Oil, Gas, Coal Spending Millions on Cap-and-Trade Barrage

Cap-and-trade legislation is being debated in Washington D.C. for the first time in several years, and that has unleashed a barrage of lobbying and advertising, says the Guardian.

The fossil fuel industry spent $44.5 million in the first three months of the year lobbying, a 50 percent increase, according to the paper. Advertising is also way up:

"On advertising, the ratio is about three to one. The oil and coal industry spent $76.1m on ads from 1 January to 27 April, according to CMAG data seen by the Guardian. Environmental groups, led by Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection, the Environmental Defence Fund and the Sierra Club, spent $28.6m on ads in the same period," The paper writes. The stats come from Evan Tracey, founder of the Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG), who has tracked the proliferation of climate change ads.

Will cap-and-trade occur? The House of Representatives will likely try to pass something this year, but it is going to be tough to get a law in place. Carbon programs are difficult to construct and there are vested interested and unusual political alliances all over the map. Labor in many states will be aligned with corporations against legislation and in other states, businesses will push for legislation.

KC Mares, a well-known consultant, suggested making cap and trade regional – i.e., putting clauses in the legislation to ensure that money paid in Michigan returns to the state – could make cap-and-trade more palatable. It would likely ease some of the tensions.

Steve McBee, meanwhile, has predicted that cap and trade legislation won't pass this year, but probably before the 2010 elections. Others have said it might not come until a second Obama administration. (Historical Note: Kennedy discussed ending the Vietnam War, after he won a second term.)