Grover Norquist: THE principal paid lobbyist for the Keystone XL pipeline?

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

Thom Hartmann on this morning's show related a conversation he had yesterday with Karen Finney, former Communications Director of the DMC, MSNBC pundit, and major beltway insider. According to Finney, Grover Norquist is the main paid lobbyist for the Keystone XL pipeline. Hartmann appeared shocked to learn of this. Republicans have seemed willing to raise taxes on 160 million Americans unless the pipeline was included in the legislation package for extension of the payroll tax cut. Tea Party Republicans have signed a pledge to not raise taxes to a man who would support raising taxes unless his client's demands are satisfied. Norquist has involved his pledge signers in a serious conflict of interest. More people need to know what Norquist is really up to and every time he comes on television he should be referred to as Washington lobbyist rather than tax crusader.

[Blue Owl]

1. What the hell does Norquist spend all those millions of lobbied dollars on?

Making himself as unappealing and repulsive as possible?

[Bill USA]

2. Norquist for the Josheph Goebbels award for 2011

recommended!

[LiberalAndProud]

3. Good to know.

Now to get the word out. It is no small thing to see the hand behind the facade.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Paul Elliott is the principal lobbyist for TransCanada.

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/demanding-hillary-clintons-e-mail-now/

May 18, 2011, 6:09 PM
Demanding Hillary Clinton’s E-Mail — Now
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

The Canadian company TransCanada is hoping to win State Department approval of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry “oil sands” oil to the Gulf Coast for refining. To this end, it has spent $310,000 this year lobbying in Washington for the cause.

Its principal lobbyist is a man named Paul Elliott. Remember him? He was a deputy director of Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaign three years ago.

Environmental and ethics groups are crying foul. Last year they filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act for any correspondence between the new lobbyist and his former boss, Secretary of State Clinton, who will ultimately have to sign off on the pipeline. The State Department first refused, then said it would comply with the request. But it has not yet produced the requested documents, and on Wednesday, the groups sued to obtain them.

While it is not illegal for Mr. Elliott to work as a lobbyist, a coalition of groups that include Friends of the Earth, Corporate Ethics International and the Center for International Environmental Law are “seeking to uncover any communications between Elliott and the State Department that would reveal whether Elliott’s former position as campaign director for Secretary Clinton resulted in bias in the permitting process,” Friends of the Earth said in a statement. Mr. Elliott, a New Yorker, who has previously served in a variety of government press jobs in the United States, joined TransCanada in 2009.

The Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil extracted from rock deep under the province of Alberta, is controversial because the extraction process results in heavy emissions and, environmentalists say, could damage the local ecosystem. Another objection is that the pipeline would traverse sensitive areas in the United States, including one of the Midwest’s most important aquifers.

“Clearly, TransCanada hired Mr. Elliott to take advantage of his previous service to Hillary Clinton,” said Kenny Bruno, speaking for Corporate Ethics International. “We think the public has a right to know in what ways TransCanada and Mr. Elliott have attempted to influence Secretary Clinton’s view of this controversial project.”

[Chisox08]

5. No wonder the Republicons are fighting for it.

They got their marching order from Grover Norquist. They pledged allegiance to him instead of the constitution.

[pscot]

6. I'm glad to see him out front

I think the exposure may damage him.