In the long-standing struggle to gain access to details regarding Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force meetings in 2000 and 2001, the Washington Post reported last week some of the many players who influenced the vice president's policy recommendations. An undisclosed former White House official gave the Post a list of approximately 300 names, companies and organizations who met with White House staff. With the release of the task force's May 2001 report urging the adoption of energy policies geared toward the expansion of drilling opportunities and increased oil and gas supplies, public interest groups and the General Accounting Office (now called the Government Accountability Office (GAO)) tried to review the process surrounding the vice president's energy task force, including the substance and logistics of various meetings between the White House and industry representatives. At every turn, the administration rebuffed their efforts. As previously reported by the Watcher, the courts found that the vice president is not required to release details on whom he or his staff met with, let alone the substance of the meetings. The Post, however, gained access to a few of the details regarding whom Cheney and his staff met with. Documents turned over to the Post disclosed a list of oil and gas companies and industry groups that met with White House staff. The list includes executives at approximately 20 oil and gas companies including Exxon Mobil and British Petroleum; electric companies such as Enron, Duke Energy and Constellation Energy Group; and approximately 36 trade associations, such as the American Petroleum Institute and the National Mining Association. It was reported that many of these companies and trade associations submitted detailed policy recommendations to White House officials. Interestingly, many of the people and companies listed were contributors to the Bush-Cheney 2000 presidential campaign. The New York Times reports that those on this list contributed more than $570,000. The fact that it took a leak six years after the fact to reveal who attended White House meetings in the development of national energy policy is an indication of this administration's disdain towards government openness and accountability. Even nonpartisan, investigative federal agencies like the GAO were prevented from accessing any details regarding the meetings. The Office of the Vice President continues to maintain that White House officials have a right to receive candid and confidential advice, even though meetings of advisory groups, under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, are required to be open with advance public notice.