Media

Stand for Big Oil, or Stand for the American People

With national news focused on gas prices, President Obama again urged Congress to stop subsidizing the nation’s richest oil companies and instead invest in cleaner, more stable sources of energy.

In his weekly address to the nation, Obama challenged lawmakers to go on record on the issue of the $4 billion in oil and gas subsidies every year, saying:

“They can either stand up for oil companies, or they can stand up for the American people.”

The ...More

Obama Looks To An Energy Future

In an energy speech in Maryland yesterday, Obama again urged the Senate to get rid of Big Oil’s $4 billion a year subsidies. His fourth energy speech in as many weeks, Obama’s speech yesterday repeated many of the themes he has made his energy platform, including a push for clean energy.

“Lately, we’ve heard a lot of professional politicians talking down these new sources of energy. They dismiss wind power and solar power… They were ...More

NYT: Hope for a Good Transportation Bill

After yesterday’s passage of the Senate transportation bill, the pressure is on the House. Efforts by the House to pass a transportation bill have been stalled for weeks. A statement by LCV President Gene Karpinski on the Senate bill said “We encourage the House to abandon its deeply flawed proposal and swiftly pass this bill that puts Americans back to work fixing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure."

An editorial in the New York Times today ...More

$7,610 Every Minute

As posted on the White House blog:

“As gas prices rise, oil companies just watch their profits increase. And yet, they're still subsidized by Congress to the tune of $4 billion a year.

That's about $7,610 every minute.”

Read more at whitehouse.gov.

Obama’s Energy Blueprint Progress Report

The White House released yesterday a progress report on President Obama’s achievements in energy security and clean energy.

A large part of President Obama’s energy plan has been simply reducing American energy use –including increasing fuel economy standards and home energy efficiency. These standards and upgrades have the added benefit of saving consumers money at the pump and their utility bills.

Additionally, Obama has placed emphasis on renewable energy investment, resulting in an increase of nearly double in American renewable energy generation.

This infographic explains ...More

Roberts Amendment: Despoiling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Up for vote tomorrow, the Roberts Amendment #1826 reads like a wish list for Big Oil. Ignoring environmental standards, slashing oversight on oil and gas development, and putting the pocketbooks of oil companies above all else, this amendment would undo all the environmental progress made in the Senate over the past week –and then some.

Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) calls opening the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the degradations of oil and gas development “energy production incentives,” but his amendment ...More

Dirty Energy Money and the Keystone XL Votes

According to Oil Change International, those senators who voted for the failed Keystone XL amendment received 500% more money from oil interests than those who voted against it.

By the numbers:

- The 56 senators who voted for the Keystone XL amendment have received 500% more money from oil interests in the current Congress than those who voted against it.

-In total these senators have received $27.5 million from dirty energy interests since 1999, $2.3 million during the current Congress.

- The average senator that ...More

Insurance Companies See Climate Dangers

After 2011’s record year of damaging natural disasters, insurance companies are speaking out on the reality of climate change and the financial burdens of extreme weather events.

Last week, Sens. Shelton Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held a press conference with representatives from major insurance companies to discuss the need to tackle climate change.

"Perhaps no industry better understands the impact of global warming than the insurance industry whose job it is to analyze risk,” said Senator Sanders.

Due to last ...More