BTL:Congress Does Little as Energy Company's Record Profits Prompt Calls for...

...Investigations of Disaster Profiteering ~ Interview with Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program, conducted by Between the Lines' Melinda Tuhus <!--break--> <p>Congress Does Little as Energy Company's Record Profits Prompt Calls for Investigations of Disaster Profiteering</p><p>Interview with Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program, conducted by Melinda Tuhus</p><p>After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered the Gulf Coast, energy costs spiked, with gasoline rising to more than $3 a gallon. But prices have since come down, now ranging between $2 and $2.25 a gallon. Heating oil prices have seen similar fluctuations, but are still at record levels. As winter approaches, local governments and non-profit community groups are greatly concerned about the high price of heating oil and natural gas, predicting that low-income families will be facing desperate circumstances long before the heating season is over.</p><p>Allegations of price gouging have outraged many Americans after big oil companies reported record profits. Exxon Mobil had third quarter profits of $9.9 billion dollars - up 75 percent and the largest in U.S. corporate history. Together, the major oil and gas companies in the Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index have earned more than $20 billion, up more than 50 percent from a year earlier. Record energy profits have led some in Congress to call for a windfall profits tax, while others have asked the oil companies to contribute a portion of their earnings to assist the needy.</p><p>Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program. He explains the cause of the energy price fluctuations, and describes the collaboration of the federal government with energy corporations to boost their profits -- companies that he says, not coincidentally, have since 2001 contributed $54 million to politicians at the federal level, 80 percent of the contributions are going to Republicans.</p><p>Contact Public Citizen at (202) 546-4996 or visit the group's website at <a href="http://www.citizen.org">www.citizen.org</a>.</p><p>LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:<br /><a href="http://www.btlonline.org">http://www.btlonline.org</a><br />*<br />&quot;Between The Lines&quot; is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because &quot;Between The Lines&quot; is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: <a href="http://www.btlonline.org">http://www.btlonline.org</a><br />*<br />&quot;Between the Lines,&quot; WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising  months of April and October).<br />*<br />For an email subscription of &quot;Between The Lines Weekly Summary&quot; which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to <a href="mailto:btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net">btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net</a><br />*<br />For an email subscription of &quot;Between The Lines Q&amp;A&quot; which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to <a href="mailto:btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net">btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net</a><br />*<br /><a href="mailto:betweenthelines@snet.net">betweenthelines@snet.net</a><br />*<br /><a href="http://www.squeakywheel.net/">http://www.squeakywheel.net/</a><br />*<br />Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions<br />©2005 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.</p>

<p>...Investigations of Disaster Profiteering ~ Interview with Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program, conducted by Between the Lines' Melinda Tuhus</p> <!--break--><p>Congress Does Little as Energy Company's Record Profits Prompt Calls for Investigations of Disaster Profiteering</p> <p>Interview with Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program, conducted by Melinda Tuhus</p> <p>After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered the Gulf Coast, energy costs spiked, with gasoline rising to more than $3 a gallon. But prices have since come down, now ranging between $2 and $2.25 a gallon. Heating oil prices have seen similar fluctuations, but are still at record levels. As winter approaches, local governments and non-profit community groups are greatly concerned about the high price of heating oil and natural gas, predicting that low-income families will be facing desperate circumstances long before the heating season is over.</p> <p>Allegations of price gouging have outraged many Americans after big oil companies reported record profits. Exxon Mobil had third quarter profits of $9.9 billion dollars - up 75 percent and the largest in U.S. corporate history. Together, the major oil and gas companies in the Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index have earned more than $20 billion, up more than 50 percent from a year earlier. Record energy profits have led some in Congress to call for a windfall profits tax, while others have asked the oil companies to contribute a portion of their earnings to assist the needy.</p> <p>Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program. He explains the cause of the energy price fluctuations, and describes the collaboration of the federal government with energy corporations to boost their profits -- companies that he says, not coincidentally, have since 2001 contributed $54 million to politicians at the federal level, 80 percent of the contributions are going to Republicans.</p> <p>Contact Public Citizen at (202) 546-4996 or visit the group's website at <a href="http://www.citizen.org">www.citizen.org</a>.</p> <p>LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:<br /><a href="http://www.btlonline.org">http://www.btlonline.org</a><br />*<br />"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: <a href="http://www.btlonline.org">http://www.btlonline.org</a><br />*<br />"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising  months of April and October).<br />*<br />For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to <a href="mailto:btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net">btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net</a><br />*<br />For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&amp;A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to <a href="mailto:btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net">btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net</a><br />*<br /><a href="mailto:betweenthelines@snet.net">betweenthelines@snet.net</a><br />*<br /><a href="http://www.squeakywheel.net/">http://www.squeakywheel.net/</a><br />*<br />Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions<br />©2005 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.</p>