Energy sector's campaign donations at issue as compromise vote nears

The House and Senate are expected to vote this week on the compromise developed by GOP negotiators. The measure is designed to boost energy production, improve the reliability of the electricity grids, and make it easier for energy companies to develop oil and gas on federal land.

Energy interests have been "giving heavily to the Republicans for a long time, and this is what it's all about in the end," said Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a bipartisan research group.

"It looks like they got an energy bill that they wanted."

Environmental groups, which lobbied unsuccessfully for measures to cut energy use or promote cleaner renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, made only $2.3 million in political contributions the past three years.

One of the biggest political contributors has been Illinois-based Archer Daniels Midland Co., the largest producer of corn-based ethanol. The company was one of the biggest winners in the energy agreement, which doubles the use of ethanol as a gasoline additive to 5 billion gallons a year.

Since 1999, ADM has given about $2.4 million in unregulated donations to political parties, $1.5 million to Republicans and $874,000 to Democrats. Such soft money donations were outlawed by the campaign finance law that took effect last year.

The company also has contributed $371,450 to federal candidates since 1999, including more than $200,000 to Republicans.

There was bipartisan support for the ethanol provision among farm-state lawmakers. Two major proponents were Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the lead Senate negotiator, and the minority leader, Senator Tom Daschle, whose home state of South Dakota has nine ethanol plants.

Manufacturers of the gasoline additive methyl tertiary-butyl ether, or MTBE, which has been found to contaminate drinking water, also won big when congressional negotiators agreed to protect them from product liability lawsuits.