The Associated Press October 4, 2010, 9:08AM ET
WASHINGTON
Shell Oil Co. spent $4 million in the second quarter to lobby the federal government on offshore petroleum drilling and other issues, according to a disclosure report.
That’s up from the $2.57 million the company spent last year and the $2.27 million it spent in the first three months of 2010. Shell also lobbied the federal government on shale gas drilling, regulation of transportation fuels and clean energy legislation, according to the report filed on Oct. 1.
Shell, a Dutch oil giant, has invested heavily in offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. It operates the Perdido platform, a mammoth offshore oil and gas production facility in the Gulf of Mexico that set a world record for the deepest well. Like other offshore oil companies, Shell’s business interests in the region were put in jeopardy this summer when the U.S. reacted to BP’s oil spill by halting deepwater exploration.
Congress also examined several measures this summer including tough new safety requirements, raising the liability cap for oil spills and a rule that would ban companies with poor safety records from receiving new permits.
In the April-to-June period, Shell lobbied Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the report filed with the House clerk’s office.
