How One Wisconsin Legislator Is Being Courted By Big Oil: Report

MADISON, WI — The Trump administration's effort to weaken Obama-era gas mileage standards for cars and street vehicles is in the works. A major investigation by the New York Times has revealed how at least one Wisconsin legislator is being courted by the oil industry.

According to the New York Times investigation, one of the things Marathon Petroleum, the largest refinery in the U.S. is doing, is working with the American Legislative Exchange Council to draft and support legislation supporting the company's desire to weaken fuel standards. That model legislation is then rolled out across the U.S. by officials with ALEC ties, the Times has found.

Emails that were obtained by Documented, a watchdog group that tracks corporate influence in public policy show how Marathon has been working with Wisconsin legislators behind the scenes via ALEC.

According to documents obtained by Documented through Wisconsin open records laws, Marathon lobbyist, Stephen D. Higley, wrote Wisconsin Rep. Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin), urging him to support weakening fuel standards. It is not known how many other Wisconsin legislators have been contacted by ALEC.

The memo, written by Higley to Kuglitsch, appears well-timed. Higley wrote Kuglitsch three days before an important meeting of ALEC's Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force, of which Kuglitsch is a member.

"As you may know, the EEA Task Force will be considering a model resolution on the current Administration's process to review and revise the Obama Administration's fuel economy mandates for passenger cars and light trucks (generally referred to simply as the program -Corporate Average Fuel Economy)," he wrote. "[Marathon] is strongly supportive of the model resolution on CAFE standards that will be considered at the Aug. 9 EEA Task Force meeting."

In an attached memo, Higley wrote of the Obama-era fuel standards, saying:

"It's a relic. What started as a mandate in the mid-1970's to reduce foreign imports of oil was changed by the previous Administration to an environmental mandate. Its foundational assumption that oil is becoming scarce and needs to be rationed by the government has proved false. The entire mandate is a relic of the narrative of scarcity. The United States is now poised to become the largest oil producer in the world and a net energy exporter."

Wisconsin Patch reached out to Kuglitch. Here's what he wrote us:

1. As a state legislator and a participant of policy forums, I receive many position papers covering all types of issues.

2. I support periodical review of both state and federal government mandates.

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Scott Anderson, Wisconsin Patch