By Larry Margasak
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Halliburton Co.'s emergency, no-bid contract to work on Iraq's oil wells must be fully disclosed, a Democratic lawmaker said, pointing to the Army's admission that the company has a far more lucrative role than originally believed.
Prior descriptions said Vice President Dick Cheney's former company would fight oil fires. The contract also lets the company operate the oil fields for a time and distribute the petroleum, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Tuesday. Waxman cited information he received from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which awarded the contract.
Cheney's office has said repeatedly that the vice president has no role in Halliburton's operations or its government contracts.
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A spokeswoman for Halliburton said the company's initial announcement of the contract on March 24 disclosed the larger role for its KBR subsidiary.
The Corps wrote Waxman last Friday that the contract included not only extinguishing fires but "operation of facilities and distribution of products."
