March 1, 2011

Another tool in Big Oils toolkit

The American Petroleum Institute, the Big Oil industry’s chief lobbying organization, has announced that it will start donating directly to political candidates.

“This is adding one more tool to our toolkit,” Martin Durbin, API’s executive vice president for government affairs, told Bloomberg News. “At the end of the day, our mission is trying to influence the policy debate.”

Specifically, API seeks to influence the debate around offshore drilling, fossil fuel subsidies and climate change.  So, if you hear a candidate advocating for –

1) Preservation of the billions in subsidies that taxpayers give oil companies every year

2) Expansion of offshore drilling in vulnerable areas like the Arctic

3) Limited safety and environmental regulations for offshore drilling

4) Blocking regulations to curb climate change – API might be bankrolling their campaign.