"Pombo to get award"???

I know. I thought, who would give Pombo an award? and for what? Then I remembered the man's gotten a Luntzie, so anythings possible.

Lodi News-Sentinel: Pombo to get award

"Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, will receive an award for his activism in reducing government regulations, taxation and spending on April 25.

The award will be presented by the Annapolis center for Science-Based Public Policy in Maryland. The center awards people for supporting rational science-based thinking and policy making, according to a written statement by the center." (Source)

From the Annapolis Center Events page description of Pombo and the 2006 Annual Dinner; "As the Chairman of House Resources, he maintains jurisdiction over more than 2 billion acres of on-shore and off-shore federal lands, including all National Parks and National Forests. The committee also has jurisdiction over fisheries and wildlife; mining, mineral, and energy policy; Native American and Insular affairs; irrigation and reclamation; oceanography; petroleum conservation; the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline; and more." (Source)

God bless Google and the Internets.

ExxonSecrets.org: "In its own words, "[t]he Annapolis Center is a national, non-profit educational organization that supports and promotes responsible energy, environmental, health and safety policy-making through the use of sound science. Founded by scientists, former policy-makers, and economists, The Center is committed to ensuring that public policy decisions are based on scientific facts and reasoning."

The Annapolis Center actively argues against the idea that global warming is the result of burning fossil fuels. They also advocate increased logging for better forest health and question rising mercury levels among other things. The Annapolis Center is funded primarily by the National Association of Manufacturers. The Center's founder and COO, Richard Seibert was a former National Association of Manufacturers Vice President." (Source)

Also via ExxonSecrets: "The Annapolis Center for Science-Based Public Policy has received $658,575 from ExxonMobil since 1998." (Source)

"At the Center's Annual Dinner, it honored Sen. James Inhofe for "his work in promoting science-based public policy." Sen. Inhofe is known for his opposition to the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2003, ExxonMobil gave money to the Annapolis Center specifically for the support of its Annual Dinner." (Source)

Inhofe "once suggested that global warming "could be the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people," (Source)

"According to a Wall Street Journal article, 80% of the funding for the Center comes from the National Association of Manufacturers. (Wall Street Journal, 1/16/97)" (Source)

From The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney "These politicians have found a support base for their actions in conservative think tanks. In 2003, the Maryland-based Annapolis Center for Science-Based Public Policy, a conservative-leaning group funded in part by industry, feted Cannon for his "sound science" initiative at its annual dinner...Borrowing a line from the conservative Fox News, the Center for Science and Public Policy promises—shades of Orwell—a "fair and balanced" approach to scientific information." (Source)


#3 in OpenSecrets.org's Top Industies supporting Pombo
(Career), right under Real Estate, is Oil & Gas - $179,788 (Source)

Some other interesting supporting industries:

Real Estate
$223,890

Lobbyists
$131,423

Forestry & Forest Products
$97,245

Beer, Wine & Liquor
$82,622

Casinos/Gambling
$64,647 (Source)

Pombo's # 19 Contributor since 1989 is ChevronTexaco ($21,500) (Source)

And then it all made sense.