Interior Secretary Salazar to Meet With Top Oil Executives

Stephen Power reports on energy and the environment. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday he plans to meet with top executives of the major oil companies this week to show them he’s just as interested in their views as all those wind and solar companies the administration is keen to help. But Salazar says the administration hasn’t changed its mind about proposing billions of dollars in tax increases on the industry or about opposing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “Things are not being done in Washington the same way they have been,” Salazar told reporters during a teleconference Monday when asked about the administration’s proposed tax increases on the industry. “Not everyone’s going to be happy.” Oil and gas companies are blasting the administration’s calls for new fees and taxes on oil companies that drill on federal lands, and for closing various tax credits that the industry currently qualifies for — a step the administration says ... (link)