UPI/Medill News Service: California lawmaker accepted donations from oil firm linked to spill in her district

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) — U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) has carefully monitored efforts to salvage Southern California’s wetlands after a major offshore oil spill, but the lawmaker’s record shows she accepted thousands of campaign dollars from oil and gas companies and voted against disaster relief funding for other cities.

A breached undersea pipe, apparently connected to the Elly oil rig, spilled an estimated 25,000 gallons of crude oil off the coast of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach on Oct. 2, covering 13 square miles of the Pacific Ocean.

Steel represents many of the communities impacted by the spill, and has been pushing for federal, state and local assistance to clean up the mess.

But less than a week before the spill, Steel voted against a government funding bill that provided $28.6 billion in disaster relief funds for communities devastated by Hurricane Ida.

She also accepted $37,041 from oil and gas companies during her 2020 campaign, according to Federal Election Commission data. Among those donors was Phillips 66, the largest customer of the Houston-based oil company Amplify Energy, which owns the Elly oil rig. …

Stephen Spaulding, senior counsel for public policy at the non-partisan government watchdog organization Common Cause, said lawmakers in such competitive districts face heightened scrutiny from party members and donors to hold on to their seat.

“When the balance of power hangs on a handful of seats, you will see resources shifted and prioritized for those particular members in swing districts,” Spaulding said.

“A candidate can face a number of pressures, but ultimately, it is up to the candidate to run the campaign pursuant to their vision and their values.”