At the moment, oil and gas companies are on track to shatter their record of total contributions from the last non-presidential election cycle, in 2006—despite the lingering effects of the economic downturn. Halfway through the election calendar, the industry is on pace to spend more than $27 million—the most ever in a campaign year not involving the White House.
With the stakes in Congress so high—from health care to financial regulation—the jump in spending is mirrored in other industries as well. Oil still lags behind 13 other industries in its Washington largesse.
When BP executive Tony Hayward went to Capitol Hill for a grilling last month, a list of the amount of money that members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee accepted from oil and gas companies made its way around the Internet. The ever-apologetic Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) had pocketed $100,470 from industry groups and employees since the beginning of 2009. He was outdone by Rep. Roy Blunt, the Missouri Republican who is in a tough race for Senate back home. Blunt’s haul totaled $133,000. Even one of BP’s fiercest critics, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), pocketed $6,000 from industry supporters.
The political action committee for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, known as the Wildcatters Fund, has sprinkled donations into the pockets of candidates and officeholders throughout the country. After the oil spill, Barton, Shelby, Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, and Republicans candidates for Congress, including Pennsylvania’s Tim Burns, New Mexico’s Steve Pearce, and Ohio’s Rob Portman, have all accepted donations from IPAA’s PAC.