Oil and Gas Lobbying on Capitol Hill up a Whopping 57% in 2008

onMar 17, 2009 @ 13:04 PDT

Spending by oil and gas companies lobbying politicians on Capitol Hill jumped a whopping 57% between 2007 and 2008.

The oil and gas sector paid out a total of $128.6 million in 2008, compared to only $82 million in 2007. According to research we compiled using OpenSecrets.org’s database, this is an unprecedented rise in US lobbyist expenditures by the oil and gas sector.

In terms of lobbyist expenditures, the top 5 companies accounted for $72.6 million of this spending in 2008. In the year previous the top 5 spent only $38.76 million – a 53% increase in spending in a single year.

Here’s a breakdown of the lobbying expenditures by top 5 oil and gas companies:

1. ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) – spent $29 million in 2008, up from $16.9 milion in 2007.

(click image to enlarge)

2. Koch Industries Inc. – spent $15 million in 2008, up from $4.3 million in 2007

If you’ve never heard of Koch Industries Inc., you can check out a profile on the company that we’ve compiled here: Koch Industries Inc.

3. BP America (NYSE: BP) – spent $10.45 million in 2008, up from $4.6 million in 2007

4. Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) – spent $9.8 million in 2008, up from $8.9 million in 2007

5. Conoco Phillips (NYSE: COP) – spent $8.4 million in 2008, up from $4 million in 2007

One Washington, DC insider says this unprecedented rise in lobbying activity is due the oil and gas industry feeling that they’re in an “end game” with Congress considering a nationwide cap and trade policy and President Barack Obama turning his attention to alternative energy policies:

“This is an endgame for an industry that has fought tooth and nail for the better part of decade to ward off federal climate change and renewable energy policy. They’re backed in the corner and there are lobbyists totally infesting the backrooms on Capitol Hill at the moment. This is an unbelievably powerful lobby and they’re going all out.”

In late February of this year the Center for Public Integrity released a report finding that:

“Senate lobbying disclosure forms shows that more than 770 companies and interest groups hired an estimated 2,340 lobbyists to influence federal policy on climate change in the past year, as the issue gathered momentum and came to a vote on Capitol Hill. That’s an increase of more than 300 percent in the number of lobbyists on climate change in just five years, and means that Washington can now boast more than four climate lobbyists for every member of Congress.”

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By Kevin Grandia

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

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