Re: Rogue Bureaucracy update (oil/gas fraud against Indian tribes)

Jordan S. Dill (jsd@sover.net)
Mon, 25 Nov 1996 12:17:53 -0500


jsd@sover.net (Jordan S. Dill) writes:
>
> Good day all...
>
> The essay, "Rogue Bureaucracy" (<http://www.dickshovel.com/rogue.html>) in
> which it is asserted that the U.S. Department of Interior has been in the
> past, as an agency, essentially a co-conspirator with major oil and gas
> industry companies to defraud the Federal government, some states and some
> Indian tribes...has just been updated with the following information:
>
> "A False Claims Act "quitam" or action has been filed on royalty fraud for
> 44 of the lower 48 States, as of mid-summer 1996, according to inside
> sources.

Further to the above...this is a partial quote of an "update" that
has just been added to this site:

The Oil and Gas Journal for 28 October 96 cites a lobbyist for a major
company saying "...a sleeper issue that could explode...", but the big
companies are adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Hell, it's always worked
before for 40 years or so!!

New info from Texas: Texas Land Office suing nine companies on
underpaid royalties from school lands;

Other suits filed: Class action in Houston x 35 firms for undervaluing
crude and anti-trust violations;

Alabama - five counties suing oil companies for underpayment of related
severence taxes; State investigating too; plus a private royalty owners
class action suit.

Alaska has recovered only $3.7 million (of the half billion they
agreed to settle on??) says O&G Journal

Colorado producer filed class action against 67 gas pipelines for $6
billion in gas underpayments.

Florida royalty owners filed class action against Exxon.

Louisiana sued 45 producers for underpaid severance taxes. A global
settlement brought in $250 million from Texaco, plus $900,000 from four
other firms. LA is auditing 8 more firms.

New Mexico settled with Texaco for $4 million in unpaid royalties
and is
auditing 8 other firms for underpaid severance taxes.

The Project on Government Oversight <http://www.mnsinc.com/pogo>
reports Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Wyoming and three Indian tribes are
examining royalty and severence tax issues.

Ayatohihi...
First Nations/First Peoples Issues (4 Star Magellan site)
Wounded Knee Home Page
American Indian Movement
<http://www.dickshovel.com>

PGP public key available upon request...