A legislative ethics committee has apparently declined to adopt a citizens’ complaint against a state senator that accused him of failing to disclose ownership of his oil and gas companies that may have benefited from his official actions.
Several environmental advocacy organizations filed a complaint last month, alleging that Sen. Brian Chavez, a Republican who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, failed to disclose five fracking businesses of which he and his family maintain ownership. That complaint is based on documents obtained in public records requests, court documents and business filings.
The Joint Legislative Ethics Committee didn’t issue any formal statement or explain its action. However, if it formally adopts a complaint from ordinary citizens, it would announce the adoption and notify the subject of the complaint within 14 days of its receipt. Senate spokesperson John Fortney said Chavez has received no word from JLEC, suggesting it never adopted the complaint against him.
State law requires public officials to file financial statements detailing their sources of income, investments, businesses and others.
Fortney called the complaint a smear campaign against Chavez and the oil and gas sector.
“No notification from JLEC means that the propaganda these groups vigorously promoted in the mainstream media died under its own weight of meritless supposition and conjecture, none of which was based in fact or law,” he said. “Simply stated, it crashed and burned.”
But Bev Reed provided a statement on behalf of Washington County for Safe Drinking Water and correspondence from Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe, the head of the state office that oversees JLEC.
Bledsoe said in an email to the activists that the review of publicly available information does not constitute the ‘personal knowledge’ the law requires. But JLEC may still investigate allegations presented to it, and adopt and issue a complaint if it finds “reasonable cause” to believe a violation has occurred.
Bledsoe didn’t return a phone call. Reed said his response suggests it’s premature for Chavez to spike the football.
“We trust that JLEC will carefully consider the ethical implications of Senator Chavez’s personal and familial industry ties and conduct a thorough investigation,” she said. “It is also worth noting that commentary from individuals who are not members of the JLEC Committee does not reflect the Committee’s internal deliberations or decision-making process.”
The complaint specifies five companies it claims Chavez or his wife own but have not publicly disclosed. And it faults him for another company bidding on public contracts to seal abandoned oil and gas wells, even as his committee advanced legislation impacting that pot of funds.