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Non-Tech : The Enron Scandal - Unmoderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: dave rose who wrote (1813)	2/27/2002 7:54:15 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 3602

Judge Orders Cheney Records Release By Pete Yost Associated Press Writer Wednesday, February 27, 2002; 6:13 PM WASHINGTON –– A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Energy Department to release thousands of records on Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force, criticizing the government for moving at "a glacial pace." The ruling by U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler could undermine the Bush administration's effort to keep secret the names of industry executives and lobbyists who met with the White House as it formulated its energy plan last spring. The General Accounting Office and a conservative group, Judicial Watch, have filed separate lawsuits trying to force the White House to turn over the material. Starting March 25, the Energy Department must turn over its documents to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. It must complete the task by April 10. The department had asked to release the material in stages, beginning March 15 and ending May 15. The environmental group first asked for the documents last April 26 and sued the government in December. The Energy Department and other federal agencies are subject to the Freedom of Information Act, while the White House is not. "I don't know that it's possible for certain to tell what the documents will reveal, but obviously the DOE stonewalled us for almost a year and they presumably had a reason to do that," said Rob Perks, a spokesman for the environmental group. The government says 7,500 pages on Cheney's task force are responsive to the NRDC's request. The department will continue to withhold many documents and will issue a list of them along with the legal reasons they are being kept secret. "There can be little question that the Department of Energy has been woefully tardy" in processing the nonprofit group's request, wrote Kessler. "After making a virtually meaningless release of some form letters back in May of 2001, the department has done little of substance – apart from collecting and organizing responsive documents," the judge added. "What is even more distressing is that" there were at least 11 other requests for the same documents. The government has no legal justification "for working at a glacial pace." NRDC attorney Sharon Buccino praised the ruling, saying "the court has protected the public's fundamental right to know what its government is doing." In a statement, the environmental group expressed confidence that with the court victory in hand, the NRDC "expects to make public – for the first time since the task force was formed more than a year ago – the names of participants, dates of meetings, and the topics discussed. "That information will expose which energy companies or industry lobbyists influenced the work DOE staff did on the Bush-Cheney energy plan," said the environmental group's statement. © 2002 The Associated Press

To: dave rose who wrote (1813)	2/27/2002 9:33:48 PM
From: Zeuspaul	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3602

I am afraid that since the Clinton fiasco this is not a sure thing. Those in high places seem to get away with lying before a court and getting away with it. Pity Not to worry. Bush ran on the high moral ground. Good leadership can turn things around. One guy lying and getting away with it doesn't set things in stone. Bush may be a little slow getting started...maybe something to do with the campaign contributions...but I am sure he will lead the pack against Enron if someone else discovers some wrong doing. Zeuspaul