Sen. Landrieu Named To BP Ten As One of Top Big Oil Money Recipients

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Sen. Landrieu Named To ‘BP Ten’ As One of Top Big Oil Money Recipients

Sen. Landrieu denies Friends of the Earth’s request to donate oil money to Gulf recovery effort, helps perpetuate the undue influence of oil companies in Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As millions of gallons of crude oil continue to hemorrhage daily into the Gulf of Mexico, the environmental watchdog group Friends of the Earth last week launched a campaign to pressure members of Congress, including Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) to donate the cash they’ve received from BP and other oil companies to Gulf Coast recovery efforts.

Sen. Landrieu has received $329,100 in campaign contributions from oil companies in the last two election cycles, $16,200 of which came from BP alone. She was the top recipient of BP money in the 2008 campaign cycle among candidates running for the U.S. House or Senate. In total, Big Oil has spent $48,401,891 to curry favor from politicians in the 2008 and 2010 election cycles.

Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica had the following statement:

“For years, Sen. Landrieu has worked to protect the dirty energy status quo to the detriment of her constituents. She remains a staunch supporter of offshore drilling, despite the fact that her home state is bearing the brunt of the environmental destruction, devastation of the fishing and tourism industries, and the tragic loss of life wrought by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. She was a part of the pro-drilling block of Democrats pushing for outer continental shelf drilling to be included in the Senate climate and energy bill. Her continuing loyalty to the dirty and dangerous oil and gas industries makes her complicit in the devastation inflicted on the Gulf Coast.

“Sen. Landrieu has refused to dispose of her campaign contributions from BP. Even if she is proud of the money she’s received from BP and BP officials, I cannot understand why she would not want to put this money to use helping her state recover from the worst environmental catastrophe in U.S. history.

“Sen. Landrieu exemplifies the overwhelming corporate influence in Washington, which has undermined the ability of our government to function in the public interest. Sen. Landrieu needs to make clear whether she thinks she’s in an oil-igarchy or a democracy. If she’s committed to democracy, she must give this money back, stop doing corporate polluters’ bidding and start acting in the public interest.”

Amigos de la Tierra campaña applies to all members of Congress who have taken oil money, but will focus in particular on Sen. Landrieu and the other four senators and the five House members who have taken the most money from BP in the last few years. They are being urged to contribute the money to organizations like the Gulf Coast Fund, which channels resources directly to impacted communities so they can lead in recovery efforts.

Los “Diez de BP” son:

Senado
• John McCain (republicano por Arizona, $36,649 de BP y $2,428,287 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)
• Mary Landrieu (demócrata por Luisiana, $16,200 de BP y $329,100 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)
• Mark Begich (demócrata por Alaska, $8,550 de BP y $85,958 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)
• Lisa Murkowski (republicana por Alaska, $8.500 de BP y $223.326 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)
• Mitch McConnell (republicano por Kentucky, con 1 millón de libras esterlinas y 8.500 dólares procedentes de BP y 1 millón de libras esterlinas y 408.400 dólares procedentes de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)

Casa
• John Culberson (republicano de Texas, $10,200 de BP y $187,350 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)
• Ron Paul (republicano de Texas, $7.300 de BP y $134.132 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)
• Charles Rangel (DN.Y., $6,500 de BP y $40,600 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)
• Steny Hoyer (demócrata por Maryland, $6.000 de BP y $91.800 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)
• Don Young (republicano por Alaska, $5.500 de BP y $45.500 de las grandes petroleras desde 2006)

Fuente: OpenSecrets.org

Encontrará más información sobre la campaña, incluyendo gráficos y herramientas para redes sociales, en: /bp-ten.

Puede encontrar más información sobre el Fondo de la Costa del Golfo, al que Amigos de la Tierra insta a los miembros del Congreso a destinar los fondos petroleros que han recibido, en http://gulfcoastfund.org/.

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Amigos de la Tierra y nuestra red de organizaciones de base en 77 países luchan por crear un mundo más sano y justo. Nuestras campañas actuales se centran en la energía limpia y las soluciones al calentamiento global, la protección de las personas frente a tecnologías tóxicas y nuevas potencialmente dañinas, y la promoción de alternativas de transporte más inteligentes y menos contaminantes.