Bill Pascrell: “tonight we begin our debate on campaign finance reform. How fitting that this argument is occurring amidst the…”

“tonight we begin our debate on campaign finance reform. How fitting that this argument is occurring amidst the investigation into the power wielded by the leaders of Enron Corporation. What a perfect example of the corruption of money in politics. Last week I reached out to Pat Wood, III, the current Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. I urged him to resign. In light of the influence that Kenneth Lay, the former CEO of Enron Corporation, had over both his appointment to FERC and his subsequent chairmanship of the Commission, it is apparent that Pat Wood's ability to fairly and neutrally oversee the country's energy policies has been irrevocably compromised. These are just some of the facts surrounding Pat Wood's appointment to FERC. One, Ken Lay interviewed all potential nominees to FERC and presented the President's personnel director with a list of top choices; two, on that list were two of the present Commissioners, Pat Wood, III, and Ms. Nora Brownell; three, a 'litmus test' was presented to potential Commissioners during these interviews wherein the nominees were made aware that they must either promote Enron's interests or not receive the appointment, and this is outrageous; and, four, Pat Wood, III, was Kenneth Lay's choice to replace Curtis Hebert. This is just the beginning and one of the reasons why we need campaign finance reform. These are the facts, not fiction.”