|
|||
Late Breaking News |
|||
| Date: August 6, 1998 10:00 am Contact: Public Campaign Jodie Silverman or Eric Schmeltzer 202-293-0222 |
|||
Latest News Releases
|
Fourth "Golden Leash" Awarded: Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) Cited For His Campaign Finance Ties To Oil And Gas And Related Energy Industries | ||
| LOUISIANA (New Orleans, Baton Rouge) - August 6 - For advancing the
economic interests of his major energy industry donors who have contributed $276,000 since
1993, Senator John Breaux (D-LA) was dubiously honored with the "The Golden Leash
Award" today by Public Campaign at press conferences in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Golden Leash Award is a modern incarnation of former Senator William Proxmire's legendary Golden Fleece, which highlighted government waste, fraud and abuse. "Senator Breaux has demonstrated time and again that the financial well-being of his campaign contributors comes before the health of Louisianans and the safety of their environment," said Ellen Miller, executive director of Public Campaign. "Apparently, Sen. Breaux's vote is not just for rent, but for sale, too," Miller continued, referencing a famous quip made by the Senator in 1981. "He serves as a shining example of the fundamental problem with today's electoral system where wealthy special interests, through their campaign contributions, have more influence over politicians than the public." The oil and gas industry leads the pack of Breaux's big energy contributors, with $192,144 in campaign donations. Most of that money -- nearly $180,000 -- was contributed during the last two years when Sen. Breaux needed it most as he prepares for his reelection bid. In championing the oil and gas industry, Sen. Breaux often argues that he is helping state-based industry and therefore, the state's economy. Yet, 60 percent of the money he has raised from energy and manufacturing interests came from outside the state. And what these "cash constituents" want from Washington is not always what's good for Louisiana. On issue after issue, Sen. Breaux has sided with those who fund his election campaigns rather than protect his constituents in Louisiana: Oil Royalties: Oil and gas companies consistently shortchange federal and state governments by underpaying the market value of the oil they take from public land, charge critics. In Louisiana, the state collects approximately $2.3 million from oil companies from federal leases, a portion of which must be spent on education. The state also collects approximately $75.6 million a year in royalties for oil leases on state-owned land. The Louisiana Department of Revenue and Taxation has filed lawsuits against 33 oil producers for some $100 million in unpaid severance taxes and the Louisiana Office of Mineral Resources has settled with a number of oil and gas companies for unpaid royalties. Sen. Breaux has cosponsored legislation championed by the industry that would allow them to pay royalties in-kind, through gas and oil rather than in cash. The U.S. Department of Interior (DoI) estimates that such a change could cost taxpayers up to $368 million a year. Additionally, just last month, Breaux and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) wrote to Asst. Secretary Scott Armstrong at DoI requesting that he meet with oil industry executives who want to delay new regulations that would change the way that the industry pays royalties on oil leases. Due to Sen. Breaux's pressure, Asst. Secretary Armstrong agreed to meet with them. Pipeline Accidents: Oil and gasoline pipeline accidents have caused dozens of injuries, 20 deaths, and millions of dollars of property damage in Louisiana since 1984, according to reports filed by companies with the U.S. Department of Transportation. They have also caused uncalculated environmental degradation. More than half of the 2.5 million gallons of oil and petroleum products spilled were never recovered from the environment according to the oil companies themselves, more net loss from spills for Louisiana than 39 other states. Nevertheless, Sen. Breaux has worked to weaken pipeline safety rules. He was one of two original cosponsors of the "Accountable Pipeline Safety and Partnership Act of 1995," which despite its feel-good name was criticized by groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) for weakening safety standards required of oil and gas companies and government monitoring of oil and natural gas pipelines. Industry applauded the legislation which became law in October 1996. Following passage of the law, the oil and gas industry gave Sen. Breaux more than $179,000 in campaign contributions. Soot and Smog: In June of 1997, Sen. Breaux helped lead a Senate charge to block proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations to strengthen standards for soot and smog, the first such change in a decade. Even when the regulations were issued, Sen. Breaux continued his fight for the industry, sponsoring legislation that would require EPA to revert back to old standards while ordering more studies on the health effects of soot and smog. Louisiana's oil and gas industry rewarded the Senator's efforts with more than $27,000 in that month alone, more than twice the amount he's averaged monthly from oil and gas interests in 1997-1998. An estimated 727 people die yearly in six Louisiana metropolitan areas from heart and lung disease attributable to pollution, half of them in New Orleans. Global Warming: To the delight of the petroleum industry -- most of which has fought U.S. participation in global climate treaties -- Sen. Breaux joined five other Democratic senators in 1996 in writing to President Clinton questioning whether mandatory limits on greenhouse gases were a good idea, and after the President endorsed the agreement negotiated in Kyoto, Japan the senator condemned the treaty. If the water level worldwide rises just 20 inches, the U.S. would lose about 9,000 square miles of land to flooding, according to the International Panel on Climate Change. About half of all that land would be in Louisiana. Rising sea levels are connected to rising temperatures -- caused by greenhouse gases -- which melt polar ice caps. Citizens who have felt first hand the negative repercussions of weakened environmental standards joined the Public Campaign press conferences in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Public Campaign's Golden Leash Award focuses public attention on politicians who do particularly egregious favors for their cash constituents, highlighting their captivity to special interests at the expense of average voters, taxpayers and the public at large. It was Senator Proxmire -- a member of Public Campaign's National Advisory Board -- who said that Congress has a "golden leash" around its neck due to the campaign contributions that have grown exponentially through the years. Today's award represents the fourth Golden Leash that Public Campaign has bestowed, with Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Rep. Bill Thomas (R-CA) the first three recipients. Public Campaign is a non-partisan, non-profit organization working on behalf of comprehensive campaign finance reform. A copy of the full report can be obtained on Public Campaign's website at www.publicampaign.org or by calling Public Campaign at 202-293-0222. ### |
|||
