Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: More wool than truth

Tuesday, April 16, 2002 | 8:59 a.m.

THE COMPETITION BETWEEN Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Department of Interior Secretary Gale Norton has become rather entertaining. Which one can pull the most wool over the eyes of Americans appears to be their common goal. Both are using the security of our homeland as a tool to blind us to the real facts of life. Their favorite mouthpiece has been Ari Fleischer, who speaks for the White House occupant.

As I wrote before, the national security gimmick was also used 30 years ago to get approval to drill on the North Slope at Prudhoe Bay and build a pipeline across Alaska to Valdez. The approval by Congress came with the restriction that the oil couldn't be exported to foreign countries. In order to make additional dollars that restriction was removed, at the urging of the Alaskan delegation, several years ago. This resulted in about 60,000 barrels daily then being shipped to Asia. So much for it being needed for our national security. Remember the saying: Dog bite me once, shame on dog. Dog bite me twice, shame on me.

Following a letter from Abraham, published in the Reno Gazette-Journal, respected historian and chairman of Common Cause of Nevada, Jim Hulse wrote: "Abraham would have us believe that scientific evidence and concerns about homeland security produced the decision to select the Yucca Mountain site. What he did not tell us in his article is he personally has long been a favorite of Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the special interest group that has repeatedly promoted the plan to transport hazardous nuclear waste from 35 other states to Nevada. The nuclear power cabal gave at least $15,000 in soft-money campaign contributions to then Senator Abraham in his unsuccessful bid for re-election in Michigan in 2000.

"The secretary of energy also conveniently overlooked the fact that the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of the legislative branch, said last year that the scientific data on the proposed Yucca Mountain site were far from complete."

As Abraham promotes dumping deadly nuke waste on the Silver State in a most dangerous manner, Norton uses her guile and the backing of energy corporations to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A most questionable undertaking, which threatens far more environmental damage and far less oil than Norton's promises. Syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington in the Los Angeles Times took a revealing look at Norton's willingness to play with "research" results to promote the project, which might produce oil in 7 to 10 years.

Huffington concluded that, "If the president is truly sincere about freeing us from our dependence on foreign oil, he would forget about the negligible amounts of oil in ANWR and get serious about conservation and the promotion of alternative sources of energy."

Last week Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., took Norton to task for using an industry-funded film to promote ANWR drilling. In a three page letter to the secretary, the congressman wrote, "It would appear on the face of it that your use of your official office to promote this industry-sponsored video in an effort to influence Congress to drill in the Arctic Refuge is precisely the kind of activity that is prohibited by law.

"Further, I note that the Comptroller General of the United States has previously ruled it improper for agencies 'to use appropriated funds to provide assistance to private lobbying groups.' GAO has noted 'the few cases in which violations have been found have involved a version of the publicity and propaganda statue tied in specifically to attempting to influence pending legislation.' "

A Nevada historian, a syndicated columnist and one congressman have seen through the nonsense promoted by Abraham and Norton. Soon we will discover if a majority of Congress has the same good eyesight and high intelligence.