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 champion on the newly named Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction. All six Republicans on the Committee have consistently voted to preserve oil industry handouts.
Six months into his tenure as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Fred Upton has stopped even trying to hide his pro-Big-Oil agenda. Upton consistently sides with the oil and gas industry -- and it's clear why.
During his House career, Upton has received $281,350 in oil and gas industry campaign contributions and more than a third that total, $100,700, during the 2010 election cycle. The energy industry is opening their wallets for Upton -- in the second quarter of 2011 alone, Upton raised $104,000 in campaign contributions from oil, gas and coal -- and its not even an election year.
This may seem like a lot of money, until you consider the return on Big Oil's investment. The oil industry has spent roughly $280,000 to back Upton and $4 billion is the low end of credible estimates of the value of their subsidies. Eliminating some of the zeroes, would you invest $2.80 to get $40,000 in return? Of course you would. Big Oil could spend a hundred or even a thousand times more on Fred Upton, and it would still be a great bargain for them.
Oil industry lobbyists have made keeping the corporate welfare a top priority. The American Petroleum Institute announced earlier this year that it would for the first time begin directly donating to candidates, adding to the more than $13.6 million the oil industry gave to current members of Congress during the last election cycle.
In July, Upton pushed legislation that would speed up the development of the Keystone XL pipeline through his committee. Common sense would make that a risky political decision, considering what Michiganites have endured since the Enbridge Energy oil spill into the Kalamazoo River that feeds Lake Michigan. But Upton has already shown his disregard for Michigan families by appearing in the front row of an API conference, just six months after the spill of a million gallons of oil into the river running right though his district.
In fact, since taking the chairmanship, Upton has been maneuvering to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of the Interior, blasting the standards and protections that keep American families safe from the reckless practices of Big Oil companies. And he's not doing this on behalf of the working men and women of this district. A recent poll from the American Lung Association revealed 65 percent of Michigan and Ohio voters supported stricter EPA limits.
Big Oil is working hard to keep campaign checks flowing and the access they bring open and active. The 2010 increase in funds marked a dramatic shift in Upton's politics. Unfortunately for regular families, that kind of access is limited if you can't write a huge check.
So, Upton's priorities continue to seemingly move away from protecting families and towards pushing the agenda of his financiers.
Is Fred Upton willing to act on behalf of Michigan families for a change? Or will he continue to be Big Oil's champion? The answer will show us all who Fred Upton really listens to most.
Follow Stephen Kretzmann on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kretzmann
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This is SOLID PROOF that the republicans don't care about the debt, or the deficit, or financial responsibility.
http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/subsidy2/pdf/execsum.pdf
Another big surprise in 1999 the last year president Clinton was in office little petroleum and natural gas got about $2 billion in subsidies. In 2007 under Oilman President Bush they got $2 billion in subsidies.
Most people don't know this but - and you got to love this progressives and conservatives alike - Big Oil did not qualify for most of the subsidies because of the AMT! That's right the Alternative minimum tax!!!
Seems they're are over 3000+ oil and natural gas companies operating in the U.S. Forbes Magazine supported President's Obama plan to end the subsidies because Forbes buddies Big Oil could not compete with the small drilling companies - seems Big Bad Oil is only responsible for about 10% of the new wells drilled in the U.S. Forbes went on in their article to say it would make drilling in the U.S. more efficient!
Now tell mr do we really want to make Big Oil Bigger?
Now tell me Mr. Kretzmann are you being paid by big oil under the table?
Because your goals seem to be align!
What a complete scam!
We need rooftop solar and storage solutions and screw Big Energy of ALL types - they are rapacious and un-American.
When will the American people wake up and realise they have been sold down the swanny. The large corporations that are increasingly shipping US jobs off overseas, extracting the last fossil reserves, earning obscene profits and paying little or no taxes are destroying the US and I am scared to say, probably the rest of the world with it.
And now Perry is denying climate change at all. Is there any sanity left?
Time to end government subsidies to all "big" energy. Government handouts not only distort the market, but when industries and companies rely on government handouts and regulatory breaks, they become corrupt. Big wind, big solar and big ethanol will soon be seen handing out big campaign contribution checks to congressmen and senators on the energy committees, if in fact they aren't already doing so.
GE the big green company did not pay any taxes.... Sam I applaude you for wanting to cut everyone. But everyone loves to beat up on Big Oil but you never hear about GE and other companies friendly to the liberals....
To listen to the TV you would think Big Oil pays nothing. They are paying.
Liberals and conservatives are Americans. Why would your first reaction be to put it in context of political parties?
Nowhere near that Job stifling 35% we hear about.
And I think you will find we Liberals are not happy about GE skating. Most of us would like to lower the rate to maybe 20% or 25% but get rid of all the deductions.
But you are wrong, rooftop pv, offshore wind and waste bio char bio fuels need the republics help.
Without it, even though green energy is cheaper than clean coal, nukes and oil wars, the big companies have 100 times as much money to buy politicians and the run at a loss for 100 times longer than green energy companies can survive.
Or do you believe the fantasy that the market will decide?
If as you say that green energy is cheaper, then it certainly will survive on its own and doesn’t need subsidies. Besides, even it if wasn’t cheaper, it shouldn’t get subsidies. As I said, subsidies ultimately lead to campaign contributions, political corruption, market manipulation and distortions.
Read your latest comments. Thanks.
For the second time I still don't have your comments about the fact that it has been governments and not capitalists who have committed the most crimes against humanity.
Also, your comment, “Unregulated capitalism free market crash, boom, kill millions, start wars, and leave the very few owning everything.” Not great English syntax, but I get the message.
Again, where are the names and dates of the events and body counts of the millions that capitalists and free markets have killed? Need more time?
Looking for replies to these.
And:
I don't see the Arabs in Egypt, Syria, Tunisia and Libya fighting against the corporations and the capitalists. Hmmmm, they seem to be fighting against their own governments. Maybe they should stop fighting the govt and fight the capitalist oil companies instead. Ya think maybe they got it wrong? How could they fight against their own government that is there to protect them? Why don’t they read your comments? If they did they might turn against the true architects of their misery, the oil companies! How am I doing?