Energy lobbyists paid $5,000 to sponsor a keynote speech given by Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday.

A protester tried to interrupt the speech to give Griles a fake $1.1 million check. According to The Arizona Daily Star, it was signed by "Your Fat Cat Polluter Pals."

The protest prompted Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.), the Republican co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, to storm out of the room although he later claimed he had another appointment.

Griles, Bush administration officials and Republican Congressional leaders attended the Roundtable Summit of the West. Lobbyists were given a chance to sponsor a panel on clean air for $3,000. The event was arranged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Get the Story:
U.S. will need Bush energy bill, panel declares (The Arizona Republic 1/9)
Hayworth irked by protester (The Arizona Republic 1/9)
Energy and air reforms debated (The Arizona Daily Star 1/9)
Biltmore gathering assailed (The Arizona Daily Star 1/9)
Politicians take energy junket (The Atlanta Journal Constitution 1/9)