Climate change debate heats up in Prairie State
The Illinois legislative session is in full swing and legislators are considering several bills that would impact the state’s policies relating to environmental protection and energy policy.
A new report from FollowTheMoney.org examines the energy industry, pro-business organizations and environmental organizations that are working to impact the outcome of this legislation. The report shows that contributors interested in climate-change policy gave $7.2 million in 2008, 7 percent of all contributions given to candidate and party committees. Of this, $4.3 million came from 13 industry groups and associations opposed to carbon regulations.
All 53 lawmakers who sit on the relevant committees that hear the bills or serve in key leadership positions received money from the interested parties. The four people in leadership positions received $573,550 from members of the 13 industry groups and associations and an additional $312,881 from other associations, organizations and individual companies–eight times as much as the 49 members of the pertinent committees, and almost ten times the amount received by other lawmakers.
Associations and businesses in favor of stronger climate-change policies gave $21,450. Of that, $17,500 came from the Illinois Corn Growers Association.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan FollowTheMoney.org collects and analyzes campaign contribution information for state-level candidates, political party committees, and ballot committees. Its free, searchable database of contributions, as well as the full text of this report, are available online at FollowTheMoney.org.