corporate influence


Photo courtesy of General Motors

Will Koch Pull the Plug on Electric Cars?

, senior writer

December 5, 2018 9:00 AM EDT

When multibillionaire industrialist Charles Koch perceives a potential threat to his fossil fuel empire, he doesn’t mess around. Koch wants to kill a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500 for electric vehicle (EV) buyers for the first 200,000 EVs each automaker sells. Although EVs make up less than 2 percent of total vehicle sales nationally, 123,000 of them were snapped up in the first six months of this year, more than twice the amount sold in all of 2015, and more carmakers are expected to introduce new EV models over the next few months. Alarm bells are going off at Koch Industries headquarters. Read more >

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Three Reasons Bernard McNamee is a Horrible Choice for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

, senior energy analyst

October 10, 2018 2:57 PM EDT

President Trump’s nomination of Bernard McNamee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) may not grab a lot of headlines but make no mistake – it’s a blatant (and oft repeated) move by the Trump administration to pollute an independent regulatory body with political operatives intent on carrying out his crony capitalism. A hearing to consider McNamee’s nomination is already set for Tuesday, October 16th – a clear sign that Trump’s political allies are trying to ram through his appointment without thoughtful consideration. But here’s three reasons McNamee is a horrible choice to be a FERC commissioner and why his potential confirmation should worry all of us. Read more >

Photo: Ryan McKnight
Photo: Tammy Anthony Baker/Wikimedia Commons
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Photo: Tammy Anthony Baker/Wikimedia Commons

Trump Twists the Law to Bail Out Coal

, senior energy analyst

August 23, 2018 1:11 PM EDT

As you may have heard, President Trump has a new toy – national security – that he’s using to sidestep congressional oversight and funnel taxpayer dollars to his fossil fuel buddies.

First, he weaponized “national security” to impose tariffs designed to stifle the economic competitiveness of solar power (it didn’t work). Now, he’s using it as misguided rationale for ordering the Department of Energy (DOE) to bail out uneconomic coal plants on our dime to the tune of billions of dollars, according to estimates. His hiding behind national security is like me hiding behind a lunchbox – it doesn’t work.

Unfortunately, if the Trump Administration gets away with it, there are profound consequences for our wallets, our environment, and yes – our national security. Read more >

Photo: Tammy Anthony Baker/Wikimedia Commons
Photo: swanksalot/Flickr 
Photo: Nition1 [CC BY-SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons
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Photo: Alan Grinsberg/Flickr

Six Key Facts Ignored in Dismissal of California Climate Suits vs. Fossil Fuel Companies

, climate accountability campaign director

June 27, 2018 5:22 PM EDT

This week, U.S. District Judge William Alsup dismissed lawsuits by San Francisco and Oakland seeking to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their contributions to climate change. Judge Alsup’s ruling dangerously rested on balancing climate harms with fossil energy benefits, deferred to legislative- and executive-branch solutions that major fossil fuel companies have spent millions opposing, seriously underplayed the role of ExxonMobil and others in spreading disinformation about climate science and policy, and punted on the question of who should pay for climate damages.

Read more >

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Shareholders Not Playing Games at Big Oil Annual General Meetings

, climate accountability campaign director

May 21, 2018 2:20 PM EDT

Major fossil fuel producers are holding their annual general meetings (AGMs) this month amid mounting pressure from investors, increasing risks of legal liability for climate damages, and heightened scrutiny of their lobbying and public policy advocacy. BP and Royal Dutch Shell host their AGMs this week; ExxonMobil and Chevron will follow next week.

If shareholder meetings were classic game shows, and investors were keeping score, fossil fuel companies would be coming up short. Read more >

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