CLIMATE CHANGE: CLINTON ADMINISTRATION REMAINS SILENT ON GLOBAL WARMING

Greenpeace Releases "Oiling the Machine: Fossil Fuel Dollars Funneled Into the US Political Process"

Washington, DC, 20 October 1997

Today Greenpeace delivered "Oiling the Machine: Fossil fuel dollars funneled into the US political process" to Senators and Clinton Administration officials. Each report was delivered in an oil funnel to highlight the amount of money received by the both parties from oil, coal, gas, and car companies. Since 1991, oil and gas interests alone have donated $53.4 million to candidates and their parties, $20.8 million of this in the 1995/6 period. During that same time, the Clinton Administration has failed to support strong international targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, from burning fossil fuels, and instead has allowed greenhouse gas emissions to rise, despite promises made by President Bush at the Rio Summit in 1992.

The report has revealed that Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) gave the most funding of any individual corporation with a total of $3.4 million in donations since 1991. The eight Senators who received their highest donations from the oil and gas sector are all Republicans: Nickles (Oklahoma), Thomas (Wyoming, Burns (Montana), Murkowski (Alaska), Inhofe (Oklahoma), Kempthorne (Idaho), Allard (Colorado) and Bailey Hutchison (Texas).

"It now appears that part of the Clinton/Gore Administration's fear of taking a leadership role on climate change is that they are bowing to a Republican Senate greased by the oil industry," said Kalee Kreider, Director of the Greenpeace USA Climate Campaign. On 12-June-1997, the Senate adopted a Resolution that is inconsistent with the Climate Treaty negotiations already underway.

The fossil fuel industry, including ARCO and British Petroleum also are members of the American Petroleum Institute, which sponsors the `Global Climate Information Project' the lobby group currently running a $13 million advertising campaign intended to derail agreement at the Climate Summit in Kyoto.

"From the Halls of Congress to the airwaves, the oil industry is spilling millions and millions of dollars in an attempt to kill a Climate Treaty with teeth," continued Kreider, "this behavior is criminal given that these millions of dollars could instead be used to market the solutions to global warming such as solar power."

Approximately 98 percent of US emissions of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) come from the burning of coal, oil, and gas, with oil accounting for over 40 percent, coal 35 percent, and natural gas 22 percent of energy-related emissions. The United States alone produces about a quarter of global CO2 emissions and is projected to be the worst contributor of greenhouse gases well into the next century.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Kalee Kreider +1 202 319 2523 (office) 202 236 2579 (mobile)

Andrew Davies +1 202 319 2432 (office)