Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM), Chevron Corporation (CVX), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY), BP plc (BP) & Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (RDS.B): 5 Energy Companies Pouring Money Into Lobbying

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Again, that’s pretty obvious, but what else is Shell lobbying for? Anything and everything. Take a look at the company’s first four entries for lobbying activity:

  • FY 2013 appropriations for the Department of the Interior.
  • Issues related to air permitting for offshore oil and gas activities; Issues related to permits needed for exploration on Alaska OCS leases.
  • Issues related to TSCA Section 8(a) and 8(d) rulemakings on Hydraulic Fracturing industry; General issues related to the Toxic Substances Control Act.
  • Issues related to the economic cost of regulatory uncertainty and complexity, regulatory reform and simplification.

The company’s fifth entry, which I have spared you, is a 316-word paragraph covering everything from accessing our offshore continental shelf, to sanctions against Iran, to TransCanada’s Keystone XL project.

The investor’s take
Shell is certainly not alone in these endeavors, but it’s worth examining the LDA forms of your company to see what exactly is going on. Spending a few minutes perusing the LDA forms of your investments every quarter accomplishes a few things. First, it lets you know exactly how much money your company is spending on lobbying, at least in the U.S. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) doesn’t make a mention of lobbying in its 10-K filing, nor does Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), or Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY). BP plc (NYSE:BP) and Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.B) leave it out of their 20-F filings as well. As a result, investors are clueless, until they turn to this database.

Second, it lets you know what issues management deems important enough to spend millions of dollars on. Money talks, and if the LDA forms don’t match up with what management has been preaching, you know there is a problem.

The article 5 Energy Companies Pouring Money Into Lobbying originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Aimee Duffy has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX).

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