fossil fuel lobbyists
Credit: Patrick Kinney/Flickr
Pittsburgh's strong ties to fossil fuel lobbying revealed by new report
A recent study by F Minus highlights Pittsburgh's unique and deep connections to fossil fuel lobbyists, posing challenges to local and state environmental goals.
In short:
- The Pittsburgh Foundation funded environmental causes but also hired a firm representing fossil fuel interests.
- Five powerful lobbying firms in Pennsylvania serve conflicting clients, including environmental groups and fossil fuel companies.
- This situation compromises Pittsburgh's climate initiatives and state greenhouse gas reduction efforts.
Key quote:
"Fossil fuel companies have far more money and clout and gravity and so the magnets are always going to move in their direction."
— James Browning, Founder of F Minus
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How fossil fuel lobbyists and their allies use 'zombie' bills and exploit loopholes to avoid climate action
In Texas, a new tax break program full of loopholes has led critics to warn that it will be exploited by major fossil fuel producers.
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Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Uruguay/Flickr/Public Domainhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/U.S. Embassy photo: Gonzalo García / Juan Francisco Casal
Trump’s former head of the EPA has been a quiet contributor to Virginia’s exit from RGGI
Gov. Glenn Youngkin caused an uproar picking Andrew Wheeler as his natural resources secretary. Senate Democrats blocked Wheeler’s nomination, but now he oversees regulatory efforts and remains involved in environmental policy.
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Oilsands giants lobbied to weaken emissions cap
Through the Pathways Alliance, an organization of some of Canada’s largest oil producers, high-level bureaucrats were asked for long lead times and a ‘flexible, non-regulatory approach’ to usher in a limit on the sector’s air pollution. Carl Meyer writes for The Narwhal.
In a nutshell:
In a strategy that we've seen play out all too often, yet another unholy alliance has arisen to carry the banner of fossil fuels forever. The Pathways Alliance, a consortium of Canadian oil giants, employed multiple proxies and personas to spin a net-zero fantasy to the public, while angling for favors and muscling aside opposition on the political front. Six major oil companies joined forces, seeking to stall, obfuscate or outright eliminate meaningful climate action.
Key quote:
“They’re clearly pursuing slower, weaker emissions caps as part of what I see as a more general trend towards climate delay in the sector, and even globally,” said Chris Russill, an associate professor and academic director at Re.Climate, an environmental communications center at Carleton University.
Big picture:
Formed in 2021, The Pathways Alliance moved quickly to put their stamp on Canadian climate policy. The organization has advanced an energy agenda recommending a flexible approach to emissions caps defined by loose regulations and a long, slow walk into a carbon-free future built on promises so fanciful that they triggered a deceptive marketing investigation. The centerpiece of the Pathways plan to decarbonize is of carbon capture and storage, which the group admits must rely on considerable government support to fund the unproven technology and clear the regulatory runway. Critics are quick to point out that eliminating emissions from oil and gas production won't address the 80% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning oil and gas.
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Oilsands giants lobbied to weaken emissions cap
Through the Pathways Alliance, an organization of some of Canada’s largest oil producers, high-level bureaucrats were asked for long lead times and a ‘flexible, non-regulatory approach’ to usher in a limit on the sector’s air pollution.
Newsletter
| Stock Photo ID: 467849671 |
| Copyright: Ylivdesign |
‘Double agents’: fossil-fuel lobbyists work for US groups trying to fight climate crisis
Exclusive: new database shows 1,500 US lobbyists working for fossil-fuel firms while representing universities and green groups.
Former top Ohio lawmaker sentenced to 20 years in one of state’s largest scandals
Former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder was sentenced Thursday for his role in a $60 million bribery scheme.
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