It's Not Your Grandfather's Oil Industry

The oil industry's "nationwide publicity drive to clear up what it calls 'common and surprising misperceptions'" about its record-breaking profits continues. The American Petroleum Institute's (API's) senior economic analyst, Rayola Dougher, was in Denver recently. Her message: "It's not your grandfather's oil and gas industry anymore." She added that API is "trying to reach out to legislators and consumers in 40 locations." API received some unwanted attention on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. On March 19, the group "No War, No Warming" held a protest outside API's Washington DC headquarters. The protesters claimed that the industry group was changing its name to the "Alternative Power Institute" and notifying the U.S. Congress that, "in light of API's just announced transition to promotion of renewable energy technologies, there is no further requirement to fund the occupation of Iraq," writes David Swanson.