For Immediate Release:
May 23, 2002

  Contact:
David Willett, 202-675-6698

              Judge Rules Against Cheney Energy Task Force
       Sierra Club Case Against Cheney Task Force to Move Forward

Washington, DC:  Vice President Cheney and other Administration Officials
were rebuffed by a Federal Court today, as Judge Emmet Sullivan rejected
their request to dismiss lawsuits filed by the Sierra Club and Judicial
watch challenging the Administration's attempts to keep Task Force meetings
with energy industry executives secret.

The Sierra Club suit asserts that by refusing to tell the public about the
influence energy industries had in crafting national energy policy, the
Cheney Task Force violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The
Sierra Club is asking the court to require Vice President Cheney and other
defendants to disclose to the American people what went on behind closed
doors in the creation of the national energy policy. The suit has been
consolidated with a similar suit filed by Judicial Watch.  The Federal
District Court ruled today against the U.S. government's motions to dismiss
both lawsuits.

"We welcome both the Judge's decision to move forward and his rejection of
Vice President Cheney's argument for Executive Branch secrecy," said Carl
Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. "Americans deserve to know
what happened behind those closed doors where the energy industry met with
Administration officials, and the law requires it."

The Sierra Club filed this lawsuit after the Bush Administration refused to
divulge how much influence big energy companies like Enron and oil and coal
producers had in crafting the nation's energy policy, despite numerous
requests from Congress and others.

"It's extremely unfortunate that it takes a lawsuit to learn how much
influence polluting companies had over a policy affecting all Americans and
generations to come.  If the Administration had conducted their meetings in
the light of day, we wouldn't need this lawsuit," continued Pope.

The energy policy that ultimately came out of the Administration relies on
technologies that will pollute our air and water, destroy special places
and fail to reduce our dependence on oil and coal. At the very least, the
American people deserve an explanation of why the Administration chose this
path rather than safer and cleaner technologies that would protect the
environment and save consumers money at the same time.

The Judge ruled that the case will now move to the discovery phase where
the Sierra Club and Judicial Watch will be allowed to review details about
the participation of energy executives in the activities of the Cheney
Energy Task Force.

The Sierra Club is asking for a full accounting of what happened behind the
closed doors of the Cheney Energy Task Force, including:  who was in the
room; what proposals did the energy industry executives and lobbyists make;
what documents did the energy industry submit; and what Task Force
documents did they review.

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Erin Jordahl
Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
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