Originally published January 24 2006
Oil execs issue written denials of any involvement with 2001 energy task force
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
New Mexico Sens. Pete Domenici, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Jeff Bingaman, the ranking democrat, have released the written responses of five leading oil company executives to questions regarding their interactions with the 2001 energy task force assembled by VP Dick Cheney, and all five denied participating in the task force.
Five oil-industry executives acknowledged frequent company contacts with government officials to discuss energy issues but insisted that they had responded truthfully at a recent Senate hearing when they denied participating in Vice President Dick Cheney's 2001 energy task force.
The exchange at the Nov. 9 hearing prompted accusations by some Democratic senators that several of the executives may have knowingly misled Congress.
A report published a few days later found that White House logs showed representatives of some of the companies had visited officials of the energy task force.
Pete Domenici, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Jeff Bingaman, its ranking Democrat, asked the executives to clarify any discrepancies.
The senators released the executives' written responses on Wednesday.
John Hofmeister, chairman of Shell Oil, said Shell representatives did not meet with the task force but added, "Shell representatives did meet with the administration, including the vice president and his staff, on a broad range of energy-policy issues."
Exxon Mobil said its chairman, Lee Raymond, responded accurately when he said no one at the company participated in a task-force meeting --- as the question was phrased by Sen.
On the same day, the company said, the same information was given to members of Congress and others.
The White House has steadfastly refused to provide a list of oil companies that provided information to the Cheney task force, going to court to fight attempts to obtain such information.
Ross Pillari, chairman of BP America, said on Nov. 9 that he did not know whether anyone from his company participated in any task-force matters.
In his clarification, Pillari reiterated that he was "not personally involved in energy policy issues" in 2001.
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