GOP vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney and the energy company he runs, Halliburton Co., have contributed more than $150,000 to members of Congress who co-sponsored legislation that would curtail the ability of workers to sue companies over asbestos exposure. Coincidentally (ahem), about 273,300 lawsuits have been filed against Halliburton and its subsidiaries since 1976 by workers suffering from asbestos-related disease. This year, for the third year in a row, the lawsuit-limiting bill didn’t make it to the House floor for a vote. In other GOP donor news, federal prosecutors are planning to seek an indictment against Koch Petroleum for environmental violations in Texas. The case against the company, which has contributed nearly half a million dollars to the Republican party, could raise questions about the relationship between oil companies and Texas regulators under the administration of Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
