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'''Harvey Whittemore''' (born 27 August 1956) is an American lawyer and businessman in the [[Reno]], [[Nevada]] area.<ref name=NewsReview>{{Cite news |
'''Harvey Whittemore''' (born 27 August 1956) is an American lawyer and businessman in the [[Reno]], [[Nevada]] area.<ref name=NewsReview>{{Cite news |
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Revision as of 17:34, 23 January 2010
Harvey Whittemore (born 27 August 1956) is an American lawyer and businessman in the Reno, Nevada area.[1] As an influential lobbyist for the gambling, alcohol and tobacco industries, and for his own business ventures, Whittemore has been called "one of Nevada's most powerful men".[1] Whittemore is the president of Coyote Springs Investment, LLC, the land-development company behind Coyote Springs, a controversial[2][3] $30 billion planned golf course community of 160,000 homes on 43,000 acres in the rural Nevada desert.[4][5] Whittemore's close relationship with Senator Harry Reid came under scrutiny because of perceived legislative and political pressure favours allowing Coyote Springs to overcome regulatory problems.[6][7]
Whittemore, whose daughter, Andrea Whittemore-Goad, is a chronic fatigue syndrome patient, has also founded a laboratory known as the Whittemore Peterson Institute to investigate chronic fatigue syndrome.[8]
Background
Harvey Whittemore was born in Carson City, Nevada, in 1956, and was raised in Nevada and Arizona. His wife, Annette Whittemore, was a childhood friend. Whittemore attended the University of Nevada, Reno and earned a law degree from Arizona State University.[1]
Whittemore's first experience with politics was the 1978 Nevada gubernatorial race, during which he established contacts in the Nevada political scene. He was hired by the law firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins as a lobbyist, where he has since advanced to senior partnership.[1]
Lobbyist/Attorney
Whittemore has lobbied on behalf of industries including the Nevada casinos, liquor, and tobacco.[9] He has been called one of the most powerful men in Nevada, the most powerful casino lobbyist, and "the Lance Burton" of lobbying.[2] State Senator William Hernstadt attributes Whittemore's success to his ability to twist arms figuratively "to the point of breaking", remarking, "when Harvey Whittemore speaks, the Nevada Senate listens".[1] He has secured tax cuts for the gambling industry, represented casinos against workers' rights groups and introduced liability protection for casinos. Critics charge that the latter has put families of victims of sex crimes perpetrated in casinos in "a terrible legal position".[1] Whittemore has also lobbied for his own ventures, both business and non-profit.[10][11][12]
Coyote Springs
Whittemore's land-development ventures include casinos, hotels, shopping malls and Coyote Springs, a planned living community about 60 miles north of Las Vegas on 43,000 acres of desert land. First envisioned by Whittemore in the early 1990s,[9] Coyote Springs is located in a large valley on the border of Clark County and Lincoln County[13] and is slated to include 160,000 homes, twelve golf courses and several hotel-casinos. Its total cost has been estimated at around $30 billion. The first golf course, designed by golfer Jack Nicklaus, opened in 2008. Home construction is expected to begin in 2010.[14] Coyote Springs has been called a "marvel" and an "outrage".[15] Whittemore considers the development an opportunity "to create a beautiful place which is unique in the world".[9]
Regulatory impediments
Whittemore obtained land in the Coyote Springs Valley from a private owner but was unable to acquire all of the land or build on what he owned because of regulatory obstacles. The desert land included a sanctuary for the desert tortoise, an endangered species, and some of the adjacent land was designated a wilderness study area. A federal easement for utilities was also present, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would not allow building due to the presence of stream beds in the area. Water rights agreements were also needed to procure large amounts of water.[9][7]
Controversy
Whittemore and his company have successfully overcome most of the obstacles to development of Coyote Springs. A commentator at the Las Vegas Review-Journal called Whittemore's triumphs a "marvel" but also put them down to what he called Whittemore's "distasteful" application of "political juice".[15] Politicians at the state and national levels have introduced legislation to benefit the project by removing some of the regulatory problems; in other cases, politicians have reportedly exerted pressure on regulatory agencies to agree Whittemore's projects. Journalists and advocacy groups have questioned whether Whittemore's personal and financial relationships with political figures, particularly Senate majority leader Harry Reid, have affected these developments.[9]
Whittemore and Senator Harry Reid
Whittemore is reportedly one the closest friends of Senator Harry Reid, who became Senate majority leader after the fall 2008 elections,[7] and both men have characterised their relationship as close and decades long.[9] Whittemore, his wife and company have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Reid's election campaigns and to Reid's leadership fund, which has been used to aid Reid's allies and is said to have helped Reid attain his leadership position.[9] Whittemore has also funded political campaigns of two of Reid's sons. All four Reid sons have at one time been employed by Whittemore's law firm.[16] According to the Los Angeles Times, Whittemore helped advance the careers of two sons, including Leif Reid, Whittemore's personal attorney. Responding to allegations of favouritism, Reid's office stated that the Senator's behaviour had been "legal, proper and appropriate".[3]
Legislation
In 1998, Harry Reid and John Ensign, Nevada's Republican Senator, co-sponsored legislation removing restrictions to the sale of federal wilderness lands in Nevada. Environmental groups, who initially supported the bill because of accompanying protection of mountainous areas, now say they regret their actions.[7] In 2002, Reid introduced "The Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002", reclassifying land on or abutting Coyote Springs, moving a federal easement off Coyote Springs land and allowing Whittemore to make a land swap at no cost.[7][17] Whittemore was eventually obliged to pay for the land after watchdog groups objected to the transfer provision.[16] Reid achieved additional adjustments to the land's status in 2004 legislation.[9] Reid has blocked funding to study the impact of underground water pumping on neighbouring Utah.[7]
Land swap objections
In 2006, two public lands issue groups sued the federal government over what they charged was an illegal land swap between the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (an agency in the Department of the Interior) and Whittemore's Coyote Springs. The Western Lands Project and the Nevada Outdoor Recreation Association stated that the government had unlawfully exchanged almost 10,000 acres of protected desert tortoise sanctuary for property owned by Whittemore himself. The Los Angeles Times reported that the swap consolidated and added to the value of Whittemore's holdings. The advocacy groups questioned the role of Whittemore's political allies in this decision and sought a restraining order.[3][18] Whittemore responded to the filing by stating that neither Senator Reid nor his son Leif had affected the decision,[9] and, along with the BLM, requested dismissal of the suit. District Judge Brian Sandoval declined to do so in 2007.[19]
Alleged political pressure on the EPA
The US Environmental Protection Agency initially refused to grant permits based on the projected environmental impact of destroying stream beds in the Coyote Springs Valley. In what EPA officials called an "unusual" move, Senator Harry Reid contacted the EPA administrator after a process including a phone call from his son Leif, Whittemore's personal attorney.[9] Soon thereafter, the EPA came to an agreement with Whittemore and also awarded Whittemore's company an environmental sensitivity award. The prize was accepted by Leif Reid.[9] Senator Reid's office denied any wrongdoing but emphasised that Leif Reid should not have called his father on behalf of his employer.[9]
Water rights issues
Environmentalists, residents of Utah and California and local ranchers fear negative consequences of Coyote Springs water usage, summarised by Las Vegas investigative reporter George Knapp as "pumping water in the teeth of a drought for golf courses".[7] Water rights issues initially interfered with Coyote Springs progress, but agreements were reached.[7][4] In coverage by Bloomberg, water rights attorney Greg James stated, “You need a large amount of money and some very powerful people to make water projects happen". Bloomberg notes that Harry Reid's son Rory is an employee of Whittemore's law firm and was the vice-chairman of the Southern Nevada Water Authority from 2003 to 2008.[4] However, an opinion piece in the Las Vegas Review-Journal states that Rory Reid, who is also the Clark County Commission chairman, "bows out of all discussions and actions" related to Coyote Springs.[13]
Other lawsuits
The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, announced plans in 2009 to sue the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Center expressed concern about the environmental impact of agreements of the agencies and Whittemore's company, contending that the Coyote Springs development and loss of water resources and habitat would harm the desert tortoise and potentially hasten the extinction of the Moapa dace, both endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service and Nevada's water authority responded that they, too, are interested in protecting the Moapa dace, a small fish living in the Muddy River north of Las Vegas.[14]
In 2007, Judicial Watch, a politically conservative watchdog group, sued the BLM for documents related to Coyote Springs. Judicial Watch alleged that Harry Reid and other Nevada politicians may have applied pressure improperly on behalf of Whittemore.[6]
Whittemore Peterson Institute
Whittemore and his wife Annette, together with chronic fatigue syndrome specialist Daniel Peterson, have established a CFS research organisation known as the Whittemore Peterson Institute.[20] Initially the "Whittemore Peterson Institute for Chronic Fatigue",[21] the name is now the "Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease", although the status of CFS as a neuroimmune disorder has not been accepted by the scientific community.[22] The Guardian states that WPI is currently a pathology laboratory;[23] the Whittemores envision a wider mission for WPI as a research and educational institute involved in patient care.[20]
The Whittemores started the institute in response to what they felt was a lack of action on chronic fatigue syndrome from the federal government.[20] They also believed, along with Peterson, that CFS must be caused by a virus. The Whittemore's daughter, Andrea Whittemore-Goad, had been diagnosed with CFS at the age of 11. At 31, in 2009, she continued to suffer from severe fatigue.[8] The Whittemores state that the only treatment with any effects was an experimental antiviral drug administered by Dr. Peterson.[20] The Whittemores initially committed $5 million to the project and secured unanimous support from the Nevada legislature,[20] which also contributed $3 million.[21] The Whittemores obtained additional support from the University of Nevada, Reno, their alma mater, hiring a virologist and a biochemist as lead investigators.
Family
Whittemore and his wife Annette were childhood friends, and Whittemore credits Annette with influencing his choice of career.[1] The Whittemores have five chidren,[24] including a daughter whose experiences with chronic fatigue syndrome prompted the Whittemores' interest in CFS.[8][20]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Myers, Dennis (03 March 2005). "Public power, private man". Reno News Review.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ a b Frederick, Sherman (23 April 2006). "The birth of Nevada's newest town". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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(help) - ^ a b c Neubauer, Chuck (29 August 2006). "Advocates Sue Over Nevada Land Exchange; Groups charge in federal court that the Bureau of Land Management violated the law in its swap with Coyote Springs developer Harvey Whittemore". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California.
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(help) - ^ a b c Lipper, John (26 February 2008). "Las Vegas Running Out of Water Means Dimming Los Angeles Lights". Bloomberg.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Riley, Brendan (31 March 2008). "Developer seeks rural Nevada water for $30 billion project". The San Francisco Chronicle.
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(help) - ^ a b "Harry's deal". The Pittsburgh Tribune. 25 September 2007.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Waldman, Peter (February 2008). "When Harry Met Vegas". Portfolio. Condé Nast Digital/Bizjournals.
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(help) - ^ a b c Grady, Denise (12 October 2009). "Is a Virus the Cause of Fatigue Syndrome?". The New York Times.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Neubauer, Chuck (20 August 2006). "Desert Connections". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California.
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suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "LAT20082006" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Vogel, Ed (02 May 1999). "He's no listless lobbyist". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas, Nevada.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Whaley, Sean (27 May 1999). "Tax break bill for art collectors heads to governor". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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(help) - ^ Nieves, Evelyn (12 April 1999). "Las Vegas Journal; Casino Seeks Tax Break for Art's Sake". The New York Times.
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(help) - ^ a b Neff, Erin (21 November 2006). "Nevada Senate fit to be tied". The Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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(help) - ^ a b Brean, Henry (11 February 2009). "Conservation group plans to sue U.S. agencies over Nevada water project. Coyote Springs called habitat threat to tortoise, small fish". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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(help) - ^ a b Schumacher, Geoff (03 September 2006). "The marvel, outrage of Coyote Springs". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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(help) - ^ a b Neubauer, Chuck (25 June 2004). "Senator's Bill Would Help Friend's Development Plan; Harry Reid of Nevada seeks to lift an easement. Two sons work at the landowner's law firm". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California.
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(help) - ^ Neubauer, Chuck (23 June 2003). "In Nevada, the Name to Know is Reid; Members of one lawmaker's family represent nearly every major industry in their home state. And their clients rely on his goodwill. Series: Second of two parts". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Rogers, Keith (29 August 2006). "Two conservation groups sue BLM. They say changing boundaries of public land violated law". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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(help) - ^ Tetrault, Steve (27 September 2007). "Judge lets lawsuit against Coyote Springs proceed. Groups challenge 6,881-acre land exchange". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Cort (20 April 2008). "Annette Whittemore and the Making of the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Reno". ProHealth.com. Retrieved 06 January 2010.
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(help) - ^ a b Hagar, Ray (07 June 2007). "Washoe projects receive funding". The Reno Gazette Journal. Reno, Nevada.
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instead. - ^ Boseley, Sarah (06 January 2010). "Research casts doubt over US chronic fatigue virus claim. UK study fails to find proof of headline-grabbing American study into test for ME/CFS". The Guardian. UK.
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(help) - ^ "Annette Whittemore '74 (elementary education/special education)" (PDF). NEVADA SILVER & BLUE. Fall 2008. Retrieved 2010-1-10.
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