Oil executives clarify task-force contacts

[Nordmadr]

Oil executives clarify task-force contacts
By H. Josef Hebert

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — 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.

New Mexico Sens. 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."




http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002657005_oil01.html


So to clarify our denials, well, yes we did actually meet with the administration regarding energy issues and such. Must have slipped our memories.



Olaf

[Nordmadr]

1. Self-Kicking, oil exec's covering their tracks. Take a look. N/T