Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Energy

Democratic Lawmaker Blasts Salazar For Calling Big Oil ‘Kings of the World’

When Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced yesterday that his department would conduct stricter environmental reviews before leasing federal land to oil and gas producers, he added a comment that few in the Democratic party might contest:

AP040727016962.jpgRep. Dan Boren (D-OK) (Photo: NewsGroper)

In the prior administration the oil and gas industry were the kings of the world. Whatever they wanted to happen, happened.

After all, the Bush administration presided over an undeniable boom time for the oil and gas industry, which won the right to drill in polar bear habitat, near protected Utah parkland, and along the domestic coastline (a plan nixed after the 2008 election) -- not to mention $2.7 billion in tax breaks as part of the 2005 energy bill.

But one Democrat took particular offense; Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) fired off an irate letter to Salazar today, calling the comment "beyond the pale" and "a slap in the face" to his state's oil and gas companies.

Earlier this year, Boren went beyond mere opposition to the House climate change bill, telling a local business group that it was "the worst piece of legislation I've seen since I've been" in Washington.

From Boren's statement:

The energy industry is overwhelmingly made-up of independentproducers that drill 90 percent of the wells in the U.S. They are themom-and-pop outfits that run a handful of wells, the young entrepreneurseeking to expand his operation, or the regional company that employshundreds or even thousands of people in communities across the nation.

Imagery aside, Boren's claim that 90 percent of U.S. drilling is conducted by independent producers comes from the Energy Department. But the board of directors of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the trade group that represents that sector of the industry, contains companies that look far different from the "mom-and-pop outfits" Boren describes.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Thursday’s Headlines Are Charged Up for the Fourth

The Republican megabill is bad for the electric vehicle industry, but it could be worse.

July 3, 2025

Why is the Secretary of Transportation Begging Americans to Take More Road Trips?

Instead of making America easier to see on all modes, the US Department of Transportation is encouraging U.S. residents to just get in their cars and drive.

July 3, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

From mothers with babies in strollers to preteens on bikes, much of the U.S. is hostile to families just trying to get around without a car.

July 2, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025
See all posts