WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- Halliburton dramatically increased lobbying activity for 2004, government records show. According to filings with the U.S. Senate Office of Public Records, Halliburton spent $150,000 lobbying Washington during the first six months of last year, but spent $770,000 during the first six months of 2004, a 413 percent increase.

Halliburton's in-house lobbyists spent $250,000 during the first half of 2004, a 67 percent increase from last year when it spent $150,000.

The in-house lobbyists include retired Army Lt. Gen. Charles E. Dominy, vice president for government affairs; Donald A. Deline, a former counsel to the Senate Armed Services Committee; Barbara Jones; and George P. Sigalos, director of government relations for KBR and a former press aide to Rep. Philip M. Crane (R-IL). These people pushed for favorable legislation on asbestos, tort reform, the WTO, energy policy, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corp., government procurement, military contracting, immigration and homeland security.

Earlier this year, Halliburton hired an outside lobbying firm, Covington & Burling, to lobby Washington on behalf of its KBR Government Operations division, the same division being pummeled by the media, the Pentagon and Congress for its handling of Iraq contracts. Covington & Burling was paid $520,000 to handle "inquiries concerning company's construction and service contracts in Iraq," the firm said in a filing.

According to the filing, Covington & Burling listed the following people as lobbyists for Halliburton/KBR: Roderick A. DeArment, who was chief of staff to now-retired Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS); Martin B. Gold, former counsel to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN); Stuart E. Eizenstat, U.S. ambassador to the European Union during the Clinton administration; Alan A. Pemberton, coordinator of the firm's government contracts practice; David M. Marchick, who served in various posts in the Clinton administration; Jack L. Schenendorf; Peter Flanagan; Jennifer Plitsch; Benjamin J. Razi; and Allegra Lane.

Halliburton's lobbying expenses are disclosed in documents submitted under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, which requires congressional and executive branch lobbyists to disclose their lobbying activities twice per year. Each year the information is disclosed at the Senate Office of Public Records. Visit its website here.