A little more than a year after its negligence led to the despoilment of the Gulf of Mexico, oil giant BP is funding a right-wing lobbying group that opposes regulation of offshore drilling. This week, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is holding its annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. ALEC is a political corruption group funded by Koch Industries and other corporations to write legislation for state-level Republican legislators. ThinkProgress has obtained a list of the conference’s sponsors, and BP is at the head of the list as a “President” level funder. According to sources, that is likely a $100,000 contribution:
ALEC has pushed hard to fight any limits on offshore drilling, claiming “more energy-efficient drilling and production methods practically eliminate spills from offshore platforms.” ALEC also promotes global warming denial, even claiming that the carbon dioxide pollution produced from burning petroleum is good for you.
Other oil and natural gas companies funding the ALEC conference:
Chevron
ExxonMobil
Shell
Koch Industries
McMoran Exploration
Atmos Energy
Chesapeake Energy
ConocoPhillips
Encana
Energy Transfer
QEP Resources
Spectra Energy
On the anniversary of the Gulf disaster, BP celebrated by giving major contributions to Republican politicians. Last month, BP announced “disappointing” profits of $5.6 billion in the last quarter, as it claimed that the Gulf of Mexico has fully recovered from its malfeasance. Oil continues to wash ashore.
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