The oil and natural gas lobby influence state and federal legislation by forming Political Action Committees or PACs. These PACs contribute funding and donations to certain candidates in order to gain power in the government. Companies like Chevron and Exxon Mobil, which ranked 73rd and 74th biggest donors respectively, have a lot to gain from paying for candidates campaigns. If elected that candidate would remember what and more importantly who got them to their current seat. They would vote in order to further help the companies which helped them.
For instance in the documentary Gasland major companies were able to influence the government so that their process called hydraulic fracturing would be exempt from laws like the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act and other important acts that protect our water and air ultimately keeping us safe. Because hydraulic fracturing was exempt from such acts, water in places like Colorado, Texas, Utah and Wyoming is contaminated with natural gas as well as several of the 257 chemicals that are in the hydraulic fracturing liquid. As shown in Gasland reports ranging from animals hair falling out to actually being able to light water on fire straight from the tap.
These companies are able to corrupt our government in ways we cannot imagine and until a law is passed where these companies cannot provide funding for candidates we will not be able to escape this corruption. Getting this law passed would be nearly impossible because more than 50% of the people voting on it are the ones who are corrupt.
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