I was browsing OpenSecrets’ page on lobbying by “the fossil fuel lobby.” Who is OpenSecrets? They track who lobbies whom in the US.
According to its site: “OpenSecrets is the nation’s premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. We provide comprehensive and reliable data, analysis and tools for policymakers, storytellers and citizens.”
Their page on climate change lobbying is sobering. Here’s one quote:
The oil and gas industry spent around $2.8 billion on federal lobbying from 1998 to 2023, OpenSecrets’ analysis found. Since the early years of Exxon’s campaign to diminish concerns about the use of oil and gas, the fossil fuel lobby has expanded its influence to create obstructions to emissions-reducing measures at every step of the policymaking process.
Before reading more, here’s my point for this post that you can do something about: Where do fossil fuel companies get their money from if not people buying their products and services: filling gas tanks, flying across oceans, packaging food, delivering products around the world?
Would you tell a racist joke, even though you know that you alone can’t end racism?
Would you tell a sexist joke, even though you know that you alone can’t end sexism?
Do you fly for vacation, even though you know that you alone can’t end pollution or depletion?
How much money are you willing to fund lobbyists with?
What’s the ratio of what you spend on charity to what you spend on gas for your car? Or products and services that require polluting and depleting in general?
Here’s where your money goes when you buy plastic, gas, etc. Actually, more of it goes to extracting more fossil fuels, which causes the pollution and depletion you probably want less of, but here’s the tip of the lobbying iceberg:
Top federal recipients of Oil and Gas contributions, 1990-present
| Member | Amount |
|---|---|
| Romney, Mitt (R-UT) | $8,519,708 |
| Cornyn, John (R-TX) | $4,947,300 |
| Cruz, Ted (R-TX) | $4,796,389 |
| McCain, John (R-AZ) | $3,833,059 |
| McCarthy, Kevin (R-CA) | $3,235,767 |
| McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) | $2,934,268 |
| Scalise, Steve (R-LA) | $2,441,273 |
| Obama, Barack (D) | $2,421,939 |
| Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX) | $2,357,825 |
| Inhofe, James M (R-OK) | $2,332,745 |
| Pearce, Steve (R-NM) | $2,306,329 |
| Barton, Joe (R-TX) | $2,223,537 |
| Brady, Kevin (R-TX) | $2,117,446 |
| Gardner, Cory (R-CO) | $2,099,617 |
| Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) | $2,033,986 |
| Biden, Joe (D) | $1,919,579 |
| Gramm, Phil (R-TX) | $1,856,079 |
| Cassidy, Bill (R-LA) | $1,836,418 |
| Boehner, John (R-OH) | $1,806,455 |
| Lankford, James (R-OK) | $1,791,194 |
That’s where the money goes. Here are the places that spend the money we supply them. Man, that’s a lot of money:
Top Oil & Gas lobbying clients, 1998-Present
| Client | Total |
|---|---|
| Exxon Mobil | $305,482,742 |
| Chevron Corp | $208,448,121 |
| Koch Industries | $183,948,000 |
| Shell plc | $180,248,339 |
| BP | $145,845,484 |
| ConocoPhillips | $140,579,639 |
| American Petroleum Institute | $139,715,067 |
| Occidental Petroleum | $138,658,705 |
| Marathon Oil | $82,722,000 |
| American Fuel & Petrochem Manufacturers | $59,214,056 |
| Phillips 66 | $44,180,000 |
| Williams Companies | $42,904,357 |
| Marathon Petroleum | $40,145,127 |
| Anadarko Petroleum | $33,578,370 |
| Cheniere Energy | $28,330,000 |
| Valero Energy | $25,461,000 |
| Independent Petroleum Assn of America | $24,656,701 |
| Interstate Natural Gas Assn of America | $22,884,852 |
| Devon Energy | $22,319,000 |
I’d copy more, but go to the site. There’s more. Remember: the only way they make that money is our spending it. That news can be empowering. I mean, if you want to change your life, I can’t think of much more motivation.
Here’s an offensive joke that I learned from some Jewish friends.
What is “the Jewish Dilemma”? Answer: Pork at half price.
My dilemma is similar. I can take a bus/train, but it is far far easier, more convenient, and cheaper to drive/fly. I go with cheap, and give the savings to an abortion fund.
I try to respond to most comments but not sure what to say about yours. As you know if you read my blog enough, I experimented avoiding flying for a year. Before the year began and up to a couple months into it I said, felt, and believed all the reasons everyone gives for being unable to stop flying, mainly family, income, and what difference would it make, but hands-on practical experience showed them to be false. The issue was that I was hurting other people for my personal benefit. They were like what Thomas Jefferson said to himself about not freeing his slaves, except he said them more eloquently.
Solving the dilemma that way had the side benefit of improving my life too. I don’t want people to copy my actions but I do want to help them live by their values more. I’m pleasantly surprised when people try avoiding flying and end up finding the benefits that I did, often more, especially if they have kids.