Category: Fall 2005 Newswire
Rep. Johnson Donates Big to Pro-choice Republican Group
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 — On Capitol Hill, money is to politics what gasoline is to a car: You need one to fuel the other. That could explain why Fifth District Republican Rep. Nancy Johnson both rakes in the dough and generously doles it out through her two political action committees (commonly called PACs).
One of Johnson’s PACs is Leadership Encouraging Excellence, or LEE, after her maiden name. Through LEE, Johnson garners funds for fellow Republicans and conservative interests. In the case of her longtime alliance with the group WISH List, she supports a network of Republicans whose mission is to fan out and shore up support for moderate female GOP challengers and endangered incumbents.
Well into the 2005-2006 fundraising cycle, Johnson is a leading donor to the Women in the Senate and House List, or WISH List, which helps finance Republican women who support abortion rights. Johnson’s LEE PAC has given $5,000 to the WISH List, according to Federal Election Commission records. Since the 1997-98 election cycle, she has given at least $11,000, according to PoliticalMoneyLine.org, an independent campaign finance watchdog.
“Nancy believes strongly in electing more women and moderate Republicans to Congress, that their voices and leadership are key to our shared agenda for job creation, affordable health care, environmental protection and national security,” said Johnson spokesman Brian Schubert.
Dubbing itself a “forward-thinking group of Republicans,” the WISH List identifies female potential leaders in the party and then aids their runs for office with money and training resources. But it is also the largest fundraising alliance for Republican women candidates who support women’s right to abortions.
“Our mission is to elect more pro-choice women at all levels,” said WISH President Pat Carpenter. “Nancy [Johnson] is certainly supportive of that.”
Carpenter called Johnson a “tremendous leader” for the organization’s cause and, more broadly, a supporter of moderate Republicans.
Since the group was founded in 1992, there has been a four-fold increase in the number of abortion-rights Republican women in the Senate and a 50 percent increase in the House, according to its Web-site. The group argues it’s no coincidence, but exactly how much influence the WISH List had in this development remains unclear.
One thing is clear: WISH has an impressive record of supporting candidates. During the 2003-04 election cycle, a majority of the 200 candidates WISH backed were elected.
In 1992, WISH helped elect a handful of prominent women, including Jennifer Dunn of Washington and Deborah Pryce of Ohio, past and current chairs of the House Republican Conference, the highest rank Republican women have reached in House GOP leadership. Another coup for the group occurred the following year when Christine Todd Whitman became New Jersey’s first woman governor.
In 1994, WISH helped seat both of Maine’s Republican Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.
While the group spends considerable resources on recruiting and electing women, they also are active during tight election races to help incumbents, as was the case with Johnson in 1998.
Lawmakers who support WISH do so in a variety of ways, Carpenter said. Aside from monetary donations, they will, for example, appear at fundraising and awareness events.
Johnson serves on the WISH honorary advisory board, which is largely a symbolic honor for lawmakers who donate their time and money.
WISH has raised about $528,000 this year through Sept. 30, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission. The bulk of donations came from individual donors, though PACs contribute a fair share. The group now routinely raises $1 million annually. For the current cycle, WISH is second only to the Democrat-leaning EMILY’s List, upon which the WISH List was modeled, in raising the most funds for a political women’s group, according to OpenSecrets.org, another independent group that tracks Washington transactions.
New Hampshire’s Delegation Adds Up
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2- Congressional campaigning is a costly task and with an election only a year away New Hampshire's members of the House are raising thousands of dollars from various political action committees and individuals both in state and out of state.
With $157,513 in the bank after returning $15,000 to Tom Delay's political action committee, Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-N.H.) has more money than Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) who has $136,292 for his campaign, according campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Overall, through Sept. 30, Bradley received $103,363 in contributions from individuals and an additional $99,975 from political action committees.
A member of the House Armed Services Committee, Bradley has received about $20,000 from political action committees in the defense industry, including $10,000 from BAE Systems USA PAC, which also contributed to Bass and New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu (R).
"The New Hampshire delegation have in the past, and I would expect in the future, supported strong national defense," said John Measell, spokesperson for BAE, adding that the company's political action committee donates money to both Democrats and Republicans.
Bradley also benefited from a $5,000 donation by Sen. Judd Gregg's White Mountain PAC.
"Congressman Bradley has done an outstanding job representing the people of the First District," Gregg said in a statement to the Union Leader. "From making a substantial contribution to the Save the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard effort, to environmental conservation efforts and representing New Hampshire's Veterans on the Veterans' Affairs and Armed Services Committees, Congressman Bradley is a valuable asset in Congress for New Hampshire."
Bradley's filing reports a $300,000 debt, which Debra Vanderbeek , Bradley 's chief of staff, said is the result of a $350,000 loan Bradley gave to his campaign during the 2002 primary. Since then, Bradley has paid off $50,000 but carries the remaining $300,000 of debt, Vanderbeek said.
Bass has received $91,500 from political action committees. As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and vice-chair of the subcommittee on telecommunications and the internet, he drew $18,500 from political action committees in the communication and technology industry. Among his political actions committee contributors were Verizon Communications Inc. Good Government Club, Yahoo Inc. PAC, MCI Inc. Employee's PAC, Motorola Inc. PAC and Sprint Nextel Inc. PAC.
Explaining his group's decision to contribute to Bass and Bradley, David Fish, spokesperson for the Verizon PAC, said both of New Hampshire's representatives "seem to care about issues that affect our customers, shareholders and the industry."
Though he would not comment on why the Sprint Nextel PAC decided to contribute to Bass in particular, spokesperson Travis Sowders said the company's PAC generally "supports candidates who are supportive of our industry."
Among other PAC contributions, Bass also received $10,000 from Sununu's Daniel Webster PAC.
"New Hampshire's second congressional district is well served by the leadership of Congressman Charlie Bass and Senator Sununu and the Daniel Webster Political Action Committee are proud to support his reelection," said Paul Collins, treasurer of Team Sununu.
Second district Democratic candidate Paul Hodes also has been busy building his campaign fund in preparation for next year's election.
Hodes said he believes it is typical for challengers to raise funds through personal contributions and for incumbents to benefit from political action committee contributions because they have their Congressional experience and decisions to back them.
After spending $27,954 for various campaign expenses, Hodes has $56,499 cash-on-hand. Since he began campaigning, Hodes has received $79,203 from individual contributors, including $21,000 from the Dumont family of Wolfboro Falls, Center Ossipee and Center Tuftonboro.
In addition, Hodes has received $10,750 from employees of the New York law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, including from former New York Governor Mario Cuomo. Hodes' father, Robert B. Hodes, is a partner in the firm.
"It wasn't because I think his father is a great man, which he is," Cuomo said in a telephone interview, adding that he was impressed with Hodes' abilities, as well as his willingness to give up time as a successful trial and entertainment lawyer and time with his family to serve the people of New Hampshire. "He's not going to be my congressman," Cuomo said. "But he is going to be our congressman."
Though neither is up for re-election in 2006, New Hampshire's Republican senators also are adding to their campaign accounts.
Sen. Judd Gregg has $1.2 million in the bank, adding only $5,100 from individuals and $19,000 from political action committees this quarter, far less than any other New Hampshire member of Congress.
Of his six contributions from individuals, only one was from a New Hampshire resident, with another three were from employees of the Disney Company and one from an employee of the Motion Picture Association of America.
In addition, the Disney Employees Political Action Committee contributed $1,500 to Gregg, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. PAC donated $1,500 and the News America-Fox PAC contributed $1,000.
Jim Kennedy, spokesperson for Sony, said his company's PAC contributes on a bipartisan basis but declined to comment further.
Though Sen. John Sununu has less money in his campaign fund, with $286,638 in the bank, he raised more money than Gregg this quarter. In addition to the $90,466 Sununu had on hand at the beginning of last quarter he received $233,456 from individual contributions and $101,000 from political action committees.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Sununu received more money from individuals in New York than New Hampshire, including $51,000 from various finance and insurance political action committees.
In addition to PAC contributions, Sununu received $30,250 from employees of Citigroup, $28,000 from employees of the Bank of New York and $14,500 from employees of Fidelity Investments.
Like the rest of New Hampshire's delegation, Sununu also received strong financial support from the communication and technology industries.
"The purpose of our political giving provides a means for our employees to join in the support of political candidates whose philosophies, and record or performance best represent their beliefs," said Teri Rucker, spokesperson for AT&T. "We strive to support office holders who recognize the importance of a strong telecommunications industry."
Surprising Findings About Levee Failures
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2-The levees that breached during Hurricane Katrina, causing the catastrophic flooding of New Orleans, had dozens of breaches along the city's many miles, rather than the much smaller number originally thought, civil engineering experts told a Senate panel Wednesday.
The experts added that the levees might have been poorly constructed, possibly as a result of malfeasance.
"It's disturbing to learn that inferior materials were used in some cases and contributed to the failure of the levees," said Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which held Wednesday's hearing. Collins added that she has contacted the Government Accountability Office to look into the question of possible malfeasance.
The findings surprised Peter Nicholson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Hawaii and team leader of an American Society of Civil Engineers expedition to assess the failure of the New Orleans levees. Nicholson had expected a few gaps caused by overflowing waters. Instead his team found many fissures and longer-term causes.
"Many of the levee problems involved significant soil-related issues," Nicholson said, including scour erosion, seepage, soil failure and internal erosion caused by the flow of water through a dam or embankment.
Collins said this raises serious questions about the levee system. "The levees were supposedly built to withstand a Category 3 hurricane," she said, "but the testimony today suggests that they did not withstand even a Category 1 hurricane."
Questions also remain as to whether the levees were constructed according to their design, according to Raymond Seed, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of California at Berkeley, who suggested malfeasance. Specifically, he said, some materials originally specified for construction were changed.
Nicholson said that sand and shell fill were used in the levees -- materials that are inferior as embankment material because they are highly erosive, he said.
Collins added that her committee needed to further investigate what the contract specified for building the levees. "That will help us answer the question of whether there was a substitution of lower-grade materials or there were mistakes in the design of the contract," she said.
"Either is disturbing, but obviously malfeasance is even more so," Collins said.
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Campaign Contributions Correlate to Committee Placement
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 - For New Hampshire's members of Congress, their committee assignments in the House and Senate often affect which political action committees contribute to their campaigns.
"What interest groups are trying to do is to control the agenda of a committee, and they're trying to either often keep things out of a bill, as well as to get things into a bill," said Linda Fowler, a government professor at Dartmouth College. "If they can get favorable legislation at the committee level it just makes their job as lobbyists a whole lot easier because committees are the gatekeepers."
Congressman Charles Bass (R-N.H.) is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee as well as of several of its subcommittees, including Telecommunications and the Internet. During the current election cycle, some of his largest contributions came from political action committees of well-known companies and trade groups that are affected by subjects within the committee's Jurisdiction, such as General Motors Corp., Verizon Communications and United States Telecom Association.
"He is on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House, and that is the committee that deals with a lot of issues that are important to us," said Robert Eisenbud, director of legislative affairs for Waste Management Inc., which contributed $2,500 last May, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. "There's the subcommittee on hazardous waste and the environment that he sits on, and as a waste company involved in environmental issues that's one that's of interest to us."
Political action committees often will concentrate their contributions to committees that focus on issues important to them and will give to members of those committees on a bipartisan basis.
"The congressman is on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over health issues," said Frank McLaughlin, director of political affairs for the American Dental Association. His political action committee typically gives money to members of that committee, McLaughlin said, because the panel affects "how the health care profession, and in our case certainly dentistry, is practiced on the federal level."
Shannon Finney, the communications manager for Financial Services Roundtable, an industry association, said that because of the diversity and complexity of her organization's interests, it has a stake in a broad set of legislative issues.
According to filings with the Federal Elections Commission, the Financial Services Roundtable PAC contributed $2,000 to Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.), who sits on the Joint Economic Committee, the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee.
"We're completely bipartisan; we just want to make sure that the interest is in our industry," Finney said.
The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers' political action committee donated $2,000 last April to Sununu, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
"He is on the banking committee and on the commerce committee," said Joel Wood, senior vice president of government affairs for the council. "He is extremely knowledgeable about financial services and related issues because those are two of the key committees of jurisdiction."
The American Council of Life Insurers, which donated $1,000 in July, according to the Federal Election Commission filings, also tends to contribute to those people who have an understanding of what the industry is facing, according to spokesman Jack Dolan.
"Frequently, a lot of money goes to those members who are on committees that have jurisdiction over our issues - not surprisingly, the general way that people make their PAC contributions," Dolan said. Sununu "is knowledgeable about the life insurance business and the myriad of issues that we deal with," he said.
Other times, contributions are based on specific votes or legislation. However, that correlation is more difficult to make, Dartmouth's Fowler said.
"Political scientists who have tried to establish a statistical relationship between roll-call voting and campaign contributions have failed," Fowler said. "The results are very inconsistent, but there is a much stronger relationship between funds for committee members."
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New Hampshire Delegation Reacts to Bush’s $7.1 Billion Plan
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 - Even before President George W. Bush announced Tuesday his $7.1 billion strategy to safeguard America against a flu pandemic, New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg was working on his own plan to protect Americans from the avian flu and other potentially deadly pandemics.
"We must act now to protect Americans from a potential public health crisis and possibly prevent one," Gregg, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said in a press release. "Funding is only one part of a larger strategy, however."
On Monday, prior to Bush's speech, Gregg joined Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) in working to redirect $3.954 billion to protect and prepare Americans against avian flu and other possible pandemics. "We also must focus on enhancing applied research into pandemic and bioterror diseases and countermeasures; strengthen support of the vaccine industry; and provide the necessary liability protections to companies who manufacturer pandemic and bioterror countermeasure products," Gregg added. The money, which would come from budget savings, would be used to develop and stockpile antiviral medications and vaccines for influenza and other emerging pandemics, to intensify surveillance of these pandemics and to enhance local, state and federal preparedness against influenza and other newly emerging pandemics. "The funding included in this amendment is a major step towards ensuring America has the resources needed to detect, identify and contain the spread of avian flu in humans," Frist said in a press release, adding that Bush's "bold and decisive leadership today reflects his understanding of the urgency of confronting this issue." The amendment, which was offered to the 2005 budget bill , is pending. In his speech Tuesday, Bush outlined a three-part strategy to protect the United States against pandemic influenza: to detect outbreaks before they spread around the world, to protect Americans by stockpiling vaccines and antiviral medications while accelerating development of new vaccine technologies and finally to ensure that communities are ready to respond to pandemic outbreaks. Bush's $7.1 billion request consists of $2.8 billion for development of cell-culture technology, $1.519 billion for the Departments of Health and Human Services and Defense to buy flu vaccines, $1.029 billion to stockpile antiviral medications, $800 million for development of new treatments and vaccines, $644 million to ensure that all levels of government are prepared to respond to a pandemic outbreak and $251 million to detect and contain outbreaks.
"While there is no avian flu pandemic in the United States or any other location around the globe at this time, we must take critical steps to prepare and protect the nation in the event of a deadly influenza outbreak," New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu said in a press release. "By outlining a strategy that focuses on the development and stockpiling of vaccines and antiviral drugs and emergency plans, the President has put forth a policy that stands to save millions of lives."
As of Nov. 1, 122 humans have been infected by the avian flu in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam , according to the World Health Organization. Of those infected, 62 have died.
"Undeniably, initiatives to head off legitimate threats to public health take precedence over less-immediate priorities," New Hampshire Rep. Charles Bass said in a press release. "Developing a proposal to confront a potential avian flu outbreak is a prudent response to the concerns of global health leaders, and I look forward to reviewing the President's plan."
New Hampshire Rep. Jeb Bradley said he thinks "we've got to address the situation with regard to vaccinations," adding that Bush's plan "makes a lot of sense."
"We've got to prioritize," Bass said, citing possible cuts in discretionary spending and budget reconciliation to offset the cost of Bush's proposed plan.
Farrell Raises More Money Than Shays
By Mandy Kozar
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1-Democrats are planning to give 4th District Rep. Christopher Shays a run for his money-literally.
Shays' opponent, Westport Selectwoman Diane Farrell, raised almost $100,000 more campaign funds than Shays did in the three months that ended Sept. 30, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Total contributions to her campaign for the quarter were just over $300,000.
"What was particularly significant about the quarter is that we did out-raise Congressman Shays," Farrell said. "Most of the financial support actually came from individuals living in the district which is always important because it translates to votes as well," she added.
With minorities in the Senate and the House, Democrats are seeking every opportunity to unseat Republican incumbents. In Connecticut, Democrats are also eyeing 2 nd District Republican Rep. Rob Simmons' seat.
Connecticut's 4th District is going to be the setting for one of the closest and most interesting congressional races in 2006, according to political experts.
"I think we're in for probably one of the most intriguing races of the 435 districts in the country," said Gary Rose, chairman of the department of government and politics at Sacred Heart University.
Farrell, who ran against Shays in 2004 and won 48 percent of the vote, may prove to be the Democrats' best chances to gain a seat in Connecticut, according to Rose.
"She's not a typical challenger by any means," Rose said. "She's certainly not a sacrificial lamb like you'll find in some districts. So this is a very viable challenger and a potential threat to an established incumbent.".
In the most recent quarter Farrell received contributions from a number of Democratic political action committees, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
"I would say the 4 th district in particular you are going to witness a good number of heavyweight Democrats campaigning for Farrell," Rose said.
According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Farrell already has received contributions from Democratic incumbents, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.
"She has name recognition," Rose said. "She came very close to defeating an incumbent in the last race."
Despite her early fund-raising success, however, Shays' campaign manager, Michael Sohn, is not worried.
"So what?" he said . "The whole campaign is eight quarters? Nine quarters? You know what I mean? We'll have the money we need to run our race."
Although Farrell received more contributions than Shays in the last quarter, Shays had more cash available at the end of the quarter, with $469,197 to Farrell's $284,653.
According to Sohn, Shays stopped fundraising for most of September after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast.
"As far as Chris's race, we'll have the money," Sohn said. "We have $200,000 more than Ms. Farrell in the bank right now. Fundraising is going fine."
According to Rose, however, Farrell has the potential to make it a close race in 2006.
"I think that we're going to have an extremely interesting race," Rose said. "This is definitely a very vulnerable congressman right now, and it's going to be fascinating to see how this all unfolds."
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Keeping Cranberry Bogs Afloat
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 - Massachusetts cranberry farmers, facing one of the toughest growing seasons in recent history, received federal support last week to help keep the state's bogs afloat.
The Agriculture Appropriations Bill that passed through the House last week included $460,000 for Massachusetts cranberry growers' research and conservation and is currently awaiting Senate approval.
"These urgently needed conservation and research funds will make a major difference for our cranberry growers in their constant struggle to make ends meet and survive in their very competitive industry," Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) said in a released statement.
Massachusetts is the second largest producer of cranberries in the country. Last year Massachusetts growers produced 1.8 million barrels, according to Jeffrey LaFleur, executive director of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association. Wisconsin, the nation's largest cranberry producer, grew 3.3 million barrels in 2004.
This year, LaFleur said, there has been a dramatic drop in cranberry crops, possibly the worst in 15 years. He said he thinks it is due in large part to strange weather patterns.
The severely cold winter with a large amount of snow and the dry summer led to a very tough growing season, according to Linda Burke, director of community relations for cranberry growers A.D. Makepeace Company of Wareham. There are other concerns.
"The number one issue that will determine the future of the industry in this state is the availability of water," LaFleur said, citing the importance of both the quality and quantity of water to cranberry growers.
Under the bill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service would receive $300,000 for finding ways to help conserve resources, like clean water, necessary for increased cranberry production. The service first started receiving federal aid for this purpose in 2002.
"From the standpoint of local and regional agriculture problems, these grants have had a big impact," said Tom Bewick, national program leader for horticulture for the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, an agency of the Department of Agriculture..
The agency creates conservation plans for all types of farmers but this money will fund positions that focus specifically on writing cranberry farm plans. These plans evaluate natural resources available to a specific grower and then recommend ways to best utilize those resources, such as maintaining a supply of clean water.
Once a farmer has a plan in place he or she is eligible for various United States Department of Agriculture cost sharing programs. Cranberry growers are interested in the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, which will pay up to 75 percent of the cost of improvements to farming systems, such as replacing old equipment.
The remaining $160,000 will go to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Cranberry Experiment Station in East Wareham for research on cranberry growing practices. They study a range of topics such as pesticide use, crop disease, insect behavior and weather and water patterns.
According to LaFleur 70 percent of the nearly 400 Massachusetts cranberry growers, mostly located in Barnstable, Bristol and Plymouth counties, have less than 20 acres. Many are farming only part time.
Burke applauded the federal government for putting some focus on the cranberry industry because, "attention usually falls to the larger commodities."
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N.H. Primary in Question
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 - Come 2012, New Hampshire may not have exclusive bragging rights to the first primary in the United States.
As both parties wrestle with whether and how to reform their primary processes, the primacy of the Granite State's primary is open to debate. Party leaders from other states are angling to move ahead of New Hampshire, but what the final calendar will look like remains unclear.
"No deals have been made and no decisions have been finalized," Rep. David Price (N.C.- 4 th ), who co-chairs the Democratic National Committee's Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling told a forum on the presidential nominating process sponsored by American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate and the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies. The commission is scheduled to meet on December 1 st to consider revising the primary calendar.
Added David Norcross, chair of the Republican National Committee's Committee on the Rules: "This is a topic that is going to take a lot of discussion if we're actually going to make any changes. There appears to be no appetite in the [Republican] party to change."
During the forum on Monday, top officials of the Republican and Democratic parties met to discuss the problems with the timing of the current presidential primary process, as well as possible solutions.
A major problem with the current nominating system, according to Curtis Gans, director of the Center for the Study of the American Electorate, is that it causes "front-loading," or the grouping of most primaries into one month because states are trying to gain or maintain political relevance by moving into the start of the process. This means candidates must raise a minimum of $25 million before the first election, rather than having the opportunity to use early successes to gain funding that can be used to campaign in later primaries.
The current system also causes the primaries to be grouped into "mega-contests" immediately following the New Hampshire primary and Iowa caucuses, which requires candidates to spend more money in the two states, Gans said, also noting that it creates earlier filing deadlines that make it difficult for late-entering candidates.
Gans argued that the system needs to be revised by spreading primaries out over a long time-span to ensure decisions are made rationally, by reducing the number of mega-primaries held on the same day and by changing filing deadlines so late-entering candidates can run on the ballot, rather than as write-ins.
"The front-loading has some perils and it would be nice to spread that out," Price agreed, adding he believes an effective solution to many of these problems might be moving the entire election process a few weeks, or even a month, later into the year.
"That's not feasible in this round," said Price, referring to the 2008 elections. "It will be hard to pull off, but it might very well be worth our bipartisan efforts."
Norcross, agreed that moving the election process later into the year might help solve some of these common problems, but added that as with the Democrats, no change could take place until 2012 because it would have to be voted on at the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Thomas Sansonetti, former General Counsel for the Republican National Committee, and Don Fowler, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, also participated in the forum.
Outer Brewster LNG Approval Process Not Even Begun
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 - Environmental groups, newspaper editorials and nearby townspeople have all condemned a new proposal for a liquefied natural gas facility on Boston Harbor's Outer Brewster Island. And the approval process for the facility has not even begun.
AES, the Virginia-based company that proposed the project, has not filed any of the necessary documents with the commission, said Tamara Young-Allen, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission spokeswoman.
At this point, the battle over the new facility is taking place entirely in the Massachusetts legislature. Outer Brewster is currently park land. AES needs rights to the land before it can submit an application to the commission, and it needs two-thirds approval in both legislative chambers in order to can get rights to the island.
In spite of their very public opposition to a similar proposed facility in Fall River, Massachusetts Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry have not commented on the Outer Brewster facility.
"Senator Kerry's staff has been briefed on this project," said Setti Warren, Kerry's press secretary. "Senator Kerry will certainly be keeping tabs on this proposal, paying close attention to the homeland security and environmental implications."
As for Kennedy, Melissa Wagoner, is press secretary, said,"The Senator looks forward to working with local, state and federal officials and interested parties to determine the project's potential impact and if it's the best way to increase our region's natural gas supply."
The federal review process allows for comment from the public and from local and state entities as well as from the Coast Guard and the Department of Transportation.
In filing for approval such a project, a company must alert the commission and the public about its proposal at least 180 days before an application is formally filed.
The company must also host open houses in the area where it propose to build such a facility to discuss the project. Commission representatives participate in these open houses and also seek written comments as part of a required environmental impact statement. Then they must hold public hearings on draft versions of the statement.
Young-Allen said the agency must also consider information from a variety of experts in liquid natural gas engineering, anthropology, biology, parks, forestry and law, among other subjects.
"Everyone is equal," she said. "It is America. Everybody's comments are considered." She added that the commission has to consider such things as national security, whether alternative projects exist, how much the project is needed and whether it would create noise pollution.
Concerns of area residents are only a slice of that pie.
"I think some people have the impression that the more signatures we get against a project," the less likely it is to happen, Young-Allen said. "That's not the case."
More information on the review process can be found on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/industries/lng/gen-info/rev-proc.asp
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Bass Legislation to Protect Consumers Passes House
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26--In response to reports of charity fraud and gas gouging in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the House has passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) meant to protect consumers during times of national emergency.
The American Spirit Fraud Prevention Act, which Bass introduced for the third time since 2001, would double the penalties for anyone committing fraud during a time of national crisis.
"The primary purpose of this bill will be to deter fake charities," Bass said in an interview. Earlier, in a news release, he said: "Americans have always opened their hearts and their wallets over and over again. This bill takes steps to ensure that this generosity is not taken advantage of by petty crooks."
The bill, which Bass originally introduced after reports of suspicious charity solicitations in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, previously passed twice in the House by overwhelming margins but was shelved in the Senate. Bass hopes that this time the Senate will approve the measure.
"My understanding is that this time, there is a consensus for the bill," he said.
This year, Bass has enlisted the aid of Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.), who says he will help shepherd the bill through the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, on which he sits.
"Congress must do what it can to offer protection, and Congressman Bass's legislation makes sense, particularly at this time," Sununu said in a statement to the Union leader. "Now that his legislation has passed the House, I look forward to bringing this to the attention of my Senate colleagues and pushing for action this year."
The bill would empower the Federal Trade Commission to double civil penalties for committing fraud or price manipulation such as gas gouging, during a declared national emergency period. Each violation would carry a penalty of up to $22,000.
Robert Schomphe of the New Hampshire Better Business Bureau said that Granite Staters have been reporting several "advance fee loan" schemes that have also been linked to the victimization of hurricane victims.
"They find people on the Internet and offer them loans, regardless of credit," he said in an interview. "But they want an advance fee for the loan or a certain amount of money as insurance against the loan. It looks very slick, but the kicker is that the money must be sent by Western Union to Canada."
Schomphe said that Bass' bill made sense and hoped it would be successful, but cautioned that many charity and Internet scammers will simply relocate and start over.
"If you shut them down in Canada, they just move somewhere else," he said.
Bass said he realized the limitations of any effort to completely prevent fraud during a time of national distress but said the bill provides for far stiffer penalties than the current system and that $22,000 per offense will enough to bankrupt some fraud perpetrators.
"It is a pretty big deterrent," he said. "Will this bill solve the problem of all people who prey on Americans' charity? No. But it is certainly a better deterrent than we have now."
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