Senate Assistant Minority Leader Les Bock, D-Boise, an attorney, though one who's no longer practicing, told the Senate Ethics Committee this morning that Senate Resources Chairman Monty Pearce's own declaration that he had a conflict of interest with HB 464, regarding oil and gas developing, that shows he did. "Fact No. 1 is he did say he had a conflict," Bock said. "Fact No. 2, he voted, at least three times, maybe more times, without disclosing his conflict. He did not tell us whether that conflict influences his vote one way or the other." He noted that on Nov. 4, "The good senator signed an oil lease with one of the primary proponents of HB 464, who I understand was actually involved with the drafting of HB 464. ... Now if this doesn't represent a conflict, I don't know what does."

Bock, who said he dealt with conflict of interest issues in a former position as corporate secretary of the Albertson's Corporation, said, "This is what I would call a  primal example of a conflict of interest, and it should have been disclosed from Day 1."

Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d'Alene, responded, "I don't see in this case where there is that quid pro quo. With regard to HB 464 ... the lease had already been signed. ... Doesn't that bill benefit a whole class of people who might in the future want to sign leases, rather than just one individual? If it's one individual, I understand that, it's personal. But we're talking about a whole class of people who are landowners who might possibly lease in the future."

Bock said, "By no means does there have to be a direct quid pro quo in order to have a conflict." He said, "Our position is that the good senator came down on the side of expanding his personal interest in (developing) ... his property for naturall gas or petroleum ... to the extent he ignored the interest of Payette County."