Inhofe Staffer Asks Oil Lobbyists For ‘Better Coordination And Communication’
National Journal has obtained an e-mail sent from Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) staffer David Banks to two dozen oil lobbyists where he asks for more support from the industry on policy. Here’s the crucial passage:
Moving forward, we—your partners—would kindly ask for better coordination and communication from you to prevent the Obama administration from pulling similar stunts [referring to an Obama administration committee related to fracking] in the future.
This is the most evidence yet that lawmakers are coordinating with lobbyists from the fossil fuel industry to make policy. As ThinkProgress’s Rebecca Leber notes, Republicans have “received 88 percent of the [oil and gas] industry’s political contributions in 2011.” It appears that this money is paying off.