Joe Barton

 

Joe Barton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  1985
Preceded by	Phil Gramm
Born	September 15 1949 (1949--) (age 58) Waco, Texas
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Terri Barton
Religion	Methodist

Joseph Linus "Joe" Barton (born September 15, 1949) is a Republican politician, representing Texas's 6th congressional district (map) in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1985.

Biography

Barton was born in Waco, Texas to Bess Wynell Buice and Larry Linus Barton.^[1] He graduated from Waco High School. He attended Texas A&M University in College Station and received a B.S. in industrial engineering in 1972. An M.Sc. in industrial administration from Purdue University followed in 1973. Following college Barton entered private industry until 1981 when he became a White House Fellow and served under Secretary of Energy James B. Edwards. Later, he began consulting for Atlantic Richfield Oil and Gas Co. before being elected to Congress in 1984.^{[citation needed]}

Barton was elected to represent Texas's 6th congressional district in his first attempt, defeating Democratic challenger Dan Kubiak with 56% of the vote in a contest to succeed Phil Gramm, who left his seat to run for the United States Senate that year. He received 88% of the vote in 2000, 71% of the vote in 2002 against Democratic challenger Felix Alvarado, and 66% of the vote in 2004 against Democratic challenger Morris Meyer.^{[citation needed]}

In 1993, Barton ran in the special election for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Lloyd Bentsen, who became Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton administration. Barton finished third in the contest and missed a runoff slot.^{[citation needed]}

Congressman Barton is the Ranking Minority Member on the Energy & Commerce Committee.^[2]

Legislative work

• Former Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee,^[3][4] primary House author of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and chairman of the House-Senate energy conference committee.^{[citation needed]}
• Both initiated and eliminated "safe harbor" provision for MTBE (in Energy Policy Act of 2005).^[5][6]
• Co-founded the Congressional Privacy Caucus, cosponsor of the anti-spyware SPY ACT, initiated reauthorization of the National Institutes of Health.
• Opposed the extension of the Voting Rights Act in 2006, as did many Republicans for its costly bilingual ballot printing requirements, with Southern Republicans in particular objecting to their states being held to the stigma of their voting practices in the 1950s and required to report to the federal government for something as small as moving a polling place from one church to another.^[7]

Environmental record

Rep. Barton has been regarded as a global warming skeptic^[3] and his opposition to addressing global warming has been consistent and long-term. As a powerful chairman with primary responsibility over the energy sector, Barton has consistently acted over the years to prevent congressional action on global warming.^{[citation needed]} In 2001, Barton declared, "as long as I am chairman, (regulating global warming pollution) is off the table indefinitely. I don't want there to be any uncertainty about that."^[8] Barton led opposition to amendments that would have recognized global warming during consideration of the Energy Advancement and Conservation Act in 2001, opposing an amendment to require the President to develop and implement a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels as called for by the non-binding United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which the U.S. is a party to.^[9] In 2003, Barton again opposed amendments that would have recognized global warming during consideration of the National Energy Policy Act of 2003, opposing a nonbinding amendment that would have put Congress on record as saying that the U.S. should "demonstrate international leadership and responsibility in reducing the health, environmental, and economic risks posed by climate change."^[10] In July 2003, Barton offered an amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act to remove language that both recognized global warming and called on President Bush to reengage with the international community to find solutions.^[11] In addition, Barton has consistently opposed proposals to reduce the nation's dependence on oil.^[12][13][14]

In 2005, prompted by a February 2005 Wall Street Journal article,^[15] Rep. Barton has launched an investigation into two climate change studies from 1998 and 1999.^[3] In his letters to the authors of the studies, he requested not just details on the studies themselves but significant information about their entire lives and previous studies. This has been widely regarded as an attempted attack on the scientists rather than a serious attempt to understand the science,^[16] although some view it as a normal exercise of the committee's responsibility and an effort to make possible scientific debate on a subject within its jurisdiction.^[17][18] The Washington Post condemned Barton's investigation as a "witch hunt".^[19] Environmental Science & Technology also reported an obscure policy journal often cited by politicians, including Barton, as scientific proof that global warming science is wrong.^[20] See also Barton's own response to this controversy in The Dallas Morning News.^[21] The dispute expanded with Sherwood Boehlert's House Science Committee taking a strong interest.^[22]

In 2006, Barton earned two "environmental harm demerits" from the conservative watchdog group Republicans for Environmental Protection, the first "for derailing floor passage of a sense of the House resolution ... acknowledging climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions"; the second, "for holding hearings, in his role as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, designed to intimidate climate scientists and raise doubt about the impacts and causes of climate change."^[23] The hearings were held by Barton's committee on July 19, 2006, chaired by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations; there, several skeptics testified regarding the hockey stick graph. The RealClimate blog responded to its mention at the hearing.^[24]

During Former Vice President Al Gore's testimony to the Energy and Commerce Committee in March, 2007, Barton asserted to Gore that "You're not just off a little, you're totally wrong,"^[25] thus reinforcing his denial that carbon dioxide emissions contribute to global climate change.

Personal life

Barton divorced his first wife, the former Janet Sue Winslow, with whom he has three children, in 2003. Janet received some media attention as a victim of identity theft. Barton has used her as an example when discussing identity theft legislation. He is now married to Terri Barton, and they have one child, Jack, who was born in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

Citizens for Ethics reported that Barton paid his wife Terri $57,759 in salary and bonuses, from his campaign funds in the 2006 election cycle.^[2] A spokesman said that Terri served as the campaign's outreach director and planned fundraising and special events.^[4] Barton's daughter Kristin was paid $12,622 in salary and bonuses and his mother, Nell Barton, was paid $7,000 for a car.^[4]

Barton's office announced that, on Thursday December 15, 2005, he suffered a heart attack and was taken to George Washington University Hospital.^{[citation needed]}

Quotes

• "Medicaid is a study in contradiction. Thanks to it, America's neediest get health care paid for by taxpayers. Often they get better health care than taxpayers can afford for themselves. The program is both 'free' and break-the-bank expensive. It lets poor people look rich and rich people look poor, and it rewards lawyers and druggists with real wealth. Medicaid works so well it's going broke." — The Washington Times, October 31, 2005

• "This year seems to have set a record for security breaches. As we have learned during three hearings, details of our personal lives are easily available from many sources, including companies like ChoicePoint and LexisNexis, that buy, store and sell our personal data without notifying us. Not only are there no market forces at work to motivate these types of companies to protect the data they accumulate, we now know that no federal law requires companies even to protect it. And if they lose it, what the heck, they don't even have to tell anyone." — Opening statement at data security hearing, November 3, 2005^{[citation needed]}

• "I appreciate that in China, people are hungry to prosper in the global economy. What they need is a body of elected representatives who will widely debate and freely pass a strong national energy policy. Selling China an oil company will only take pressure off its rulers and further delay the arrival of democracy." — USA Today, July 11, 2005

• "We have this final, slim chance to break the deadlock on a comprehensive bill that will generate energy at prices people can afford to pay. I hope enough senators will come back to Washington with a new viewpoint, and that the Senate can drum up the two more votes needed to pass this legislation." — Statement, November 16, 2004

• "As long as I am chairman, [regulating global warming pollution] is off the table indefinitely. I don't want there to be any uncertainty about that." — Congressional hearing entitled, "National Energy Policy: Coal" Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality (March 14, 2001)^[26]

• "I cannot imagine any objective finding that CO₂ is a pollutant," he said. "If that's true, God is a polluter."^[27]

• "Global warming science is uneven and evolving."^[28]

• "The American flag is an enduring symbol of liberty, democracy, and justice... Our flag honors those who have fought to protect it, and is a reminder of the sacrifice of our nation's founders and heroes. As the ultimate icon of America's storied history, the Stars and Stripes represent the very best of this nation."^{[citation needed]}

Criticism

Oil

On September 26, 2005, Barton introduced the Gasoline for America's Security Act of 2005 to the House of Representatives in what he said was a response to the present energy crisis. The most significant part of the bill gave the authority for the government to subsidize the construction of new refineries for petrochemical companies, despite the fact that the oil companies had intentionally been closing down refineries for years prior to the hurricanes. It would allow for oil companies to construct refineries on military bases and government controlled areas offshore. The bill also included a clause in which several environmental restrictions on the oil companies would be repealed.^{[citation needed]}

The bill passed by two votes on October 7, 2005, with a narrow 212-210 vote. The bill, which was supposed to be open for vote for only five minutes, was held on the floor for almost 50 minutes, to the chagrin of Democrats who chanted "Shame! Shame!"[1] During that time, the Washington Post reported that Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex) twisted the arms of moderate Republicans who were originally opposed to the legislation, ultimately convincing them to vote for the bill. Environmentalists and their allies from both parties argued that the country could not stand any relaxation of the Clean Air Act.^{[citation needed]}

The critics argued that the oil companies themselves should be paying the construction costs of new refineries in a year when they were getting ready to announce industry-record profits, especially since they had been the ones who shut down now-needed refineries just four years earlier.^{[citation needed]}

From 1995 to 2001, American oil companies shut down 24 oil refineries along the West Coast. Gas prices in the mid-1990s were low — too low for the likes of the oil companies. Refineries were operating efficiently, producing large quantities of gasoline and therefore cheapening the cost of gas at the pump.^{[citation needed]}

According to opensecrets.org, a watchdog group that monitors monetary contributions to politicians, Barton alone has received close to $2 million in campaign contributions from energy companies and their political action committees since he has been in office. The oil and gas industry has been the top industry contributor to his campaign. This does not include contributions from individuals who work for petrochemical companies, though. Last year, employees from Anadarko Petroleum alone, contributed $50,000, opensecrets.org reports.

The New Republic magazine has called Barton a "Big Oil lackey." According to TNR writer Michael Crowley, "Barton champions a pro-industry agenda with no apparent concern for appearances. Just two months after [the Gasoline for America's Security Act], he exploited concerns over energy supplies in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to jam through still more energy subsidies, ease environmental regulations on refineries, and press for more offshore oil and gas drilling." *

Hurrican Katrina

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Barton was one of only 11 House members to vote against the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Relief bill passed by Congress and signed by President Bush on September 8, 2005. This came one day after he told Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour that "Whatever you need from the federal government... we'll do everything we can to make it happen sooner rather than later and bigger rather than smaller."[2]

Autism

In Fall 2006, Barton refused to release the Combating Autism Act from House subcommittee despite the unanimous passage by Senate [3]. In response, radio personality Don Imus, who was one of the Act's highest-profile supporters, called Barton a "congressional dirtbag."

Other endeavors

• Barton revealed during a congressional hearing on video games that he was a video game player. He announced that he had "worked [his] way up to Civilization IV".^[29]

References

External links

• U.S. Congressman Joe Barton official House site
• Joe Barton at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Joe Linus Barton campaign finance reports and data
• Newsmeat — Joe Barton campaign contributors
• On the Issues — Joe Linus Barton issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Joe Barton campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Joe Barton (TX) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Joe Barton profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Joe Barton voting record
• How the Wall Street Journal and Rep. Barton celebrated a global-warming skeptic: The untold story of how a front-page article and powerful U.S. politicians morphed former mining executive Stephen McIntyre into a scientific superstar Environmental Science & Technology, August 31, 2005
• "Big Oil Looking for a Government Handout, Courtesy of Joe Barton" World Internet News, April 2006,

Preceded by Phil Gramm

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 6th congressional district 1985–Present

Succeeded by Incumbent

Texas's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators	Kay Bailey Hutchison (R), John Cornyn (R)
Representative(s)	Louie Gohmert (R), Ted Poe (R), Sam Johnson (R), Ralph Hall (R), Jeb Hensarling (R), Joe Barton (R), John Culberson (R), Kevin Brady (R), Al Green (D), Michael McCaul (R), Mike Conaway (R), Kay Granger (R), Mac Thornberry (R), Ron Paul (R), Rubén Hinojosa (D), Silvestre Reyes (D), Chet Edwards (D), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D), Randy Neugebauer (R), Charlie Gonzalez (D), Lamar Smith (R), Nick Lampson (D), Ciro D. Rodriguez (D), Kenny Marchant (R), Lloyd Doggett (D), Michael Burgess (R), Solomon Ortiz (D), Henry Cuellar (D), Gene Green (D), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D), John Carter (R), Pete Sessions (R)
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