Fossil Fuel Lobbyists’ Contributions to the Clinton Campaign

by Charlie Cray

Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign ("Hillary for America") has received $147,840 in direct contributions from 65 fossil fuel lobbyists and $2,502,740 in bundled contributions by fossil fuel lobbyists. Combined, the total direct and bundled contributions from 65 oil/coal/gas lobbyists to Clinton's campaign is at least $2,650,580.

Hillary Clinton Attends Georgetown Institute For Women, Peace And Security Award Ceremony

Hillary Clinton at an awards ceremony at Georgetown University earlier this year.

Getty Images

Last updated: April 22, 2016.

For questions or media inquiries about this research, please contact Perry Wheeler, [email protected].

Who exactly are these lobbyists and bundlers, and who do they represent?

Some of them work in-house for some of the biggest names in the fossil fuel industry (e.g. ExxonMobil and BP), or leading industry trade associations (e.g. American Petroleum Institute). Others are hired hands from K Street firms.

Here’s the complete list:

Contributions from ten in-house oil and gas industry lobbyists:

  • Kevin Avery (ConocoPhilips): $2,700
  • Susan Carter (ExxonMobil): $2,600
  • David A. Castagnetti (American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers): $2,700
  • Ankit N. Desai (Cheniere): $2,700; also bundled an additional $213,500
  • Martin Durbin (American Natural Gas Association): $1,000
  • Theresa Fariello (ExxonMobil): $2,700; also bundled an additional $21,200
  • Curt Moffatt, Kinder Morgan: $1,000
  • Ben Norris (American Petroleum Institute): $250
  • Joseph P. O’Neill (Energy Future Holdings): $2,700
  • Mary Streett (BP): $2,700

Total contributed by nine oil and gas company and trade association lobbyists: $21,050.

Total bundled by two oil/gas company lobbyists (through March, 2016): $234,700.

Contributions from 50 lobbyists hired by the oil and gas industry:

  • Andrew Athy (O’Neill, Athy & Casey, lobbies for Energy Future Holdings): $1,000
  • Ben Barnes (Ben Barnes Group LP, lobbies for Weatherford, Huntsman, SG Interests): $2,700
  • Matthew Berzok (Ryan, MacKinnon, Vasapoli, & Berzok LLP, lobbies for Southern Co., Williams, Energy Future Holdings, Bluewater Strategies): $2,700
  • Norman Brownstein (Brownstein Hyatt, lobbies for Citgo): $2,700
  • George Cooper (Forbes-Tate, LLC, lobbies for Hess Corp): $2,700
  • Jackson Dunn (FTI Consulting, lobbies for Noble Energy;): $2,700; also bundled an additional $231,554
  • Jeffrey Forbes (Forbes-Tate, LLC, lobbies for Hess Corp., NorthWestern Energy): $2,700
  • Martin Frost (Polsinelli PC, lobbies for Domestic Energy Producers Alliance): $2,700
  • John Michael Gonzalez (Peck Madigan Jones, lobbies for HollyFrontier and Consumers & Refiners United for Domestic Energy): $2,600
  • Elizabeth Gore (Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, lobbies for for Freeport LNG Expansion, Statoil, Lario Oil & Gas, Spotted Hawk Development and WPX Energy): $500
  • Andrea Grant (DLA Piper LLP, lobbies for the Independent Fuel Terminal Operators Association and Colonial Oil Industries): $2,700
  • Brian Griffin (Duberstein Group, lobbies for the ANGA/API and BP America): $2,700
  • Timothy Hannegan (Hannegan Landau Poersch Advocacy, LLC, lobbies for Enbridge): $2,700
  • Robert Hickmott (Smith-Free Group, lobbies for Anadarko & Rio Tinto): $1,000
  • J. Bennett Johnston (Johnston & Associates, lobbies for the American Petroleum Institute): $2,700
  • Norman Hunter Johnston (Johnston & Associates, lobbies for API): $2,700
  • David Jones (Capitol Counsel, lobbies for Bass Enterprises): $2,700; also bundled an additional $505,355
  • Josh Kardon (Capitol Counsel LLC, lobbies for ExxonMobil): $2,700
  • Benjamin Klein (Heather Podesta and Associates, lobbies for Oxbow Carbon): $2,700
  • Daniella Landau (HLP Advocacy, lobbies for Enbridge): $2,500
  • Tom Lawler (Lawler Strategies, LLC, lobbies for International Emissions Trading Association,  Duke Energy and Dominion Resources): $2,700
  • David Leiter (ML Strategies, lobbies for ExxonMobil): $2,700; also bundled an additional $155,325
  • Laurence (Lee) Lilley (McGuireWoods, lobbies for API, ANGA, Dominion Resources): $1,000
  • Jonathan Mantz (BGR Government Affairs, lobbies for Chevron): $2,700
  • E Dee Martin (Bracewell & Giuliani, lobbies for Arch Coal, Chesapeake, Tesoro, Valero, Southern Co., Duke Energy, DTE, Energy Future Holdings, Elect. Reliability Coordinating Council and Range Resources): $2,700
  • Marcus Mason (The Madison Group, lobbies for Energy Future Holdings): $2,700
  • Rachel Miller (Forbes-Tate, LLC, lobbies for Hess Corp, Bipartisan Center Policy Advocacy Network): $2,700
  • Alfred Mottur (Brownstein Hyatt, lobbies for for Citgo, Intertek Testing): $2,700 ; also bundled an additional $168,005
  • Sheila Murphy (Peck Madigan Jones, lobbies for Consumers & Refiners United for Domestic Energy): $250
  • Tracey Nagelbush (Van Ness Feldman, lobbies for Kinder Morgan, Noble Energy): $250
  • Manuel Ortiz (Brownstein Hyatt, lobbies for Citgo): $2,700
  • Scott Parven (Akin Gump, lobbies for Chevron): $2,700; also bundled an additional $24,700
  • L.F. Payne Jr (McGuireWoods, lobbies for the American Petroleum Institute, Dominion): $2,700
  • Heather Podesta (Heather Podesta + Partners LLP, lobbies for Marathon): $2,700; also bundled an additional $379,731
  • Tony Podesta (Podesta Group, Inc., lobbies for BP, Golden Pass Products – LNG): $2,700; also bundled an additional $241,035
  • Jennifer Poersch (Hannegan Landau Poersch Advocacy, LLC, lobbies for Enbridge): $2,700
  • Earl Pomeroy (Alston & Bird, LLP, lobbies for ConocoPhillips): $2,700
  • Brian Arthur Pomper (Akin Gump, lobbies for Chevron): $2,700; also bundled an additional $29,700
  • Cliff Rothenstein (K&L Gates LLP, lobbies for Range Resources): $250
  • John Raffaelli (Capitol Counsel LLC, lobbies for ExxonMobil, Bass Enterprises and Chevron): $2,700
  • Norma Jane Sabiston (Sabiston Consultants, lobbies for Noble Energy and Taylor Energy): $1,000
  • Michael Smith (Cornerstone Government Affairs, LLC, lobbies for LNG Allies, Kirby, Plains Pipeline, CITGO): $2,700; also bundled an additional $59,400
  • Richard Sullivan (Capitol Counsel, lobbies for Bass Enterprises): $2,700; also bundled an additional $454,135
  • Russell Sullivan (McGuireWoods Consulting, lobbies for ExxonMobil, ANGA, Southern Company and Hunt Power): $2,700
  • Daniel Tate (Forbes-Tate, LLC, lobbies for Hess Corp, Generators for Clean Air): $2,700
  • Amy Tejral (Avenue Solutions, lobbies for ExxonMobil): $2,700
  • Patsy Thomasson (Ben Barnes Group LP, lobbies for Weatherford, Huntsman and SG Interests): $2,700
  • Ted Trimpa (Trimpa Group LLC, lobbies for Noble Energy): $2,700
  • Robert Van Heuvelen (Van Heuvelen Strategies, LLC, lobbies for Arch Coal, Oregon LNG, Oregon Pipeline): $2,700
  • David Youngblood (The Madison Group, lobbies for Energy Future Holdings): $2,700

Total contributed by 50 hired oil and gas industry lobbyists: $118,350.

Total contributed by all 60 oil and gas lobbyists:  $139,400.

Total bundled by 10 hired oil and gas industry lobbyists (through March, 2016): $2,248,940.

Total bundled by all 12 oil and gas lobbyists (through March, 2016): $2,483,640

Total contributed and bundled by all 55 oil and gas lobbyists: $2,623,040

Contributions from 5 coal industry lobbyists:

  • James C. Free, (Smith-Free Group, lobbies for Rio Tinto): $2700
  • Richard Gephardt (Gephardt Group Government Affairs, lobbies for Peabody Energy): $2700;
  • Maureen Healey (American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity): $1,540
  • Mary Landrieu (Van Ness Feldman, lobbies for FutureGen Industrial Alliance, Inc.): $1,000; also bundled an additional $19,100
  • Robert Mangas (Greenberg Traurig LLP, lobbies for Peabody Energy, Innovation Reform Action Project): $500

Total contributed by five coal hired coal lobbyists : $8,440.

Total bundled by one coal lobbyist: $19,100

Total contributed and bundled by 5 coal lobbyists: $27,540

Combined totals:

Total contributed by all 65 hired and in-house fossil fuel company lobbyists: $147,840.

Total bundled by 13 fossil fuel company lobbyists: $2,502,740

Combined direct and bundled contributions by all 60 coal, oil and gas lobbyists:  $2,650,580

 

Analysis of ALL bundled contributions to the Hillary for America campaign indicates that the amount bundled by fossil fuel lobbyists constitutes 32.4% of total contributions bundled by lobbyists for the campaign. (Total bundled through 12/31/15 = $4,159,188)

 

 

Notes and Sources

Lobbyists are only listed if they have lobbied for the industry during the current election cycle — since January 2015. Most hired lobbyists also lobby for other companies outside the fossil fuel industry. Lobbying reports identifying names and clients can be retrieved from the Lobbying Disclosure Act database.

Bundled contributions are reported by campaigns (FEC Form 3L), and can be downloaded from Federal Elections Commission website.  Available bundled contribution reports analyzed were last viewed on 4/18/16 and cover the election time period through 3/31/16.

For more information:

Note: Additional information and data for campaign contributions can be retrieved directly from The Center for Responsive Politics or the Federal Elections Commission. Lobbying disclosure reports are available on the U.S. Senate web site: http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=selectFields&reset=1

Charlie Cray

By Charlie Cray

Charlie Cray is a senior research specialist at Greenpeace USA. He specializes in corporations & democracy, GMOs, toxics and fracking.

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