Politics

No Surprise: The Natural Gas Revolving Door

By Steve Horn

Those who follow energy politics closely should not be surprised.  The government-industry revolving door constantly spins rapidly, and thus it is no different on the natural gas front within the United States. This is highlighted acutely by ProPublica in an article titled, "Some Appointees to Oil and Gas Commission Are Industry Execs, Lobbyists."

The article states, speaking about the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission,

The 38-state commission was created in 1935 to promote the efficient harvesting of oil and gas. Its mission was later expanded to acknowledge the need to protect health, safety and the environment while accomplishing that goal. It is funded by government grants and fees from the states. The commission members are appointed by the member governors. Most are state regulators who oversee gas and oil drilling, but at least seven states have representatives who are either lobbyists or energy executives.

Once again, it looks like we must get "Beyond Hope", as Derrick Jensen said in his article by that namesake, and as repeated by Thomas Linzey in this speech, for enough is enough.  The regulatory system is broken and has been taken over by corporations, thus citizens must unite and work outside of it to make change. The future of humankind depends on nothing less.

Full post as published by PR Watch on December 09, 2010 (boomark / email).