Hasty Visit, baby

"At the tail end of a strenuous nine-day trip to Chile, Mexico and the US last month, Ian Macfarlane, the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, sauntered into a conference room in California's historic capital building in Sacramento to meet the state's second-most powerful official.... After 45 minutes of heated discussion, the meeting ended badly...."

Australia wants to give California gas. "BHP's petroleum division has been shrinking in size in comparison to its carbon steel and base metals divisions, and the company believes operating both ends of an LNG project would be a good way to expand its business.... ...[T]he Prime Minister, John Howard, flew to California with BHP chairman Don Argus to meet Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in support of the plan."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/california-dreaming-draws-flak-for-bhp/2005/09/09/1125772689504.html