Beard Bites Back
By: Elizabeth Brotherton and Emily Yehle
February 6 , 2008
Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard on Tuesday defended the House’s decision to buy $89,000 worth of carbon offset credits from the Chicago Climate Exchange, more than a week after new concerns were raised about the value of the purchase.
In a lengthy statement, Beard said he welcomes the results of upcoming investigations by the Government Accountability Office and Federal Trade Commission, which examine whether the carbon-trading marketplace is “mature enough to substantiate the spending of taxpayer dollars on offsets.”
Oversight and control of the trading system are needed to make sure investments are sound, Beard said, adding that carbon credits “play a critical role” in helping government groups and private-sector companies become carbon-neutral.
Beard oversees the Green the Capitol Initiative on behalf of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). One of the project’s main goals is for the House to be carbon-neutral by the end of 2008. But that cannot happen without the purchase of carbon credits.
A recent investigation by The Washington Post found that some of the credits purchased by the House went to fund projects that had already ended or weren’t effective, which prompted Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.) to ask the GAO to look into the purchase.
Concern about offsets isn’t new. In a Nov. 2 letter to Beard, House Administration ranking member Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) argued that officials should wait until a separate GAO investigation studying the offset market was completed before making the purchase. (Beard bought the offsets a few days later.)
“This is a long overdue acknowledgment that there are serious concerns surrounding the lack of discretion applied to this costly purchase at the expense of the American taxpayer,” Ehlers spokeswoman Salley Collins said of Beard’s statement. “Unfortunately, it is after the fact.”
In an interview, Beard said he purchased the credits on behalf of House leadership, noting that the House Administration and Appropriations committees approved the move. Ehlers’ concerns emerged after the purchase already had been given the green light by authorizers, Beard said.
“I think the implication of some of the [criticism] is that this was done in sort of the dead of the night,” Beard said. “That the CAO got an idea and sort of did something, but that’s far from the case. ... This was fully vetted by all of the appropriate committees.”
Others on Capitol Hill remained supportive of the offset purchase on Tuesday, including Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.).
“Offsetting the House of Representatives’ greenhouse gas emissions is a priority for this Congress that Congressman Emanuel is proud of and will continue to support,” a spokeswoman said.
