The American Petroleum Institute (API), one of the biggest oil lobbying organizations, recently announced it will start political donations beginning in the second quarter of this year. Among its 400 members are ExxonMobil and Chevron, who spent around $7 million on lobbying efforts alone last year.
API has notoriously campaigned against climate legislation, and unfortunately, has the kind of power to set oil industry standards. Greenpeace previously revealed a memo from API president Jack Gerard suggesting the institute fight climate legislations by defining it as “tax increases on our industry.” API also claims greenhouse gas regulations are “burdensome” despite 2010 being one of the hottest years on record. Furthermore, reports are piling on the health hazards surrounding Big Oil practices.
For the full article, visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/24/american-petroleum-instit_n_827819.html
