USAction has launched a major campaign to get Senator Menendez’s plan to end $20 billion in subsidies for oil companies attached to the Energy and Efficiency bill the Senate is expected to vote on NEXT MONTH.

Earlier this year the Senate failed to pass a bill, introduced by Senator Sanders (I-VT), which would have cut tax-breaks for Big Oil. The good news is that this fall we another chance to demand that our Congress stands with us, the taxpayers, and not Big Oil.

Why?

Because Big Oil is taking us for a ride…

After devastating the Gulf region, BP is aiming to get a $10 billion bailout to recoup their loses despite ruining the economy of an entire region. Exxon Mobil made record breaking profits last year, managed to pay NO income tax, and was able to pocket $46 million from the IRS.

How is this possible?

Big Oil has a strangle hold on Congress.

The oil and gas industry have given over $3,097,000 to U.S. Senators during the current session. As stated by Steve Kretzmann from Oil Change International, Senators that voted against Senator Sanders bill took at least three times the money from the oil and gas industry than those that voted for the bill.

Find out how much your senator has taken.

BIG OIL IS SHAKING US DOWN

Over 65,000 people have already signed on to USAction’s “Stop the Big Oil Bailout” petition, demanding that Congress close the billion dollar tax breaks and subsidies to oil companies like BP and ExxonMobil. After launching this petition drive with the support of other groups like CREDO and Democracy for America, USAction and its online arm TrueMajority will be stepping up the pressure by taking this fight to targeted election districts as we head into the final two months of election season.

It’s time to demand that our senators stop taking dirty money from the oil and gas industry, and start doing what is best for the tax payers. Sign the petition and stay tuned for events near you.

We typically use numbers to measure something, to get a better sense of how great, how much or how expensive something might be.  But at a certain point, numbers begin to lose their meaning. Take, for example, the 35,000 barrels of oil flowing into the Gulf per day thanks to the BP disaster.  This means 1,470,000 gallons per day.  Or is it the upper estimate of 60,000 barrels, resulting in 2,520,000 gallons per day?  Multiply that by 89 days, and the numbers only get bigger and more incomprehensible — and given the kind of range between 35,000 and 60,000, it’s easy enough to believe that “the precise volume of oil that leaked…may never be known.”

But while we may never know the precise amount of oil in the Gulf, we will eventually experience every last side effect that an indeterminate amount of oil can have on the ecosystems of the Gulf and the livelihoods of those who depend upon its resources.  And today, we know that throughout the 89 days that have encompassed the worst environmental disaster in American history, our country’s fundamental dependence on oil has continued unabated, with our members of Congress representing the interests of oil companies instead of the interests of the American people.

As of tomorrow, 90 days will have passed since the beginning of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  To mark this three month anniversary, we’re organizing a rally on Capitol Hill tomorrow at noon.

What: Rally to end our addiction to oil.
When: Tuesday July 20, 12 noon.
Where: Upper Senate Park at the corners of Constitution and New Jersey Ave. NW. ( map )
To RSVP, just click here.

And we won’t be alone: other groups, including MoveOn, the Gulf Restoration Network, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Greenpeace, Public Citizen and many others, will be rallying with us to show Congress that it’s time to end our addiction to oil.

If you can’t attend, don’t forget the value of writing your Congressperson to express your support for the clean energy opportunities and green jobs initiatives that will turn the tide against our oily waters.

With your help, we can turn the statistics and numbers of disaster into a turning point for our environment and our economy. To RSVP to the rally, just click here.

Photo by Dave Martin - AP

Not too long ago, the world was introduced to Glenn Beck.  Since his emergence, he has been known to progressives for his controversial remarks, slander, racist/sexist ideology and general loathing towards the progressive movement. Conversely, to his fan base he is known for what his fans perceive to be his righteousness, rationality, leadership and most importantly, influence.

Beck’s influence reaches a large audience.  In 2009, he was running the top-rated news program in America.  He was also voted one of the top 100 most influential people list, under the category of “leader.”  So how does Glenn Beck capture the hearts and minds of millions Americans every night on TV and talk radio?  It seems extreme rhetoric coupled with extreme actions entrance his audience.

Glenn Beck has been able to convince his followers that global warming might not be much of an issue.  He has done this through not only his own claims of lack of evidence linking humans to global warming, but also through the use of made-up government actions.  According to Beck, President Obama will put into law a ban on fishing in oceans and lakes as a plot to take away American’s rights.  This accusation is completely false and Beck received this information from ESPN.  Beck has gone on to mock Sen. Barbara Boxer for her stance on global warming and alternate energy; to him she is over-exaggerating the direness of the situation.

Beck has shown extreme opposition to the recently passed health care bill. Beck based much of his argument off of the claim that the bill is unconstitutional. The left has refuted this claim many times, proving over and over again that the bill did not break any constitutional law. In response to the bill, Beck organized and participated in an anti-health care reform protest.  Unfortunately for Glenn, the bill was still passed.

The actions and opinions voiced by Beck are felt nationwide.  Many members of the GOP recite his false rhetoric.  It has been said “he has a more direct impact on the conservative movement and the GOP base than any other conservative personality.” Beck’s constant misuse of other people’s words and his own statistical falsities make him a very dangerous person to the American public.

There is currently a movement to stop Glenn Beck from spreading his lies by hitting him where it hurts, his endorsements and advertisements.  Join the effort today!

BP = yuck. Offshore drilling = yuck.

Ask the President to drop ALL offshore drilling plans and focus on clean energy instead.

Did you hear about Representative Barton apologizing to BP?

“It is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown,” said Barton, “in this case a $20 billion shakedown.”

Excuse me, why is it a tragedy that a multinational corporation is paying for the devastation caused by millions of gallons of oil they spilled? What about all of the U.S. citizens affected by this? What about the immediate and long-term impacts on fishermen, coastal residents, the tourist industry, etc.?

Rep. Barton, you may have backed away from your original apology to BP, but my question remains. Are you in Congress to represent the people or the profiteers?

The Upright Citizens Brigade really performed a civic duty with this investigative footage, straight from BP’s corporate headquarters.

This would be a little bit funnier if the oil spill weren’t so devastating and emblematic of corporate excess in our era.

Tell President Obama to stop end offshore drilling and focus instead on clean energy.

With the damage of BP’s oil spill getting worse every day, there has rarely been a better time to question our dependence on oil.

This morning, I heard about Dump the Pump Day, an initiative supported by the Illinois Department of Transportation encouraging people to:

• Take transit
• Ride your bike
• Carpool with a friend
• Or just plain walk

Even if we can’t “dump the pump” permanently, it’s good to think on a daily basis about taking simple steps like these that will help us reach a healthier future.

At the end of May, we asked our members, “what do you think BP Stands For?” This turned into a contest to design a bumper sticker and the winning design has been printed.

The stickers are being given away to people that send a message to the President and then ask five of their friends to do the same. The message to the President is pretty simple: drop offshore drilling plans and focus on clean energy.

The more bumper stickers that BP sees, the more pressure they’ll feel to clean up their mess and truly move beyond petroleum.

Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas and votes! If you haven’t already, please send a message to the President.

In case you’re curious, other submissions included: ‘Bout Profits, Biofuels Please, Blatantly Pathetic…

It’s easy enough to see why BP isn’t getting much sympathy over the oil spill these days: just take a look at a newspaper — specifically, the back of a New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, or USA Today, where BP’s placed one of their full-page ads.

Unfortunately, they seem to have gotten themselves a bit mixed up when it comes to distinguishing the theoretical from the concrete.

“If wildlife is affected, rescue stations have been set up to take care of them” the ad reports.

Of course, you need only put one of these ads next to last Friday’s Washington Post, with its front-page photo of animals drenched in oil, to know that BP’s use of the word “if” is…well, iffy.

An article in this Sunday’s Washington Post suggests that wildlife isn’t just being affected now, but will likely be affected for decades. When your spin on the back of a newspaper can be broken by the front of the same newspaper, it might be better to eschew the “if” in favor of some unflinching honesty.

Photo by Gerald Herbert-AP

In an unorthodox move, British Petroleum (BP) has released a new logo, shown to the right. Amid a furor of media and public scrutiny, BP is taking their branding to a new and different place.  The oil giant is now fully endorsing their role in the oiling of our oceans and has also taken a questionable moral path in taking the logo of Sherwin Williams and re-purposing it for their rebranding effort.

The brand mavens and advertising gurus who are running the show at BP have also taken to the twittersphere to spread their ‘crude’ gospel.  In an effort to evangelize the masses, BPGlobalPR has been furiously sending out tweets:

• If we’re being accused of being criminals, we want to be tried by a jury of our peers- wealthy execs who don’t give a damn. #fairisfair
  
• We’ve hired Dick Cheney’s former publicist to head up our PR dept. Hopefully she can make us as lovable as Dick Cheney.
  
• OMG This isss ridciulsus. playing a drinking gamee where we drink a shot everytme we seeee an oily birdddd!!! LOL! so wasted!!11#pbcares
  
• Here’s the thing: we made $45 million A DAY in profits in 2009. This really isn’t a big deal. #bpcares

• The good news: Mermaids are real. The bad news: They are now extinct. #bpcares

In another sign of their acceptance of culpability and in a show of their support for the distraught American public, BP has announced a crowdsourcing competition to rename.  Same initials, but the rest is up to you:

We’re asking what “BP” should stand for now that they’ve wrecked the Gulf.

Beyond Patience? Broken Promises? Blame Palin?

Now’s your chance to submit your own ideas as well as VOTE on others!

Cheers to the Onion for satirical inspiration!