Corporate Avenger
05-28-2001, 08:35 PM
http://www.opensecrets.org/pressreleases/energybriefing.htm
A Money in Politics Backgrounder
on the Energy Industry
In advance of the president’s release tomorrow of the administration’s new energy policy, the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics has prepared a brief backgrounder on campaign contributions from the energy industry in the last election.
The Center’s Web site, www.opensecrets.org, (http://www.opensecrets.org,) has a vast amount of information on the funders of the last campaign. Most useful for this report are the "industry profiles" on the energy sector and several industries within that sector.
The web-based profile for each industry shows the following:
A 10-year giving history of that industry, breaking down its campaign contributions by party, and by where the money came from–-from PACs, individual contributions or soft money donations to the parties.
The top 20 contributors from each industry, for each of the past six election cycles as well as for the full period from 1990-2000.
The top recipients of industry contributions, for each election cycle and for the full period. Recipients can also be broken down to show how much every member of Congress has received from each industry in each year, and where they rank compared with other members. (These options are available as pull-down menus on the page that lists Top Recipients).
The starting spot on the web for these reports is the Energy Sector profile located here.
Here’s a quick highlight of the patterns within key industries in the energy sector:
Oil & Gas
When it comes to campaign contributions, the Republican Party’s ties to the oil and gas industry have been well documented to say the least. No longer is it a surprise to note that 78 cents out of every dollar the industry has contributed to federal parties and candidates over the last decade has gone to the GOP or that President Bush was the No. 1 recipient of the industry’s money during the last election. But here’s something you might not know: Bush, with more than $1.8 million in contributions, got more money from the industry during 1999-2000 than any other federal candidate over the last decade, barely eclipsing two fellow Texans in the process. Sen. Phil Gramm (R) is the No. 2 recipient of oil money since 1989, with $1.6 million from industry PACs and individuals, while his oil patch colleague Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) ranks second with $1.3 million. Texas-based companies dominate the industry’s giving. The most generous: the Houston-based Enron, the industry’s No. 1 contributor during 1999-2000 with more than $2.3 million in contributions, about $1 million more than No. 2 ranked Exxon-Mobil.
Electric Utilities
Electric utilities can spot an ally when they see one. The electricity industry heavily favored George W. Bush over Al Gore in last year’s presidential election, giving almost $7 to the Texas governor for every $1 they gave to the vice president. All told, Bush collected more than $447,000 in PAC and individual contributions from electric utilities, compared to just $65,000 for Gore. In fact, Bush’s two-year fund-raising total exceeds the cumulative amount that any other federal candidate has received from electric utilities over the last 10 years.
Overall, electric utilities gave 68 percent of their contributions to Republican candidates and parties in 1999-2000, just as they did in 1995-96. But the amount they contributed nearly doubled from one presidential election to the next, from $9.5 million to $18.9 million. The industry’s PAC contributions jumped from $4.8 million to $7.7 million during that time, while its soft money contributions increased from $3.6 million to $8.9 million. During this same period, the industry improved its ranking among the most generous industries, from 27th at the end of ’96 to 19th after last year.
Coal
Few industries wagered more heavily on Republicans during the last elections than coal mining, which handed over 88 cents out of every campaign dollar it contributed to the GOP during 1999-2000. Its $3.7 million in total giving was almost three times what the coal industry had given during 1995-96, the previous presidential cycle. No doubt, some of that generosity had something with George W. Bush, who was the industry’s top recipient with just over $110,000 in contributions. Yet the industry’s jump in giving last year can be credited more to its stepped-up soft money contributions. Coal mining interests anted up almost $2 million worth of soft money checks during the last elections, three-quarters of which went to Republicans. That’s three times what the industry gave during 1995-96, when its soft money giving amounted to just over $324,000.
Nuclear Power
The nuclear power industry was a generous contributor to federal parties and candidates during the 2000 elections. The Southern Co, Entergy and other companies that boast significant nuclear power divisions—as well as industry trade associations like the Nuclear Energy Institute—contributed roughly $13.6 million in soft money, PAC and individual contributions to federal parties and candidates during the last elections. More than two-thirds of that money went to Republicans. President Bush was the industry’s top individual recipient, taking in more than $290,000 during 1999-2000, while top recipients in Congress included Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), who received more than $100,000; Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who received nearly $93,000; and Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), who took in just over $80,000. Look for an expanded report on the industry’s political giving to be posted tomorrow on the Center’s Web site, www.opensecrets.org. (http://www.opensecrets.org.)
Alternative Energy Production and Services
Given all that was at stake for energy interests in the 2000 elections, the alternative energy industry—a category that includes wind, geothermal and solar power producers—wanted to make sure that elected officials knew it was watching. Though the dollars it gave are microscopic compared with other energy interests, the industry increased its overall giving by more than seven times between presidential elections, going from $100,974 in soft money, PAC and individual contributions in 1995-96 to just over $783,000 in 1999-2000. Much of that increase can be credited to the industry’s dramatic rise in soft money checks, which jumped to $631,000 during the last election—almost 60 times what the industry gave during 1995-96.
Perhaps not surprisingly, more than two-thirds of the industry’s giving during 1999-2000 went to Democrats, with Al Gore ($8,300) ranking as the industry’s top individual recipient. Yet that marked a major turnaround from 1995-96, when Republicans took the bulk of the industry’s money. That year, two Nebraska Republicans topped the list of recipients from the industry: Rep. Jon Christensen ($13,000 in individual and PAC contributions) and Sen. Chuck Hagel ($12,000).
A Money in Politics Backgrounder
on the Energy Industry
In advance of the president’s release tomorrow of the administration’s new energy policy, the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics has prepared a brief backgrounder on campaign contributions from the energy industry in the last election.
The Center’s Web site, www.opensecrets.org, (http://www.opensecrets.org,) has a vast amount of information on the funders of the last campaign. Most useful for this report are the "industry profiles" on the energy sector and several industries within that sector.
The web-based profile for each industry shows the following:
A 10-year giving history of that industry, breaking down its campaign contributions by party, and by where the money came from–-from PACs, individual contributions or soft money donations to the parties.
The top 20 contributors from each industry, for each of the past six election cycles as well as for the full period from 1990-2000.
The top recipients of industry contributions, for each election cycle and for the full period. Recipients can also be broken down to show how much every member of Congress has received from each industry in each year, and where they rank compared with other members. (These options are available as pull-down menus on the page that lists Top Recipients).
The starting spot on the web for these reports is the Energy Sector profile located here.
Here’s a quick highlight of the patterns within key industries in the energy sector:
Oil & Gas
When it comes to campaign contributions, the Republican Party’s ties to the oil and gas industry have been well documented to say the least. No longer is it a surprise to note that 78 cents out of every dollar the industry has contributed to federal parties and candidates over the last decade has gone to the GOP or that President Bush was the No. 1 recipient of the industry’s money during the last election. But here’s something you might not know: Bush, with more than $1.8 million in contributions, got more money from the industry during 1999-2000 than any other federal candidate over the last decade, barely eclipsing two fellow Texans in the process. Sen. Phil Gramm (R) is the No. 2 recipient of oil money since 1989, with $1.6 million from industry PACs and individuals, while his oil patch colleague Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) ranks second with $1.3 million. Texas-based companies dominate the industry’s giving. The most generous: the Houston-based Enron, the industry’s No. 1 contributor during 1999-2000 with more than $2.3 million in contributions, about $1 million more than No. 2 ranked Exxon-Mobil.
Electric Utilities
Electric utilities can spot an ally when they see one. The electricity industry heavily favored George W. Bush over Al Gore in last year’s presidential election, giving almost $7 to the Texas governor for every $1 they gave to the vice president. All told, Bush collected more than $447,000 in PAC and individual contributions from electric utilities, compared to just $65,000 for Gore. In fact, Bush’s two-year fund-raising total exceeds the cumulative amount that any other federal candidate has received from electric utilities over the last 10 years.
Overall, electric utilities gave 68 percent of their contributions to Republican candidates and parties in 1999-2000, just as they did in 1995-96. But the amount they contributed nearly doubled from one presidential election to the next, from $9.5 million to $18.9 million. The industry’s PAC contributions jumped from $4.8 million to $7.7 million during that time, while its soft money contributions increased from $3.6 million to $8.9 million. During this same period, the industry improved its ranking among the most generous industries, from 27th at the end of ’96 to 19th after last year.
Coal
Few industries wagered more heavily on Republicans during the last elections than coal mining, which handed over 88 cents out of every campaign dollar it contributed to the GOP during 1999-2000. Its $3.7 million in total giving was almost three times what the coal industry had given during 1995-96, the previous presidential cycle. No doubt, some of that generosity had something with George W. Bush, who was the industry’s top recipient with just over $110,000 in contributions. Yet the industry’s jump in giving last year can be credited more to its stepped-up soft money contributions. Coal mining interests anted up almost $2 million worth of soft money checks during the last elections, three-quarters of which went to Republicans. That’s three times what the industry gave during 1995-96, when its soft money giving amounted to just over $324,000.
Nuclear Power
The nuclear power industry was a generous contributor to federal parties and candidates during the 2000 elections. The Southern Co, Entergy and other companies that boast significant nuclear power divisions—as well as industry trade associations like the Nuclear Energy Institute—contributed roughly $13.6 million in soft money, PAC and individual contributions to federal parties and candidates during the last elections. More than two-thirds of that money went to Republicans. President Bush was the industry’s top individual recipient, taking in more than $290,000 during 1999-2000, while top recipients in Congress included Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), who received more than $100,000; Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who received nearly $93,000; and Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), who took in just over $80,000. Look for an expanded report on the industry’s political giving to be posted tomorrow on the Center’s Web site, www.opensecrets.org. (http://www.opensecrets.org.)
Alternative Energy Production and Services
Given all that was at stake for energy interests in the 2000 elections, the alternative energy industry—a category that includes wind, geothermal and solar power producers—wanted to make sure that elected officials knew it was watching. Though the dollars it gave are microscopic compared with other energy interests, the industry increased its overall giving by more than seven times between presidential elections, going from $100,974 in soft money, PAC and individual contributions in 1995-96 to just over $783,000 in 1999-2000. Much of that increase can be credited to the industry’s dramatic rise in soft money checks, which jumped to $631,000 during the last election—almost 60 times what the industry gave during 1995-96.
Perhaps not surprisingly, more than two-thirds of the industry’s giving during 1999-2000 went to Democrats, with Al Gore ($8,300) ranking as the industry’s top individual recipient. Yet that marked a major turnaround from 1995-96, when Republicans took the bulk of the industry’s money. That year, two Nebraska Republicans topped the list of recipients from the industry: Rep. Jon Christensen ($13,000 in individual and PAC contributions) and Sen. Chuck Hagel ($12,000).