Posted by Zaid Jilani
In our broken campaign finance system, Members of Congress know that they can introduce and advocate for legislation that benefits a certain industry or special interest group and then be lavished with campaign contributions from the same interests.
On June 11th, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a bill titled the "South Carolina Off-shore Drilling Act," which would authorize the federal government to include certain areas off of the coast of South Carolina to be opened up for oil drilling between fiscal years 2012 and 2017.
"We're not trying anything but fossil fuels in this state," complained state Sierra Club representative Susan Corbett said after Graham introduced his bill. "There has been virtually no investment in any alternative energy or energy efficiency that are the true home-grown, independent sources of energy."
