Gear up for Big Oil vs. The Earth: Part 8 Bajillion. Congress is getting ready to push new, bipartisan legislation requiring new caps on industrial emissions, but President Bush and Big Oil, drawing the cloak of "economic hardship" firmly about themselves, are vowing to kill the bill. When facing a choice between corporate profits and...the earth and all its inhabitants, it's good to know our leaders have their priorities straight.

When it comes to lobbying on behalf of your cause you can present a reasoned argument backed up by data, you can build a coalition of supporters over time to pursue legislation in the public interest, or you can rally a bunch of corporations to spend a huge amount of money to buy a little love from Congress. Guess which tactic coal companies are going with?

Yesterday it was asked why voters should really care about the various scandals emerging in Washington.  Today, in this article from the Sierra Club, we have one example: many of the most corrupt politicians in Washington also have the worst records when it comes to keeping your air clean and your forests green. 

More reading between the lines here...In an interview with House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) the Congressman decries heightened partisanship in Congress and how tough it's been to protect the environment--but neglects to make the campaign money link.

When Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson came to Denver two and half weeks ago, how did he spend his time? At a Republican fundraiser featuring representatives of the very industries his agency regulates, including El Paso Natural Gas, theColorado Mining Association, and the Colorado Petroleum Association, reports the Denver Post.

"It's not hard to put a dollar figure on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's importance to corporate America," write Bloomberg News' Michael Forsythe and Jonathan D. Salant. "For drug makers, his support is worth $13 billion; for petrochem...