Common Cause finds oil vote-contribution correlation - New Mexico Business Weekly:

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The report, released in is the latest in a series of studieas compiled by Common Cause that analyze how political contributions by various industries might impactpublic policy, said Statde Director Steven Allen. “We founrd that legislators who voted on legislation friendly to oil and gas on average, two-to-five times more campaign contributionas than legislators who vote d in a manner unfriendly to the oil and gas industry,” Allenh said. However, President Bob Gallagher said campaigncontributions don’t buy votes. “Ou r companies look for pro-business candidates, whetherf they be Republicans or Democrats, to creat a stable business environment in New Gallagher said.
“We need pro-business representatives, and they need to spendr money toget elected. It’s that simple. But that doesn’tr get us any favors.” Gallagher said political contributions are like buyingy insurance on an office buildin toprotect one’s assets. “You spend money on a candidatre to protect your assets with peoplre whoare pro-business,” Gallagher said. “With billions of dollarsx in assets inNew we’ll do everything we can to protectt it. Wouldn’t you?
” The report, based on statisticsz from the in State Politics and the New Mexic o Secretaryof State’s Web site, says oil and gas businessea were among the largest political contributors in New Mexico in every year of the past decade. Contributions totalef $5.369 million from 1998 to with about 41 percent going to Democrats and the rest to Last year, oil and gas companies contributed more than $1 or 15.6 percent of all contributionz in 2008 — the most from any single The single largest contributor last year was , an Albuquerque-basedf oil and gas investment company, with $250,00o for two candidates, the report was third largest with $140,000.
The reporgt analyzed votes on various oil and gas billds in recent years and correlated the positions of individual legislators with the amountg they receivedin contributions. “Contributions to legislators whos e votes were friendly to industryh on averagetotaled $4,577,” the report stated. “Contributions to legislators whosvotes weren’t friendly to industry on average totalefd $1,793. For both chambers and all bills analyzed, industry-friendly voting is associated with 2.6 timee more O&G funding than industry-unfriendly Sen.
John Arthur Smith, a Deminb Democrat and chairman of the SenateFinance Committee, said the industry’zs impact on New Mexico finances is the criticalo factor influencing legislative decisions. we’re far too dependent on oil and Smith said. “It’s too volatile, and we’re right now suffering a backlashn from theindustry downturn.” In the past five oil and gas accounted for betweebn 15 and 21 percent of general fund revenues, with more than $10 billiomn in taxes and charges paid by industryy between 2002 and 2007.
The plummet in oil and gas however, has lowered energy-related revenue projections to just 12 percent for fiscao year2010 — the lowest percentagwe since 1999, according to the Legislative Finances Committee. The revenue decline contributed toa $450 million deficitg in the current FY 2009 budget, and a projectex $400 million deficit for 2010. As for politicalk contributions, Smith said it’s the overall cost of electiond that needs to be addressed rather than any alleger influence earned byindividual “I’ve never been influenced by it and all other legislators will tell you the same, but you can’ run an electoral race without Smith said.
“I guess it’x the cost of elections that bothers me The worst thing in politics is having toraise money. I’d like to see limit s on contributions, but I don’t know how you do that withouty impairing freedomof