WY State Rep. Tom Lockhart Violates WY Constitution
7-term Republican paid over $1million by coal company while sponsoring and voting on bills that benefit the company directly
GRASSROOTS ALERT!! GO VIRAL WITH THIS IMMEDIATELY!!
Send this to every WY email contact, post to Facebook pages, Twitter, etc!
TIME IS CRUCIAL to affect the Aug 19th primaries!!!!!!!
The targets for this exposure are registered voters in Natrona County House District 57
Publicly available documents reveal potential corruption in actions of House District 57 State Representative Tom Lockhart.
Wyoming Constitution Article 3, Section 46, provides:
“A member who has a personal or private interest in any measure or bill proposed or pending before the legislature shall disclose the fact to the house of which he is a member, and shall not vote thereon.”
Federal Securities and Exchange Commission public documents show that Lockhart was a privately paid Board Member of coal industry giant Arch Coal from 2003 to 2011, receiving an average of at least $130,000 per year while voting on coal and energy related bills in the WY State House. Representative Lockhart continues to receive likely deferred payments as an ex-Board Member. His compensation from Arch Coal is well in excess of $1.7 million in salary, stocks, travel funds and other compensation (see SEC filings – links below).
Lockhart began serving as a State Representative in 2001. He has been a member of the House Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee since his 2001 election, excepting the 2003 and 2004 terms. He has Chaired this Committee, and Co-Chaired the Joint Minerals Committee since 2005. In these roles he has wielded substantial influence in the Committees’ actions and decisions, sponsoring coal and energy related bills as a member of those Committees and as an individual.
He has also served on the UW Energy Resource Council, the Clean Coal Research Task Force, the (Legislative) Management Council, the Advanced Conversion Technologies Task Force, and the Energy Producing States Coalition. To put a point on it, at the same time he was directing the business and financial strategies of Arch Coal, he was also sponsoring related bills, shepherding them through Committee and final passage (or defeat) on the floor – voting on them himself, garnering state and region wide support for laws, actions and initiatives, influencing the selection of ‘competitive’ energy projects and grants, influencing the selection of members of energy related boards and councils (through the Legislative Management Council) and determining the distribution of millions of taxpayer dollars in appropriations and their equivalents in tax exemptions.
Lockhart’s focus and purpose as a Legislator is to serve the citizens of Wyoming. Instead, he appears to be an embedded insider serving his own financial interests, along with those of the company he helped direct.
While Lockhart may have some good chalked up to him, that is far outweighed by his apparent self-service. There’s no argument that what benefits the coal industry benefits Wyoming. But if one coal company is given clear advantage over another by government officials, that’s crony capitalism – that’s government picking winners and losers in private industry. Crony capitalism appears to be Lockhart’s goal.
If Rep. Lockhart wants to clear up any misperceptions, he should immediately release an accounting of all compensation he has received from his sources, public and private, while he has been an elected official. He should explain how his actions benefitted all Wyoming coal companies. He should explain why he did not recuse himself from votes that clearly appeared to violate law.
It’s understandable that taxpayers would be outraged with Rep. Lockhart’s type of backroom scheming. The public should demand an explanation from their House and Senate representatives on how such a flagrant Constitutional violation can sail right past the WY legislative leadership for the past eleven years!
This is both scandalous and shameless and should be delved into much more deeply in the coming months regardless of the outcome of the 2014 Primary Election. To restore public trust, every Wyoming citizen should call on the WY Attorney General and the WY Legislative Management Council to launch a full investigation and seek prosecution for any criminal activities.
We need a Representative committed to serving the constituents of District 57.
GO VIRAL WITH THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!
Resources:
Examples of State Rep. Lockhart votes:
http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2009/Digest/HB0301.htm & http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2009/Digest/HB0111.htm & http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2009/Digest/HB0110.htm & http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2010/Introduced/SF0021.pdf
Federal SEC documentation on Arch Coal Board Member Thomas A. Lockhart 2003 to 2011, and after 2011:
2012 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000104746912002832/a2207908zdef14a.htm
2011 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095012311026903/c63392def14a.htm
2010 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095012310026714/c55428def14a.htm
2009 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095013709001769/c48699ddef14a.htm
2008 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095013708003956/c22844def14a.htm
2007 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095013707004065/c12918def14a.htm
2006 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095013706003302/c02714ddef14a.htm
2005 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095013405004741/c91970ddef14a.htm
2004 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095013704001625/c82491def14a.htm
2003 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1037676/000095013403003882/c74879ddef14a.txt
Contacts:
WY Attorney General – http://ag.wyo.gov/contact-us
WY Legislative Management Council
http://legisweb.state.wy.us/LegislatorSummary/InterimComm.aspx?strCommitteeID=SMC&Year=2014
For more information go to:
Wyoming 912 Project Website http://thewyoming.net/
Article
Wyoming Watchdogs Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wyoming.watchdogs?fref=ts
Mr. Lockhart is an accomplished, well-connected man, so of course he would be asked to advise various groups. But his work and actions for Arch Coal and the Legislature tell a larger story.
First, the overlapping terms of service are not likely a coincidence. He’s a key person in the interlocking teams of committees, councils, task forces, legislatures, companies, special interest and policy groups.
The circle of community organizing through government relies on influence peddling – it’s how our world works. But surprisingly for Wyoming, every organization he’s assigned to has a common commitment to develop, spread and implement tactics that throttle back oil, gas and coal for political purposes – ‘clean’ energy, sustainability, global warming, social justice. Lockhart and many others believe it’s their job to shape our worlds this way whether we like it or not. They get paid well while we suffer the consequences to our lives, businesses and finances.
The beauty of America was its goal of equality and blind justice. Everyone equal. Everyone getting the same shot. You could try anything. You could keep what you earned. You stayed out of other people’s way. Public service demanded sacrifice. There were no inherited seats, no lifetime positions. This demanded strong, moral character in public servants because feedback was immediate and direct.
Today political parties demand that favored incumbents not be distracted with election challenges. Lifetime seats allow operatives to stay busy in these interlocking groups without interruption. Some hint that they have royal right to seats (‘my family’s been here forever’). There’s no real sacrifice demanded of any of them. There’s nothing to rein them in and plenty to encourage them to ignore or even attack us.
Lockhart’s story of service helps us focus on how twisted the purposes of government have become. Many citizens won’t discuss politics, participate in government, or even vote. They’re disgusted with the career politicians and fearful of retaliation. When all government answers to one person (say a Governor), and media is helpful, there are long arms that can reach out and touch you. But, be bold, people. Be brave. Break up the circle.
See what the Casper Star Trib has to say: “Lockhart defends coal board position“.