Our weekly update to unravel the industry and political spin around the energy debate
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
DISCLOSING THE ‘TRUE TIES’ OF OP-ED WRITERS
Fifty current and former journalists, media professors and media professionals joined The Checks and Balances Project to ask The New York Times to end the pervasive practice of industry-funded pundits penning opinion pieces that favor their funders, without these financial ties being disclosed to readers. Through http://www.trueties.org, petitioners can ask The New York Times to end the masquerade of bought and biased pundits by ensuring that op-ed submission finalists disclose their financial ties – and reveal those conflicts to readers.
END FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES, RESTORE FAITH IN CONGRESS
On Tuesday, 52 national and state organizations sent a letter to the Super Committee to demand the elimination of $122 billion in subsidies to fossil fuels industries and to make sure subsidies part of the part of the deficit reduction plan. “Americans of all political orientations strongly favor ending these subsidies to the oil, gas and coal industries” they wrote, adding that “[M]ost Americans feel that Members of Congress are more responsive to their campaign donors than their constituents.” Check out the results of the Checks and Balances poll from May asking Americans in an energy-producing state how they feel about billions in government handouts to oil and gas companies.
BIG FIVE FRACKING THREATS
An info-graphic posted on CleanTechnica outlines the concerns that people around the world are raising about hydraulic fracturing. As the practice has become more common in Colorado, Wyoming and Pennsylvania it has been met with an outcry of concerns. The Checks and Balances Project breaks down the info-graphic by the five biggest threats fracking presents to both people and the planet.
DID YOU KNOW?
KEYSTONE XL’S GROWING LOBBY PROBLEMS
It has been a rough week for Keystone XL. Friends of the Earth released a FOIA of emails that revealed close ties between Hillary Clinton, the State Department and Keystone XL lobbyist (and former Clinton staffer), Paul Elliott. Even more damning, DeSmogBlog uncovers seven other lobbyists with ties to Clinton spread out over three firms. And this all becomes public alongside the exposure of Koch Industries’ push for the pipeline following the Bloomberg Markets article.
COMING UP THIS WEEK
Following the lift of President Obama’s moratorium on the Gulf of Mexico one year ago, the House Natural Resources committee will waste taxpayers dollars to examine effects to the oil drilling industry. “Domestic oil production and energy jobs are actually higher now under Obama than when Bush left office. In fact, oil and gas companies are worried about a skilled labor shortage to handle all the new jobs,” says Matt Garrington of The Checks and Balances Project.
CONTACT
Twitter: @CandBP | Email: [email protected]
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