Change in House Energy and Commerce Committee 'like night and day'
(NEWSER) - Billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch have been thrust into the spotlight as of late —and though they once ran outside the typical Washington political circles, their increasing influence is now becoming more clear. That influence is most obvious in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to which Koch Industries and its employees are the largest single oil and gas donor, contributing $279,500 to 22 Republicans on the committee and $32,000 to five Democrats. Of the dozen new Republicans on the panel, nine signed a Koch-backed pledge to oppose President Obama’s proposal for the regulation of greenhouse gases, and the Republicans on the committee have a Koch-friendly goal of restricting the EPA’s reach. More»