4/11/98 Bruce Babbitt, PCBs, Casinos, and General Electric by Andy Mele The Sunday New York Times article of Jan. 11 gives considerable attention to the notion that Secretary Babbitt may have been unduly influenced by lobbyists. The article recounts allegations that one firm of lawyers and lobbyists, O'Connor & Hannan, improperly influenced the Secretary's official decisions concerning a casino development because of that firm's close ties with the Democratic National Committee. The article suggests that the status of these lobbyists as DNC "insiders" won them special consideration from Secretary Babbitt. For years, O'Connor & Hannan has also been lobbying the Department of Interior and other Federal agencies on behalf of proposals that would weaken our nation's environmental Superfund law, severely impairing restoration efforts on the Hudson River, and other heavily polluted areas around the nation. Representing General Electric, which seeks to limit its liability for PCB contamination of numerous sites including the Hudson, O'Connor & Hannan has sought meetings with every agency, Member of Congress, or congressional staffer who will listen, presumably offering the same sorts of alleged "deals." What, then, was Secretary Babbitt's response to these same lobbyists, their money, and their proposals? He chose a point of majestic beauty overlooking the Hudson River to publicly denounce the proposals, the lobbyists advocating them (O'Connor & Hannan), and the corporations driving the process. This event was reported on the front page of the Times (Sept.26), and was absolutely consistent with Babbitt's decades as a straight-ahead public servant. Unfortunately, by the time of Babbitt's speech, G.E., through O'Connor & Hannan, had already found Federal officials willing to embrace its position -- in the United States Senate. The Times (Sept. 5) reported on a Republican push in the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee for a bill that included major elements of O'Connor & Hannan's industry- drafted Superfund proposals. An O'Connor & Hannan lawyer is quoted in the article, representing the G.E. position. I respect Secretary Babbitt's actions in standing up to the corporate lobbyists -- some 400 of them to every 1 public interest representative -- particularly since General Electric has a well-earned reputation in environmental and other public interest circles as one of America's preeminent corporate hardball players.

Send comments and questions to EnvAction@Clearwater.Org