Big Oil Lobbying

[Charleston Chew]

Run time: 01:43 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w3K4_XZlkk   Posted on YouTube: February 28, 2011 By YouTube Member: Presstvusdesk Views on YouTube: 1   Posted on DU: February 28, 2011 By DU Member: Charleston Chew Views on DU: 561

 

In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for investments into clean energy, declaring they should be paid for in part by cutting federal subsidies and tax breaks for the oil industry.

Obama said the United States should get 80 percent of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035, though he included nuclear power, "clean coal," and natural gas as part of that standard, in addition to wind and solar.

Now American petroleum companies have started lobbying to influence Obama's energy policy.

Highlights

The American Petroleum Institute (API), which represents more than 450 oil and natural gas companies, has announced it will start donating to political candidates. Martin Durbin, API's executive vice president for government affairs says "our mission is trying to influence the policy debate." rawstory

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the API spent $7.3 million to lobby Congress and the White House in 2010, ranking seventh behind six oil-and- gas companies. Bloomberg

The commission investigating the BP oil spill reported that API was in too compromising a position to set the standards -- the institute resists improving safety rules due to concerns over the costs. Huffington Post

Total lobbying expenditures for Koch Industries in 2010 was $19.6 million. Open Secrets

Exxon, which gave $1.33 million to congressional campaigns, was the second largest. More than 80 percent of Exxon's money went to the Republicans. Bloomberg

Chevron's 2010 lobbying totaled $12.89 million, following a tremendous outlay in 2009 of $20.8 million. Climate Progress

Total lobbying expenditures for BP in 2010 was $7.3 million. Open Secrets

Total lobbying expenditures for Royal Dutch Shell in 2010 was $10.3 million. Open Secrets

American Petroleum Institute (API)

The American Petroleum Institute (API), which represents more than 450 oil and natural gas companies, has announced it will start donating to political candidates. Martin Durbin, API's executive vice president for government affairs says "our mission is trying to influence the policy debate."

Previous donations

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the API spent $7.3 million to lobby Congress and the White House in 2010, ranking seventh behind six oil-and- gas companies. Bloomberg

According to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, the API group, whose membership includes oil giants like Exxon-Mobil and Chevron, gave $27.6 million mostly to Republican candidates for Congress in 2010. Bloomberg

Former Republican and Democratic aides in Congress and from the White House who lobby for the group, include David Castagnetti, an ex-chief of staff to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, and Bruce Mehlman, a Commerce Department official under George W. Bush. Bloomberg

Michael Gravitz, a lobbyist for Environment America who has opposed energy-industry efforts to open more areas offshore for drilling has said oil companies' "level of influence is pretty obvious, and large." Bloomberg

In July 2010, Greenpeace obtained an internal memo from the API that showed the institute funded and developed a fake grassroots campaign to attack environmental legislation. Raw Story

According to Think Progress, one of the greatest concerns is that API runs committees that set oil industry standards. Huffington Post

The commission investigating the BP oil spill reported that API was in too compromising a position to set the standards -- the institute resists improving safety rules due to concerns over the costs. Huffington Post

Other oil companies

Oil and gas companies were the 15th largest source of political contributions leading up to the 2010 election. Bloomberg

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, oil and gas companies and groups with political committees, such as the Washington-based Independent Petroleum Association of America, gave about 77 percent, or $19.6 million, of their total contributions for 2009-2010 to the Republican party. Bloomberg

Koch

Koch Industries Inc. was the industry's largest contributor, giving $1.79 million to candidates, more than 90 percent of whom were Republicans. Bloomberg

Total lobbying expenditures for Koch Industries in 2010 was $19.6 million. Open Secrets

Exxon

Exxon, which gave $1.33 million to congressional campaigns, was the second largest. More than 80 percent of Exxon's money went to the Republicans. Bloomberg

Chevron

Chevron's 2010 lobbying totaled $12.89 million, following a tremendous outlay in 2009 of $20.8 million. Climate Progress

BP

Total lobbying expenditures for BP in 2010 was $7.3 million. Open Secrets

Shell

Total lobbying expenditures for Royal Dutch Shell in 2010 was $10.3 million.

http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/167022.html

[Charleston Chew]

1. Big Oil Lobby Will Start Donating Directly To Candidates

Big Oil Lobby Announces It Will Start Donating Directly To Candidates


The American Petroleum Institute, the Big Oil industry’s chief lobbying organization, will start directly backing political candidates in the second quarter of this year. API, whose membership includes oil giants like Exxon-Mobil and Chevron, already spends tens of millions of dollars every year on lobbying, advertisements and Astroturf campaigns to support the the oil industry agenda. As CAP’s Dan Weiss wrote, API “wants to drill in fragile, sensitive places, keep government tax breaks, expand offshore drilling without reforms, and block global warming pollution reduction requirements.”


http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/24/api-direct/