Vice President Cheney Hiding Energy Task Force Secrets

Vice President Dick Cheney's repeated attempts to block disclosure of activities from his 2001 energy task force reached the Supreme Court yesterday. Despite two federal court rulings against these efforts, the administration continues to insist the American public has no business knowing about the involvement of corporate executives like Ken Lay of Enron in shaping the nation's energy policy.

• Cheney demands that Americans – who pay his salary and allow him to be in office – stay out of his business. Cheney needs to realize he is no longer CEO of Halliburton. He serves the public first and foremost and has a duty to inform Americans about the development of his energy recommendations.

• If the administration has nothing to hide, it should release all of the task force information and let the public decide on its own. The vice president's extraordinary efforts to conceal the task force activities do not fit with his claims that there is nothing to hide. Let the public decide what influence former Enron CEO Ken Lay and other energy industry executives had in shaping the nation's energy policy.

• The administration's energy plan is bad for Americans and a windfall for energy companies. The energy blueprint is a clear handout to the energy sector and does little to address long term energy needs. It increases domestic oil production, recommends opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and aims to expand oil and natural gas development on other federal lands. The task force also promotes coal production over other alternative, and cleaner, energy sources.

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