Governor's close ties to gas lobby (yep, Schwarzenegger) [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

Governor's close ties to gas lobby
Past, present advisers hired to help push offshore terminal
Christian Berthelsen, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, August 15, 2005

Sacramento -- Energy companies have yet to sell a drop of imported liquefied natural gas in California. But their quest to ship huge volumes into the state is proving lucrative for firms with close ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

BHP Billiton, an Australian energy giant and leading contender to build a liquefied natural gas processing terminal off the California coast, has hired a lobbying group overseen by George David Kieffer, a Los Angeles lawyer so trusted by Schwarzenegger that the governor asked him to help recruit staff for the administration. He also has served as a personal lawyer to the governor's wife, Maria Shriver.

The account made Kieffer's firm, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, the top- grossing firm in the capital in the first quarter of this year, up from a rank of 25th for the same period last year.

Beyond Manatt's efforts on behalf of BHP, a range of liquefied natural gas companies and trade groups joined forces last year to fund a $1 million campaign -- called Californians for Clean, Affordable and Safe Energy -- to increase public support for their product. The public relations team hired by the coalition includes current and former political consultants to the governor and a firm part-owned by Schwarzenegger's chief fundraiser.
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http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/08/15/MNG0NE81B71.DTL