ExxonMobil alone spent $27.4 million on lobbying in 2009, more than ALL environmental groups combined

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— By Kate Sheppard

Environmental groups spent a record amount of money on lobbying in 2009, a year everyone thought presented the best hope for signing landmark climate change legislation into law. But for every dollar they dropped, the fossil fuel industry spent almost eight times as much, according to a new report from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Last year, as the House debated and eventually passed cap and trade legislation and the Senate began to draft its own bill, environmental groups spent a record $22.4 million on federal lobbying—about double what green groups had spent annually for the previous eight years. Groups like the Nature Conservancy and Environmental Defense Fund spent an unprecedented $2.2 million each on lobbying.

But all the green's green was no match for the fossil fuel lobby. ExxonMobil alone spent $27.4 million in 2009, more than all the environmental groups combined. Oil and gas interests spent a combined $175 million on lobbying.

The report comes as the Center for Responsive Politics launches a new project oil and gas spending in Congress, "Fueling Washington." The project is great, but this only scratches the surface of the fossil-fuel spending on the issue; the coal industry is also a major player. Electric utilities (much of which are coal-fired here in the US) spent $145 million last year (though there were utilities pushing both for and against cap-and-trade). Coal mining interests spent another $14.8 million. All told, fossil fuel interests spent at least 15 times as much as green groups on lobbying last year.

link

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http://www.hiptics.com/2009/03/04/so-much-for-change-obama-cabinet-full-of-lobbyists-full-list/

Categorized | More News & Analysis

So Much For Change! Obama Cabinet Full of Lobbyists (Full List)

Posted on 04 March 2009.

I was living in Amsterdam during election season. I voted for Obama with an absentee ballot. One of the reasons Obama appealed to me as a young voter was due to his rhetoric about reforming Washington.

Change doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.

BARACK OBAMA, DNC speech, Aug. 28, 2008

Actions speak louder than words. Take a look at all the lobbyists Obama has on his team.

Eric Holder, attorney general nominee, was registered to lobby until 2004 on behalf of clients including Global Crossing, a bankrupt telecommunications firm [now confirmed].

Tom Vilsack, secretary of agriculture nominee, was registered to lobby as recently as last year on behalf of the National Education Association.

William Lynn, deputy defense secretary nominee, was registered to lobby as recently as last year for defense contractor Raytheon, where he was a top executive.

William Corr, deputy health and human services secretary nominee, was registered to lobby until last year for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a non-profit that pushes to limit tobacco use.

David Hayes, deputy interior secretary nominee, was registered to lobby until 2006 for clients, including the regional utility San Diego Gas & Electric.

Mark Patterson, chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, was registered to lobby as recently as last year for financial giant Goldman Sachs.

Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, was registered to lobby until 2005 for clients, including the Coalition for Asbestos Resolution, U.S. Airways, Airborne Express and drug-maker ImClone.

Mona Sutphen, deputy White House chief of staff, was registered to lobby for clients, including Angliss International in 2003.

Melody Barnes, domestic policy council director, lobbied in 2003 and 2004 for liberal advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the American Constitution Society and the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Cecilia Munoz, White House director of intergovernmental affairs, was a lobbyist as recently as last year for the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group.

Patrick Gaspard, White House political affairs director, was a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union.

Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff to the president’s assistant for intergovernmental relations, lobbied for the American Association of Justice from 2001 until 2005.

When Obit has so many lobbyist on his staff dollars spent on lobbying just is not an issue

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Wow Steve that's a huge difference!

Plus-

Good to know that issues critical to the American people, and not just corporations and the actual financial elites, are being lobbied for in Washington. Thanks for that posted list, lost... I'm sure the full list will reflect that as well in some context.