High Payments for Halliburton for Fuel to Iraq: NYT (barf alert!)

[farmbo]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/10/international/middleeast/10GAS.html

The United States government is paying the Halliburton Company an average of $2.64 a gallon to import gasoline and other fuel to Iraq from Kuwait, more than twice what others are paying to truck in Kuwaiti fuel, government documents show.

<snip>

But a breakdown of fuel costs, contained in Army Corps documents recently provided to Democratic Congressional investigators and shared with The New York Times, shows that Halliburton is charging $2.64 for a gallon of fuel it imports from Kuwait and $1.24 per gallon for fuel from Turkey. The fuel is sold in Iraq for 5 cents to 15 cents a gallon.

The Iraqi state oil company and the Pentagon's Defense Energy Support Center import fuel from Kuwait for less than half of Halliburton's price, the records show.
<snip>

There goes Bush's $87 billion.

:grr:

If your local county commissioner tried to steer a $5000 non-bid contract to his former business, they'd be strung up by the courthouse flagpole.

But Bush and Cheney, and their puppies in the press, have changed the rules. Crooks who are audacious and greedy enough, can now get away with anything...by wraping themselves in the flag.

[Melodybe]

1. Is any one surprised by this? They are scum!

I suggest people take the time to print up 10 copies of this article and just leave them some where. Or better yet take them into Barnes and Noble and put one in each copy of Bill O'Reilly's book.

[truthisfreedom]

2. you are very imaginative, Melodybe. 8^) kudos.

[farmbo]

6. Better yet...leave it at the gas pump

Its going for $1.37/ gal in my town. Halliburton's probably buying it in the Gulf for no more than .80/gal...then selling it to we taxpayers for $2.34/gal... and we're turning around and selling it to the Iraqis for .5/gal.

:grr:

[0007]

7. Does the FBI watch bookstores also? Like they do in the library!

Has John Ashcroft authored any books?

[Robbien]

3. A barf alert? Are you telling us how we should view this article?

Barf alerts are freeper tools used to herd their masses. Grates to see it used here at DU.

[Divernan]

5. Didn't know freepers were claiming trademark on the phrase!

Someone better alert Al Franken! I think barf alert is a legitimate comment on this board.

[Divernan]

4. Outrageously inflated profit margin for oil industry.

Buried deeper in the above cited article is the statement:
"A company's profits on transport and sale of oil are usually RAZOR THIN (emphasis added), with companies losing contracts if they overbid by HALF A PENNY (emphasis added) a gallon. Independent experts who reviewed Halliburton's percentage of its gas importation contract said the company's twenty six cents charge per gallon of gas from Kuwait appeared EXTREMELY HIGH (emphasis added)."
The article points out that Halliburton has subcontracted actual delivery to a Kuwaiti firm, and that 26 cents per gallon is Halliburton's "overhead and fees".

[Resistance]

8. .

The invasion of Iraq has nothing to do with profiting from the region's natural resources.

So we're told.