Subject: [big campaign] Oil and Coal's $427 Million Political Campaign
From: David Miller <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:14:48 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

We sent this out this morning:

A PRESS RELEASE FROM PUBLIC CAMPAIGN ACTION FUND

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 18, 2008

CONTACT
Rick Bielke, (202) 293-0222
David Miller, (202) 448-6154

Oil, Coal Industries Already Have Spent $427 Million On Politics, Policy,
and Marketing in 2008

Washington, D.C.  Today Public Campaign Action Fund, a nonprofit,
nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving America¹s campaign finance
laws, released a new analysis finding that the oil and coal industries spent
$427.2 million so far this year of the year to shift public opinion and to
capture the eyes, ears, and support of Congress on critical energy issues.

The analysis looked at four different areas: political contributions,
lobbying expenditures, paid advertising and political spending by outside
organizations.

³With debate raging over how to solve America¹s energy problems while also
addressing environmental threats like climate change, the oil and coal
industries have opened their wallets wide to preserve the status quo  and
their record profits,² said Nick Nyhart, Executive Director for Public
Campaign Action Fund. ³With only roughly half the year behind us, these
corporate giants could wind up spending $900 million to $1 billion in 2008
to win over the public and key decision-makers.²

Among the findings in the analysis:

* Major oil and electric utility companies and and front groups for the oil
and gas industries spent a whopping $201.2 million on advertising in the
first six months of 2008.

* Big Oil and King Coal have spent $129 million on lobbying to influence
Washington decision-makers.

* The industries have made $37.4 million in political contributions at the
federal level.

The report can be found at the organization¹s Web site at
http://www.campaignmoney.org/oil-and-coal-report.

³With spending like this, it¹s clear that these polluting industries see
much at stake in Congress,² continued Nyhart.

Public Campaign Action Fund is a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization
that works to advance comprehensive campaign finance reform and hold elected
officials accountable. The group conducts research, outreach, advocacy, and
public education in service to a deeper understanding of the role of money
in politics, and mobilizes public opinion and decision-makers to support
comprehensive change in the financing of our elections.

### 

-- 
David Miller
Communications/Web Manager
Public Campaign Action Fund/Campaign Money Watch
1828 L St. NW #250
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 448-6154

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