Politicians Return BP Re-Election Donations

Politicians are finally listening to their Constituents and turning away Oil Company Donations. 

BP Back in Politics, T-Paw Makes it Official and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 24

By Tarini Parti and Kathleen Ronayne on May 24, 2011 

BP TRIES TO TURN ON CONTRIBUTIONS: BP may still be reeling from its tarnished reputation following last year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but it continues its attempted comeback -- at least in the political sphere.

The comeback, however, is contingent upon acceptance from elected officials, many of whom are trying to distance their re-election campaigns from BP.

And after months of little or no activity, BP's political action committee has pulled out its checkbook once again, writing two checks to congressmen in April, according to the most recent campaign finance documents it filed with the Federal Elections Commission. 

Reps. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) and Michael Burgess (R-Texas) received $1,000 checks each from the BP PAC. In past election cycles, both have benefited from large contributions made by the people and PACs associated with oil companies. 

But Burgess' Campaign Manager Kim Garza told OpenSecrets Blog in an email that her boss has returned BP PAC's check -- and he'll return all future contributions from the company. 

Burgess, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, raised more than a $1 million during the 2010 election cycle. He received $58,600 of those funds from the oil and gas industry.

Burgess' actions fall in line with those of other congressmen who also rejected contributions from the BP PAC.

BP PAC's most recent disclosure document lists as "uncashed" a $5,000 check it wrote to Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in March.

Upton has maintained that he will not be cashing in the amount as a result of last year's spill, which leaked an estimated 205 million gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. The initial Deepwater Horizon explosion also killed 11 oil platform crew members.

Article Continues: Open Secrets the place for researching Politics, Political Spending, and Donations

--

*Scott's Contracting*

Green Me UP-Scotty
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
Twitter                      Facebook

Climate change: Heat wave a reminder

EDITORIAL: Climate change: Heat wave a reminder of the urgency of climate change and the need for Maryland -- and the nation -- to take action now
	May 31, 2011	The Baltimore Sun, Maryland
	By The Baltimore Sun May 31--Organizers could scarcely have chosen a more appropriate day to call attention to the threat Maryland faces from climate change. It is of course impossible to prove that the heat wave we're currently experiencing is the result of global warming, but late-May temperatures in the upper-90s are the kind of thing we can expect more of if we don't address society's continued dependence on fossils fuels and the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. U.S. strategy on climate change is uncertain at best. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with its effort to restrict greenhouse gas emissions, but House Republicans (and even some Congressional Democrats, including those from oil-producing states) are bent on thwarting it. Delay, denial, obfuscation, whatever tactics are required, opponents appear to ready to go the mattresses to protect their financial stake in the status quo. That leaves efforts on the state level as critical as ever. Maryland may not be the only producer of greenhouse gases, but between the number of cars on Maryland's roads and the coal-fired power plants producing electricity for our homes, we do more than our share. Tuesday's event by Environment Maryland, staged at the 2003 site of Tropical Storm Isabel flooding in Fells Point, was meant to call attention specifically to the state's 2009 pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent below 2006 levels by 2020. Advocates say Maryland is already behind the pace and worry that state agency plans for achieving those reductions -- expected to be released later this summer -- won't go far enough. That's a legitimate concern. The threat posed by climate change is real and growing, but public acceptance has not been so certain. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently pulled his state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the carbon trading pact in which Maryland participates. Gov. Martin O'Malley last week chided the Republican (who is his frequent foil on national policy) for calling RGGI gimmicky and ineffective. Indeed, according to a report released Tuesday by Environment Maryland, carbon trading is one of the only areas in which Maryland is on target for its 2020 goals. In most others, progress is lackluster -- particularly in areas like transportation technology and utilities regulation. Has RGGI significantly decreased carbon emissions on a global scale? No, it has not. But that's not a reason to abandon the concept any more than it's time to shut down local police stations because cops aren't preventing all crime from happening around the planet. Until Congress and the White House agree to a sensible energy policy that puts the nation -- and helps set the world -- on a path toward addressing climate change, then states and local governments can only do what they can. Better baby steps than no steps at all. As a coastal state, Maryland sits on the brink of man-made disaster. A drastic rise in global temperatures is predicted to bring coastal flooding that would literally reshape the state's geography and wipe out valuable wetlands. What environmentalists seek is not to harm the economy but to put Maryland at the vanguard of the 21st century economy that is far less dependent on fossil fuels. What's needed are policies that promote public transportation, renewable power, fuel efficiency and conservation, smart growth and recycling. Without that, Maryland can look forward to more severe weather and disastrous flooding that could cost the economy billions of dollars. With less than a decade left to meet that goal, the O'Malley administration had better be ready to hit the ground running.

*Scott's Contracting*

Green Me UP-Scotty
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
Twitter                      Facebook

Unique Housing: Taking Expatriate Living to the Extreme

25 meters in diameter and floats on about 125,000 plastic bottles. As I step onto the island there is slight buoyancy and a smile crept across my face. Rishi resides in the three-story house he has built on the island which includes a guest room, kitchen, two showers and natural compost toilet.

The construction of Joysxee is fascinating; Rishi collects plastic bottles from all around Isla Mujeres and they get stuffed into recycled fruit sacks to create a floating platform. Palettes are put on top of the full fruit sacks, then board or carpeting on top of that, and finally sand. The baby mangroves he plants on the edges of the island serve as an additional locking system as their roots take hold of the bottles below.

Over just a few months a new bag of bottles will host barnacles and lock in to place underneath to provide more support for the entire island. The bottles stay under the island; they are sealed and remain in darkness which slows the decomposition process. The result is an island created out of approximately 70% recycled material. Rishi is continuously adding more bags of plastic bottles to the island so it can continue to grow and expand. He has been able to add a variety of plants such as sea grapes, mangroves, cactus, fruit-bearing plants bougainvillea and even palms.

Unique Housing: Taking Expatriate Living to the Extreme

Germany Can Get Rid of Nuclear Power, Why Can't the US?

Germany Can Get Rid of Nuclear Power,

Why Can't the US?

Facebook  Join List  Videos Twitter  Website Donate If Germany Can Get Rid of Nuclear Power, Why Can't the US? Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, will be in Washington DC next week to meet with President Obama. But she won't be talking to him about Germany's bold decision to shut all 17 of its nuclear power plants by 2022 and create an 80% renewable energy program by 2050. That's too bad because Germany, the world's 4th largest economy, is about to leave the US in the technological dust, taking the lead – and the profits – in the Renewable Renaissance. Meanwhile, the U.S. clings on to antiquated nuclear power technology, insisting on wildly expensive new nuclear plants and prolonging the operating lives of its dangerous old ones. Your Senators and Representative should be standing up for your safety. That means supporting a moratorium on operating licenses at the country's most dangerous Fukushima-style reactors; an end to license extensions for deteriorating old reactors; and a halt to subsidies and licenses for proposed reactors. Please follow this link and send your elected officials our new ad. Please consider placing it in your newsletter or local newspaper, and on your website and Facebook pages. Thanks for using it wherever you can. And please support our work by making a donation to Beyond Nuclear today. Your contribution will help us Move to a Moratorium on Nuclear Power! Thank you for working with us for a nuclear-free world. The Beyond Nuclear Team www.beyondnuclear.org

--

*Scott's Contracting*

Green Me UP-Scotty
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
Twitter                      Facebook