Biofuels’ Influence Counters Big Oil Money
by Christopher Doering (ArgusLeader.com) Political muscle can help S.D. protect stake in renewable energy
Big oil and natural gas companies vastly outspend the renewable fuels industry on Capitol Hill, but the general gridlock in Washington gives advocates of wind, ethanol and other renewable energy resources the upper hand in the growing battle to overhaul the country’s energy policy.
“This Congress … seems unable to make a national energy policy,” said Bruce Babcock, an Iowa State University economist. “The renewable fuels have an advantage in that they are part of current law, and it’s always easier to maintain current law than it is to change it.”
…Last year alone, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron and the American Petroleum Institute, the trade group that represents these energy giants, used $66.2 million for lobbying efforts, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. READ MORE
