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Cheney's Lust For Halli Burton
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Date Posted: 05:57:58 02/14/06 Tue
Latest Halliburton scandal: Water contamination in Iraq
1/23/2006 4:30:00 PM GMT
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(AP PHOTO) Sen. Byron Dorgan is scheduled to chair a senate Democrats hearing on the issue
Interviews and internal company documents from Houston-based Halliburton, the oil company that was headed by Vice President DICK CHENEY, revealed that both Iraqi civilians and occupation troops at a U.S. military base in IRAQ were exposed to contaminated water last year, according to The Associated Press, which obtained the documents from Senate Democrats which launched a public inquiry into the allegations Monday.
But Halliburton employees couldn't get their company to inform camp residents, AP report adds.
"We exposed a base camp population (military and civilian) to a water source that was not treated," said a July 15, 2005, memo written by William Granger, the official for Halliburton's KBR subsidiary who was in charge of water quality in IRAQ and Kuwait.
"The level of contamination was roughly 2x the normal contamination of untreated water from the Euphrates River," Granger says in the documents.
And although the allegations about water problems were made by Halliburton employees, the company rejected the accusations, the company e-mails proved.
But a July 14, 2005, memo proves that Halliburton's public relations department knew of the problem.
"I don't want to turn it into a big issue right now," staff member Jennifer Dellinger wrote in the memo, "but if we end up getting some media calls I want to make sure we have all the facts so we are ready to respond."
The problem at Camp Junction City, in Ramadi, was discovered last March, according to the company's former water treatment expert at Camp Junction City.
Ken May of Louisville, who used to work for Halliburton at the same base, asserted that there were numerous instances of diarrhea and stomach cramps - problems he also suffered.
But Marine Corps Maj Tim Keefe, a military spokesman claims that the military medical unit that visited Camp Ramadi in April found nothing out of the ordinary in terms of water quality.
Granger's July 15 memo said the exposure had gone on for "possibly a year".
"I am not sure if any attempt to notify the exposed population was ever made," he added.
First time the problem was reported was by water expert, Ben Carter, to Halliburton officials on March 24, 2005 - an "incident report" from tests he performed the previous day.
"It is my opinion that the water source is without question contaminated with numerous micro-organisms, including Coliform bacteria," Carter wrote. "There is little doubt that raw sewage is routinely dumped upstream of intake much less than the required 2 mile distance.
"Therefore, it is my conclusion that chlorination of our water tanks while certainly beneficial is not sufficient protection from parasitic exposure."
Carter submitted his resignation in April after Halliburton officials refused to take any action to inform the camp population.
He told company workers at the base in Ramadi that they would have to notify the military. "They told me it was none of my concern and to keep my mouth shut," he said.
Carter asked the chief military surgeon whether he was aware of stomach problems afflicting people. The surgeon told him he would look into it.
"They brushed it under the carpet," Carter said. "I told everyone, 'Don't take showers, and use bottled water."
The scandalous Halliburton activities in IRAQ drew intense scrutiny from critics of IRAQ WAR.
Halliburton was headed by the U.S. Vice President DICK CHENEY for more than five years.
The latest of a long list of scandals involving the BUSH Administration, Halliburton, the energy giant formerly run and still largely influenced by CHENEY, announced that it will repay the U.S. government over $27.4 million it had grossly overcharged for the meals it supplies to the U.S. Army in Iraq
This is not the first U.S. company, whether contributes more to the REPUBLICAN or DEMOCRATIC Parties, that cashes in on U.S. foreign policy.
The BUSH administration operates several organizations, all tax-funded, to assist U.S. foreign investment. The foremost of these organizations are the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Import-Export Bank of the United States, and last but not least the International Monetary Fund, based in New York City.
Imperialist conflicts and wars, including the current war in IRAQ have always provided golden business “opportunities” . This has become a defining feature of capitalism, specifically capitalism in its era of imperialism and decay.
Halliburton in Pentagon payback
Halliburton said it had problems estimating demand for meals
Halliburton, the giant US energy group once run by Vice-President Dick Cheney, has agreed to pay back $27.4m (£15m) to the Pentagon, US defence officials say.
The refund covers possible overcharging on a contract to supply meals to the US military in Iraq and Kuwait.
Halliburton has temporarily stopped charging the US military for meals until they agree on a better method.
UK defence officials said on Tuesday that Halliburton had won a £12m deal to ship military supplies to Iraq.
Fine-tuning
The potential overcharging had emerged during "routine evaluation of contract costs submitted for payment" by the Halliburton group's Kellogg Brown and Root subsidiary, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Rose-Ann Lynch.
"We are pleased KBR is willing to step forward to offer reimbursement in advance of any findings," Reuters news agency cited another Pentagon official as saying.
On Monday, Halliburton said KBR was working with the Pentagon auditors to "improve the counting method" for meals served to troops in the Middle East.
Halliburton said that "this is not any sort of admission" of wrongdoing.
It explained that meal bills for the US military had been drawn up on the basis of estimates, rather than actual meals served, and that this system was now being fine-tuned.
Halliburton has agreed to repay $16m of payments received for meals at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and $11.4m for meals at other camps in the region.
Under fire
Halliburton's activities in Iraq have attracted intense scrutiny from critics of the Iraq war on the look out for any signs of corporate favouritism from the Bush Administration. Vice President Dick Cheney headed Halliburton for five years, until 2000.
Halliburton has admitted to errors, sacking two KBR employees in Iraq last month for taking bribes worth up to $6m (£3.3m) from a Kuwaiti firm.
Pentagon officials from the Defense Contracting Audit Agency are checking allegations that KBR overcharged the US military for fuel deliveries to Iraq.
A spokeswoman for the UK's Ministry of Defence said KBR had won a logistics contract on the grounds of "performance, responsiveness and overall value for money", adding that the contract was subject to regular performance checks.
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