The Public Lands Team at Think Progress posted a great report last night on today’s House Natural Resources Committee meeting today to discuss drilling. It turns out this is the committee’s 20th meeting on this topic. Again they’re ignoring the fact that U.S. drilling activity is higher now under the Obama administration than at any time since Reagan was in office, and Big Oil has made a cool $101 billion in just the first three quarters of this year.
Why are they ignoring this you may ask? Maybe it’s because, as Think Progress shows us, the oil and gas industry is giving a lot of money to committee members. So far Republican committee members have scooped up $485,506 in oil and gas dollars for the 2012 election, and Democrats have $79,000 in oil and gas contributions.
“Tomorrow, less than a week after issuing the most recent five-year leasing plan for offshore oil and gas development, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is slated to testify in front of the House Natural Resources Committee on “The Future of U.S. Oil and Natural Gas Development on Federal Lands and Waters.” As part of the committee’s 19 previous hearings, members of the committee have accused the Obama administration and the Secretary of “dramatically declined permitting,” imposing “constant obstacles,” and putting “the brakes on” American energy development.”
Read the rest of the Think Progress article.
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