Energy and Natural Resources: Industry Influence in the Climate Change Debate
Supply, cost, environmental consequences -- these are among the central features of debate over energy policy in the U.S. Those who want to open up more areas to drilling -- on land and offshore - - and expand the use of fracking to extract natural gas from deep underground argue that we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Others argue that we must limit the burning of fossil fuels and create cleaner sources of energy to cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change.
In his second inaugural address, President Obama said that any failure to deal with climate change "would betray our children and future generations." Still, there has been little legislation in the 113th Congress to do anything about what he described as "the overwhelming judgment of science." And there was no comprehensive energy package in the 112th Congress, though an extension of energy tax incentives was included as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.
So far, the 113th Congress has considered two major pieces of legislation that could potentially affect energy and climate change policy in the US. The first was H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act, which passed the House of Representatives in May 2013 and would permit the construction of the much anticipated Keystone XL Pipeline; there is no indication the current Senate will take up the bill in the near future. The second is S. 761, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 (H.R. 1616), which provides for adoption of uniform building codes and state grants for energy efficiency programs. The Senate bill has been reported out of committee but isn't scheduled for a vote. Though it has yet to be considered, the FRAC Act has received a lot of attention and was reintroduced this Congress. The bill would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to repeal the exemption for hydraulic fracturing.
Outside of Congress, on June 2, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed rule aimed at decreasing carbon pollution from power plants by 30 percent over 2005 levels by 2030. Aimed mainly at shrinking pollution from coal-fired power plants, the rule would assign each state a target reduction level, but also gives states a range of options to use to achieve their targets. The proposal must go through a public comment period, and immediately drew protests from industry, from Republicans and from Democrats in states that depend heavily on coal-generated electricity.
As the EPA proposal moves forward and energy and climate change legislation is discussed in Congress, this page will summarize the money in politics aspect of the debate.
-- Miriam Diemer
Updated: June 3, 2014
Top Contributors, 2013-2014
| Contributor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Koch Industries |    $6,439,535 |
| Alliance Resource Partners | $4,668,945 |
| Ken Davis Finance | $2,492,483 |
| National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn | $2,208,397 |
| Chevron Corp | $2,082,933 |
| Exxon Mobil | $1,871,813 |
| Exelon Corp | $1,530,259 |
| Western Refining | $1,278,539 |
| Murray Energy | $1,266,918 |
| Marathon Petroleum | $1,227,000 |
| Duke Energy | $1,008,083 |
| Occidental Petroleum | $958,940 |
| Dominion Resources | $876,500 |
| Southern Co | $866,157 |
| FirstEnergy Corp | $809,250 |
| Devon Energy | $785,595 |
| PG&E Corp | $776,717 |
| Cumberland Development | $771,850 |
| Chesapeake Energy | $736,490 |
| Bonanza Oil | $666,500 |
Republicans Outside Spending Groups Contribution Trends, 1990-2014
Top Industries Lobbying on Energy/Natural Resources, 2014
| Industry | Total |
|---|---|
| Oil & Gas | $144,941,531 |
| Electric Utilities | $129,912,074 |
| Misc Energy | $44,649,673 |
| Mining | $25,428,997 |
| Environmental Svcs/Equipment | $5,384,378 |
Lobbying Totals, 1998-2014
Party Split, 1990-2014
Top Recipients, 2013-2014
| Candidate | Office | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Boehner, John (R-OH) | House | $1,676,687 |
| Landrieu, Mary L (D-LA) | Senate | $1,198,938 |
| McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) | Senate | $1,190,667 |
| Cornyn, John (R-TX) | Senate | $1,136,381 |
| Gardner, Cory (R-CO) | House | $910,199 |
Average Contributions to Members of Congress, 1990-2014 
Data for the current election cycle were released by the Federal Election Commission on Sunday, November 16, 2014
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