American officials have charged that Iranians, through the international military wing known as the Quds Force, are particularly active in support of elite elements of the Mahdi Army, a militia largely controlled by Mr. Sadr." ... "At the same time, it is possible to view Iranian and Chinese investment as giving those countries a stake in Iraqi stability. The power plants could also boost a troubled reconstruction effort in Iraq." ... "The agreements between Iraq and Iran come after the American-led reconstruction effort, which relied heavily on large American contractors, has spent nearly $5 billion of United States taxpayer money on Iraq’s electricity grid. Aside from a few isolated bright spots, there was little clear impact in a nation where in many places electricity is still available only for a few hours each day." (1, 2) -By James Glanz with contributions by Alissa J. Rubin and Ahmad Fadam -NYTimes

20071009

British - Iraq - Kuwait - US - Oil - Sea - Transportation - Politics - "British pullout in Iraq leaves Basra in chaos." ... "The British troop pullout from Iraq announced yesterday leaves Basra, Iraq's second largest and most strategically important city, in near total chaos both politically and militarily." ... "It comes at a time when at least four Shia militias are fighting over the city, which is surrounded by most of the nation's tremendous oil reserves and provides Iraq's only gateway to the sea." ... "Equally vital for U.S. strategists, the city also controls the southern portion of the road from Kuwait to Baghdad [Iraq's capital], along which mostly all U.S. supplies are brought in." ... "[British] Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday Britain will cut its forces in Iraq by half in the spring, shrinking the commitment of America's leading coalition partner to just 2,500 troops engaged mainly in "training and mentoring" of Iraqi forces. UK troops have been based solely in and around Basra." -By Timothy M. Phelps -Newsday.com

20070925

Nuclear - Energy - Construction - Industry - Government - Environmental - Law - Language - Politics - History - Land - Maryland - New Jersey - "Nuclear Utilities Redefine One Word to Bulldoze for New Plants." ... "On tree-lined bluffs overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, where anti-nuclear activists won a landmark environmental victory 36 years ago, Constellation Energy Group Inc. is engineering atomic power's comeback." ... "This time, even if there are protests, bulldozers will roll." ... "That's because the [Maryland] Baltimore-based utility and its allies have found a way around a longstanding regulatory policy they say added a year or more to construction times for nuclear plants." ... "In April, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission [NRC] agreed to industry demands that it reduce its oversight of initial work at reactor sites. By narrowing its definition of the word ``construction'' in agency rules, the NRC put off the required public hearings and permits that have waylaid past projects." ... "The untold story of how the energy lobby and the federal government worked to clear a path for new reactors -- backed by an NRC commissioner [Republican Jeffrey Merrifield] seeking a job in the [nuclear] industry -- reveals one way pro-nuclear forces have stolen a march on environmentalists." ... "Utilities and the administration of [Republican] President George W. Bush say they want new reactors on line by 2015. Power companies are rushing to take advantage of federal tax credits and loan guarantees in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, some of which begin to expire next year. The NRC says it expects to receive as many as 21 applications to build 32 new reactors, the first of which will be filed today by NRG Energy Inc. of Princeton, New Jersey." ... "The new construction rule is only the latest such initiative. In 2004, the NRC limited the public's ability to gather evidence and question witnesses during hearings." ... "By redefining ``construction'' to exclude excavation, road building and the erection of some cooling towers, the NRC could reduce its oversight without violating the 1971 court order." ... "Andrew Kugler, senior environmental project manager in the NRC's New Reactor Office, protested to the general counsel's office. Kugler said in an e-mail that the proposed rule would exclude from NRC regulation ``probably 90 percent of the true environmental impacts of construction.''" -By Elliot Blair Smith -Bloomberg

20070914

Pete Kott - Ben Stevens - Ted Stevens - Secret - Alaska - VECO - Oil - Money - Crime - Politics - 2006 Election - "Witness in Alaska says he had oil company contacts: Ex-CEO who pleaded guilty says he talked with top unit officials" ... "Veco Corp.'s former chief executive told a federal jury Thursday that he was in regular contact with officials at ConocoPhillips and BP's Alaska divisions while bribing state lawmakers there to limit the state's oil production tax." ... "Bill Allen, ex-CEO of Veco, the [Alaska] Anchorage-based oil-services contractor, made the claim at the bribery and fraud trial of former Alaska state [Alaska state Republican Representative] Rep. Pete Kott. Allen told jurors in Anchorage federal court that he paid Kott about $8,000 to help fund the lawmaker's 2006 re-election campaign in exchange for his vote and influence with other representatives during a legislative debate over state oil taxes. Kott denied the charges." ... "Allen said he wanted to keep oil taxes low for his oil producer clients, whom he called "the three big boys" in secretly recorded conversations, and encouraged them to build a multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the lower 48 states. The clients were ConocoPhillips, BP and Exxon Mobil, he said." ... "On Thursday Allen claimed to have paid phony consulting fees to [Alaska state Republican Senator] Ben Stevens. Ben and [his father, Alaska Republican Senator] Ted Stevens have denied any wrongdoing and haven't been charged with a crime." -By Tony Hopfinger -Bloomberg via -Chron

20070913

US - Iraqi - United Arab Emirates - Texas - Oil - Money - Law - "Compromise on Oil Law in Iraq Seems to Be Collapsing." ... "A carefully constructed compromise on a draft law governing Iraq’s rich oil fields, agreed to in February after months of arduous talks among Iraqi political groups, appears to have collapsed. The apparent breakdown comes just as Congress and the [Republican President Bush] White House are struggling to find evidence that there is progress toward reconciliation and a functioning government here." ... "Senior Iraqi negotiators met in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] on Wednesday in an attempt to salvage the original compromise, two participants said. But the meeting came against the backdrop of a public series of increasingly strident disagreements over the draft law that had broken out in recent days between Hussain al-Shahristani, the Iraqi oil minister, and officials of the provincial government in the Kurdish north, where some of the nation’s largest [oil] fields are located." ... "The oil law — which would govern how oil fields are developed and managed — is one of several benchmarks that the Bush administration has been pressing the Iraqis to meet as a sign that they are making headway toward creating an effective government." ... "Contributing to the dispute is the decision by the Kurds to begin signing contracts with international oil companies before the federal law is passed. The most recent instance, announced last week on a Kurdish government Web site, was an oil exploration contract with the Hunt Oil Company of Dallas [Texas]." ... "The Sunni Arabs who removed their support for the deal did so, in part, because of a contract the Kurdish government signed earlier with a company based in the United Arab Emirates, Dana Gas, to develop gas reserves." (1, 2) -By James Glanz with contributions by Ahmad Fadam, Ali Hamdani and Khalid al-Ansary -NYTimes

20070912

Oil - Consumer - Money - Alaska - "Oil hits record over $80 on tight supply." ... "Crude oil prices vaulted to a record high $80 a barrel on Wednesday as dealers focused on tight inventories in top consumer the United States ahead of peak winter demand." ... "A rash of fires at BP's oil fields in Alaska's North Slope added to the record run, though BP said the accidents had minimal impact to production that was already being curtailed by routine maintenance." ... "Adjusted for inflation, prices are still below the $90-a-barrel peaks of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and the start of the Iran-Iraq war the following year." (1, 2) -By Richard Valdmanis with contributions by Matthew Robinson in New York and Jane Merriman -Reuters

20070911

Mexico - US - Oil - Money - Political - Army - "6 pipelines blown up in Mexico." ... "In an apparent case of politically motivated sabotage, six explosions blew apart oil and natural gas pipelines operated by Mexico's Pemex state oil and gas monopoly early Monday in Veracruz and Tlaxcala states [of Mexico], causing fires and forcing the evacuation of 15,000 people from surrounding towns." ... "Mexico is the world's sixth-largest oil producer and a major supplier of petroleum to the U.S. The outages drove the price of oil above $78 a barrel in futures trading Monday." ... "Monday's attacks occurred two months after a leftist guerrilla group, the Popular Revolutionary Army, known by its Spanish initials EPR, took responsibility for carrying out four similar bomb attacks on Pemex pipelines and a switching station in the central states of Queretaro and Guanajuato." ... "Although no group claimed responsibility for Monday's attacks, political analysts here said they bore the hallmarks of the EPR or a similar group, and probably were intended as a message against President Felipe Calderon and his policies." ... "Jose Antonio Crespo, a political analyst, said that the attacks on Pemex reflected the growing "radicalization" of Mexico's left-wing groups, which believe they have been systematically shut out of political power by the Fox and Calderon administrations." ... ""This is a direct consequence of what Calderon received as an inheritance of the election, in which he was chosen in a doubtful manner" from his leftist opponents' perspective, Crespo said." -By Reed Johnson with contributions by Cecilia Sánchez -LAtimes

20070905

US - Iraq - Military - Construction - Money - Politics - Government - Accounting - Investigations - Texas - Oil - Water - "Iraq Contractors Tap Law Firms: A civil 'war zone' of investigation." ... "The war in Iraq has an army of high-profile attorneys working to steer defense contractors through a minefield of lawsuits and federal investigations involving war profiteering and fraud." ... "During the past year, several defense contractors hired to help rebuild Iraq have come under federal investigation or faced litigation for allegedly defrauding the government. Government officials estimate that $10 billion in Iraq-related contracts are unaccounted for and may have been lost to fraud or other misconduct." ... "Currently, about 80 federal investigations looking into contract fraud are under way, and more than 20 cases have been referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution, according to congressional testimony offered by federal auditors. During the last three years, contract fraud investigations have yielded 10 arrests, five indictments, five convictions and two imprisonments." ... "High-caliber law firms have lined up to help guide defense contractors through investigations and prosecutions and relieve their fears of prosecution, not receiving payment or being banned from doing business with the government." ... "Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Vinson & Elkins of Houston [Texas] are representing former Halliburton subsidiary KBR Inc., which is facing scrutiny over a $25.7 billion contract to help rebuild oil services in Iraq." ... "Patton Boggs of Washington has come to the aid of Halliburton, the largest private contractor in Iraq, which is facing congressional scrutiny." ... "Washington's Brand Law Group is advising Fluor, a U.S. engineering and construction firm that is facing questions over its $1.1 billion water and sewage contract in Iraq. " -By Tresa Baldas -NLJ.com via -Law.com

20070903

Iran - Nuclear - Energy - Military - Religion - Economy - Student - Free Speech - "On Two Fronts, One Nuclear, Iran Is Defiant." ... "Iran’s leaders issued dual, defiant statements on Sunday, with the president announcing that the nation had 3,000 active centrifuges to enrich uranium and the top ayatollah appointing a new Islamic Revolutionary Guards commander who once advocated military force against students." ... "The most recent report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, released Thursday, said Iran had 1,968 centrifuges enriching uranium at its main Natanz plant, 328 in testing, and 328 in assembly — for a total of 2,624. The report noted that the assessment was accurate as of Aug. 19, or two weeks ago." ... "The goal of 3,000 centrifuges is significant to nuclear experts: they say that if Iran could spin that many centrifuges nonstop for a year, it could make enough highly enriched uranium for a single atom bomb." ... "[Iran's supreme leader] Ayatollah Khamenei announced that Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, who had led the force for a decade, would be replaced by Brig. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari." ... "The Guards, which has about 200,000 members, controls a huge empire that has a stake in every significant corner of Iran’s economy and its civil system of governance. Mr. Ahmadinejad was a member of the Guards during the 1980 to 1988 war with Iraq, and he has placed dozens of former members in leadership positions around the country and in the central government in Tehran." ... "The Guards are, by design, the most economic and politically independent body in the country, outside of the supreme leader’s office. General Jafari has an established record of support for the theocratic system of government, and its hard-line policies." -By Michael Slackman and Nazila Fathi with contributions by David E. Sanger and William J. Broad -NYTimes

20070827

China - Environmental - Health - Politics - Air- Land - Water - Coal - Weather - Science - Industrial - History - International - South Korea - Japan - USA - California - Los Angeles - EU - Sports - Children - "As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes." ... "No country in history has emerged as a major industrial power without creating a legacy of environmental damage that can take decades and big dollops of public wealth to undo." ... "But just as the speed and scale of China’s rise as an economic power have no clear parallel in history, so its pollution problem has shattered all precedents. Environmental degradation is now so severe, with such stark domestic and international repercussions, that pollution poses not only a major long-term burden on the Chinese public but also an acute political challenge to the ruling Communist Party. And it is not clear that China can rein in its own economic juggernaut." ... "Public health is reeling. Pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death, the Ministry of Health says. Ambient air pollution alone is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water." ... "Chinese cities often seem wrapped in a toxic gray shroud. Only 1 percent of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union. Beijing [China's capital] is frantically searching for a magic formula, a meteorological deus ex machina, to clear its skies for the 2008 Olympics." ... "Environmental woes that might be considered catastrophic in some countries can seem commonplace in China: industrial cities where people rarely see the sun; children killed or sickened by lead poisoning or other types of local pollution; a coastline so swamped by algal red tides that large sections of the ocean no longer sustain marine life." ... "China is choking on its own success. The economy is on a historic run, posting a succession of double-digit growth rates. But the growth derives, now more than at any time in the recent past, from a staggering expansion of heavy industry and urbanization that requires colossal inputs of energy, almost all from coal, the most readily available, and dirtiest, source." ... "China’s problem has become the world’s problem. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides spewed by China’s coal-fired power plants fall as acid rain on Seoul, South Korea [capital], and Tokyo [Japan's capital]. Much of the particulate pollution over Los Angeles [California, USA] originates in China, according to the Journal of Geophysical Research." (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) -By Joseph Kahn and Jim Yardley -NYTimes

20070819

Government - Coal - Money - Workers - Safety - Utah - West Virginia - "Handling of mine disaster questioned: US safety agency may face scrutiny." ... "The government agency overseeing coal mine safety was supposed to have changed its ways after West Virginia's deadly Sago Mine disaster. Its handling of the cave-ins at Utah's Crandall Canyon Mine have some worried that the changes didn't go far enough." ... "[Republican President Bush's] Mine Safety and Health Administration director Richard Stickler had already come under fire for being slow to take public control of the scene." ... "Even though Stickler's agency is supposed to be in charge, the mine's co-owner, Bob Murray, has dominated news conferences, narrated video of rescue efforts for TV news, and -- despite safety concerns -- personally led reporters and family members on a tour of his mine." ... "The fact that the federal agency let anyone, including rescuers, into the still-dangerous mine is raising new questions. Others also predict greater scrutiny of the agency's decision to allow mining at Crandall Canyon at all, given what it knew about conditions that made the mine particularly unstable." -By Jennifer Talhelm -AP via -BostonGlobe

20070818

Utah - Worker - Safety - Political- Federal - Law - Coal - Industry - Disaster- Earth - Science - "Mine's dangers overlooked." ... "Although mine owner Robert Murray has taken an active role in the rescue effort, his judgment all along about the mine's safety has been questionable." ... "Crandall Canyon is a "retreat mining" operation, in which coal pillars more than a mile beneath the surface are removed to get the last remnants of coal, causing the tunnel ceiling to collapse - presumably after miners have retreated to safe ground. It is an inherently dangerous mining method. In fact, the collapse Thursday that killed the three rescuers was a "mining-induced settling of the mountain," according to University of Utah researchers." ... "There is plenty of legitimate criticism of the [Republican President Bush overseen] federal Mine Safety and Health Administration for allowing the mining to go on so long. "I'm surprised that (the mine owner) would try to take that last section," said Robert Ferriter, a mine safety expert. "I would've thought that would have triggered someone from MSHA to say, 'Wait a minute, let's take a look at this.' "" ... "Murray's assurances of the tunnel's safety, for both the mining and rescue operations, proved to be inaccurate. A controversial figure in mining, Murray has sought tax cuts for the industry and given generously to Republican congressional candidates, particularly those from mining states, through his company's political action committee." -SPTimes.com
Dick Cheney - Oil - Industry - 2008 Election - Environmental - Iowa - "Obama Says Energy Policy A Moral Issue: [2008 election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama Says Energy Policy Requires Shaking Up The Status Quo." ... "Democrat Barack Obama said Saturday the country faces an "an urgent moral challenge" to reduce reliance on oil and needs a president willing to defy special interests in Washington that dictate energy policy." ... ""We've got to have a president in the White House who sets bold targets and sets broad goals and isn't intimidated by the barriers and the roadblocks and isn't driven by those who already have an investment in the status quo _ somebody who can overcome the lobby-driven, divisive politics that characterizes this issue," Obama told about 300 people at Waverly Light and Power, the [Wavery, Iowa] city utility." ... ""We've got an energy policy that doesn't just seem like it's written by industry lobbyists," he said. "It was written by energy lobbyists."" ... "[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney led the [Republican President Bush] administration's energy task force, which Obama said met once with environmentalists, once with renewable energy experts and 40 times with oil industry leaders." ... ""It's an urgent moral challenge that demands attention now," he [Obama] said. "We can free ourselves from the tyranny of oil."" -Contributed to by Amy Lorentzen -AP via -CBSNews

20070817

John Edwards - Iowa - Oil - Drug- Seniors - Health - Business - Law - 2008 Election - "Edwards Attacks 'Robber Barons,' Lobbyists to Win Votes in Iowa." ... "[2008 election Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards,] In campaign speeches and conversations with voters, the presidential candidate calls some companies ``robber barons.'' Business lobbyists have ``rigged'' the system to block fair trade policies and efforts to curb reliance on overseas oil, he says. Drug and insurance companies are to blame for 83-year-old Marguerite Erickson's $3,000-a-year health bill, he told her at a rally in Perry this week." ... "Did she believe it? ``You bet,'' she said after the event. ``I think he's got the right idea.''" ... "Edwards's populist themes are nothing new for him. His standard 2004 campaign speech lamented the existence of ``two different Americas, one for people who have lived the American dream and don't have to worry, and another for most Americans who work hard and still struggle to make ends meet.''" ... "Still, his rhetoric then, and even earlier in the current campaign, lacked the accusatory edge it has acquired in the past month. ``We need to take back America from the Washington insiders running the country,'' he said Aug. 14 in Pocahontas, Iowa. Earlier in the week, Edwards told a crowd in Perry, about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, that health-care costs remain high because ``we have not taken on and beaten down the drug companies and insurance companies.'' " -By Nicholas Johnston -Bloomberg

20070815

Australia- India - Fuel - Money - Pakistan - Israel - International - Law - Politics - "Report: Australia OKs Uranium to India." ... "Australia will not sell uranium to Pakistan even if sales begin to its nuclear-armed rival, India, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Wednesday." ... "Downer declined to confirm media reports that the Cabinet's National Security Committee has accepted his proposal to sell uranium to India despite its refusal to sign an international nonproliferation treaty." ... "But he said it would not signal that Pakistan and Israel - two other nuclear powers that have not signed the nonproliferation treaty - would also acquire nuclear fuel from Australia, which holds 40 percent of the world's known uranium reserves." -AP via Forbes

20070814

Food - Gasoline - Job - Consumer - Politics - "Prices for key foods are rising sharply." ... "The Labor Department's most recent inflation data showed that U.S. food prices rose by 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending in July, but a deeper look at the numbers reveals that the price of milk, eggs and other essentials in the American diet are actually rising by double digits." ... "Already stung by a two-year rise in gasoline prices, American consumers now face sharply higher prices for foods they can't do without. This little-known fact may go a long way to explaining why, despite healthy job statistics, Americans remain glum about the economy." ... "Meeting with economic writers last week, President Bush dismissed several polls that show Americans are down on the economy. He expressed surprise that inflation is one of the stated concerns." ... ""They cite inflation?" Bush asked, adding that, "I happen to believe the war has clouded a lot of people's sense of optimism."" ... "But the inflation numbers reveal the extent to which lower- and middle-income Americans are being pinched." ... "The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its July inflation report that egg prices are 33.7 percent higher than they were in July 2006. Over the same period, according to the department's consumer price index, whole milk was up 21.1 percent; fresh chicken 8.4 percent; navel oranges 13.6 percent; apples 8.7 percent. Dried beans were up 11.5 percent, and white bread just missed double-digit growth, rising by 8.8 percent." -By Kevin G. Hall -McClatchyDC.com
US - Sudan - Iran - China - Mitt Romney - Oil - Money - People - Human Rights - 2008 Election - Massachusetts - California - Iowa - Nevada - "Romney portfolio has link to Sudan: The GOP candidate's trustee has recently sold other potentially controversial holdings." ... "[2008 election] Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney divested from companies doing business in Iran, but he still holds stock in an oil company that does business in Sudan -- where the government is accused of sponsoring genocide -- his financial disclosure report filed Monday shows." ... "Romney, the wealthiest presidential contender, is worth $190 million to $250 million, with investments spread among stocks, treasuries and high-end funds. R. Bradford Malt, Romney's attorney, acts as sole trustee of what until Monday was a blind trust, and makes investment decisions." ... "His wealth is key to his candidacy. As he did when he successfully ran for Massachusetts governor in 2002, he is dipping into his accounts. He has lent his presidential campaign more than $9 million." ... "According to the report, Romney holds stock in China Petroleum and Chemical (also known as SinoPec), an oil supply company that has dealings in Sudan, according to an organization dedicated to ending the genocide in the African nation's Darfur region." ... "[Republican] President Bush has denounced the killings of tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur [Sudan] and declared that genocide is being committed. California and early-voting Iowa are among the states where officials have urged divestment." ... "The report shows that Romney has numerous offshore holdings." ... "His biggest single holding appears to have been MGM Mirage, owners of a major casino in Las Vegas [Nevada]." (1, 2) -By Dan Morain -LAtimes
China - Sudan - US- 2008 Election - Oil - Military - Manufacturing - Journalists - Human Rights - Sports - Illinois - New Mexico - "China Is Becoming an Issue in 2008 Race." ... "When [2008 election] Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said in a recent debate that ``the center of gravity in this world is shifting to Asia,'' he had one nation clearly in mind." ... "``China is rising and it's not going away,'' said the senator from Illinois. ``They're neither our enemy nor our friend. They're competitors.''" ... "More than a year before the 2008 election, China - occasionally as partner, more often as adversary and potential vote-getter - is also rising as an issue among the candidates for president." ... "Many of the comments, however, have been complaints, as candidates work to connect with voters increasingly worried about China's huge military buildup, its flood of goods into the U.S., its ability to influence violence in Sudan's Darfur region, its repression of minorities, dissidents and journalists." ... "A recurring theme has been that China must do more to use its oil-buying leverage with Sudan to end rape and murder in Darfur." ... "In a June debate, [2008 election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, suggested that if China does not put more pressure on Sudan, ``we say to them, maybe we won't go to the Olympics.''" -By Foster Klug -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

20070810

Afghanistan - Iran - Politics - Power - Transport - History - "Afghan business thrives on Iran's border: Herat's business success has become a model of what Afghanistan can become." ... "When Hajji Zekrullah Ahmadyar drives out of Herat [Afghanistan], he witnesses an urban tableau that is in many ways atypical of modern Afghanistan." ... "Mr. Ahmadyar navigates over smooth asphalt as the car passes this city's broad, clean-swept avenues. He soon reaches some 70 factories fed by 24-hour power. When he arrives at his own mineral-water bottling company, he strolls to the new plant he is building. Business is good, he says, so he is expanding his operations." ... "The city is a window on how Afghan entrepreneurism can take hold when given the time and security to flourish – and what role Afghanistan's neighbors can play in helping to create these conditions." ... "Its success is a blend of geography and good business sense, each intertwined with this city's vaunted history as the Silk Road's gateway to Central Asia." ... "Where once spices and camels found passage through this parched desert outpost, now cars and televisions from the Middle East are taxed in its customs houses, generating the wealth for what one expert calls the Dubai of Afghanistan." ... "In contrast with Pakistani border areas, which have been overrun by the Taliban, Herat – just 75 miles from the Iranian border – has flourished with the help of Iran, one of the Karzai government's strongest supporters. In Herat, for example, Iran has linked the city to the Iranian power grid and built a highway to the border." (1, 2) -By Mark Sappenfield -CSMonitor

20070807

British - Iraq - Iran - US - Military - Political - Oil - Terrorism - Intelligence - "As British Leave, Basra Deteriorates: Violence Rises in [Iraq] Shiite City Once Called a Success Story." ... "As British forces pull back from Basra in southern Iraq, Shiite militias there have escalated a violent battle against each other for political supremacy and control over oil resources, deepening concerns among some U.S. officials in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] that elements of Iraq's Shiite-dominated national government will turn on one another once U.S. troops begin to draw down." ... "Three major Shiite political groups are locked in a bloody conflict that has left the city in the hands of militias and criminal gangs, whose control extends to municipal offices and neighborhood streets. The city is plagued by "the systematic misuse of official institutions, political assassinations, tribal vendettas, neighborhood vigilantism and enforcement of social mores, together with the rise of criminal mafias that increasingly intermingle with political actors," a recent report by the International Crisis Group said." ... "After Saddam Hussein was overthrown in April 2003, British forces took control of the region, and the cosmopolitan port city of Basra thrived with trade, arts and universities. As recently as February, [Republican] Vice President Cheney hailed Basra as a part of Iraq "where things are going pretty well."" ... "But "it's hard now to paint Basra as a success story," said a senior U.S. official in Baghdad with long experience in the south. Instead, it has become a different model, one that U.S. officials with experience in the region are concerned will be replicated throughout the Iraqi Shiite homeland from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf. A recent series of war games commissioned by the Pentagon also warned of civil war among Shiites after a reduction in U.S. forces." ... "For the past four years, the administration's narrative of the Iraq war has centered on al-Qaeda, Iran and the sectarian violence they have promoted. But in the homogenous south --where there are virtually no U.S. troops or al-Qaeda fighters, few Sunnis, and by most accounts limited influence by Iran --Shiite militias fight one another as well as British troops. A British strategy launched last fall to reclaim Basra neighborhoods from violent actors -- similar to the current U.S. strategy in Baghdad -- brought no lasting success." ... ""The British have basically been defeated in the south," a senior U.S. intelligence official said recently in Baghdad." (1, 2) -By Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks -WashingtonPost
Minnesota - Political - Transportation - Construction - Gas - Legislation - I-35W Bridge Collapse - Disaster - Don Young - Alaska - Government - "Bridge Collapse Revives Issue of Road Spending." ... "In the past two years, [Minnesota Republican Governor] Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota twice vetoed legislation to raise the state’s gas tax to pay for transportation needs." ... "Now, with at least five people dead in the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge here, Mr. Pawlenty, a Republican, appears to have had a change of heart." ... "Even as the cause of the bridge disaster here remains under investigation, the collapse is changing a lot of minds about spending priorities. It has focused national attention on the crumbling condition of America’s roadways and bridges — and on the financial and political neglect they have received in Washington and many state capitals." ... "Despite historic highs in transportation spending, the political muscle of lawmakers, rather than dire need, has typically driven where much of the money goes. That has often meant construction of new, politically popular roads and transit projects rather than the mundane work of maintaining the worn-out ones." ... "The $286 billion federal transportation legislation passed by Congress in 2005 included more than 6,000 earmarks, which amounted to blatant gifts to chosen districts, including the [Alaska Republican Representative Don Young's] so-called Bridge to Nowhere in rural Alaska (that earmark was later removed after a political uproar)." ... "A study released in May by the Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young found that 83 percent of the nation’s transportation infrastructure was not capable of meeting the country’s needs over the next 10 years. The American Society of Civil Engineers, in its latest national report card, gave transportation infrastructure a D." (1, 2) -By Susan Saulny and Jennifer Steinhauer -NYTimes
Global - Climate - Politics - Fuel - Financed - Opinion - Media - Environment - "Gore: Polluters manipulate climate info." ... "Research aimed at disputing the scientific consensus on global warming is part of a huge public misinformation campaign funded by some of the world's largest carbon polluters, former [Democratic] Vice President Al Gore said Tuesday." ... ""There has been an organized campaign, financed to the tune of about $10 million a year from some of the largest carbon polluters, to create the impression that there is disagreement in the scientific community," Gore said at a forum in Singapore. "In actuality, there is very little disagreement."" ... ""This is one of the strongest of scientific consensus views in the history of science," Gore said. "We live in a world where what used to be called propaganda now has a major role to play in shaping public opinion."" ... "He said Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded oil company, is one of the major fuel companies involved in attempting to mislead the public about global warming." -By Gillian Wong -AP via -Yahoo

20070803

US - Saudi Arabia - Military - Terrorism - Oil - Politics - Japan - Italy - Germany - Georgia - History - "Gingrich says war on terror 'phony': Former speaker says energy independence is key." ... "Former House Speaker [Republican] Newt Gingrich said Thursday the [Republican President] Bush administration is waging a "phony war" on terrorism, warning that the country is losing ground against the kind of Islamic radicals who attacked the country on Sept. 11, 2001." ... "A more effective approach, said Gingrich, would begin with a national energy strategy aimed at weaning the country from its reliance on imported oil and some of the regimes that petro-dollars support." ... ""None of you should believe we are winning this war. There is no evidence that we are winning this war," the ex-Georgian told a group of about 300 students attending a conference for collegiate conservatives." ... "He was unstinting in his criticism of his fellow Republicans, in the White House and on Capitol Hill." ... ""We were in charge for six years," he said, referring to the period between 2001 and early 2007, when the GOP controlled the White House and both houses of Congress. "I don't think you can look and say that was a great success."" ... "He reserved his most pointed criticism for the administration's handling of the global campaign against terrorist groups." ... ""We've been engaged in a phony war," said Gingrich. "The only people who have been taking this seriously are the combat military."" ... ""We used to be a serious country. When we got attacked at Pearl Harbor, we took on Imperial Japan, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany," he said, referring to World War II." ... ""We beat all three in less than four years. We're about to enter the seventh year of this phony war against ... [terrorist groups], and we're losing."" ... ""First of all, we have to have a national energy strategy, which basically says to the Saudis, 'We're not going to rely on you,' " he said." ... "The United States imports about 14 million barrels of oil a day, making up two-thirds of its total consumption." -By Bob Deans -AJC
Canada - Russia - Denmark - Real Estate - Ocean - Oil - UN - Law - "Ottawa assails Moscow's Arctic ambition: 'You can't go around the world these days dropping a flag somewhere,' MacKay says. 'This isn't the 14th or 15th century'." ... "[Canada's] Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed to defend his country's sovereignty over its northernmost territories yesterday after Moscow [Russia's capital] sent two submarines deep under the North Pole ice to plant a flag on the ocean floor." ... "The two deep-diving Mir mini-submarines were sent on their sub-Arctic expedition to bolster Russian claims to much of the area's oil and mineral wealth." ... "They dropped a titanium capsule containing the nation's flag on the bottom, symbolically claiming almost half of the planet's northern polar region for Moscow." ... "The Russians, meanwhile, are not the only ones eyeing the Arctic seabed." ... "The Danish government, which also has extensive Arctic claims because of its sovereignty over Greenland, scoffed at Russia's planting of the titanium flag capsule on the seabed." ... "Like Canada, Denmark is preparing its claim to the region around the pole under the UN Law of the Sea Convention." -By Gloria Galloway and Alan Freeman -GlobeAndMail

20070730

Ted Stevens - Alaska - Oil - Money - VECO - House - Construction - Politics - Enforcement - "FBI, IRS searching Stevens' Girdwood house." ... "Federal law enforcement agents are currently searching the Girdwood home of Alaska [Republican Senator] U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens." ... "Federal investigators and grand juries looking into public corruption in Alaska have been asking questions about a 2000 remodeling project that more than doubled the size of the Girdwood [Alaska] house -- particularly the involvement of the oil field services firm Veco." ... "One of the contractors who worked on the job said he was hired by Veco CEO Bill Allen for the job, and while his bills were paid by Stevens and his wife, Catherine, invoices were reviewed first by Veco." ... "Allen and a Veco vice president pleaded guilty in May to bribery, extortion and other charges connected with paying off state legislators." -By Richard Mauer and Erika Bolstad -ADN.com

20070727

US - India - Energy - Military - Technology - Politics - History - UN- Law - "U.S., India reach deal on nuclear technology." ... "The United States and India announced Friday a landmark deal on nuclear cooperation for civil purposes that they said will benefit both countries and strengthen international non-proliferation efforts." ... "But the deal is drawing criticism as being too conciliatory to India and opening the way to the spread of nuclear weapons." ... "Several steps need to be taken before the agreement can be implemented. India must negotiate an inspection regime with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and gain approval from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group." ... "The U.S. Congress must also review the deal. Many lawmakers and non-proliferation experts have voiced concern about what they see as U.S. concessions to New Delhi. In particular, the United States has agreed to ensure continued delivery of nuclear fuel to India even if it tests a nuclear weapon and the United States suspends cooperation, as required by law." ... "U.S. officials said that a further Indian nuclear test is unlikely, although the Indian government has maintained its right to test nuclear weapons and the deal does not place India's considerable nuclear weapons arsenal under international monitoring." -By Elise Labott -CNN
US - Iraqi - Lawmakers - Oil - Money - Military - "Iraqi lawmakers take their time: Even with U.S. pressure to pass key legislation, there is a distinct lack of urgency." ... "Missing from Thursday's session of the Iraqi parliament were about half of the members, including the speaker, the former speaker and two former prime ministers." ... "American officials have been pressing Iraqi leaders to prove their commitment to ending sectarian strife by enacting landmark legislation before mid-September, when the Bush administration is to present its next report on Iraq to Congress." ... "But even as parliament's monthlong August break approaches, key issues aren't being discussed. Quorums are marginal, or fleeting." ... "Thursday's session, the 50th of the year, convened half an hour late." ... "Those present circulated an agenda of 11 items, none related to the legislation Washington has been demanding, including laws concerning oil investment and revenue-sharing between regions, reintegrating former members of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime into government, disarming militias and holding provincial elections. Some members say the modest agendas at recent meetings are a symptom of parliament's inability to overcome sectarian divisions and cobble together the two-thirds majority needed to pass major legislation." (1, 2) -By Molly Hennessy-Fiske -LAtimes

20070726

US - World - Texas - Oil - "Exxon Mobil posts impressive profit." ... "It was still the fourth-best quarterly result for an American company — ever." ... "The world's largest publicly traded oil company said Thursday lower natural gas prices and a drop in production hurt results for the April-June period, contributing to a rare miss of Wall Street expectations." ... "But Exxon Mobil's [second-quarter] net income of $10.26 billion was still eyepopping and off only slightly from the $10.36 billion it earned in the second quarter of 2006 — the third-best U.S. quarterly result." ... "Revenue dipped to $98.35 billion from $99.03 billion a year ago." ... "For the first six months of 2007, Exxon Mobil posted record earnings of $19.5 billion, or $3.45 a share, up 4 percent from $18.76 billion, or $3.09 a share, a year ago. Sales fell to $185.6 billion from $188 billion a year earlier." -By John Porretto -AP via -Yahoo
Global - Energy - "Shell sees profits gush, despite flagging output." ... "Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday that second-quarter net profits surged by about a fifth, driven by strong global demand for energy." ... "Shell said Thursday that higher refining margins helped push its net profit 18.0 percent higher to [$]8.667 billion dollars in the three months to June 30, 2007." ... "The figure, which was equivalent to 6.319 billion euros, compared with [$]7.324 billion dollars in the same period of 2006." -AFP via -Yahoo

20070725

Don Young - Jack Abramoff - Ted Stevens - Ben Stevens - Alaska - VECO - Oil - Construction - Money - Politics - Colorado - "Alaska's Young and Stevens Face Criminal Inquiry." ... "[Alaska Republican Representative] Rep. Don Young of Alaska, the former chairman of the House Transportation Committee, now is the subject of a continuing criminal inquiry involving possible political favors for a company in Alaska, people close to the case said. [Alaska Senator Representative] Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, the powerful former chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the longest-serving Senate Republican, is also under criminal investigation." ... "Federal investigators are examining whether Rep. Young or Sen. Stevens accepted bribes, illegal gratuities or unreported gifts from VECO Corp., Alaska's largest oil-field engineering firm, people close to the case said." ... "Mr. Young has also faced questions about campaign donations received from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff." ... "VECO was acquired in June by CH2M Hill, a closely held Colorado engineering firm, after Mr. Allen, VECO's former CEO, agreed in May to plead guilty to charges of bribery, conspiracy and extortion." ... "Mr. Stevens has publicly said that he was asked to retain documents related to the federal investigation of his son, [former Alaska State Republican Senator] Ben Stevens, and other members of the state legislature, and related to VECO's role in the remodeling of a family home in Alaska in 2000." -By John R. Wilke -WSJ.com

20070724

Portland - Oregon - River - Animal - Electric - Company - History - "Utility blasts its Oregon dam to make way for fish." ... "The largest dam removal in the Pacific Northwest in 40 years began on Tuesday with blasts of 4,000 pounds of explosives, the dam's owner, Portland General Electric, said." ... "The Marmot Dam on the Sandy River about 40 miles east of Portland [Oregon] was built almost 100 years ago along with the nearby 16-foot-high Little Sandy Dam, which will be destroyed next summer, the utility said." ... "Removing the two dams will allow the Sandy to flow freely from Mt. Hood to the Columbia River." ... "When the dams were built, they ruined a natural fish run that biologists say the fish will rediscover and repopulate once the dams are removed, [Portland General Electric spokesman Mark] Fryburg said." (1, 2) -By Bernie Woodall -Reuters

20070720

US - Iraq - Military - Immigration - Alberto Gonzales - Energy - Labor - Drugs - Legislation - Politics - History - "Senate tied in knots by filibusters." ... "This year Senate Republicans are threatening filibusters to block more legislation than ever before, a pattern that's rooted in — and could increase — the pettiness and dysfunction in Congress." ... "The trend has been evolving for 30 years. The reasons behind it are too complex to pin on one party. But it has been especially pronounced since the Democrats' razor-thin win in last year's election, giving them effectively a 51-49 Senate majority, and the Republicans' exile to the minority." ... "Seven months into the current two-year term, the Senate has held 42 "cloture" votes aimed at shutting off extended debate — filibusters, or sometimes only the threat of one — and moving to up-or-down votes on contested legislation. Under Senate rules that protect a minority's right to debate, these votes require a 60-vote supermajority in the 100-member Senate." ... "Democrats have trouble mustering 60 votes; they've fallen short 22 times so far this year. That's largely why they haven't been able to deliver on their campaign promises." ... "By sinking a cloture vote this week, Republicans successfully blocked a Democratic bid to withdraw combat troops from Iraq by April, even though a 52-49 Senate majority voted to end debate." ... "This year Republicans also have blocked votes on immigration legislation, a no-confidence resolution for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and major legislation dealing with energy, labor rights and prescription drugs." -By Margaret Talev -McClatchyDC.com

20070718

Ted Stevens - Ben Stevens - Alaska - Oil - Legislators - Home - Politics - VECO - "Stevens: My money, not Veco's: REMODEL: Senator is emphatic that filing extensions are unrelated." ... "The money spent on renovations that doubled the size of [Alaska Republican Senator] U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens' Girdwood [Alaska] home and led to a federal grand jury investigation came out of his own pocket, the Alaska Republican told reporters Tuesday." ... "A federal grand jury is investigating the renovations in 2000, including work that might have been performed by oil services company Veco and contractors who were hired or supervised by the company. The company's former executive, Bill Allen, has pleaded guilty to bribing state legislators." ... "Interest in Stevens' finances has grown since the FBI raided the office of his son, former Alaska Senate President [Republican] Ben Stevens, as part of a wider corruption and bribery probe. The younger Stevens has not been charged with a crime and has denied any wrongdoing." -By Erika Bolstad -ADN.com

20070713

Germany - China - Russia - Foreign- Military - Legislation - Telecommunications - Energy - Politics - "Germany in call to curb foreign buyers." ... "Pressure mounted on Thursday on Angela Merkel to enact legislation allowing the government to block investments by foreign state-controlled investors as senior conservative politicians warned the German chancellor about the risks facing Europe's largest economy." ... "Ms Merkel warned last week that large German companies could fall into the hands of foreign, and possibly hostile, states through investments by sovereign wealth funds and public-sector companies. Morgan Stanley puts the total assets of Chinese, Russian and Middle Eastern state-controlled funds at $2,500bn (£1,230bn, €1,813bn). By leveraging, these funds could finance acquisitions worth 10 times this [$25 TRILLION DOLLARS], the finance ministry has said." ... "Aides to Ms Merkel say she is concerned about a risk to national security if, say, parts of the country's energy infrastructure fell into the hands of investors guided by political rather than commercial imperatives." ... "According to several officials, Peer Steinbrück, finance minister, has come under pressure from his SPD's left wing to put selected sectors - from telecommunications and energy to banking - under special protection." ... "Left-wingers in the SPD also want the state to build blocking minorities in strategic companies by acquiring shares." -By Bertrand Benoit -FT.com

20070712

Iraq - US - Military - Oil - Delaware - 2008 Election - "Iraq Fails to Meet Key Political Goals Set by U.S. (Update8)." ... "The Iraqi government has failed so far to meet several key political goals essential for the success of the U.S. effort in that country even as a military offensive has improved security, the [Republican President] Bush administration told Congress." ... "In a status report on the four-year-old conflict, the administration said the government of Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki has failed to ease restrictions on members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, set new local elections or guarantee all groups a share of oil revenue." ... "Democrats called the report further evidence of the need for a new policy." ... "``This progress report is like the guy who's falling from a 100-story building and says half-way down that everything's fine,'' said Senator Joe Biden, a Delaware Democrat who heads the Foreign Relations Committee. ``If we continue the way we're going, with the president's failed strategy in Iraq, we're headed for a crash landing,'' added Biden, who is seeking the 2008 [election] Democratic presidential nomination." -By Ken Fireman and Laura Litvan -Bloomberg.com

20070711

Noteworthy - Political - Theology - Government - Health - Stem Cell - Teen - Parent - Oil - Global - Climate - Environmental - Science - "Ex-surgeon general faults White House: Richard Carmona says the administration 'simply buried' his scientific data on such issues as stem cell research and teen pregnancy." ... "[Republican] President Bush's first surgeon general testified Tuesday that his speeches were censored to match administration political positions and that he was prevented from giving the public accurate scientific information on issues such as stem cell research and teen pregnancy prevention." ... ""Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried," Dr. Richard H. Carmona, who was surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, told a congressional committee. "The job of surgeon general is to be the doctor of the nation — not the doctor of a political party."" ... "Early in the administration, when the issue of federal funding for stem cell research arose, Carmona said, he felt he could play an educational role by discussing the latest scientific research. Instead, he said, he was told to "stand down" because the White House already had made a decision to limit stem cell studies. He said administration appointees who reviewed his speech texts deleted references to stem cells." ... "Carmona's remarks were the latest in a series of complaints from government scientists about what they say are administration efforts to control — and sometimes distort — scientific evidence in order to support policy decisions." ... "NASA scientists have complained, for example, of political pressure to tone down warnings about global warming. Environmental Protection Agency officials have complained that technical information on such subjects as power plant emissions and oil drilling have been ignored." -By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar -LAtimes

20070628

Government - Money - Politics - Military - Construction - Energy - Water - Legislation - Wis - "Bush called out for his earmarks." ... "Democratic and Republican appropriators are accusing [Republican] President Bush of urging Congress to pack spending bills with pet projects despite his high-profile crackdown on earmarks this year." ... "A House Appropriations Committee report accompanying legislation funding the Department of the Interior shows that Bush requested 93 of the 321 earmarks in the bill. A panel report for the financial services and general government spending bill showed that Bush requested 17 special projects worth $947 million, more than any single member of Congress." ... "Senate appropriators have identified more than 350 earmarks in the military construction spending bill requested by the president." ... "[Wisconsin Democratic Representative] Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said yesterday that Bush has requested the overwhelming majority of earmarks — over 800 — in the energy and water appropriations bill. In a floor speech delivered last week, Obey said that in fiscal 2006 Bush asked for 987 specific earmark projects in the budget for the Army Corps of Engineers." -By Alexander Bolton -TheHill.com

20070626

J Steven Griles - Jack Abramoff - Dick Cheney - Government - Energy - Money - Politics - "Former Interior Official Gets Prison." ... "A federal judge chastised the Interior Department's former No. 2 official and doubled his proposed prison term to 10 months Tuesday for lying to senators in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and making excuses about it in court." ... "J. Steven Griles was the department's deputy secretary and is the highest administration official sentenced in the probe. He pleaded guilty to obstructing a congressional investigation, but on Tuesday his lawyers tried to deflect blame for his faulty testimony." ... "Griles admitted to lying to Senate investigators about his relationship with Abramoff, the central figure in a corruption investigation that has led to convictions of a former congressman, legislative aides, lobbyists and officials in the [Republican President] Bush administration." ... "Second in rank only to then-Secretary Gale Norton, Griles effectively was Interior's chief operating officer between 2001 and 2005 and its top representative on [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force." -By Matt Apuzzo -AP

20070621

US - Global - Climate - Oil - Politics - NM - "GOP blocks tax hikes for oil companies." ... "Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a $32 billion package of tax breaks for renewable energy that would have been financed mostly by new taxes on major oil companies." ... "The massive tax measure marked a sharp turn from longtime congressional support of the oil industry to promoting alternative energy development and moving toward energy sources that would help deal with the growing concerns over global warming." ... "Oil companies earned $111 billion in profits last year and at that rate stand to earn $1 trillion over the 10 years covered by the tax package, said [Democratic New Mexico Senator] Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., rejecting suggestions that "this is an undue burden" on oil companies." -AP via -USATODAY

20070613

US Immigration - Law - Language- Gasoline - Companies - Politics - "Large majority supports path to citizenship: A poll finds 63% of all respondents, and 65% of Republicans, back the controversial measure." ... "A strong majority of Americans — including nearly two-thirds of Republicans — favor allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens if they pay fines, learn English and meet other requirements, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found." ... "That is a striking show of support for a primary element of an immigration overhaul bill that has stalled in the Senate amid conservative opposition." ... "Only 23% of adults surveyed opposed allowing undocumented immigrants to gain legal status." ... "As gasoline prices soar over $3 a gallon, survey participants were most likely to blame U.S. oil companies and the Bush administration rather than market fluctuations. Whereas 12% said market forces were responsible for the high price of gas, 38% blamed oil companies and 21% blamed the administration." ... "Corporate chiefs in general were viewed with suspicion, with 81% saying they are overpaid and 33% saying they are ethical." (1, 2) -By Janet Hook -LAtimes

20070526

US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Iran - Military - Intelligence - Government - Political - Religion - Terrorism - Oil - Economics - "Analysts' Warnings of Iraq Chaos Detailed: Senate Panel Releases Assessments From 2003." ... "Months before the invasion of Iraq, U.S. intelligence agencies predicted that it would be likely to spark violent sectarian divides and provide al-Qaeda with new opportunities in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report released yesterday by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Analysts warned that war in Iraq also could provoke Iran to assert its regional influence and "probably would result in a surge of political Islam and increased funding for terrorist groups" in the Muslim world." ... "The intelligence assessments, made in January 2003 and widely circulated within the [Republican President] Bush administration before the war, said that establishing democracy in Iraq would be "a long, difficult and probably turbulent challenge." The assessments noted that Iraqi political culture was "largely bereft of the social underpinnings" to support democratic development." ... "More than four years after the March 2003 invasion, with Iraq still mired in violence and 150,000 U.S. troops there under continued attack from al-Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents, the intelligence warnings seem prophetic. Other predictions, however, were less than accurate. Intelligence analysts assessed that any postwar increase in terrorism would slowly subside in three to five years, and that Iraq's vast oil reserves would quickly facilitate economic reconstruction." ... "In addition to portraying a terrorist nexus between Iraq and al-Qaeda that did not exist, the Democrats said, the [Republican] Bush administration "also kept from the American people . . . the sobering intelligence assessments it received at the time" --that an Iraq war could allow al-Qaeda "to establish the presence in Iraq and opportunity to strike at Americans it did not have prior to the invasion."" -By Walter Pincus and Karen DeYoung -WashingtonPost

20070520

Gas - History - "Gas Prices Hit An All-Time High: Lundberg Survey: National Average Price For A Gallon Of Regular [gasoline] Is $3.18." ... "The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.18, according to the latest Lundberg Survey. As CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston reports, that is the highest average cost per gallon ever in the United States – even adjusting for inflation." ... "The price hikes are giving oil companies another banner year. First quarter profits for Exxon-Mobil totaled nearly $9.3 billion. Royal Dutch Schell picked up more than $6.9 billion. The number was $4.7 billion for Chevron." -CBSNews

20070510

Don Young - Ted Stevens - Lisa A Murkowski - Alaska - VECO - Oil - Money - Lawmaker - Politics - History - "Veco's reach extended outside Alaska: DONATIONS: Money was sent to national GOP and Bush campaign." ... "Guilty pleas from two oil field services executives who admit bribing legislators have state officials examining whether they should give up campaign contributions connected to their company, for years a major player in state politics." ... "Campaign donation records also show that Veco Corp. sent tens of thousands of dollars to candidates outside Alaska, including [Republican] President Bush. One of the executives, Veco founder and chief executive Bill Allen, served as state financial co-chairman in Bush's 2000 campaign." ... "Since 1990, [Alaska] Anchorage-based Veco, its employees and their family members gave the state and national Republican parties, GOP congressional candidates and Bush slightly more than $1 million, according to an analysis by the watchdog Center for Responsive Politics. Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns received a total of about $24,000 of that money." ... "Allen and Veco vice president Rick Smith pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to spending more than $400,000 to bribe state lawmakers." ... "The campaign and political action committee of [Alaska Representative] Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young received close to one-quarter of the total Veco-related donations examined by the Center for Responsive Politics. His campaign received close to $230,000 and his Midnight Sun Political Action Committee received $27,650, according to the center." ... "Representatives from the campaigns of Alaska's U.S. senators, both Republicans, said they are reviewing the donations. According to the center, [Alaska Republican Senator] Sen. Ted Stevens received $86,000 connected to Veco from 1990 to 2006 and [Alaska Republican Senator] Sen. Lisa Murkowski, first appointed in 2002 and re-elected in 2004, received $45,250." -By Steve Quinn -AP via -ADN.com

20070509

Don Young - Ted Stevens - Lisa A Murkowski - Alaska - Multinational - VECO - Oil - Money - Lawmaker - Politics - History - "Oil Company in Scandal Gave Outside of Alaska: VECO executives and employees have contributed $1 million to federal politicians and parties since 1989, Center [for Responsive Politics] finds. In Alaska, lawmakers have rushed to dump the money." ... "The multinational oil services company at the center of a political corruption scandal in Alaska’s statehouse has been a generous contributor to federal lawmakers as well, the Center for Responsive Politics has found. From 1989 through 2006, VECO, its employees and their families contributed about $1 million to current and former members of Congress from 26 states, as well as to [Republican] President Bush, political parties, other committees and issue advocacy groups." ... "VECO has been the top Alaska-based contributor to federal politics for at least the last five election cycles, the Center found. Like most oil and gas companies, VECO is staunchly Republican; 97% of its contributions have gone to Republican interests." ... "The top recipients of money from the company (shown in a table below [in original]) are, not surprisingly, members of Congress representing Alaska. [Alaska Republican Representative] Rep. Don Young, a Republican who is the state’s only congressman, has taken in at least $257,320 from VECO in the last 18 years through his campaign committee and political action committee. VECO has been Young’s most generous campaign contributor over that period, according to CRP’s research." ... "Alaska’s senior statesman in Washington, [Republican Senator] Sen. Ted Stevens, has received at least $156,000 through his campaign and committees that he uses to support fellow Republican candidates. Stevens’s son Ben [Republican], a former president of the Alaska state Senate, has been implicated in the VECO scandal. He has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing." ... "Two members of another prominent Alaska political family have also benefited from VECO contributions. The state’s other U.S. senator, [Alaska Republican] Sen. Lisa Murkowski, has received $45,250 from company employees, and her father, Frank, received at least $27,947 while he was in the U.S. Senate. [Republican] Frank Murkowski appointed his daughter to take his Senate seat in 2002 after he was elected governor." ... "[Republican] President Bush received about $24,000 from VECO employees for his 2000 and 2004 campaigns. In addition, the company itself contributed $25,000 toward a 2001 Republican fundraising dinner hosted by the president. The president’s father, former President George H. W. Bush, received $9,000 from VECO employees during his unsuccessful 1992 re-election campaign." -By Massie Ritsch with contributions by Douglas Weber -CapitalEye.org -OpenSecrets.org
Alaska - Oil - Money - Law - "Alaskan Democrats Call for a Revisit of the Oil Tax Law." ... "In light of all that has taken place over the past several days, with three Alaska [Republican] Lawmakers being arrested for bribery, extortion and conspiracy, in regards to the ever important oil and gas tax law, state Democrats are requesting that a new look at the proposed PPT [Petroleum Production Tax] tax take place." ... "[Alaska Democratic Representative] Representative Harry Crawford (D-Anchorage) said that, “The net profits tax always been a fools game, always will be a fools game. No other state in the union uses a net profits tax. The tax on the gross amount of production is easily verifiable, you know how much oil came out of the ground.”" ... "Members of the House Democratic Caucus met on Wednesday to discuss the need to adopt an oil tax that doesn't include what they call “billions in giveaways” contained in the oil tax legislation that passed last year." -AKSuperstation.com

20070508

US - Alaska - Multinational - VECO Corp - Political - Oil - Money - "2 oil services executives plead guilty to bribing Alaska lawmakers: The founder of a multinational oil services company and one of his top executives have admitted illegally paying more than $400,000 to Alaska [Republican] lawmakers in a widening political corruption scandal." ... "Bill J. Allen, chief executive of Anchorage-based VECO Corp., and Rick Smith, a vice president, pleaded guilty Monday to bribing state legislators with cash and the promise of jobs and favors for their backing on bills supported by the company." ... "The pleas came days after the indictment of one current and two former Republican members of the Alaska House of Representatives on federal bribery and extortion charges related to last year's negotiations for a new oil and gas tax and a proposed natural gas pipeline that would have benefited VECO." ... "Allen also pleaded guilty to issuing company bonuses to VECO executives to repay them for campaign contributions they made to politicians, then claiming those bonuses as legitimate company expenses." ... "VECO's executives are major contributors to Republican political campaigns." -By Rachel D'Oro with contributions by Steve Quinn -AP via -StarTribune
Kohring - Kott - Weyhrauch - John Cowdery - VECO - Alaska - Oil - Money - Politics - "VECO corruption scandal." ... "So far, only VECO's top executives have admitted to their involvement in the conspiracy to trade money and gifts for votes on oil and gasline issues." ... "Three [Alaska Republican] lawmakers: current Representative Vic Kohring, former Representatives Pete Kott and Bruce Weyhrauch, and former VECO CEO, Bill Allen, have been charged with conspiracy and fraud." ... "[Alaska state] Senators "A" and "B" in the charging documents remain unnamed at this time. But Kevin Fitzgerald, the attorney for John Cowdery, tells CBS 11 News he is convinced "Senator A" is current Anchorage Senator Cowdery." ... "Cowdery's lawyer says, while the FBI hasn't arrested his client, it is clear from Allen's charging documents that "Senator A" and Cowdery have remarkable similarities." -By Andrea Gusty -KTVA.com

20070506

Kott - Weyhrauch - Kohring - John Cowdery - VECO - Alaska - Oil - Money - Politics - "Kohring's state House committee post pulled: OIL, GAS: Arrests also put spotlight on 2006 petroleum profits tax law." ... "The chairman of a key state House committee was deposed and Alaska's most important oil tax law fell under new scrutiny Saturday as lawmakers reacted to the arrest of one current and two former legislators [Alaska state Republican Representatives Kott and Weyhrauch] on federal corruption charges." ... "[Alaska state Republican Representative] Rep. Vic Kohring, R-Wasilla, will lose his chairmanship of the Special Committee on Oil and Gas, House leaders said. Kohring was charged with selling his vote on oil taxes last year to oil field services company Veco." ... "The House committee had an important early role in shaping gas pipeline legislation this year. Republican majority leaders placed Kohring in charge of the committee this session, even though he was one of six legislators whose offices were raided by the FBI in a Veco-related probe last fall." ... "The legislation in question was an overhaul of the state's oil production tax, which pays for most of state government and adds to the Alaska Permanent Fund. Veco wanted to keep the oil tax low and also was pressing for construction of a gas pipeline from which it would profit, according to the indictment." ... "Kohring's leadership position was not challenged when the session began, but objections were raised by minority Senate Republicans when [Alaska state Republican Senator] Sen. John Cowdery, R-Anchorage, another FBI search target, was named chairman of the powerful Rules Committee." -By Tom Kizzia and Sabra Ayres -ADN.com

20070505

Victor Kohring - Pete Kott - Bruce Weyhrauch - Tom Anderson - Alaska - VECO - Oil - Money - Politicians - "Federal authorities charge three legislators: [Alaska Republican state Representatives] Kohring, Kott and Weyhrauch plead not guilty to extortion and bribery counts." ... "Three more state legislators were arrested on federal corruption charges Friday, accused of selling their votes and influence to the oil field services company Veco Corp. and its chief executive, Bill Allen, during last year’s debate on oil taxes." ... "Acting on felony indictments brought by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, federal agents arrested the three Republicans in Juneau - one a sitting legislator, Rep. Vic Kohring of Wasilla, and two others who left office in January, Reps. Pete Kott of Eagle River and Bruce Weyhrauch of Juneau." ... "The indictments, unsealed with the arrests, describe a conspiracy among the legislators, Veco, Allen and Veco's vice president for government affairs, Rick Smith, to steer an oil-production tax bill favored by the industry through the Legislature last year." ... "The charges describe the three lawmakers seeking money, jobs or both for themselves or family members, and Veco willing to oblige." ... "The FBI investigation of Alaska’s Legislature and its relationship with Veco and other companies became public in August, when agents raided the offices of six sitting legislators." ... "Since then, one other former House member, Republican Tom Anderson of Anchorage, was charged in December with taking $12,828 in bribes from a lobbyist representing private prison interests." -By Richard Mauer, Lisa Demer, Sabra Ayres, and Kyle Hopkins -ADN.com

20070504

Victor Kohring - Pete Kott - Bruce Weyhrauch - Alaska- Politicians - Gas - Company - VECO - "3 Current, Ex-Alaska Lawmakers Arrested: [Alaska Republican state Representatives] Rep. Kohring And Ex-Reps. Kott And Weyhrauch Plead Not Guilty In Natural Gas Pipeline Bribery Case." ... "One current and two former Alaska legislators pleaded not guilty Friday to charges they accepted bribes —including cash and a job offer in Barbados for one man — to support legislation for an oil services company." ... "Rep. Victor Kohring of Wasilla, Pete Kott of Eagle River and Bruce Weyhrauch of Juneau, all Republicans, were arrested Friday." ... "The indictment does not name the company, but an attorney for VECO Corp. said it was the company involved." ... "Kohring was charged with extortion, attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy. Kott and Weyhrauch each face four counts, including extortion, bribery and wire or mail fraud." -AP via -CBSNews
Victor Kohring - Pete Kott - Bruce Weyhrauch - Tom Anderson - Alaska - Politicians -Gas - Company - VECO - "Lawmakers arrested." ... "One current and two former Alaska [Republican state Representatives] legislators are indicted by a federal grand jury. Current Mat-Su Representative Victor Kohring and former legislators Pete Kott and Bruce Weyhrauch, are facing a multitude of charges including extortion, bribery, wire fraud and mail fraud." ... "The arrests come after a lengthy FBI investigation that started months ago. You'll recall, former [Alaska Republican state] Representative Tom Anderson was indicted on similar charges in December. He is now awaiting his trial." ... "While charging documents conceal the company's identity, VECO confirms to CBS 11 News that they are, in fact, the company in those recorded discussions where lawmakers were promising their votes and support in exchange for cash and future jobs." ... "Kott admitted he based his support of the gas pipeline and PPT tax issues on the things of value from VECO." ... "In a later conversation, Kott tells [VECO CEO Bill] Allan, " I had to get'er done. So, I had to come back and face this man right here. I had to cheat, steal, beg, borrow and lie."" ... "To which Allan replied, "I own your ass."" -By Andrea Gusty -KTVA.com

20070503

US - Iraq - Foreign - Oil - Companies - Politics - "Iraqi Blocs Opposed to Draft Oil Bill." ... "Kurdish and Sunni Arab officials expressed deep reservations on Wednesday about the draft version of a national oil law and related legislation, misgivings that could derail one of the benchmark measures of progress in Iraq laid down by [Republican] President Bush." ... "The draft law, which establishes a framework for the distribution of oil revenues, was approved by the Iraqi cabinet in late February after months of negotiations." ... "In Iraq, the Kurds have taken issue with a new provision that was quietly packaged with the draft oil law by the Shiite-led Oil Ministry last month. The measure would essentially cede control of the management of nearly all known oil fields and related contracts to a state-run oil company to be established after passage of the law, said a spokesman for the Kurdish regional government." ... "The Kurds, who have enjoyed de facto independence in the north since 1991, have been arguing for maximum regional control over oil contracts." ... "The draft oil law would allow regions to enter into production-sharing agreements with foreign companies, which some Iraqis and critics of the Bush administration say could lead to foreigners reaping too much of the country’s oil wealth." ... "Iraqi officials say all contracts will be subjected to a fair bidding process, but there are fears that American companies could be favored." (1, 2) -By Edward Wong and Sheryl Gay Stolberg with contributions by Khalid al-Ansary and Jeff Zeleny -NYTimes

20070422

Earth_Day - Environmental - Science - Consumer - US - Iraq - Terrorism - Fuel - Earth - Climate - Ocean - "Seeing the Green in Earth Day: Businesses big and small are learning that not only does environmental friendliness feel good, it can turn a profit, too." ... "[Andrea] Wilson is the Prius-driving, tree-hugging, vegan owner of Green Earth Office Supply, a purveyor of such items as clipboards and three-ring binders fashioned from defective circuit boards, cafeteria utensils made of biodegradable vegetable-based plastics, and, of course, 100 percent recycled paper goods. As fuel costs soar, environmentalists like Wilson say, America's consumer culture will downshift and clean energy sources will be developed." ... "Already, Wilson can see the great awakening in her sales. Thirteen mostly lean years after the former corporate accountant launched Green Earth from her home in the Santa Cruz Mountains, sales are soaring -up 250 percent last quarter compared with the first quarter of 2006, and on pace to bust the $1 million-a-year mark for the first time." ... "The sentiment surrounding this year's Earth Day is palpably different, say "green" entrepreneurs like Wilson and others working to bridge the cross-purposes of profits and environmental protection. Concern over man-made causes of climate change, pollution and the degradation of oceans are driving factors, they say, while terrorism and the Iraq war grimly underscore the pitfalls of an economy based on fossil fuels." ... "No longer just a feel-good niche or a marketing angle, the clean-and-green movement now includes corporate leaders targeting environment-minded consumers and renewable energy sources." ... "But [Eco Design Resources, store manager Scott] Farmer and Wilson say consumers should be wary of companies and products that indulge in "greenwashing." The phrase, a play on whitewashing, refers to environmental claims rooted more in salesmanship than science. Many companies and many products, they say, make exaggerated claims about their ecological virtues." -By Scott Duke -MercuryNews

20070420

Fuel - Food - Poor - People - Auto - Environment- Economy - US - Venezuela - Mexico - "Ethanol policy divides Latin America: US efforts to promote ethanol have raised food prices in the region." ... "Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez calls the boom in ethanol the equivalent of starving the poor "to feed automobiles."" ... "Ethanol, which is derived from crops such as corn or sugar, is seen by some as a green alternative, a rising star on the path toward reducing independence on foreign petroleum. But it's not just Mr. Chávez who is questioning whether the benefits outweigh the unintended consequences." ... "Now poultry industry executives, who have seen the price of feedstock has gone up; Mexican consumers, facing a 60 percent jump in the cost of tortillas; and even environmentalists, who look at the amount of fertilizer that will be needed to grow extra crops, are wondering aloud whether ethanol will help or hurt Latin American economies." ... ""I think people worry that rich Americans are trying to fuel cars at the expense of hungry people in poorer countries," says Janet Larsen, director of research at the Earth Policy Institute in Washington. "This increased push for ethanol production could be an incredible foreign policy blunder."" (1, 2) -By Sara Miller Llana and Daniel Cancels -CSMonitor

20070416

Noteworthy - Analysis - US - Iraq - International - Military - Energy - Business - Politics - Intelligence - Marketing - Psychology - "Iraq: American public opinion vs. a "small but powerful group"." ... "In his important Washington Post Op-Ed this morning, Retired Marine Corps Gen. John Sheehan -- in the course of explaining why he asked not to be considered for the new post of "war czar" in the Bush administration -- has become the latest military expert to warn the country that our military and war policy in Iraq is destined to fail, because it is being controlled by a small band of propagandists who have no coherent strategy for ever leaving Iraq:"

"What I found in discussions with current and former members of this administration is that there is no agreed-upon strategic view of the Iraq problem or the region. . . .

There has to be linkage between short-term operations and strategic objectives that represent long-term U.S. and regional interests, such as assured access to energy resources and support for stable, Western-oriented countries. These interests will require a serious dialogue and partnership with countries that live in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood. We cannot "shorthand" this issue with concepts such as the "democratization of the region" or the constant refrain by a small but powerful group that we are going to "win," even as "victory" is not defined or is frequently redefined."

[-By Retired US Marine Corps General John Sheehan. Emphasis by Greenwald]

...

"As always, for the dead-ender pro-war propagandistis, the sun is starting to shine in Iraq. Things are improving. Victory is in sight. We just need to stay longer, keep occupying Iraq, doing what we have been doing, and glorious triumph will be ours. It is the same exact song, with slightly modified lyrics ("Surge"), which they have been singing for four straight destructive years."

...

"And the same Beltway elite which bears a substantial portion of the guilt for driving this country into the disastrous invasion of Iraq continues to impede any efforts to extricate ourselves from this war. That is because staying forever is the only way they have to avoid the ultimate day of reckoning, when it is conclusively revealed -- beyond even the protective reach of the Kagan/AEI/Weekly Standard propagandists -- just how disastrous this invasion was for the United States and just how barren their judgment and integrity are."

...

"The "Surge" is nothing more than a crass marketing gimmick, concocted by war propagandists who have been lying to the country for the last four years about Iraq, to justify to an anti-war populace why we must continue our occupation."

-By Glenn Greenwald -Salon

20070329

Julie A MacDonald - Government - Animal - Water - Environmental - Science - Law - Investigation - Oil - Industry - E-Mail - "Report Says Interior Official Overrode Work of Scientists." ... "A top-ranking official overseeing the Fish and Wildlife Service at the Interior Department rode roughshod over agency scientists, and decisions made on her watch may not survive court challenges, investigators within the Interior Department have found." ... "Their report, sent to Congress this week by the department's inspector general, does not accuse the official, Julie A. MacDonald, the deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, of any crime. But it does find that she violated federal rules when she sent internal agency documents to industry lobbyists." ... "The inspector general also found that Ms. MacDonald had sent internal government documents by e-mail to a lawyer for the Pacific Legal Foundation — a property-rights group that frequently challenges endangered-species decisions." ... "She twice sent internal Environmental Protection Agency documents — one involving water quality management — to individuals whose e-mail addresses ended in chevrontexaco.com, the report said." -By Felicity Barringer -NYTimes

20070324

J Steven Griles - Jack Abramoff - Italia Federici - Money - Government - Environmental - Energy - Companies - Politics - Law - "Ex-Official At Interior Hid His Ties To Abramoff: Griles Pleads Guilty To Lying to Senate." ... "The former No. 2 official in the Interior Department yesterday admitted lying to the Senate about his relationship with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who gained the official's intervention at the agency for his Indian tribal clients." ... "J. Steven Griles pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a felony for making false statements in testimony before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in November 2005 and in an earlier interview with panel investigators. He is the 10th person -- and the second high-level [Republican President] Bush administration official -- to face criminal charges in the continuing Justice Department investigation into Abramoff's lobbying activities." ... "Griles, 59, a gregarious former mining lobbyist, drew the wrath of environmentalists and his department's inspector general during a stormy four-year tenure at Interior." ... "Griles told the Senate panel and its investigators that his relationship with Abramoff was no different from that with any lobbyist. Griles's then-girlfriend, however, had introduced him to the lobbyist and then acted as a go-between. The woman, Italia Federici -- identified as "Person A" in court papers -- ran an advocacy group to which Abramoff and his clients donated $500,000." ... ""Abramoff occasionally sought and received -- both directly and through Person A -- defendant James Steven Griles' advice and intervention on issues within DOI that directly affected Abramoff and his clients," said the government's charging document. Griles was not accused of accepting anything of value in exchange." ... "Griles was a controversial political appointee from the start of his tenure at Interior under then-Secretary Gale A. Norton. Environmentalists and the department's inspector general faulted him for keeping ties to energy and mining companies that were once his lobbying clients." (1, 2) -By Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi -WashingtonPost

20070311

United Arab Emirates - US - Texas - Iraq - Oil - Cheney - Government - Money - Politics - "Halliburton Will Move HQ to Dubai." ... "Oil services giant Halliburton Co. will soon shift its corporate headquarters from Houston [Texas] to the Mideast financial powerhouse of Dubai [United Arab Emirates], chief executive Dave Lesar announced Sunday." ... "In 2006, Halliburton _ once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney _ earned profits of $2.3 billion on revenues of $22.6 billion." ... "Cheney was Halliburton's chief executive from 1995-2000 and the Bush administration has been accused of favoring the conglomerate with lucrative no-bid contracts in Iraq." ... "Federal investigators last month alleged Halliburton was responsible for $2.7 billion of the $10 billion in contractor waste and overcharging in Iraq." -By Jim Krane -AP via -HoustonChronicle.com

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