Companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are hiring a bevy of high-priced Washington lobbyists and consultants to help them weather the crisis, as investigations heat up and calls for policy changes intensify.
Lobbyists and lawyers representing the major companies, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they are focused on providing lawmakers and their staffs with information about the disaster rather than working against legislation or regulations opposed by their clients.
But Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, a watchdog group, said BP lobbyists and others “are clearly bracing and preparing for policy impacts from this.”
He also said it was no surprise that the companies would turn to well-connected Washington insiders for damage control. “They’re well aware that the most influential lobbyists are those who have Rolodexes of people inside Congress and inside government,” Holman said. “These are people who know who’s making decisions and how to appeal to their interests. That’s the reason they exist.”
READ THIS STORY AT WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are hiring a bevy of high-priced Washington lobbyists and consultants to help them weather the crisis, as investigations heat up and calls for policy changes intensify.
Lobbyists and lawyers representing the major companies, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they are focused on providing lawmakers and their staffs with information about the disaster rather than working against legislation or regulations opposed by their clients.
But Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, a watchdog group, said BP lobbyists and others “are clearly bracing and preparing for policy impacts from this.”
He also said it was no surprise that the companies would turn to well-connected Washington insiders for damage control. “They’re well aware that the most influential lobbyists are those who have Rolodexes of people inside Congress and inside government,” Holman said. “These are people who know who’s making decisions and how to appeal to their interests. That’s the reason they exist.”
READ THIS STORY AT WASHINGTONPOST.COM
