Karl Rove's A-Team

Ralph Marquez
Age: 70
Currently: Lobbyist
Dark Past: Life-long Monsanto executive; became Bush's top environmental officer in Texas. During his tenure, the state consistently ranked dead last in air quality. Marquez convened 11 major industry polluters to secretly adopt a plan for "voluntary pollution abatement" that was written by energy lobbyists.
Dark Present: Hired by Chevron as an "independent expert" to help fight a $10 billion lawsuit brought by indigenous tribes in Ecuador, who claim the oil giant dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic waste in the Amazon.
Actually Said: "Ozone is not poison or a carcinogen. It's a relatively benign pollutant compared to other environmental risks."

[From Issue 1063 — October 16, 2008]

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