Bush League: Mixing Oil, Big Money and Politics

Dick Cheney
Vice-President 
After serving as Secretary of Defense under George Bush Sr., Cheney was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the world's biggest oil-services company, Halliburton (market value US$18.2 billion) in Dallas, Texas. 
Since 1992, Halliburton has contributed US$1.6 billion to the campaigns of Washington-bound politicians.1
Cheney and his wife reported $36,086,635 in income last year. $34 million of that income came from stock options and other perks from Halliburton.2


Donald Evans
Commerce Secretary 
This longtime friend of George W.Bush (GW), holds 940,000 options in Tom Brown Inc., a Denver-based oil company that he led before his cabinet appointment.2
CEO of Tom Brown Inc. [since 1975], an oil and gas company based in Denver, Colorado.3
Board member, TMBR/Sharp Drilling.4
As GW's presidential campaign manager he helped raise $100 million3 (more than any in history).5
Stock ownerships: Over $5,000,000 in Tom Brown Inc.; over $500,000 in TMBR/Sharp Drilling; over $50,000 in each of the following: Halliburton, Western Gas Resources and Vintage Petroleum.5


Gale Norton
Secretary of Interior 
Former corporate lawyer and longtime supporter of oil and gas drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Rocky Mountains. 
While Attorney General of Colorado, British Petroleum and Ford were amongst her contributors.1
Worked at the right-wing law firm, Mountain States Legal Foundation, under James Watt from 1979 to 1983. The foundation was funded by Amoco, Chevron Exxon, Ford and Phillips 66.5


Spencer Abraham
Secretary of Energy 
This former Michigan Senator (1994 - 2001) fought to cut research into renewable energy and wipe out the federal gas tax.1
Supports opening drilling for oil and gas in the Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.6
Sponsored Senate bill to break up the Department of Energy and privatize the federal government's power generating operations. 
Led the Senate effort to defeat higher fuel-efficiency standards for gas-guzzling, Sports Utility Vehicles.5
Top recipient of campaign contributions from energy/natural resource executives and lobbyists in 2000 senate campaign (over $449,000). Top contributors to his 2000 Michigan Senate campaign included General Motors ($112,800); Ford ($70,800); DaimlerChrysler ($47,400)5
Founded the Federalist Society (see page 27) at Harvard Law School.3
Condoleezza Rice
National Security Adviser 
On the board of directors of Chevron Oil between 1991 to 1993. The company named an oil tanker after Rice.2
Financial Assets include 250,000 shares of Chevron.5


Christine Whitman
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Owns 853 acres of oil-producing property, Jim Hogg County, Texas, and has interest in Hunt Oil oil wells worth $50,000 to $100,000.5
Corporate stocks include BP Amoco ($15,703); Chevron ($16,887); ExxonMobil ($150,228); Ford Motor ($36,422); Halliburton ($14,500) and Phillips Petroleum ($99,303).5


Sources:
1. Project Underground and Wayne Ellwood, "Vital Statistics: Greasing The Machine: Bush, His Cabinet and their Oil Connections," Drillbits and Tailings, June 30, 2001. <http://www.moles.org/ProjectUnderground/drillbits/6_05/vs.html>

2. Shannon Jones, "The Bush cabinet: a government of the financial oligarchy," World Socialist Web Site, May 16, 2001. <http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/may2001/bush-m16.shtml>

3. Richard Jordan, "Inside the Cabinet," Generation Vote, <http://www.generationvote. com/focus_1-21-01_1.html>

4. Ben Byrne, "A Critical Look at the Energy Policy of George W. Bush." <http://www.visi.com/~stevenc/benb.html>

5. "Bush's Corporate Cabinet" <http://www.essential.org/monitor/mm2001/01may/may01bushcc.html>

6. "George W.Bush's Cabinet Profile," Japanese Economic Outlook <http://www.imc-itochu.co.jp/imc_web/chousa/teiki/current/cabinet_profile/bush_cabinet_profile.html>