Peterson grounded by new ethics rules

02/19/2007

By Rob Hotakainen,
Star Tribune
Last update: February 18, 2007 – 5:55 PM


WASHINGTON - When Rep. Collin Peterson goes home to Minnesota, he likes to get around in his private plane, a single-engine four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza.

But since last month, his plane has been grounded, a victim of the new ethics rules passed by Congress, and Peterson isn't happy.

He said his Democratic colleagues were "trying to do the right thing" by cracking down on lawmakers flying around in fancy jets, but he was surprised when he was told he could no longer be reimbursed for flying his own plane for official business.

"It's a pretty stupid deal," said Peterson, 62, the new chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

"I threatened to put in a bill to make it illegal for any member to drive their own car until we got this fixed," Peterson said. "And I told Nancy Pelosi that if she didn't get this fixed, I was going to quit and there was going to be a Republican in my place, that if I couldn't fly I wasn't going to do this anymore. She just kind of looked at me -- she said it'll be fixed."

Pelosi, the House speaker, has her own plane troubles.

Some Republicans criticizing Pelosi's use of a military plane to fly back and forth from San Francisco to Washington.

Peterson represents the Seventh Congressional District, one of the nation's largest districts, covering 35 of Minnesota's 87 counties.

He is reimbursed from his office budget for the miles he flies and said it has never been a serious issue.

He has worked on the issue since Jan. 4, when the House passed its new rules.

On the House floor, he asked Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., a member of the Rules Committee, whether the new rules would apply to the six or so members who use their own planes.

"It is not intended to apply to a member who is using her or his own airplane, whether or not it is on his personal campaign or official business," Hastings replied.

But since then, Peterson said, he was told by House administration officials that he could be reimbursed but by the Ethics Committee that he couldn't.

He said the whole ordeal could have been avoided if he had been consulted: "They didn't know anything about airplanes, the people who were writing this, and they didn't talk to me."

Mark Brownell, Peterson's chief of staff, said Peterson has flown to at least 47 cities in his district in the past two years. He uses small airports or private landing strips.

"A plane has made it possible for him to be up in Roseau in the morning, Marshall in the midafternoon and then back up to Warroad at night," Brownell said.

When he goes to the capital, Peterson usually flies his plane from his home in Detroit Lakes to the Twin Cities and then takes a commercial flight to Washington.

On his last trip, he instead drove to Fargo to catch a flight. He said right now his plane is parked in Detroit Lakes, and he has flown it only once since Jan. 4.

"I haven't asked for any money for it," Peterson said, but he added that he is still a bit confused by the whole thing. "It could be that I can't even legally fly my own plane even if I don't ask anybody to pay for it, which would be kind of crazy."