September 16, 2004 Thursday
by Ben Geman - Environment and Energy Daily
The House Energy & Commerce Committee yesterday squelched a Democratic push for
information about the inner workings of Vice President Dick Cheney's
controversial energy policy task force in a hearing that dissolved into
accusations of Democratic grandstanding and GOP abuse of power.
The committee, on a party line vote, defeated a so-called resolution of inquiry
sponsored by three senior Democrats that sought the names of those who met with
task force members, the date, subject and location of each meeting, and other
information. The task force produced the White House's 2001 national energy
strategy.
The committee chair did not allow debate on the resolution, H.Res. 745,
dismissing it as an effort to attack the White House heading into the election,
and a distraction from congressional efforts to craft energy policy. The
resolution is a "purely political ploy," said committee Chairman Rep. Joe Barton
(R-Texas).
Barton enraged Democrats by deciding not to allow any members other than Dingell
to make opening statements and not allowing any debate on the resolution, or
amendments aimed at reporting the measure favorably from the committee. "This
whole committee is a farce," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), one of the
measure's sponsors, as he walked out before the final 30-22 vote defeating the
resolution.
Barton repeatedly prevented Democrats from speaking when they attempted to offer
criticisms under the guise of "parliamentary inquiry," with Barton calling the
inquiries invalid. "You want to shut down democracy here," said Rep. Janice
Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who tried to inquire as to why Barton had "shut down
debate." Barton said her inquiry was not valid after GOP members jeered that she
was out of order.
Barton's refusal to allow debate left Democrats making very critical comments as
they cast votes against the GOP motion to report the measure unfavorably. For
instance, during a roll call, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass) said he was "voting no to
the secrecy of the Cheney energy task force." Markey was one of the resolution's
sponsors.
But prior to the hearing, Barton defended the process behind Cheney's private
meetings, explaining that the energy policy the White House developed is more
important than who administration officials met with to develop it. "I think the
results of the deliberation needed to be made public and they were," he told
reporters.
Barton was pressed to hold the markup because if he had not acted upon the
resolution within 14 legislative days of its introduction, it would have been
"privileged" and thus any member could have called for a House vote on it.
Barton said he has attempted to allow an open process on congressional energy
policy development, noting in his opening statement, for instance, that the
subcommittee on energy and air quality held 35 hearings on energy policy when he
chaired the panel.
Yet Dingell said that unsuccessful litigation by the General Accounting Office
-- now called the Government Accountability Office -- seeking information about
the task force had left it up to Congress to determine who the body met with. He
decried "secretive practices which deny the public the right to know and
understand what their government is doing for them or to them," and called the
information request reasonable.
"This is not the solicitation of the membership of al-Qaida," he said.
Democrats blasted Barton's decision not to allow debate in a press conference
after the hearing. "What we saw today was a corruption of democracy," Markey
said. "Today Vladimir Putin is taking notes on how to run a government in
Russia."
Environmentalists and congressional critics of administration energy policy have
long believed the task force was heavily influenced by energy industry officials
and that the 2001 White House energy policy it produced rests too heavily on
expanded fossil fuel development.
Environmental and government watchdog groups long have charged the records would
show how oil, gas, nuclear and coal industry officials exerted undue influence
on the Bush administration's energy policy. The White House has acknowledged
that Cheney met with executives of now-bankrupt Enron Corp. at least five times
but blocked disclosure of other participants citing presidential privacy and
other legal grounds.
Watchdog groups have also sought access to the task force records through the
courts. The Supreme Court ruled in June that Cheney does not have to disclose
information about the meetings until a lower court reviews the case.