Want to know who participated in those secret energy meetings?

The meetings that Cheney held back before 9-11. The meetings that Cheney refuses to release the minutes from or even the list of participants.

Well this Independent Task Force headed by James Baker III is probably the next best thing. I would venture to guess that the list of participants and the policies that resulted are probably very similiar.




STRATEGIC ENERGY POLICY CHALLENGES
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Report of an Independent Task Force
Sponsored by the
James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy of Rice University
and the
Council on Foreign Relations

<snip>

For many decades the United States has not had a comprehensive energy policy. Now, the consequences of this complacency have revealed themselves in California. Now, there could be more California-like situations in America’s future. President George W. Bush and his administration need to tell these agonizing truths to the American people and lay the basis for a comprehensive, long-term U.S. energy security policy.

That Americans face long-term situations such as frequent sporadic shortages of energy, energy price volatility, and higher energy prices is not the fault of President Bush. The failure to fashion a workable energy policy rests at the feet of both Democrats and Republicans. Both major political parties allowed energy policy to drift despite its centrality to America’s domestic economy and to national security. Energy policy was permitted to drift even though oil price spikes preceded virtually every American recession since the late 1940s. The American people must know about this situation and be told as well that there are no easy or quick solutions to today’s energy problems. The president has to begin educating the public about this reality and start building a broad base of popular support for the hard policy choices ahead.

This executive summary and the full report address the following questions. What are the potential effects of the critical energy situation for the United States? How did this critical energy situation arise? What are the U.S. policy options to deal with the energy situation? What should the United States do now?

<snip>

TASK FORCE MEMBERS

ODEH ABURDENE

GRAHAM ALLISON
JOSEPH C. BELL
PATRICK CLAWSON
FRANCES D. COOK
JACK L. COPELAND
CHARLES B. CURTIS
TOBY T. GATI
LUIS GIUSTI
DAVID L. GOLDWYN
MICHEL T. HALBOUTY
AMY MYERS JAFFE
MELANIE A. KENDERDINE
JOSEPH P. KENNEDY II
MARIE-JOSEE KRAVIS
KENNETH LAY
JOHN H. LICHTBLAU
JOHN A. MANZONI
THOMAS F. MCLARTY III
ERIC D.K. MELBY
SARAH MILLER
STEVEN L. MILLER
ERNEST J. MONIZ
EDWARD L. MORSE
SHIRLEY NEFF
DAVID O'REILLY
KENNETH RANDOLPH
PETER ROSENTHAL
GARY N. ROSS
ED ROTHSCHILD
JEFFERSON B. SEABRIGHT
ADAM SIEMINSKI
MATTHEW SIMMONS
RONALD SOLIGO
MICHAEL D. TUSIANI
PHILIP K. VERLEGER JR.
ENZO VISCUSI
CHUCK WATSON
WILLIAM H. WHITE
DANIEL YERGIN
MINE YÜCEL

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3535.htm


Lot's more info at the link.

i don't get what cheney's problem would be. that list is utterly unsurprising. Shell, BP, Enron, misc. consultants. just who you'd think.

"Assisting with the CentGas negotiations with the Taliban was Laili Helms, the niece-in-law of former CIA Director Richard Helms. Laili Helms, also a relative of King Zahir Shah, was the Taliban's unofficial envoy to the United States and arranged for various Taliban officials to visit the United States. Laili Helms' base of operations was in her home in Jersey City on the Hudson River. Ironically, most of her work on behalf of the Taliban was practically conducted in the shadows of the World Trade Center, just across the river."

from 'Afghanistan, the Taliban and the Bush Oil Team' by Wayne Madsen
http://bitterfact.tripod.com/afghan/bushandoil1.html

task force list, and/or have actual copies of materials distributed to Cheney's "Task Force"

Ken Lay, who was in charge of Energy on the incoming WH "Transition" team, surely was part of the secret Cheney group. And he's subject to "discovery" in upcoming legal actions against him for his Enron crimes. Perhaps rosecutors and/or plaintiffs in those Enron-related actions will get access to Cheney's list through discovery, and leak it to the press.

Also, some people on that list might voluntarily tell what they know, but very likely so far no one has asked them!

But the 'escape' clause is always 'national security'. It would be nice if requests for the information were filed anyway though...just to get the cause for denial on the record.

National security or coverup of theft would have to be determined by someone who is impartial.