Big Oil in the United States - Industry Influence on Institutions, Policy, and Politics

This book explains how and why large oil-producing corporations have affected government institutions, energy policy, and politics in the United States-and suggests how their influence can be reduced.

Big oil is the leading factor in U.S. energy politics today; the largest oil-producing companies also constitute a formidable force and interest group in American politics. This book examines why oil is so important and how the prominence of huge corporations-often working in the absence of countervailing forces-has affected government institutions, policy (with a focus on energy policy), and politics in the United States.

Analyzing big oil's influence on political outcomes, particularly through campaign contributions and lobbying, this book shows how strong corporate power affects political participation. The book documents how the influence of big oil flows in all directions, intricately connecting U.S. policies at all levels-foreign policy, federal, state, and even local-regarding oil exploration, development, production, and transportation. Readers will come away with a clear understanding of how these multi-tiered relationships between oil corporations and governments work to the advantage of corporations-and to the disadvantage of states and the citizens they represent.

List of contents

Acknowledgments
1 Introduction
2 Onshore Oil and Gas Resource Development
3 Oil and Gas Development in the Outer Continental Shelf
4 Representing the Interests of Industry
5 Representing the Interests of the Land
6 How Institutions Matter: Oil and Gas Regulatory Regimes
7 National Energy Policies and Big Oil
8 Conclusion
Appendix: List of Respondents
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the author

Jerry A. McBeath is professor of political science emeritus at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Product details

• Authors: Gerald A. Mcbeath, Jerry McBeath, Jerry A. McBeath
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2016
• EAN: 9781440837425
• ISBN: 978-1-4408-3742-5
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 235 mm x 25 mm
• Weight: 680 g
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business > Miscellaneous; USA, Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Petroleum, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Environmental Policy, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Industries / Energy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Energy Policy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / National, United States of America, USA, Central / national / federal government policies, Environmental policy & protocols, Central government policies, Environmental policy and protocols, Petroleum & oil industries, Petroleum, oil and gas industries