As part of the Fair Elections campaign, on May 22, 2013, we released this infographic detailing Senator Tom Libous’ connections to the fracking industry.
Guess what? Pro-fracking businesses and lobbying groups donated a ton of campaign cash to New York State’s elected officials. While we’ve known that for quite some time, our friends at Common Cause/NY released new, updated data today showing just how much campaign cash is being thrown at fracking decision-makers. It’s over $14 million in the past six years.
Click here to see the post on MorelandMonday.org.*
Why is all of this important now? Well, Governor Cuomo has formed a new commission under the Moreland Act – the Commission to Investigate Public Corruption – with the purpose of discovering and addressing both illegal and legal bribery – the sort of campaign cash in exchange for profitable public policy that we think is probably the reason all these corporations are dumping cash into elected officials’ campaign accounts.
Here’s what Common Cause recommends the Commission look at:
1. Examine the timing of the contributions made to the top legislative recipients in relation to the introduction or discussion of fracking related bills.
2. Examine the involvement of lobbyists and bundlers relating to the contributions to the top legislative recipients.
3. Examine the circumstances of, and any conversations which took place in relation to, the donations made to the Senate and Assembly campaign committees.
We hope they do.
*What is Moreland Monday? As part of our effort to keep the pressure on our leaders in Albany to pass Fair Elections, we’ll be releasing new campaign contribution data each Monday that ties a policy issue to the need for Fair Elections. Visit MorelandMonday.org to stay up to date.