I shudder to think..

[Thinker]

of the back room deals being cut here

 

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Biltmore gathering assailed

 

Energy meeting is out of bounds, critics charge

By Mitch Tobin

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

 

Critics say business executives are brazenly buying access to federal lawmakers and key energy officials this week at Phoenix's posh Biltmore Resort.

 

The gathering includes a fund-raiser for Republican legislators, followed by an industry-dominated energy conference today. Both events were organized by the former communications director for Vice President Dick Cheney's controversial energy task force.

 

At Wednesday's fund-raiser, a $3,000 donation allowed two members of a business to share "Mulligans and Margaritas" with lawmakers on the Biltmore's golf course before heading to a private dinner. Conference participants are invited to sponsor a panel on revisions to the Clean Air Act for $3,000, or spend $5,000 to support the keynote address by Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles. Organizer Jim Sims said about 10 Republican members of Congress, including several from Arizona, would attend the fund-raiser and then be at the Biltmore for today's "Roundtable Summit of the West." But Sims said "there's no linkage" between the fund-raiser and conference, even though they were advertised together.

 

"Want to help Congress write its 'To-Do' list for next year?" the promotion said, pitching the gathering as "several days of events designed to give a limited number of business leaders the opportunity to share ideas, concerns and suggestions with many national policymakers."

 

"I'm involved in both, but that's the only connection," said Sims, a former lobbyist who is now executive director of the nonprofit Western Business Roundtable. "I happen to have these members (of Congress) in one city at one time

 

. . . that's how we always do these things."

 

Activists are outraged and plan to hold a "counter news event" today in a rented conference room at the resort.

 

"This conference is nothing less than a festival of access-buying," said Frank O'Donnell, executive director of the Clean Air Trust in Washington, D.C.

 

Some in Congress also think the mixing of fund-raising and policy-making is inappropriate.

 

Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., chair of the House Ethics Committee, is listed as a conference participant. But Hefley's office said he never planned to attend.

 

"It may be legal, but there's an appearance of impropriety. It simply doesn't look good," spokeswoman Sarah Shelden said. "He's very interested in Western land, water and energy issues and thinks they can be discussed at a hearing in Washington, D.C., just as easily and effectively."

 

After the Enron scandal, the transparency of federal energy policy became a hot political topic. Democrats accuse the Bush administration of excluding them from Cheney's energy task force. Republicans counter that Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean also held energy-related meetings in secret while he was governor of Vermont.

 

Wednesday's fund-raiser supported the Western GOP Majority Committee, which divides money among 20 Republican congressional candidates in the West, including Arizona's Jim Kolbe, John Shadegg, J.D. Hayworth and Rick Renzi. Sims said only Kolbe, Shadegg and Hayworth were attending the fund-raiser and energy conference.

 

"This event is no different than any other fund-raising event," said Neena Moorjani, Kolbe's spokeswoman.

 

Shadegg's office said he would attend the dinner but not take part in the golf or energy conference. Hayworth's offices in Washington and Scottsdale did not return calls seeking comment.

 

Kolbe, Shadegg and Hayworth have together received $56,488 from political action committees that represent companies attending the conference, according to figures provided by the Campaign to Protect America's Lands.

 

"It is an alarming warning sign of how bad things have gotten that timber, oil and mining industries would be this brazen about buying their way onto the Capitol Hill agenda," said Peter Altman, director of the group.

 

Registration for the conference, which is co-sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is $475 for businesses and $175 for nonprofits.

 

"It's not a partisan event because we'll have a diversity of opinion," Sims said, noting that he invited many Democratic lawmakers and officials.

 

But by midday Wednesday, no Democratic members of Congress had indicated they would attend the conference, he said.

[b-rock]

Slightly off topic, anyone seen the adds from MoveOn?

 

http://bushin30seconds.org/index.html

 

Some pretty funny stuff.