Energy Task Force participants

The Washington Post reports today that, contrary to assertions by the heads of major companies in their recent testimony before Congress and repeated assertions by the White House, oil companies were included on the Vice President's energy task force in 2001. According to an inside source (anonymous because he is fearful of retribution, not surprising for an official in the Bush White House), the oil executives' participation was confirmed "based on records kept by the Secret Service of people admitted to the White House complex". In the Bush White House, a premium is placed on secrecy, loyalty to corporate donors, particularly within the energy industry, in which both Bush and Cheney had worked prior to their election. This revelation (while almost universally believed) adds to the pile of evidence that the Bush Administration's energy policy was shaped, if not entirely written, by oil companies with no input from opposing groups, such as environmentalists or consumer advocates.