Lobbyists from both sides play hardball to win on the LNG pipeline bill.
The debate continues in Salem over building liquified natural gas pipelines and terminals in Oregon. Utilities and business groups are pitted against community groups and environmental activists. And one way they may be influencing the results: campaign contributions.
Since the beginning of last year’s election cycle, LNG supporters have marinated lawmakers with cash contributions. They have employed veteran lobbyists to work the Capitol, spreading a professionally tailored message focused on job creation and energy security that has sold well to legislators looking for relief from the recession. That, in turn, has made LNG projects a top priority for a core constituency of the Democratic majority: organized labor.
Facing off against them is a grass-roots collection of landowners, county farm bureaus and community activists who have aligned with another Democratic Party mainstay: the environmental lobby.
Read the full article at Oregonlive.com.
