I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6710 
To prohibit certain activities relating to the petroleum resources of Iraq, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2008 
Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. FARR, Mr. FILNER, Mr. 
GRIJALVA, Ms. LEE, and Ms. WOOLSEY) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To prohibit certain activities relating to the petroleum 
resources of Iraq, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Oil for Iraq Liberation 
Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Every Middle Eastern country that pos-
sesses significant petroleum resources has long held 
those resources as national assets. 
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(2) Several developments indicate that the his-
torical precedent of a nationalized Iraqi oil sector 
could be undercut by United States interests. The 
Bush Administration has aggressively pressured the 
Iraqi government to privatize its oil resources and a 
United States oil company has secured an oil con-
tract with the Kurdistan Regional Government and 
a former Administration official is reported to be 
seeking an oil contract with the Kurdistan Regional 
Government. 
(3) President George W. Bush released a list of 
benchmarks in August 2006 by which to judge suc-
cess in Iraq. These benchmarks included the passage 
of a ‘‘hydrocarbon act’’. The Administration has 
characterized the bill as a national revenue sharing 
plan. 
(4) Hunt Oil Company, headquartered in Dal-
las, Texas, has signed a production sharing agree-
ment for petroleum exploration, signaling that the 
war with Iraq has made access to Iraqi oil a reality 
for United States oil companies. 
(5) The CEO of the Hunt Oil Company is a 
major campaign contributor for President Bush, in-
cluding a $35 million contribution to the Bush Pres-
idential Library. He has twice been appointed to a 
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seat on the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory 
Board. At the invitation of the then Halliburton 
CEO, Richard Cheney, he served on the Halliburton 
Board of Directors. 
(6) The Hunt Oil deal is now part of an inter-
nal investigation by the Department of State. 
(7) News reports indicate that former Assistant 
Secretary of Defense, Richard Perle, has been pur-
suing oil-drilling contracts with Iraq’s Kurdistan Re-
gional Government. Mr. Perle served as chairman of 
the Defense Policy Advisory Committee during the 
run up to the war in Iraq. He was an influential ad-
visor to the Department of Defense between 2001 
and 2003 and is credited with being an early advo-
cate of invading Iraq and as an Iraq war architect. 
Mr. Perle resigned from his chairmanship on March 
28, 2003, just after the United States invasion of 
Iraq, amid controversy that there existed the poten-
tial for his business interests to profit from the war 
in Iraq. 
(8) The Department of State recently led a 
team of United States advisers who helped the Iraq 
Oil Ministry negotiate technical service contracts to 
help with oil production. A lobbyist representing ef-
forts oil-friendly policies has called these contracts 
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‘‘a chance to get a foot in the door with regards to 
future Iraqi [oil] production’’. 
(9) The Hunt Oil deal, the reported actions by 
Richard Perle and speculation by United States oil 
interests undercuts the stated United States policy 
of ‘‘revenue sharing’’. 
(10) Certain Iraqis and analysts have concluded 
that the ‘‘hydrocarbon act’’ is in fact a privatization 
scheme to ensure control of Iraq oil by foreign oil 
companies. 
(11) Certain Iraqis and analysts have concluded 
that the ‘‘hydrocarbon act’’ is in fact a privatization 
scheme to ensure control of Iraq oil by foreign oil 
companies. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITIONS ON CERTAIN ACTIVITIES RELATING 
TO THE PETROLEUM RESOURCES OF IRAQ. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The following shall be unlawful: 
(1) The entry into or the performance by a 
United States person, or the approval by a United 
States person of the entry into or the performance 
by an entity owned, controlled, or operated by such 
United States person, of— 
(A) a contract that includes overall super-
vision or management responsibility for the de-
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velopment of petroleum resources located in 
Iraq; or 
(B) a guaranty of anther person’s perform-
ance under such a contract. 
(2) The entry into or the performance by a 
United States person, or the approval by a United 
States person of the entry into or the performance 
by an entity owned, controlled, or operated by such 
United States person, of— 
(A) a contract for the financing of the de-
velopment of petroleum resources located in 
Iraq; or 
(B) a guaranty of another person’s per-
formance under such a contract. 
(3) Any investment by a United States person 
in the petroleum resources located in Iraq. 
(4) Any transaction by any United States per-
son that evades, avoids, or violates, has the purpose 
of evading, avoiding, or violating, or attempts to 
evade, avoid, or violate, any of the prohibitions de-
scribed in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3). 
(b) PENALTIES.—A violation of subsection (a) shall 
be punishable by not more than ten years imprisonment 
and a fine of not more than $1,100,000. 
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(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act shall take effect on 
the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply with 
respect to activities prohibited under subsection (a) that 
were entered into on or after March 20, 2003, except that 
if a United States person, not later than the date that 
is 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
verifiably terminates such activities, such person shall not 
be subject to the penalties specified in subsection (b). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) ENTITY.—The term ‘‘entity’’ means a part-
nership, association, trust, joint venture, corpora-
tion, or other organization organized under the laws 
of the United States. 
(2) INVESTMENT.—The term ‘‘investment’’ 
means any of the following activities if any of such 
activities is undertaken pursuant to an agreement, 
or pursuant to the exercise of rights under such an 
agreement, that is entered into with the Government 
of Iraq or a nongovernmental entity in Iraq: 
(A) The entry into a contract that includes 
responsibility for the development of petroleum 
resources located in Iraq or the entry into a 
contract providing for the general supervision 
and guarantee of another person’s performance 
of such a contract. 
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(B) The purchase of a share of ownership, 
including an equity interest, in the development 
described in subparagraph (A). 
(C) The entry into a contract providing for 
the participation in royalties, earnings, or prof-
its in such development. 
The term ‘‘investment’’ does not include the entry 
into or the performance or financing of a contract 
to sell or purchase goods, services, or technology. 
(3) IRAQ.—The term ‘‘Iraq’’ means the land 
territory claimed by Iraq and any other area over 
which Iraq claims sovereignty, sovereign rights or ju-
risdiction, including the territorial sea, exclusive eco-
nomic zone, and continental shelf claimed by Iraq. 
(4) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means an in-
dividual or an entity. 
(5) PETROLEUM RESOURCES.—The term ‘‘pe-
troleum resources’’ means any petroleum, petroleum 
products, or natural gas originating in Iraq, includ-
ing any Iraqi-origin oil inventories, wherever located. 
(6) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means any United States 
citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized 
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under the laws of the United States (including for-
eign branches), or any person in the United States. 
Æ 
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