How MIT’s influential study of fracking was authored, funded, and released by oil and gas industry insiders

PAI’s “frackademic” investigation continues with this report on an influential 2011 study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative, led by energy secretary nominee Ernest Moniz. That study, “The Future of Natural Gas,” concluded that the environmental risks of … Continue reading →

Natural gas industry ties among Pennsylvania's regulators and public officials

The oil and gas industry frequently argues that fracking means jobs. This appears to be especially true for former regulators and other public officials in Pennsylvania. (Click here to read the full report as a pdf) Numerous top government officers … Continue reading →

How the “Fix the Debt” Budget Lobby is Protecting Billions in Defense Contracts for its Corporate Backers

Fix the Debt – a powerful, corporate-backed lobbying group advocating debt reduction with a $60 million budget – has failed to embrace defense spending cuts as a viable deficit reduction option, despite the fact that defense spending makes up over … Continue reading →

An Analysis of the SUNY-Ordered University at Buffalo Review of the Shale Resources and Society Institute

Last month, the University at Buffalo released the report it prepared at the direction of the State University of New York (SUNY) trustees regarding its Shale Resources and Society Institute (SRSI). At their September meeting, the SUNY trustees unanimously called … Continue reading →

Wells Fargo's Ties to the Private Prison Industry

PAI has partnered with National People’s Action to release the first in a series of reports on Wells Fargo’s ties to the private prison industry. Wells Fargo plays a critical role in the industry, providing financial backing in the form … Continue reading →

How a University of Texas Fracking Study Led by a Gas Industry Insider Spun the Facts and Misled the Public

PAI continues to investigate fracking industry influence on academic research with this report on a University of Texas study of fracking that claimed that the drilling practice had never been linked to groundwater contamination. UT promoted the study as an … Continue reading →

How a Small Group of Big Business Interests and Billionaires are Hijacking New York State’s Public Policy Agenda on Behalf of the One Percent

The Committee to Save New York established itself as one of the state’s most powerful lobbying forces in 2011, spending $12 million on a public relations campaign pushing budget cuts and other policy proposals closely aligned with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s … Continue reading →

A Review of the University at Buffalo Shale Resources and Society Institute’s Report on “Environmental Impacts During Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling”

Click here to read the full analysis » The University at Buffalo’s Shale Resources and Society Institute (SRSI) released a report last week that concluded that the practice of horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is becoming less risky. PAI conducted … Continue reading →

How National Fuel Avoids Income Taxes and Pads its Pockets at Public Expense

National Fuel is one of Western New York’s largest companies, consistently reporting revenues of nearly $2 billion and operating profits in excess of $200 million each year. Even in the depths of the recession, as many Western New Yorkers struggle … Continue reading →

How Wall Street Is Spending Millions to Buy Influence in California

Three years into the Wall Street-created economic crisis, Californians continue to lose jobs, homes, and billions in personal wealth, leading to record budget deficits. California is the hardest-hit of all states with the highest number of foreclosures in the United … Continue reading →

How Wall Street Speculation and Tax Avoidance are Starving Public Revenues

Wall Street banks caused the economic crisis that has left millions unemployed, foreclosed-on, and without prospects in the worst economy since the Great Depression. This crisis has, in turn, caused massive tax revenue shortfalls for the federal government and for … Continue reading →

How the Committee to Save New York’s Corporate Elites Dodge Taxes, Score Handouts, Get Bailed Out, and Still Want More

New York State’s budget woes have inspired the formation of a coalition of business interests named the “Committee to Save New York,” which is rallying behind the austerity budget proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The Committee’s emergence highlights big business’s … Continue reading →

How the Biggest Banks are Bankrolling the Payday Loan Industry

This report traces connections between the largest payday lenders and Wall Street banks, including financing arrangements, leadership ties, investments, and shared practices. The following are some of the report’s key findings: Payday loan companies depend heavily on financing from big … Continue reading →

Bass Pro’s Record of Big-League Subsidies, Failed Promises, and the Consequences for Cities Across America

This report offers an in-depth look at Bass Pro’s record as an economic development anchor in cities across the country. Bass Pro, an outdoor sporting goods store, has won hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies from cities and … Continue reading →

How Too-Big-To-Fail’s Army of Lobbyists Has Captured Washington

Throughout the financial reform debate, the finance industry has waged an unprecedented assault on the democratic process, spending an estimated $1.4 million per day to influence Congress and hiring 70 members of Congress and 940 former federal employees to lobby … Continue reading →