IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
WHAT DOES $1.2 MILLION GET THESE DAYS?
Last week, former BLM director and Forestry Service Chief Mike Dombeck explained how Interior Secretary Salazar’s leasing reforms are crucial to air and water quality and responsible energy development. His remarks came in response to a letter challenging those common sense reforms signed by Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Enzi (R-WY), John Hoeven (R-ND) and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-01-UT). Those six politicians have taken a total of more than $1.2 million in Big Oil campaign contributions.
WHATEVER SHALE WE DO?
Energy expert Randy Udall appeared on the Fox News piece “Will Oil Shale Ever Be Viable?” last week to talk about the fool’s gold that is oil shale. For more information, check out our history of oil shale rhetoric over the last 100 years.
TALLYING THE TALKING POINTS
John Hanger, former head of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, is mostly out of public life except when any negative report about hydraulic fracturing hits the mainstream media. Watch him rack up more points than LeBron in favor of gas, in our exclusive interview and tell us he isn’t a paid spokesperson.
DID YOU KNOW?
BUDGET CUTS
A breakdown of the budget cuts in the 2012 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill:
- Total Budget Allocation: $27.47 billion, which is $2.09 billion below the FY2011 enacted level and $4 billion below the President’s request.
- EPA: The bill provides $7.1 billion, which is $1.5 billion below the FY2011 enacted level and $1.8 billion below the President’s request.
- DOI: The bill provides $9.85 billion total, which is $720 million below the FY2011 enacted level and $1.2 billion below the President’s request.
The $15 billion in taxpayer-funded handouts to Big Oil remain untouched.
COMING UP THIS WEEK
OFFSHORE DRILLING COMPROMISED
This Thursday, the long-awaited deal between Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Lisa Murkoswki (R-AK) may lead to the mark-up of Bingaman’s offshore drilling oversight reform legislation. The question is: Will Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) derail the deal by running an amendment for his “Great Outdoors Giveaway” legislation which would gut common sense protections for water, air, and recreation resources on public lands? Senator Barrasso seems poised to try and pay back his Big Oil campaign contributors ($254,150) with more handouts, and this time it’s with our public lands.
CONTACT
Twitter: @checksandbals | Email: [email protected]
Recent Comments