Big business, lobbyists had Sarah Palin's ear
Alaska's governor met with them at least 36 times, according to her calendar. Other groups were not as fortunate.
WASHINGTON — Big business was granted wide access to Sarah Palin's office during her first 20 months as Alaska governor, but she rarely met with labor, environmental or other groups pressing alternative views, her official calendar shows.
On at least three dozen occasions, Palin, now the Republican vice presidential nominee, spoke with executives and lobbyists working for an array of energy, mining and tourism firms with major investments in Alaska.
Among those who visited Palin's Juneau office multiple times were the chief executives of Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips, as well as several dozen other top oil and gas company officials.
"We have not had problems with access to Gov. Palin or her key department people," said Ashley Reed, a lobbyist who was on a team of natural-gas officials who met with Palin in April 2007. Reed was working with Enstar, a gas firm seeking approval for a natural-gas "bullet" pipeline.
Despite that access, however, Palin has cut an independent course on oil and gas issues -- which has won wide acclaim from Alaskans. She forced the companies to share windfall profits with the state, moved to pull the lucrative leases of those that were not actively exploring for oil and chose a Canadian firm to manage a major gas pipeline project.
Still, Palin has held few meetings with groups holding alternative views.
Her calendar shows that Palin met four times in those 20 months with officials from the Teamsters, who endorsed her 2006 gubernatorial bid, and the AFL-CIO.
She also held two sessions with members of a conservation group seeking state support in addressing climate change -- an issue on which Palin does not see eye to eye with environmentalists.
"I don't think we've had the time we need to press the importance of our issues," said Kate Troll, executive director of the Alaska Conservation Alliance. The activists have not been granted a follow-up to a February 2007 meeting with the governor "despite multiple requests," said Peter Van Tuyn, an Alaska environmental lawyer.
In an August interview with National Public Radio before being named John McCain's running mate, Palin declared: "I've had about two lobbyists, two, maybe three lobbyists who have snuck in [to her statehouse office] with a group of people. So I can't say they've never been in, but we don't invite lobbyists in."
According to her calendar, however, Palin has met with more than a dozen registered lobbyists since taking office in December 2006.
