Written by Ross Hammond There may be no better example of the corrupting influence of Dirty Energy Money in the current Congress than Supercommittee member Representative Fred Upton of Michigan. In July Upton warned of the dangers of private lobbying organizations and special interests “operating in an increasingly competitive lobbying realm in Washington—a world where … Read More
Separate Oil and State
Will The Real Max Baucus Stand Up Please?
In less than two weeks the Congressional Supercommittee must submit a plan to Congress to reduce the deficit by at least $1.5 trillion. One of the big questions is whether the Supercommittee will recommend cutting billions of dollars in subsidies to the hugely profitable oil, gas and coal industries. According to a group of 36 … Read More
Payback Time? The Supercommittee & Fossil Fuel Subsidies
The 12 members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or “supercommittee,” have received at least $4.2 million in campaign contributions from dirty energy interests lobbying to keep their wasteful taxpayer subsidies, according to a new report from Oil Change International (OCI) and Public Campaign Action Fund (PCAF). The report analyzes the millions of … Read More
How to buy a pipeline? Buy Congress.
As thousands gather around the White House tomorrow to urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, let’s take a minute to look at some of the ways the project has garnered political support so far. Because in the end this is a political decision. A yes indicates support for Big Oil and the … Read More
A Koch Keystone XL Connection?
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) recently renewed his request that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce investigate the role of Koch Industries in the Keystone XL pipeline. Waxman, the ranking minority member of the committee, made his request in a letter to committee chairmen Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.). Waxman first asked for … Read More
Big Oil Buys Democratic Support for Keystone XL
Earlier today, twenty-two House Democrats sent a letter to President Obama expressing their support for the Keystone XL pipeline project. The letter was announced in a press release from TransCanada. Both the letter and the press release predictably recycle discredited arguments for Keystone XL on energy security and jobs. What TransCanada didn’t mention is that … Read More
Coalition Calls for End to $122 billion in Handouts to Fossil Fuels
(Washington, DC – October 5, 2011) Today leaders of 52 national and state organizations sent a letter to the members of the Super Congress (formally known as the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction) demanding that the elimination of government handouts to the oil, coal and gas industries be a central part of the … Read More
Fred Upton: Big Oil’s Superman in SuperCongress
Numerous recent polls reveal that the American people believe that Congress is more responsive to their campaign donors than their own constituents. In addition, Americans of all affiliations clearly favor ending oil industry handouts. The question is, whose side is Fred Upton on: the American people’s or Big Oil’s? Rep. Upton is Big Oil’s biggest … Read More
Oil Money and the “SuperCongress”
Eight of the twelve members of the newly-named Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction have voted in the last two years to allow oil companies to keep more than $4 billion annually in taxpayer subsidies in place. All six Republicans have consistently voted to preserve oil industry handouts. Oil industry lobbyists have made maintaining these handouts … Read More
Senators Opposing End of Oil Subsidies Received Five Times More in Big Oil Campaign Cash
Find out how much oil money your elected representatives take by visiting the Dirty Energy Money site. Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators that blocked a vote on legislation to end taxpayer subsidies to oil companies have received five times more in campaign contributions from oil and gas interests than those who voted to begin debate, according to … Read More