Just When You Thought It Was Safe

Tracy, CA -- Richard Pombo has moved on to a more appropriate line of work; he has become a lobbyist for a firm that specializes in representing the Neanderthals of the American economy -- companies that make their profits from irresponsible exploitation of natural resources, not the innovative deployment of human skill and technology. The firm in question, Pac/West, is based in Oregon, but Pombo will be representing it in California. Pac/West Communications last year won a $3 million contract with the state of Alaska to coordinate a campaign for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration -- something Pombo of course supported.

The company's President, Paul Phillips, understandably has a soft spot for the kind of ethical challenges Pombo consistently ran into in his political career. In 1990, while in the Oregon legislature, Phillips was fined $17,000 for soliciting employment from Nike from his legislative office. He later served as Nike community affairs director.

Pombo has followed a similar trajectory with Pac/West. A year ago Environment Science and Technology reported that Pombo had close ties to Pac/West. Pac/West created the sham Save our Species Coalition that fronted for Pombo's bill to gut the Endangered Species Act. It hired Steve Quarles, the DC lobbyist who wrote that bill, then created an "astro-turf" program to make it appear that Pombo enjoyed public support for his efforts to endanger wildlife. For his part, Pombo urged industry contacts to support Pac/West. And, in August 2005, Pac/West returned the favor by hosting a fund-raiser for Pombo in Wilsonville, Ore., where the firm is headquartered. Paul Phillips donated $1000 to Pombo's campaign. Members listed on IRS documents as directors for Project Protect, another PacWest front group, donated an additional $3000.

So, has Pombo finally found an appropriate home? Not so fast. While scummy Pac/West does seem like the right kind of employer for Pombo, it appears the ousted lawmaker may be planning a return to power. Pombo recently told the Stockton Record, "To be honest, I haven't made 100 percent sure I'm not going to run. I'm just going to wait it out and figure this out when things settle down. I want to see if this is something I want to do again."

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