Lobbying

Senator Reveals Philip Morris Co-Authored FDA Tobacco Bill

by Anne Landman — May 27, 2009 - 3:13pm

Senator Mike Enzi, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), confirmed May 21 that cigarette maker

Main Source: 
TradingMarkets.com, May 21, 2009

Climate Lobbying Heats Up

by Diane Farsetta — May 20, 2009 - 11:18am

There's a "crazy quilt of about 140 businesses and organizations that jumped into the climate change debate on Capitol Hill in the first quarter of this year," reports Marianne Lavelle.

Main Source: 
Center for Public Integrity, May 19, 2009

Tobacco Lobby Winning in Texas

by Anne Landman — May 15, 2009 - 12:39pm

An army of tobacco industry lobbyists been hard at work in Texas battling a clean indoor air law and a new formula for taxing spit tobacco. The industry employed 40 lobbyists, seven of whom are former state legislators, to beat back the popular proposals. The smoking ban had gained hard-won support from the state's restaurant association, and enjoyed support among voters, who had already approved public smoking laws in 28 cities within the state.

Main Source: 
Dallas Morning News, May 11, 2009

Industry Tries to Put a Cap in Cap-and-Trade

by Diane Farsetta — May 15, 2009 - 10:41am

"America's oil, gas and coal industry has increased its lobbying budget by 50%, with key players spending $44.5 [million] in the first three months of this year in an intense effort to cut off support" for cap and trade legislation to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Main Source: 
The Guardian (UK), May 12, 2009

More on the Dewey Square Medicare Scam

by Diane Farsetta — April 15, 2009 - 10:34am

As the Center for Media and Democracy reported previously, the Dewey Square Group lobbying firm is sending newspapers fake letters to the editor. The letters promote Medicare Advantage, a private health insurance plan, and are sent in the name of local seniors.

Main Source: 
The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Massachusetts), April 13, 2009

Alberta Lobbies for Its Tar Baby

by Diane Farsetta — April 7, 2009 - 11:22am

The Canadian province of Alberta, which promotes the development of its tar sands oil, "has hired a team of consultants to improve [its] image in Washington ahead of climate-change talks." The lobbyists, who Alberta is paying $40,000 a month, include former Michigan governor James Blanchard and former U.S. ambassador and Canadian diplomat Paul Fraser.

Main Source: 
CBC News (Canada), April 3, 2009

"Product Safety Standards" for Cigarettes?

by Anne Landman — April 2, 2009 - 2:16pm

The proposed legislation to have the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate tobacco is "window-dressing masquerading as legislation," according to Alan Blum, M.D., director of the University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society.

Main Source: 
Huffington Post, April 2, 2009

Dewey Square Caught Astroturfing Again

by Diane Farsetta — April 1, 2009 - 3:15pm

The Halifax-Plympton Reporter received a letter to the editor urging "that people contact their congressman about the Medicare Advantage program," a "sort of privatized health plan paid for via the recipient's Medicare. Reportedly, there's some interest in doing away with the program." The actual, physical letter was in the name of a local resident, but it didn't mention any of the local Congressional delegation, which the newspaper's editor, Matthew Nadler, found strange.

Main Source: 
Halifax-Plympton Reporter (Marshfield, Massachusetts), March 27, 2009

Wisconsin's Balance of Power: The Campaign to Repeal the Nuclear Moratorium

by Diane Farsetta — March 26, 2009 - 12:59pm
  • Topics: Global Warming, Nuclear Power, Lobbying, Public Relations

    • Wisconsin law sets two conditions that must be met before new nuclear power plants can be built in the state. One is that there must be "a federally licensed facility" for high-level nuclear waste. In addition, the proposed nuclear plant "must be economically advantageous to ratepayers."

    It's a law that the nuclear power industry doesn't like. Given the near-death of the planned waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain, and the estimated $6 to $12 billion cost (pdf) of building one nuclear reactor -- not to mention the lack of interest from private investors and the tanking economy -- Wisconsin's law effectively bans new nuclear plants in the state, for the foreseeable future.

    Earlier this year, the major U.S. industry group Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) registered four lobbyists in Wisconsin.

    Overburn by a Coal Industry Front Group

    by Bob Burton — March 26, 2009 - 3:51am

    In 2008 the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a coal industry lobby group, spent $9.9 million on federal lobbying as well as $38 million on advertising promoting "clean coal." The president of the coalition, Steven L.

    Main Source: 
    CQ Weekly, March 21, 2009
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