Lobbying

Angola's national oil company has hired the Washington D.C. lobby firm Patton Boggs to improve ties with the U.S. government. "Corruption within Angola's $6 billion energy sector is a key irritant between the two countries," O'Dwyer's PR reports. "The U.S. estimates government officials and their cronies skim about $1 billion from Angola's yearly energy revenues." The one-year contract is worth $2.2 millon and will be led by the well connected Tommy Boggs. Last spring, a cease-fire ended the country's 27-year civil war.

"For all the talk of corporate scandal, one leading proposal for change -- tightening the rules on stock options -- was brushed aside in Congress this week, thanks in part to a powerful business lobbying coalition that has long fought to protect these rich pay packages. ...

"Thanks to a loophole in the federal lobbying law, some companies and individuals - especially those pursuing controversial or potentially embarrassing causes - are using coalitions to conceal their identities," writes New York Times reporter Alison Mitchell. Examples of these "stealth coalitions" include the "Section 877 Coalition," which lobbied to help wealthy Americans evade taxes by giving up U.S. citizenship.

The much-hyped Segway Human Transporter is "quietly racing through America's state legislatures at a pace that belies its 12mph top speed," writes PR Week. In the five months since its unveiling, 23 states have passed laws allowing the computerized scooter to roll down sidewalks, among other things. "The routine is simple and oft-repeated," PR Weeks reports. "Matthew Dailida, Segway's manager of state government affairs, travels state to state with his ready-made legislation and, often, a Segway in tow.