'Dirty Energy Money' Reveals Oil's Influence on Democracy

A new website called Dirty Energy Money reveals how each Congressional session over the last decade has been influenced by “Big-Spending Companies.”

DirtyEnergyMoney.com allows visitors to “easily discover, expose, and track how much money their representatives are taking from the oil, gas, and coal industries.” The data comes from the Federal Election Commission and Center for Responsive Politics.

The site's home page shows the top five Dirtiest Congresses, Dirtiest Politicians, and Big-Spending Companies, how much money the energy companies are pumping into politics and which politicians are receiving it.

It also allows visitors to enter a ZIP code, politician or company name to search U.S. senators and representatives.

This site highlights campaigns that are being run by energy companies. Until we change the system, the U.S. can never truly win on climate and energy and become a world leader in renewable energy. 

Information provided by this website paints a clear picture of why Congress has achieved very little, even with the nation's largest oil spill at hand. 

Dirty Energy Money is a great resource to hold politicians accountable for their actions, while allowing voters to access information about the legislators that are representing them in Washington.

It's similar to the Scorecard put out by Michigan LCV, which informs citizens of how their state legislators are voting on key environmental issues in Lansing. Both are great tools to help voters elect environmental champions that will pass strong environmental laws.