Perhaps you have noticed ads from some group called the American Natural Gas Alliance. The message of these ads are simple, we have tons of natural gas under us and we should use it instead of foreign oil. The alliance features natural gas giants Newfield Exploration Co, Devon Energy Corp, and Chesapeake Energy. Roughly 40% of all US gas output is involved in this alliance. So quickly we learn that these are not some good Samaritans just wanting to solve our energy problems, but they are in fact trying to win public support for policies that would make them more profitable.

This is the American Natural Gas Alliance's (and most other large corporate groups) oldest trick in the book, as they spent over 3 million in lobbying in 2010, and almost 1 and a half million so far in 2011.
About $300,000 of the spending went to Breaux Lott Leadership Group, which is a mega lobbying group that also lobbies for giants like AT&T, Citigroup, Fed Ex, GE. Goldman Sachs, Delta, and Tyson Foods. They have been very critical of EPA plans to regulate hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), and one would think this is one of the key issues they have been lobbying against.
In the first quarter of 2011, the gas industry (overall) spent $39 million on 643 lobbyists. For perspective, in the House and Senate combined, there are 535 people. The alliance themselves employ 4 former congressman as lobbyists.
There was almost 20 million dollars of lobbying on Natural Gas Pipelines in 2010, and in 2011 there has been almost 10 million so far. These are important because corporations want the government to give them access to these pipelines so they can turn the natural gas into massive profit.


The Alliance also has their own PAC that has given to both Republicans and Democrats. The donors for the PAC include Noble Energy's CEO, Chesepeake Energy's CEO and Anadarko Petroleum's chairman. It has basically become a vehicle for the big oil and natural gas industries to funnel money to candidates.


On their website, they have a long article trying to discredit the documentary "Gasland", and include long phrases about how responsible and benevolent natural gas companies are, including "In rare cases where incidents occur, companies work with the appropriate regulatory authority to promptly identify and correct the issue, and implement measures to ensure it does not recur. The natural gas community is committed to the safe and responsible development of this abundant resource, and we firmly believe that no community should have to choose between its economic and environmental interests. The process of hydraulic fracturing has been routinely and safely used in communities throughout the nation for deca.....", you get the point. One wonders who believes these PR announcements, other than people misinformed of who makes up this group. Perhaps, this is the plan. The natural gas companies make a group that appears to be made up of concerned well-meaning citizens, and use the money to buy television and Internet ads to spread their message so they can turn it into a profit. Also on their site, they make several claims that the EPA has supported their policies. This doesn't mention that the EPA has long been corrupted by special interests like the American Natural Gas Alliance. They openly brag that Rick Perry has used his time as Texas Governor to please the major natural gas corporations, and its not hard to imagine who they would endorse for president if Perry jumps in. No matter what one thinks about natural gas drilling, these deceptive tactics (and the outright buying of politicians) should be very troublesome.