Three Senate Republicans who boycotted Thursday's scheduled vote on President Obama's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had fundraisers scheduled on the same day, at least two of which were hosted by energy industry lobbyists, according to invitations obtained by the Sunlight Foundation's Political Party Time website.

A Washington Post story yesterday revealed that oil and gas companies have enjoyed a massive taxpayer-funded giveaway of $11 billion since 1996 thanks to royalty free wells in the Gulf of Mexico, with Chevron’s $1.5 billion in extra profits topping the list.

President Obama’s unexpectedly strong comments on climate change during his inauguration speech—which the New York Times called “the most prominent policy vow of his second Inaugural Address”—have left many climate hawks and environmentalists excited for the prospects of action during his second term.

January, 2013
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Oil giant Chevron donated $2,500,000 to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC whose sole purpose is to elect House Republicans, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

The top five oil companies have reported $62.2 billions in earnings through the second quarter of 2012. And on Thursday, these companies will begin releasing their earnings reports for the third quarter.

These companies, and the entire oil and gas industry, have been rewarding members of Congress who have voted repeatedly to keep in place billions of dollars in taxpayer handouts to Big Oil. They're spending big in hopes of electing a Congress—and president—who'll be pliant to their demands.

On Wednesday, as Wisconsin Senate candidate and former governor Tommy Thompson (R) was forced to defend statements he made about turning Medicare into a voucher program similar to what was proposed in the Paul Ryan budget he has supported, he was scheduled to attend an “oil and gas industry luncheon” in Washington, D.C—an industry whose billions in subsidies

Senate Republicans plan to introduce a collection of legislation on Thursday that reads like a “Christmas in July” wish list come true for big oil and gas companies.

According to The Hill, Republican aides say Sen. John Hoeven’s (R-N.D.) legislation will “require expanded onshore oil-and-gas leasing, allow drilling off Virginia’s coast, and approve the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.”

Over the weekend, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) said that “Oil companies don’t get subsidies.” That’s, of course, not true.

Big Oil gets billions in subsidies every year and then rewards supportive members of Congress through campaign cash from their PACs and executives—and Brown is a recipient of that largesse.

Next week, Republican House leadership plans to introduce a legislative bonanza of dirty energy giveaways that, as National Journal reported in an email yesterday, is “chiefly messaging, designed to generate campaign-ad-worthy talking points before it clears the House and dies in the Senate.”

It might be messaging for TV ads, but it also sends a message to the dirty energy interests filling their campaign coffers: we’ve got your back.