WASHINGTON – Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton, R-Texas, today sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson asking him whether taxpayer dollars used to bail out American International Group have been used to help fund lobbying activities of the United States Climate Action Partnership.

“Given the U.S. Treasury’s inherent responsibility to ensure the AIG bailout works out in the best interest of taxpayers, I write to inquire as to what the Department of the Treasury is doing to assess the implications of AIG’s political activities, particularly those designed specifically to influence emerging U.S. legislation that may have a substantial impact on taxpayer interests,” Barton wrote. “Funding for the effort is supplied by dues from the member companies and environmental groups. A portion of the dues is used for direct lobbying; USCAP has retained Lighthouse Consulting Group for this purpose, spending more than one millions dollars over the past two years.”

A copy of the letter can be found here.