Tyson Slocum « CitizenVox

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July13

Government must have authority to protect public from fracking

By: Tyson Slocum

It’s unbelievable but true: The federal government can’t require companies to reveal what chemicals they are pumping into the ground (and sometimes the groundwater) when engaging in fracking.

Why? Corporate power of course. Powerful industry lobbyists managed to get fracking exempted from a host of laws that enable government agencies to enforce clean water standards and thereby keep drinking water safe. Fracking is a process in which water and carcinogenic chemicals are injected into the ground to force out natural gas.

The result is that in some communities, groundwater is contaminated (to the point of being flammable) and people have no way to find out what carcinogens they are injesting.

Today, Public Citizen made a raft of recommendations to the Department of Energy, which is examining fracking hazards. The bottom line is that it probably can’t be done safely. But right now, there are many loopholes that must be addressed.

For instance, in what is commonly known as the Halliburton loophole (named after the powerful company with ties to then-Vice President Dick Cheney) inserted into the Energy Policy Act of 2005, hydraulic fracturing was exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Here are a few things that need to be done:

•    Congress repeal the exemptions to major provisions of federal environmental laws that were carved out as favors to the oil and gas industry;
•    The Environmental Protection Agency assess the environmental and health impacts of chemicals used in fracking and regulate them or prohibit them accordingly; and
•    Drilling companies be required to disclose the amount of each chemical used at each well site, and the information be made available to the public.

You can read all our recommendations here.

Let’s hope the Department of Energy listens. Want to weigh in? Please do. We need your voice. Tell your representative to support efforts to remove the exemption to the Safe Drinking Water Act for fracking and call for the disclosure and monitoring of the chemicals used in the process.

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Posted in: Activism, Energy0 comments

May25

Chevron banks on a profitable political agenda

By: Tyson Slocum

With 43 lobbyists and a federal influence-peddling budget of at least $35 million this past election cycle, Chevron must have an ambitious agenda for the politicians in Washington, DC. The company just paid $4.3 billion to acquire Atlas Energy and its extensive holdings in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale so first and foremost on the company’s agenda will be fighting any efforts to have the federal government regulate hydraulic fracturing. Second, Chevron produced 260,000 barrels of oil and natural gas per day from the Gulf of Mexico, so preventing Congress from reforming offshore drilling rules in the wake of the BP disaster will be key. Third, Chevron will join forces with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others to demonize pending Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and continue opposing efforts for the U.S. to lead the way in battling climate change. Fourth, look to Chevron to help lead the chant of “Drill Baby Drill!” as the company seeks to exploit the Presidential race to open new areas to oil and natural gas drilling. Fifth, expect the company to take evasive action against efforts to revoke billions of dollars in oil company tax breaks and royalty relief. Finally, Chevron will probably seek to protect investments overseas from meddlesome foreign government actions on prioritizing the environment and workers’ rights by getting the U.S. to enact favorable trade agreements.

Chevron’s lobbyists are a Who’s Who of former government officials. DC’s rule of thumb: corporations ensure better access to lawmakers when they put their former colleagues from government on their payroll.

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Posted in: Campaign Finance, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Ethics0 comments

May17

Senate gives Big Oil another free pass

By: Tyson Slocum

Just what Big Oil needed: another victory. First, Congress fails to pass legislation that would respond to last summer’s catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Then, President Barack Obama announces that his administration will expand offshore drilling, which means more money for the oil industry.

But now, despite overwhelming public support, the U.S. Senate has failed to pass the Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act (S. 940), which would have repealed tens of billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil and gas companies over the next decade.

Big Oil is racking up the victories while working families pay the price. Yet again Big Oil defies the odds and gets a minority of lawmakers to support its narrow agenda at the expense of the American public.

The oil industry has killed efforts to be fully liable for the messes it makes in offshore oil spills, and now it holds on to its coveted tax breaks, despite overwhelming evidence that they are no longer needed. What is desperately needed are investments in clean energy to reduce our dependence on oil and deficit reduction. But Big Oil can’t be bothered to be a part of the solution. Instead, the industry uses its money and influence to keep its taxpayer handouts coming.

The big five oil companies – which in the last quarter racked up $36 billion in net profits – will continue to receive taxpayer money because many in the Senate have closer ties to those giant corporations than their own constituents.

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Posted in: Energy1 comments

May12

Big Oil profits are insane, but what they are doing with them is even worse

By: Tyson Slocum

Big Oil CEOs testify today before the Senate Committee on Finance to defend the trillion dollars in profits they have made in the past decade thanks to you, the American consumer. Some in Congress will defend the billions of dollars in tax breaks and royalty relief taxpayers give to these same companies each year.

Public Citizen recently crunched the numbers and found that Big Oil’s profits aren’t the only eye-popping statistic – what the industry is spending its money on is equally astonishing. Big Oil lavishes more on stock buybacks, dividend payments, lobbying and marketing than on U.S. oil investments. Our research shows that since 2005, the largest five oil companies operating in the U.S. spent nearly half a trillion dollars buying back their own stock and paying dividends to shareholders. That’s more money than they spent investing in their U.S. infrastructure.

This contradicts the industry’s insistence that its billions of dollars a year in tax breaks are needed to create jobs and keep gas prices affordable. In fact, Big Oil’s investment decisions are driven by market prices of crude oil, not U.S. tax policy.

It’s time our leaders stop bowing to corporate interests and put an end to the “take the money and run” tactics of Big Oil that are nothing short of highway robbery.

While the speculation-fueled price of oil per barrel has continued to escalate, the underlying costs to produce oil haven’t. Consider this: On average, it costs $20 to produce a barrel of oil. Big Oil sells it to us for more than $100. This generates the massive cash flow that fuels oil companies’ profits and spending.

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Posted in: Energy, Midmorning Refill, Uncategorized1 comments

March30

Obama misses the point on energy security

By: Tyson Slocum

President Barack Obama should rethink his definition and strategy of energy security.

While Obama touted lofty goals about cutting our dependence on foreign oil in his address today, he missed the point.

Energy security is not just about reducing oil imports. It’s also about addressing how we get energy here at home. The crisis following last year’s BP oil spill showed us that domestic drilling is not a pathway for security. It shut down the Gulf economy for months, and the fishing industry may never rebound. Energy security starts and ends with curbing our oil addiction – period – not just cutting off oil imports.

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Posted in: Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Nuclear Power, Regulation0 comments