Saturday, January 28, 2023
  • Submit news
  • Contact
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Oil Market News
  • Home
  • Marketdaily
  • Price
  • crudenow
  • Companies
  • politics
  • Gas
  • investing
  • Stock
  • OPEChot
  • brend
  • ships
Oil Market News
Home Companies

Oil and gas firms have unlisted links to Westminster | Lobbying

8 months ago
in Companies
Crude Oil Shielded From Bond and Stock Market Rout
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Lobbyists representing fossil fuel giants are quietly helping run parliamentary groups on energy and climate policy without the need to formally declare their involvement.

The trade associations, which are funded by oil and gas producers including Shell, BP and ExxonMobil, provide administrative and public relations support to groups of MPs.

Their roles are not included in official parliamentary transparency logs because of rules that say only benefits in kind above £1,500 a year must be recorded – a threshold the trade bodies say they do not meet.

In one case, the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA) – an alliance of eight of the world’s biggest oil companies – is playing a key role in the running of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on downstream energy and fuels. The association’s involvement is not listed as a benefit, and the names of the firms it represents do not appear in official parliamentary records. But it has helped arrange and chair meetings for the APPG and is listed as the public inquiry point, meaning people getting in touch about parliamentary business may first encounter an oil-industry PR representative.

The association’s members have also had access to MPs. In a meeting of the APPG in June – which the trade body jointly chaired – MPs were given keynote presentations by two of its members, the oil giants BP and Phillips 66.

The UKPIA said the APPG was “set up in accordance with relevant guidance” to consider the role the sector could “play in meeting government net zero goals” and that its “limited activities” meant the value of its services did not meet the £1,500 threshold.

Another trade body, Oil & Gas UK, recently rebranded as Offshore Energies UK, is listed as the inquiry point for the British offshore oil and gas industry APPG.

The association – which states that its primary goal is to ensure the North Sea “remains an attractive place to do business” – coordinates meetings, distributes invites and prepares minutes for the APPG but says the total value of its services is less than £100.

Its link to the group has given it access to the heart of Westminster. In 2020 a reception for the APPG was held on the House of Commons Terrace Pavilion “on behalf of” Oil & Gas UK, according to hospitality logs. A spokesman said: “Offshore Energies UK acts as the secretariat for the APPG but recent costs have been minimal. The cost in the last reporting year, for February 2021, fell below £100.”

Some MPs in the groups are among the most vocal advocates for policies that benefit oil and gas producers, including calling for greater investment in the sector and opposing the recently proposed windfall tax, which would see the industry pay about £3bn extra in corporation tax.

While there is no suggestion of impropriety, the findings have raised concerns about the possibility of APPGs being used to influence policymakers. Professor Elizabeth David-Barrett, director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex, said the undeclared arrangements could allow external groups to “distort policy without the public knowing”.

She said it was problematic that industry representatives were contact points. “You might think you’re writing to the APPG … but actually the person has a particular advocacy agenda,” she added.

Others said it was surprising that the minimum threshold for declaring services had not been met. In many cases, where outside organisations handle the administration of an APPG, this is registered as a benefit and appears in the official register of APPGs.

The entry for the APPG on autism, for example, listed secretariat services provided by the National Autistic Society, a charity, as being worth up to £18,000 per year, while Macmillan, the secretariat for the APPG on cancer, said the annual value of its service equated to a £25,000-£27,000 benefit in kind.

But for the energy-related APPGs identified in the Observer analysis, no benefits are listed.

The office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said groups can appoint “whoever they wish” as their public inquiry point and that only benefits worth more than £1,500 must be included on the register.

Groups receiving more than £12,500 in benefits over the year must complete an income and expenditure statement listing all benefits above £100. The APPG on downstream energy and fuels says its total benefits do not meet this threshold, so has not completed a statement. The British offshore oil and gas Industry APPG has completed a statement, but says Oil & Gas UK’s services amount to less than £100, so do not need to be included.

Dylan Tanner, executive director of InfluenceMap, a thinktank tracking lobbying by polluting industries, said the value of the administrative services being provided was “tiny compared to what’s at stake”. “The focus shouldn’t be on the money,” he said.

The findings follow a series of revelations about lobbying by the fossil fuel industry. In October, the Guardian revealed that the Conservative party and its MPs had registered £1.3m in legally declared gifts and donations from climate sceptics and fossil fuel interests since the 2019 election.

They also add fuel to concerns about APPGs, which can provide a valuable forum for charities, campaign groups and companies to contribute to discussions, but are seen by some as a backdoor route to policymakers that can be easily exploited. Companies often make direct payments or donate gifts to the groups to help with their running.

Rose Whiffen, research officer at Transparency International UK, said a danger could arise when APPGs became “too closely aligned with private interests”. “Without reform, they will remain a backdoor for undue influence in Westminster,” she said.



www.theguardian.com

Latest Oil News

Bob Simpson’s TXO Energy goes public, soars 10% on first trading day

Bob Simpson’s TXO Energy goes public, soars 10% on first trading day

January 27, 2023
High-tech flights prompt Louisiana pollution notices | Environment

High-tech flights prompt Louisiana pollution notices | Environment

January 26, 2023
Mexican energy companies lag methane emission rules, investigators say

Mexican energy companies lag methane emission rules, investigators say

January 25, 2023
ROK Resources Inc. Confirms Closing of Strategic Southeast Saskatchewan Asset

ROK Resources Inc. Confirms Closing of Strategic Southeast Saskatchewan Asset

January 24, 2023
Tags: firmsGaslinksLobbyingoilunlistedWestminster
Previous Post

Deltic Energy PLC firmly focused on North Sea opportunities

Next Post

Remaking a living: Surviving the COVID-19 economy, a special edition of The Current

Related Posts

Bob Simpson’s TXO Energy goes public, soars 10% on first trading day

Bob Simpson’s TXO Energy goes public, soars 10% on first trading day

by Oil Market News
January 27, 2023
0

Veteran oilman Bob Simpson ushered a new venture to the New York Stock Exchange Friday when Fort Worth-based TXO Energy...

High-tech flights prompt Louisiana pollution notices | Environment

High-tech flights prompt Louisiana pollution notices | Environment

by Oil Market News
January 26, 2023
0

The rare use of high-tech helicopter surveillance has led to federal pollution violation notices for a list of Louisiana oil...

Mexican energy companies lag methane emission rules, investigators say

Mexican energy companies lag methane emission rules, investigators say

by Oil Market News
January 25, 2023
0

MEXICO CITY, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Mexican oil and gas companies, including state giant Pemex, are lagging behind on their...

ROK Resources Inc. Confirms Closing of Strategic Southeast Saskatchewan Asset

ROK Resources Inc. Confirms Closing of Strategic Southeast Saskatchewan Asset

by Oil Market News
January 24, 2023
0

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE U.S. NEWSWIRE OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATESREGINA, SK / ACCESSWIRE / January 24,...

Oil Markets in 2023: The Year of the Aftershocks

Oil Markets in 2023: The Year of the Aftershocks

by Oil Market News
January 23, 2023
0

Oil markets were subject to a series of large shocks in 2022. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late- February and...

How The World’s Largest Banks Are Funding Fossil Fuel Companies

How The World’s Largest Banks Are Funding Fossil Fuel Companies

by Oil Market News
January 22, 2023
0

There’s no way to sugarcoat this. The world’s largest banks are providing the money fossil fuel companies need so they...

Next Post
Remaking a living: Surviving the COVID-19 economy, a special edition of The Current

Remaking a living: Surviving the COVID-19 economy, a special edition of The Current

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Trend Oil News

Nigerian Authorities Launch App to Monitor Crude Oil Theft

Nigeria Drops to Africa’s 4th Largest Oil Producer, OPEC Reports

4 months ago
Noodle diplomacy: the G20 and the politics of instant noodles

Noodle diplomacy: the G20 and the politics of instant noodles

3 months ago
Europe Stocks Drop While U.S. Futures Fluctuate: Markets Wrap

Europe Stocks Drop While U.S. Futures Fluctuate: Markets Wrap

8 months ago
Australian shares jump to 11-week high as travel stocks rebound from coronavirus

Australian shares jump to 11-week high as travel stocks rebound from coronavirus

8 months ago
Live news: Big US airlines American and United laud ‘strong’ autumn bookings

Live news: Big US airlines American and United laud ‘strong’ autumn bookings

5 months ago
ADVERTISEMENT
Bob Simpson’s TXO Energy goes public, soars 10% on first trading day

Bob Simpson’s TXO Energy goes public, soars 10% on first trading day

January 27, 2023

Internet of Things-as-a-Service to Enable Improved Opportunities

January 27, 2023

U.S. lawmakers ask Kerry to urge UAE to replace oil boss as COP28 president By

January 27, 2023

White House blasts Big Oil stock buybacks again as Chevron profits double

January 27, 2023

OPEC to Stay the Course on Oil Production Agreement; China’s Reopening Bullish for

January 27, 2023

Trinity To Spud Jacobin Well In Second Quarter Of 2023

January 27, 2023

Crude Oil

German Crude Oil Imports Rose 11% in 2022 As Crude Import Bill Doubles

German Crude Oil Imports Rose 11% in 2022 As Crude Import Bill Doubles

January 27, 2023
Europe Is Diversifying Its Diesel Sources Ahead Of Ban On Russian Fuel

Europe Is Diversifying Its Diesel Sources Ahead Of Ban On Russian Fuel

January 26, 2023
Opinion | Should the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Be Used Now?

Opinion | Should the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Be Used Now?

January 25, 2023
Rising Crude, Oil Products Inventories Weigh On Oil Prices

Rising Crude, Oil Products Inventories Weigh On Oil Prices

January 24, 2023

Investing

U.S. lawmakers ask Kerry to urge UAE to replace oil boss as COP28 president By

U.S. lawmakers ask Kerry to urge UAE to replace oil boss as COP28 president By

January 27, 2023
ESG Investing Fight Is Heating up in Kentucky and Could Cost Taxpayers

ESG Investing Fight Is Heating up in Kentucky and Could Cost Taxpayers

January 26, 2023
Chevron goes big with new $75 billion buyback, surpassing Exxon’s By Investing.com

Chevron goes big with new $75 billion buyback, surpassing Exxon’s By Investing.com

January 25, 2023
Oil falls $2/barrel on economic jitters, U.S. crude stock build By Reuters

Oil falls $2/barrel on economic jitters, U.S. crude stock build By Reuters

January 24, 2023

Market

Chevron profits slip as oil and gas prices fall

Chevron profits slip as oil and gas prices fall

January 27, 2023
Big Oil’s cash bonanza | Financial Times

Big Oil’s cash bonanza | Financial Times

January 26, 2023
NYC pension schemes test support for climate action at bank meetings

NYC pension schemes test support for climate action at bank meetings

January 25, 2023
Oilfield services groups cheer ‘structural upcycle’ after highly profitable year

Oilfield services groups cheer ‘structural upcycle’ after highly profitable year

January 24, 2023

OPEC

OPEC to Stay the Course on Oil Production Agreement; China’s Reopening Bullish for

OPEC to Stay the Course on Oil Production Agreement; China’s Reopening Bullish for

January 27, 2023
Biden vowed to punish Saudis over OPEC cut. That’s no longer the plan

Biden vowed to punish Saudis over OPEC cut. That’s no longer the plan

January 26, 2023
Oil Steadies as Traders Look to China, OPEC for Fresh Triggers

Oil Steadies as Traders Look to China, OPEC for Fresh Triggers

January 25, 2023
FG tasks 2023 OPEC’s President on attracting investments in oil

FG tasks 2023 OPEC’s President on attracting investments in oil

January 24, 2023
  • Submit news
  • Contact
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

© 2022 OilMarket.News

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Market
  • Price
  • crude
  • Companies
  • politics
  • Gas
  • investing
  • Stock
  • OPEC
  • brend
  • ships

© 2022 OilMarket.News

wpDiscuz
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.