Posted On: June 27, 2008, 3:47 pm CDT

Posted By: Killer

Bucky, you have been hoodwinked and you believe hook line and sinker what you have been told by the big corporations. Your view is juvenile and sheep like...

POLITICAL PEDDLING
The return ExxonMobil gets for the millions it spends on lobbyists and campaign contributions comes back in the billions. The industry as a whole receives up to $113 billion per year in direct federal subsidies, according to experts. (3)
Records filed with the Senate Public Records Office show that Exxon lobbyists focus most of their time on bills that address energy, global warming, environmental rules, and foreign policy. Targets of Exxon lobbyists are not just members of Congress, but nearly every agency as well. In 2005 alone, Exxon reported lobbying the State Department, White House, Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Department, Office of Management and Budget, Department of the Interior, and the Transportation Department.
The 2005 Energy Bill is a prime example of how political dollars translate into legislation. The Energy Bill, in effect until 2010, authorized $4 billion in federal subsidies to the oil and gas industry. Below are a few examples of handouts to Exxon.(4)
PERKS FOR EXXON FROM THE 2005 ENERGY BILL
Deepwater Drilling. ExxonMobil is the self-declared leader in deepwater oil and gas, which it claims will account for 20 percent or more of its production by 2010. The Energy Bill dolled out $1.5 billion in oil subsidies for ultra-deepwater activities.
Tax Royalty Relief. Oil companies supposedly pay a royalty to the government for the privilege of extracting resources off public land owned by all Americans. The Energy Bill dolled out billions worth of unnecessary "royalty relief" for ExxonMobil and other oil and gas companies. Ironically, Exxon has already settled several lawsuits for $52 million for not paying or underpaying royalties. In Alabama Exxon was found guilty of royalty fraud and fined $3.6 billion, which the company has appealed since 2000.
LNG: Liquefied Natural Gas permits. ExxonMobil plans to build at least two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Texas. Yet, when ExxonMobil wanted to build a LNG facility in Alabama in 2003 it faced vociferous opposition from the locals who were concerned about potential health hazards and by Republican Governor Bob Riley. The Governor demanded that an independent safety assessment be done before the project went forward. A year later ExxonMobil canceled its plans. The 2005 Energy Bill changed the rules so that the state no longer has the right to determine the location of LNG facilities. Instead, location assessments will be done by federal agencies, which are typically more industry-friendly.
Public health laws. Laws under the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act used in the permitting of LNG facilities and natural gas pipelines were also weakened by the Bill. It is now vastly easier for ExxonMobil to get approval for its LNG facilities - despite legitimate objections from the state or local community.
WHY IT MATTERS
There is no denying that America needs a separation of oil and state. ExxonMobil's backward policies on global warming and oil dependence make that separation even more urgent. The company's policies are like an anchor holding America down from achieving a safer, cleaner energy future. ExxonMobil is the largest and most profitable private oil company in the world. Coupled with its spending on politicians and lobbying, it is also among the most influential.
Exxon's policies on energy and environment make it a rogue company among its peers. ExxonMobil is the only major oil giant arguing that renewable energy is a bad investment, that global warming isn't a real threat, and that U.S. energy independence is undesirable and impossible. These policies are among the greatest threats to the future of America's national security and energy policy.