If they really want me to ever buy their gasoline again, they’ll give their executives some scuba gear and send them into the Gulf of Mexico with wire brushes so they can clean mussels for the rest of their lives, but this is a start:
Major oil-and-gas corporation BP announced Monday it is parting ways with the American Legislative Exchange Council, marking just the latest—and likely most significant—departure of a blue-chip company from the conservative group in recent months, National Journal has learned.
A BP spokesman confirmed that the company had chosen to not renew its membership in ALEC, a controversial coalition of corporations and state legislators that actively opposes environmental regulations, at the end of the year.
It’s a start, but I will probably never shop at BP again, ever.
It would be nice to see the whole ALEC influence on Politics die.
What’s this “at the end of the year” stuff?
What this shows is that ALEC is beginning to get toxic for some of its corporate sponsors. The wedge between major oil and the oil supply industry and whatever the heck Koch Industries does seems to be opening as demand and prices drop, rigs are removed from the field, and small operators are facing bankruptcy.
ALEC’s agenda makes is more difficult for large oil companies to use make the pivot to solar, wind, and renewables if its state legislation package gets passed in more than an few states.
I like your idea of mollusk-cleaning CEOs and executives. There is still an opportunity for Exxon Mobil’s former CEO “Two Ton” to work off some of that health hazard in Prince William Sound.
ALEC did not deliver. Alec has collected billions and the result…they slowed down solar and wind development in the states with GOP governors. No federal legislation helping the oil lobby has made its way to Obama’s desk except the pipeline which received a veto. But, there are a group of new millionaires.
Why? It’s not like they can’t afford the dues…so it must be the determination that ALEC can’t deliver what spurred BP’s expectations when it joined.
A number of other high-profile companies (eg, Microsoft) have already bailed. I strongly suspect a replacement organization is already quietly operating, one that doesn’t have the lightning-rod baggage ALEC has earned.
Have you heard anything about Bill Gates’ dad’s lobbyist branch taking up the slack?
Hah! That’s what I said about Exxon. And Amoco. And Shell. And…
I never stop at BP. I also learned the names of the subsidiaries, and avoid them too.
ARCO is the BP subsidiary that has more gas stations in my California than its parent. Even though ARCO’s local prices are cheaper than almost anyone else in town, I am successful in almost entirely avoiding them.
I do question the effectiveness of things like these ALEC pullouts. These powerful monied corporations and individuals will continue to support candidates and policies who are antithetical to our movement. Maybe they won’t be quite as extreme and toxic as ALEC, but their expenditures will still be plenty bad. For one of many examples, I have little doubt that Apple will continue to spend lots of money on anti-worker, anti-Union, pro-unfair trade policies.
When these hegemonic business powers start figuring out that they’re slowly but surely killing the gooses that lay the golden economy, then they might stop spending so much money to accomplish the wrong things.
I might give them a pass, putting the blame on Transocean, but last year or the year before their refinery in Whiting Indiana screwed up and was putting out gasoline that was damaging engines. No more from that cowboy company. I won’t even buy coffee at their stations.
When the aromatics in their diesel fuel wrecked the injector pump seals on any vehicle made before 2000; nincompoops.
Off-topic, but that Israeli-US relationship…taking such a hit, man. Netanyahu is going to regret it next time:
U.S. remains in Israel’s corner at UN human rights session
Bibi didn’t mean all that nasty, racist stuff he said. It was just election rhetoric for the rubes. That’s something that US pols and administration folks know about and therefore, can overlook once the moment of shock passes.
#Sharedvalues
Actually, the Obama Administration is making significant moves which show they’re trying to make lemonade out of lemons here:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2015/03/23/394911290/obama-chief-of-staff-israels-50-year-oc
cupation-must-end
“An occupation that has lasted for almost 50 years must end, and the Palestinian people must have the right to live in and govern themselves in their own sovereign state,” Denis McDonough, President Obama’s chief of staff, said Monday at the annual conference of J Street, a left-leaning pro-Israel group.
He added, “President Obama still firmly believes what he said in Jerusalem two years ago — that peace is necessary, just and possible. Peace is necessary because it is the only way to ensure that a secure state of Israel is both Jewish and democratic. Israel cannot maintain military control of another people indefinitely. That’s the truth.”
https:/jasperandsardine.wordpress.com/2015/03/19/obama-plots-to-bybass-netanyahu-with-un-action
“After years of blocking U.N. efforts to pressure Israelis and Palestinians into accepting a lasting two-state solution, the United States is edging closer toward supporting a U.N. Security Council resolution that would call for the resumption of political talks to conclude a final peace settlement, according to Western diplomats….
“The more the new government veers to the right the more likely you will see something in New York,” said a Western diplomat.
Netanyahu’s government will likely be made up of right-wing and Orthodox parties adamantly opposed to making concessions to Palestinians. According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli leader has already consulted with party leaders he plans to add to his coalition, including Naftali Bennett of the pro-settlement Jewish Home party, Avigdor Lieberman of the far-right nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, and leaders of the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties.
On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki did not rule out the possibility of the United States supporting a U.N. resolution on Israel-Palestine.
“We’re currently evaluating our approach. We’re not going to prejudge what we would do if there was a U.N. action,” she told reporters.”
OT:
UH HUH
UH HUH
……………….
Israel Spied on Iran Nuclear Talks With U.S.
Ally’s snooping upset White House because information was used to lobby Congress to try to sink a deal
http://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-spied-on-iran-talks-1427164201
Just at this moment though having gone on for years speaks volumes.
Note to Bibi, you can change things but unintended consequences can be a bitch. And “magician” or not you can’t put the poop back in the horse.