Politics of Oil
Private Interests
The privatization of Romania's oil industry has enriched the well-connected—and corrupt
WASHINGTON, January 25, 2005 — Iosif Dan, a top advisor to Romanian President Ion Iliescu, explained in a recent interview with the Center for Public Integrity why he had accepted money from a petroleum company vying for a piece of the country's oil-privatization action. >>
Big Oil Wields Ultra Deep Influence
Legislators push for energy industry tax breaks, regulatory changes to hunt for oil at the bottom of the sea
WASHINGTON, December 20, 2004 — Oil-state legislators and energy industry groups hope to sell Congress on a program that would open up what they believe are vast new exploration fields located under thousands of feet of water. >>
U.S. Pushed to Ratify Deep Sea Treaty
U.N. Law of the Sea will divvy up deep ocean bottom for oil and gas drilling.
WASHINGTON, December 20, 2004 — Energy companies prospecting for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico have used advanced technologies to drill in the deepest waters of U.S. territory. But what happens when they have the capacity—some say they already do—to drill beyond those borders into the high seas? >>
Appealing to a Higher Authority
Federal energy regulators smooth the way for liquefied natural gas terminals
WASHINGTON, December 7, 2004 — After scores of private meetings with Big Oil giants such as ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is aggressively undermining the authority of state and local governments to reject dozens of proposed liquefied natural gas facilities all across the country. >>
Archived Reports