Big Oil

Senate majority leader talks energy policy at wonky event

In an event Tuesday that brought together a motley crew of leaders with an interest in the future of energy policy, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised that the issue would be a top priority for him next year. “As the new Congress convenes, I will make it a priority to work with the Obama […]

LCV calls out Chevron hypocrisy

The League of Conservation Voters beat me to punch in trashing Chevron’s recent greenwashing ads, with "I Will Point Out Hypocrisy": In train stations, at bus stops, online, even on our coffee cups, Chevron ads are trying to convince us that the key to ending our energy crisis is individual action. Over pictures of everyday […]

NYT suckered by ExxonMobil in puff piece titled ‘Green is for Sissies’

Another nail in the coffin of the "liberal media" meme. The NYT has run a greenwashing press release from the oil giant masquerading as a major business news story. Yes, the print headline really is "Green is for Sissies," but as you’ll see, it isn’t some kind of postmodern Onion-esque irony (except maybe unintentionally). Here […]

EPA investigator blows the whistle on BP oil spill case

Way back in March 2006, BP pipelines ruptured and dumped tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil all over the Alaskan tundra. It was the biggest oil spill since the Exxon-Valdez. There was a criminal investigation. And then … there wasn’t. What happened? Seattle’s King 5 has broken the story: Scott West, a top […]

Gross

In the wake of record-breaking profits, Exxon continues its fight to pay as little as possible to those scarred by its Exxon-Valdez oil spill.

The oil companies should bail out the automakers

Cross-posted at the NDN blog —– As the U.S. auto companies frantically search for ways to stave off bankruptcy, an interesting bit of news surfaced yesterday: Exxon Mobil’s profit in the last quarter was the highest of any company ever in history: $14.83 billion. The company is on track to make $50 billion or so […]

The frightful thinking behind a Palin presidential nomination in four years

One of the top (online) pundits in the country, The Atlantic‘s Marc Ambinder, thinks a McCain loss would make Sarah Palin the top contender for a Big Oil-fueled presidential run in 2012. ThinkProgress’s uber-pundit Matthew Yglesias agrees. Since the notion should be pretty scary to those concerned about clean energy and climate, and since Halloween […]

Senate race in North Carolina finds both candidates slinging oil

Another race where energy issues have been top fare this year is the North Carolina race, where Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole is defending her seat against Democratic challenger Kay Hagan. It’s a race where both candidates have accused the other of being in the pocket of Big Oil, and the crude has been flying for […]

Why did McCain sell out to Big Oil? Ask Charles Keating

John McCain’s new coziness with Big Oil is in many respects just a replay of his old coziness with Charles Keating. In both cases, money and access bought influence. Let’s start with oil. Last month, Time reported that McCain tapped a “prominent Washington lobbyist,” William E. Timmons, Sr., to run his transition, should he win […]