Lawmakers' conflicts
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Thursday, October 18, 2007
The arrogance of power is on display again at the state Capitol. Salt Lake City media have reported that two lawmakers who have been advocating for nuclear power generation in Utah could stand to benefit financially, but neither has been too quick to decalre their conflicts of interest.
Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, is vice chairman of the Legislature's Public Utilities and Technology Committee, which in July and September debated the possibility of enacting legislation permitting construction of a nuclear power plant in Southern Utah. Tilton, only days ago, amended his Declaration of Conflict of Interest form to note that he is an owner of Transition Power Development, a company that has contracted with the Kane County Water Conservancy District to provide water for a nuclear power plant, should one be approved by regulators.
The executive director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District is Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab. Noel also is chairman of the Public Utilities and Technology Committee.
Niether of the men view their day-jobs, so to speak, as conflicts of interest with their legislative duties. Noel says his employer is akin to a public utility. And Tilton says the company he's an owner of is not a public utility, which the Legislature regulates.
Maybe they're right, but then again maybe not.
One thing's for certain: It sure looks like a conflict of interest -- on its face -- and the Legislature's lax rules regarding conflicts of interest need retooling. Lawmakers are required to disclose their conflicts, but they're also expected to vote on each and every bill that comes before them -- whether or not they have a personal stake in the matter. That's a lousy way to do business.
Lawmakers not only ought to be able to recuse themselves from debates and votes concerning matters in which they have conflicts of interest, but they should be compelled to do so. Otherwise, they're self-dealing.
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