August, 12 2009, 03:33pm EDT
Tally of Interests on Climate Bill Tops 1,100
Agriculture, Higher Ed, Natural Gas, You Name It. Everyone’s Got a Lobbyist
WASHINGTON
More
than 460 new businesses and interest groups jumped into lobbying on
global warming in the 12 weeks leading up to the House vote on the
American Clean Energy and Security Act, according to the Center for
Public Integrity's newest analysis
of lobbying records. Among the industries and organizations lobbying on
this legislation were biofuels firms and scores of interests lobbying
for potential appropriations, such as higher education institutions.
The pre-vote surge means the total number of companies and advocacy
organizations lobbying on climate issues grew 30 percent from the first
quarter to 1,150. The full story also includes an updated searchable database of lobbying disclosures.
Even as many new groups and industries enter the fray, energy
interests and heavy energy users still dominate the lobbying scene, the
Center's investigation found. Leading the pack were manufacturers, with
about 200 companies and advocacy groups, followed by the power
companies and utilities, with some 130. Coal and coal utility interests
were seen as making out well in the House climate bill, especially
regarding provisions requiring the federal government to initially give
away free of charge the carbon emissions "allowances" that likely will
eventually be worth billions of dollars.
While
the bill passed by the House kept intact the core goal of reducing the
nation's carbon dioxide emissions 17 percent by 2020, it is clear that
the Senate faces formidable challenges as this lobbying force of more
than 1,100 seeks to sway the debate.
AP
Exchange clients can also access this report in its entirely via the AP
Exchange Marketplace by searching the "National" section for "Center
for Public Integrity" or "Climate Lobby." For frequent Center updates,
AP Exchange clients can also create a "Saved Search" for the Center for
Public Integrity which will provide a direct link to our new content.
Organizational support for the Center for Public Integrity and for this projects was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Deer Creek Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Greenlight Capital Employees, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Open Society Institute, the Park Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and many other generous institutional and individual donors.
The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues of public concern. The Center is non-partisan and non-advocacy. We are committed to transparent and comprehensive reporting both in the United States and around the world.
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