Oil and gas corporations are not only major contributors to the destruction of our climate and overall environment through the burning of carbon. They are also major contributors to the destruction of the limited amount of democracy in our country.
The reason for both is the same: corporate constitutional rights.
The granting of First Amendment "free speech rights" to corporations by the Supreme Court in the 1970s and expanded in the 2010 Citizens United ruling has legalized the ability of business corporations to contribute massive sums of funds to corrupt elections and public policies toward the extraction and burning of climate-destroying oil and gas over the mass conversion to renewable energy.
What follows are the the current totals of the 2023-2024 election cycle (which runs through the end of this year).
----
First, the major political campaign "contributors" (more like "investors)
Total Contributions/Investments: $147,537,007
| Rank | Contributor | Grand Total |
Total to Candidates |
Total to Outside Spending Groups |
| 1 | Koch Industries | $45108689.00 | $1858634.00 | $43250000.00 |
| 2 | Crownquest Operating | $7997997.00 | $697997.00 | $7300000.00 |
| 3 | Energy Transfer Partners | $7341997.00 | $2327797.00 | $5014200.00 |
| 4 | Chevron Corp | $7072265.00 | $1064355.00 | $6017700.00 |
| 5 | Occidental Petroleum | $5231636.00 | $231436.00 | $5000000.00 |
| 6 | American Petroleum Institute | $4745552.00 | $245552.00 | $4500000.00 |
| 7 | Continental Resources | $3522741.00 | $722741.00 | $2800000.00 |
| 8 | Devon Energy | $3507582.00 | $992243.00 | $2515000.00 |
| 9 | Valero Services | $3018605.00 | $18355.00 | $3010250.00 |
| 10 | Energy Transfer LP | $2869993.00 | $1769793.00 | $1100000.00 |
| 11 | ConocoPhillips | $2698298.00 | $397583.00 | $2300250.00 |
| 12 | Geosouthern Energy | $2184808.00 | $1184808.00 | $1000000.00 |
| 13 | Midland Energy | $2101086.00 | $1926086.00 | $175000.00 |
| 14 | Rees-Jones Holdings | $1878766.00 | $299934.00 | $1578832.00 |
| 15 | Formentera Partners | $1175900.00 | $835900.00 | $340000.00 |
| 16 | Chesapeake Energy | $1150962.00 | $150812.00 | $1000000.00 |
| 17 | Hilcorp Energy | $1137531.00 | $912531.00 | $225000.00 |
| 18 | Samson Energy | $1092968.00 | $72968.00 | $1020000.00 |
| 19 | Lee M Bass Inc | $1089856.00 | $839856.00 | $250000.00 |
| 20 | Exxon Mobil | $1040131.00 | $1034278.00 | $4753.00 |
Source: https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib?cycle=2024&ind=E01 [The link details division by political parties and liberal/conservative groups]
----
Next are the recipients. They include both Republicans and Democrats.
Top 15 Recipients
| Rank | Recipient | Chamber | Total |
| 1 | Trump Donald (R) | President | $1303930.00 |
| 2 | Pfluger August (R-TX) | House | $694484.00 |
| 3 | Harris Kamala (D) | President | $661531.00 |
| 4 | Cruz Ted (R-TX) | Senate | $621543.00 |
| 5 | Barrasso John (R-WY) | Senate | $483186.00 |
| 6 | Cramer Kevin (R-ND) | Senate | $431953.00 |
| 7 | Sheehy Tim (R-MT) | $417308.00 | |
| 8 | Haley Nikki (R) | President | $382598.00 |
| 9 | Johnson Mike (R-LA) | House | $376427.00 |
| 10 | DeSantis Ron (R) | President | $350102.00 |
| 11 | Scalise Steve (R-LA) | House | $313645.00 |
| 12 | Westerman Bruce (R-AR) | House | $311362.00 |
| 13 | McCarthy Kevin (R-CA) | House | $310647.00 |
| 14 | Rodgers Cathy McMorris (R-WA) | House | $288971.00 |
| 15 | Gonzales Tony (R-TX) | House | $287425.00 |
Source: https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips?cycle=2024&ind=E01
----
For good measure, here's the amount of money spent on lobbying for the oil and gas industry.
Total: $71,956,606 2024
Number of Clients: 186
Number of Lobbyists: 662
Number of Revolvers (63.75%): 422 (number of lobbyists who used to work for the government -- many of the same agencies they previously worked at
Top Lobbying Clients, 2024
| Client/Parent Organization | Total |
| American Fuel & Petrochem Manufacturers | $8067000.00 |
| Koch Industries | $6190000.00 |
| Shell plc | $4210000.00 |
| Occidental Petroleum | $4160000.00 |
| ConocoPhillips | $3950000.00 |
| Chevron Corp | $3910000.00 |
| Exxon Mobil | $3820000.00 |
| American Petroleum Institute | $3490000.00 |
| Phillips 66 | $3250000.00 |
| Cheniere Energy | $1790000.00 |
| BP | $1600000.00 |
| Marathon Petroleum | $1560000.00 |
| TC Energy | $1225000.00 |
| Partnership to Address Global Emissions | $1120000.00 |
| Valero Energy | $1030000.00 |
| Enbridge Inc | $760000.00 |
| Interstate Natural Gas Assn of America | $725000.00 |
| American Gas Assn | $710000.00 |
Source: https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/lobbying?cycle=2024&ind=E01
----
Oil and gas corporations are corrupting this year's elections, which is lethal for our planet and for democracy. But it doesn't end there. They benefit at our expense and the expense of a livable world not only from the hijacking of First Amendment free speech rights. They also avoid public efforts to protect people, communities and the environment by hijacking other constitutional rights that were originally intended exclusively for human beings.
These include:
-
First Amendment right not to speak
The High Court decreed in Pacific Gas & Electric v. Public Utilities Commission (1986) that a consumer advocacy group could not force the company to use extra space in their billing envelope for information promoting energy conservation of fossil fuels. This upheld the corporation’s right not to speak ("negative speech" rights) and protected the corporation’s "freedom of mind."
-
Fourth Amendment privacy rights
The Supreme Court in Marshall v. Barlow’s Inc. (1978) prohibited surprise Inspections
of business premises. This makes it more difficult to ensure effective public
inspections of corporate workplaces, including dangerous fossil fuel facilities, that protect workers, facilities and the environment.
Finally, if the growing movement to prevent the burning of fossil fuels becomes more powerful to the point where legislation in near passage, fossil fuel corporations will likely claim this hijacked constitutional amendment.
-
Fifth Amendment takings rights
The 1922 Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon Supreme Court decision declared that it was illegal to take corporate property without just compensation even if the taking protected public health, safety and welfare. Many environmental scientists claim that a fundamental way to prevent the further destruction of our climate is to keep fossil fuels (i.s. oil, gas and coal) in the ground vs finding “cleaner” ways to burn them. Doing so would likely result in fossil fuel corporations claiming Fifth Amendment “takings rights" resulting in lost future profits of tens of billions, if not trillions of dollars in compensation.
Ensuring a livable world and creating an authentic democracy are inextricably connected. The rights of human beings and rights to a livable world are more important that corporate constitutional rights.
Enacting the We the People Amendment (HJR54) would end all corporate constitutional rights, not just free speech rights, AND end the constitutional doctrine that money equals speech.
Tara, Shelly, George, Daniel, Margaret, Michael, Jessica, Katie, Keyan, Jason, Alfonso, Cole, Jennie & Greg
Move to Amend National Team
