Metadata Fail

California State Assemblyman Adam Gray demanded an expensive and potential paralyzing audit of the California Air Resources Board, in what was a blatant attempt to hamstring the organization.

Environmentalists, and anyone with two brain cells to rub together, suggested that he was doing the bidding of lobbyists.

Mr. Gray denied that he was carrying water for the fossil fuel industry, but it turns out that not only was he metaphorically carrying their water, he was literally carrying their letter.

Metadata from the document showed that it had been drafted by a lobbyist:

………

“I think the environmentalists are going to point you over here and say he's taking oil money, he's trying to block the program,” Gray said in an interview. “I'm not trying to block the program. I'm for fighting climate change.”

But in pushing for the audit, Gray got a big assist from the oil industry. The industry’s main lobbyist wrote the request.

Metadata in the Microsoft Word document in the draft request obtained by the Los Angeles Times shows that its author is Eloy Garcia. Garcia is the lead lobbyist for the Western States Petroleum Assn. or WSPA, which represents oil companies in Sacramento.



The letter that Gray and more than a dozen other lawmakers sent to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee on Aug. 4 was word for word the same as Garcia’s draft.

First, Adam Gray is completely, and most deservedly, owned.

Second, how many times does this have to happen before people get a clue? 

Information on removing the metadata is a quick Google search away.