Allawi lobbying 

Lobbyists for former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi were busy last fall, according to records filed with the Justice Department.

Principals at BGR Holding placed dozens of phone calls and wrote dozens more e-mails to members of the administration and to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in support of the Iraqi National Accord, the political party that Allawi heads.

Many of the e-mails espoused the Iraqi leader’s “Six-Point Plan” to stabilize the country. One highlighted “the increased skepticism of the Maliki government” — referring to current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — and passed on a news item referencing Sens. Carl Levin’s (D-Mich.) and John Warner’s (R-Va.) criticism of him.

When first made public this past summer, the lobbying contract garnered controversy. Many saw the move as a power grab by Allawi against Maliki. Political progress in Iraq last year did not match improvements made in security in Iraq overall.

BGR Holding, formerly known as Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, has earned $300,000 in fees so far for its work for Allawi and his party, according to records.

 - Kevin Bogardus

Port Pollution

Clean Energy, a natural gas company, is lobbying lawmakers this week to raise the profile of an often-overlooked pollution problem: poor air quality at the nation’s ports.

The company, which calls itself the largest provider of vehicular natural gas in North America, wants Congress to develop a national plan, consisting of tax breaks, loans and/or user fees, to pay to clean up the nation’s ports.

Many port vehicles now rely on diesel fuel that, when burned, emits more air pollution than natural gas does. Ships burning low-grade oil, meanwhile, emit tons of sulfur, which can cause acid rain.

As part of the campaign, Clean Energy commissioned a report reviewing successful clean air programs that are already in place at large ports in the United States. The report was written by Energy Futures, a consultancy based in Boulder, Colo., and was being shown to Hill offices this week.

— J.S.

Heating Up

K Street may be betting against it, but one key House Democrat believes Congress can pass a bill that caps greenhouse gas emissions this year.

“It is a challenge but also a necessity,” said Rick Boucher (D-Va.), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce energy and air quality subcommittee, regarding the need to reduce emissions by 60 to 80 percent over the next 40 years.

Lobbyists invariably compare the effort it will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the moon launch or the Manhattan Project. A climate bill will touch practically all sectors of the economy. That means that there will be a lot of lobbyists working to shape the measure in ways that benefit their clients. With political stakes raised by the ongoing presidential race, most lobbyists seem to believe that Congress will not be able to reach consensus on such a far-reaching issue.   

“I do not accept that for a minute,” Boucher said.

“It is a complex subject. More complex than any previous Clean Air legislation Congress has passed.

“[But] we have already done major work on this subject,” Boucher said.

Boucher and Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) plan to continue to release white papers that seek outside input on how a global warming bill could be crafted. Last week, the two asked stakeholders for advice on how Congress can encourage other countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions.

— Jim Snyder

Traffic Jam

The Department of Transportation’s (DoT) inspector general will audit an agency program targeted by lawmakers, according to an announcement from last week.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) both requested an investigation of the Transportation Technology Innovation and Demonstration (TTID) program, which provides federal funds to states and municipalities to pay for equipment to collect real-time traffic data.

 The program’s main contractor is Traffic.com. Several competitors have complained they have been shut out by DoT when trying to work on the program.

In 2005, the two lawmakers helped pass a provision intended to open up the program for other contractors. But Traffic.com has continued to receive the bulk of the program’s funds.

“I'm hopeful this investigation will lead to the end of the monopoly on traffic information systems and unlock more opportunities for localities and competing technologies,” said Weiner.

DoT officials say they have met the letter of the law as outlined by Congress.

“We are eager to work with the Inspector General’s Office to demonstrate that Congress specifically directed the Federal Highway Administration to continue working with the company as part of the 2005 surface transportation reauthorization law,” said Brian Turmail, DoT spokesman, in an e-mail.

Through a spokesman, Traffic.com said it was meeting the goals of TTID program.

— K.B.

Sour on Sugar

For free trade advocates, an existing barrier on sugar imports is a tough thing to swallow. Protectionist policies may enjoy broad support on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers view them as a critical defense against market infiltration from developing countries that don’t have to comply with the tough labor or environmental standards that American sugar producers do.

But free traders say tariffs and import limits on sugar create a sticky problem for U.S. trade negotiators: How can the U.S. push other governments to open up their own markets when it protects American sugarcane and beet farmers? This week a group of businesses wrote congressional leaders pleading for more support to block a “private arrangement” between the sugar industries of the United States and Mexico that basically ignores the requirements of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“The sugar industry is the most highly protected U.S. agricultural industry and has already won major additional protection in the pending farm bill, as well as an increase in their government-guaranteed price,” the American Beverage Association, Business Roundtable, Grocery Manufacturers Association and U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote in a letter this week.

“This current proposal put forth by the U.S. sugar industry threatens to undermine trade liberalizations that have been achieved, as well as threatening trade-liberalizing efforts in the future.”

— J.S.