Governor Freudenthal said he wasn't going to continue relying on industry's word that it doesn't use certain chemicals, such as diesel, in fracking. He said wants more than just industry reassurance that is correct."I want to know that what I'm saying to the public is true," he said, pressing for complete disclosure of fracking ingredients from Halliburton and other hydraulic fracturing chemical suppliers.
Will that truth ever emerge? Not if vested interests like Barrett Corp and Halliburton prevail.
Bill Barrett Corp continues to pay retainers to high-powered DC lobbyists, doling out $20,000 to NES, Inc in the first quarter of 2010 for lobbyists Marc Himmelstein and Kent Burton to work their magic in both houses of Congress and the Bureau of Land Management. NES listed "Energy production in Rockies" and "Access to public lands" as the specific issues it worked on last quarter for Barrett.
Barrett Corp paid out another $20,000 in the first quarter to Brownstein Hyatt, which listed "Resource management plans for federal lands" as the specific issue that its two lobbyists, Jacob Johnson and C. Kyle Simpson, worked on behalf of Barrett Corp, targeting both houses of Congress and the Interior Department.
Last year, Barrett paid the same two lobbying firms $320,000 to curry favor on the Hill, more than five times the amount Barrett spent on lobbying in each of the previous five years.
Since it already has plenty of access to public lands on West Tavaputs and the Roan, what else does Barrett Corp need to discuss so urgently with Washington bureaucrats?
Perhaps the desire to keep doing business as usual, taking full advantage of the Bush/Cheney Halliburton loophole gift, without worrying about pesky distractions like public health and drinking water quality?(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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