American Petroleum Institute

The American Petroleum Institute is the oldest and most powerful trade association in the American energy sector, representing over 600 member companies that collectively account for the majority of American oil and natural gas production, refining, and distribution. Founded in 1919, API has been the primary voice against climate regulation for over three decades, orchestrating industry-wide resistance to carbon pricing, emissions standards, and renewable energy mandates. API's $9.8 million in 2024 lobbying and 40 registered lobbyists represent only the visible portion of its influence. The organization also funds advertising campaigns, produces industry-favorable research, sets technical standards that become de facto regulations, and coordinates its member companies' individual lobbying efforts. When ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, and ConocoPhillips all lobby on the same issue with the same talking points, API is usually the coordinator. The revolving door between API and government is particularly active during Republican administrations. During Trump's first term, API effectively wrote portions of energy executive orders, with administration officials consulting API on rollbacks of Obama-era methane regulations, Clean Power Plan provisions, and drilling restrictions. Twenty-five former government officials from the EPA, DOE, and Interior Department have moved through the API revolving door, bringing regulatory expertise that helps the industry navigate — and shape — the rules governing it. Under Trump 2.0, API's influence has reached new heights. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a fossil fuel executive, aligns closely with API's positions on deregulation and increased drilling. API's "Energy for Progress" campaign frames fossil fuels as essential for economic prosperity, energy security, and even poverty reduction — an argument that has found receptive audiences in both parties as energy prices affect every voter. API's most consequential long-term strategy has been funding climate denial. For decades, the organization coordinated campaigns to cast doubt on climate science, delay emissions regulations, and block international climate agreements. Internal documents have shown that API, like its member companies, had access to climate science that predicted warming, but chose to fund opposition research and public doubt campaigns instead. The organization has since shifted from outright denial to advocating for "all of the above" energy strategies — a position that sounds reasonable but effectively delays the transition away from fossil fuels that climate science demands. API's influence on American energy policy has had global consequences. By helping delay American climate action for decades, the organization has contributed to the continued growth of greenhouse gas emissions at a time when scientists say they need to be declining sharply. This makes API arguably the most consequential lobbying organization in history, measured by its impact on the planet.