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POLITICS & COMMUNITY Department of Energy Crisis
by Steven Mencher

Representative Joe Barton of Ennis is a Texan through and through. His son followed in his footsteps at Texas A&M;, and one of his daughters is also an Aggie. He maintains the no-nonsense attitude of a cowboy, even in the House hearing room where he presides. He also hopes to emulate another tough, ambitious Texan--LBJ--by using the House of Representatives as a stepping stone to the Senate, and then, perhaps, still-higher office.
When the revolution of 1994 swept Newt Gingrich into the Speaker's chair, and made first-term conservative Republicans a force to be reckoned with, Barton tried to parlay his seniority into an expanded leadership role. It's only with the investigation of Hazel O'Leary and her world travels that he has succeeded.
Believe it or not, Joe Barton and Hazel O'Leary have a lot in common: time spent at the Department of Energy (DOE) in its formative years; close ties with energy interests in the private sector; a touch of arrogance and bravado; and a passionate belief in the correctness of their respective causes.

One can imagine young Joe Barton caught up in this particular Alice in Wonderland scenario...

Mr. Barton came to Washington in 1981 after being selected as a participant in the White House Fellowship program. He was assigned to served as an aide to Ronald Reagan's first Energy Secretary James Edwards. Edwards was confirmed by the Senate after backing off, ever so slightly, from the Reagan line that the DOE was a wasteful government boondoggle that had to be abolished. (It might have been hard to get confirmed otherwise.) But that was all forgotten the next year, as Edwards signed on to the goal of dismantling the department. One can imagine young Joe Barton caught up in this particular Alice in Wonderland scenario-- working on issues like natural gas deregulation and other concerns of the Texas energy establishment while planning the demise of the department. DOE survived.
After a stint with Atlantic Richfield Oil and Gas Company, Barton returned to Washington in 1985, this time as the elected representative of the Sixth Congressional District of Texas. From the start, he has crusaded to deregulate energy prices, to get a fair hearing for nuclear power, to lower taxes and, most energetically, to balance the Federal budget. In 1991, the Dallas Times Herald named him the "hardest working" member of the Texas Congressional delegation.

Barton's moment in the sun, up until late last year, was his advocay of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC).

Barton's moment in the sun, up until late last year, was his advocacy of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). This was a multi-billion dollar science project which aimed to investigate the basic building blocks of matter. When Barton began to attack O'Leary for her travels, the DOE opposition research team went on full battle footing--- and they documented Barton's enthusiastic support for the millions of dollars spent in trying to build the SSC back home in Barton's Texas district.
In January of 1992, buried under the coverage of George Bush's illness at a State dinner was news that hit Joe Barton. The Japanese were backing off their tentative commitment to kick in a billion or so bucks for the SSC. It was the beginning of the end.
Foiled in his attempts to bring eight billion dollars worth of jobs and development home to Waxahatchie, Barton was outflanked in a Senatorial bid in 1993. And he failed in 1994 to become head of the Texas Republican Party, despite support from the Texas Christian Coalition.

He's been dogged in his pursuit, but she is still standing.

Because of his expertise in the energy arena, and his bully pulpit on the Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee of the Commerce and Science Committee, Barton was in position to capitalize on Hazel O'Leary's missteps these past few months. He's been dogged in his pursuit, but she is still standing. And when O'Leary promises she'll be back in a second Clinton term, you have to wonder if it's just to make Barton's life a living hell.
The battle is far from over. On June 6, 1996, "The Washington Post" and other papers splashed news of yet another half-million dollars or so unaccounted for in Hazel's travels. Representative Barton grinned through the newsprint and deadpanned: "These findings are much worse than expected."

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POLITICS & COMMUNITY Department of Energy Crisis by Steven Mencher	Representative Joe Barton of Ennis is a Texan through and through. His son followed in his footsteps at Texas A&M;, and one of his daughters is also an Aggie. He maintains the no-nonsense attitude of a cowboy, even in the House hearing room where he presides. He also hopes to emulate another tough, ambitious Texan--LBJ--by using the House of Representatives as a stepping stone to the Senate, and then, perhaps, still-higher office. When the revolution of 1994 swept Newt Gingrich into the Speaker's chair, and made first-term conservative Republicans a force to be reckoned with, Barton tried to parlay his seniority into an expanded leadership role. It's only with the investigation of Hazel O'Leary and her world travels that he has succeeded. Believe it or not, Joe Barton and Hazel O'Leary have a lot in common: time spent at the Department of Energy (DOE) in its formative years; close ties with energy interests in the private sector; a touch of arrogance and bravado; and a passionate belief in the correctness of their respective causes.
One can imagine young Joe Barton caught up in this particular Alice in Wonderland scenario...	Mr. Barton came to Washington in 1981 after being selected as a participant in the White House Fellowship program. He was assigned to served as an aide to Ronald Reagan's first Energy Secretary James Edwards. Edwards was confirmed by the Senate after backing off, ever so slightly, from the Reagan line that the DOE was a wasteful government boondoggle that had to be abolished. (It might have been hard to get confirmed otherwise.) But that was all forgotten the next year, as Edwards signed on to the goal of dismantling the department. One can imagine young Joe Barton caught up in this particular Alice in Wonderland scenario-- working on issues like natural gas deregulation and other concerns of the Texas energy establishment while planning the demise of the department. DOE survived. After a stint with Atlantic Richfield Oil and Gas Company, Barton returned to Washington in 1985, this time as the elected representative of the Sixth Congressional District of Texas. From the start, he has crusaded to deregulate energy prices, to get a fair hearing for nuclear power, to lower taxes and, most energetically, to balance the Federal budget. In 1991, the Dallas Times Herald named him the "hardest working" member of the Texas Congressional delegation.
Barton's moment in the sun, up until late last year, was his advocay of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC).	Barton's moment in the sun, up until late last year, was his advocacy of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). This was a multi-billion dollar science project which aimed to investigate the basic building blocks of matter. When Barton began to attack O'Leary for her travels, the DOE opposition research team went on full battle footing--- and they documented Barton's enthusiastic support for the millions of dollars spent in trying to build the SSC back home in Barton's Texas district. In January of 1992, buried under the coverage of George Bush's illness at a State dinner was news that hit Joe Barton. The Japanese were backing off their tentative commitment to kick in a billion or so bucks for the SSC. It was the beginning of the end. Foiled in his attempts to bring eight billion dollars worth of jobs and development home to Waxahatchie, Barton was outflanked in a Senatorial bid in 1993. And he failed in 1994 to become head of the Texas Republican Party, despite support from the Texas Christian Coalition.
He's been dogged in his pursuit, but she is still standing.	Because of his expertise in the energy arena, and his bully pulpit on the Investigation and Oversight Subcommittee of the Commerce and Science Committee, Barton was in position to capitalize on Hazel O'Leary's missteps these past few months. He's been dogged in his pursuit, but she is still standing. And when O'Leary promises she'll be back in a second Clinton term, you have to wonder if it's just to make Barton's life a living hell. The battle is far from over. On June 6, 1996, "The Washington Post" and other papers splashed news of yet another half-million dollars or so unaccounted for in Hazel's travels. Representative Barton grinned through the newsprint and deadpanned: "These findings are much worse than expected."