Halliburton gets more contracts

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Halliburton Gets More Business in Iraq

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday Vice President Dick Cheney's former company Halliburton was allocated $222 million more last week for work in Iraq, at the same time as a Pentagon audit found the firm may have overbilled for some services there.

 

Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root has now clocked up $2.26 billion under its March no-bid contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild Iraq's oil sector.

 

Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Bob Faletti said a new task order was made for KBR last week worth up to $222 million for the "restoration of essential infrastructure."

 

Faletti said this work order would be paid for by money from the Development Fund for Iraq and not from $18.6 billion in new funds to rebuild Iraq appropriated by Congress.

 

He said Congress had specified new funding for Iraq should not be used for contracts that were not competitively bid, such as the deal with KBR.

 

"To make sure that we avoided any perception of wrongdoing, we are not co-mingling appropriated and non-appropriated funds (from Congress)," said Faletti.

 

Most of the funds paid to KBR to bring in fuel to Iraq, which despite being oil rich is suffering a shortage, have come from the Development Fund, which includes oil revenues from Iraq.

 

Halliburton is in the process of answering questions raised by the Defense Contract Audit Agency over its work in Iraq after a draft audit found a Kuwaiti subcontractor may have overcharged it as much as $61 million for fuel.

 

Halliburton on Monday once again rejected charges of overbilling and said it welcomed any reviews and audits of its dangerous work in Iraq.

 

Asked to provide details on the cost of getting fuel into Iraq from Kuwait, Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall said the average cost was $2.64 a gallon and that for every gallon delivered the company made only a few cents.

 

"Not many people want to drive eight days, round trip in a war zone, with a truck full of flammable materials. The subcontractor has had three drivers killed and 10 injured while performing this mission and 60 vehicles damaged or destroyed," she said.

 

She said the Army Corps of Engineers had told KBR to find a company that met stringent requirements to deliver fuel into Iraq. KBR sought and received bids from four suppliers and only one subcontractor had met the Corps' specifications.

 

Hall said KBR had been negotiating pricing for fuel with the Kuwaiti sub-contractor but did not provide details.

 

KBR's no-bid deal is set to be replaced with two competitively-bid contracts to rebuild Iraq's shattered oil infrastructure. Those new contracts, worth up to $2 billion, are set to be awarded between now and mid-January.

 

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?t...storyID=3996701

 

If this doesn't warrant a congressional investigation, than what in the world DOES? We're giving them MORE MONEY while finding out whether they've overcharged our troops for millions!

 

Are you guys ready to concede that these guys aren't worthy of giving them our full and complete trust yet or not?

[Justice 0]

Considering they didn't overcharge (the Kuwaitis did and there is no evidence to suggest any sort of kickbacks going on), nope, this doesn't worry me that much.

[Firestarter 0]

We're giving them MORE MONEY while finding out whether they've overcharged our troops for millions!

Nope, we're not. Our troops alone don't pay the Pentagon's bills, so don't try to wrap your partisan "concern" in a militaristic flag.

 

Are you guys ready to concede that these guys aren't worthy of giving them our full and complete trust yet or not?

Nope. First of all, we don't operate by giving anyone our "full and complete trust." That's why we audit accounts. The audits are not yet complete, and what we have turned up so far does not indicate that any actions were taken in bad faith. There are no suspicious discrepancies and there is no evidence of wrongdoing or fraud. If such evidence is uncovered, it will be acted on. If no such evidence ever turns up, well, I don't doubt you'll keep carping and whining anyway. But I won't let it keep me awake at night. I doubt anyone else will either.

[sfaJack 0]

You didn't read your Wall Street Journal today, did you Jobber?

 

http://webreprints.djreprints.com/890250434404.html

[Vyce 0]

Hey, I just heard a rumor that Dick Cheny used to run Halliburton?

 

Could this possible be true?!?!?!

[Guest Cerebus]

Hey, I just heard a rumor that Dick Cheny used to run Halliburton?

 

Could this possible be true?!?!?!

Only if reported by the all knowing and infallible independent media, you know the only kind of media that will tell you the hardhitting facts on the Bush-Military-Industrial complex that OMGFAUXNEWS LOL 2003! won't!

[Guest MikeSC]

Hey, I just heard a rumor that Dick Cheny used to run Halliburton?

 

Could this possible be true?!?!?!

WHAT?

 

CHENEY USED TO RUN HALIBURTON!?!?

 

GET THE HECK OUTTA TOWN!

 

What next, did Kerry serve in 'Nam or something?

-=Mike

...and it begins, kkk

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Hey, I just heard a rumor that Dick Cheny used to run Halliburton?

 

Could this possible be true?!?!?!

I don't know -- I've read this claim in a few alternative press outlets.

 

Worse yet, I also heard Cheney MADE MONEY while working there...

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

What next, did Kerry serve in 'Nam or something?

          -=Mike

...and it begins, kkk 

Good lord, I was watching a Kerry interview on everybody's favorite news channel and I burst into laughter when he pimped his military service, even though he didn't mention the "V" word...

[NoCalMike 0]

Haliburton = crooked

 

that is all.

[Vern Gagne 0]

What next, did Kerry serve in 'Nam or something?

          -=Mike

...and it begins, kkk 

Good lord, I was watching a Kerry interview on everybody's favorite news channel and I burst into laughter when he pimped his military service, even though he didn't mention the "V" word...

I've heard Howard Dean is a Doctor. Can anyone confirm this.

[sfaJack 0]

Haliburton = crooked

 

that is all.

How, exactly?

[C Dubya 04 0]

I don't think that there is any concrete evidence yet that Haliburton is crooked and it's unfair to call them such. But I also do not support giving no-bid contracts to any company. And I really don't think that they should be awarded another no-bid contract if there is some doubt that they are doing the best possible job. Crooked or not, it's their responsibility as a company to make sure that they (and in turn the US government) are not being overcharged for oil from Kuwait.

[Guest Cerebus]

What next, did Kerry serve in 'Nam or something?

          -=Mike

...and it begins, kkk 

Good lord, I was watching a Kerry interview on everybody's favorite news channel and I burst into laughter when he pimped his military service, even though he didn't mention the "V" word...

I've heard Howard Dean is a Doctor. Can anyone confirm this.

I always thought the NY Times called him Dr. Dean out of some sort of affection for him!

[BX 0]

Interesting article from CNN.

 

http://money.cnn.com/2003/12/22/news/inter....reut/index.htm

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Halliburton Co. official said he and his staff were pressured by the U.S. Embassy and Kuwait government officials to buy gasoline from Kuwait as a political favor, rather than possibly cheaper Turkish gas, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.

 

Thomas Crum, chief operating officer for Halliburton's Kellogg, Brown & Root unit's Middle East government operations, was quoted in the newspaper as saying, "There's been considerable pressure here on our people from the embassy encouraging us to buy as much fuel as we can from Kuwait, telling us it's a political issue."

 

Earlier in December, the Pentagon said a draft audit found evidence KBR may have overcharged U.S. taxpayers $61 million to supply fuel to Iraq from Kuwait.

 

Halliburton (HAL: Research, Estimates) has strongly denied any wrongdoing.

 

According to the paper, Crum said that embassy officials, whom he did not identify, indicated that the political nature of the issue related to the U.S. government's desire to show appreciation to Kuwait for its help in the American-led invasion of Iraq.

 

Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment. 

[Guest MikeSC]

Interesting article from CNN.

 

http://money.cnn.com/2003/12/22/news/inter....reut/index.htm

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Halliburton Co. official said he and his staff were pressured by the U.S. Embassy and Kuwait government officials to buy gasoline from Kuwait as a political favor, rather than possibly cheaper Turkish gas, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.

 

Thomas Crum, chief operating officer for Halliburton's Kellogg, Brown & Root unit's Middle East government operations, was quoted in the newspaper as saying, "There's been considerable pressure here on our people from the embassy encouraging us to buy as much fuel as we can from Kuwait, telling us it's a political issue."

 

Earlier in December, the Pentagon said a draft audit found evidence KBR may have overcharged U.S. taxpayers $61 million to supply fuel to Iraq from Kuwait.

 

Halliburton (HAL: Research, Estimates) has strongly denied any wrongdoing.

 

According to the paper, Crum said that embassy officials, whom he did not identify, indicated that the political nature of the issue related to the U.S. government's desire to show appreciation to Kuwait for its help in the American-led invasion of Iraq.

 

Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment. 

So, Haliburton is not guilty?

 

Shocking!

-=Mike