Democrats Appoint Oil And Gas Lobbyist To Environment Subcommittee

Kristi Parrott, the subcommittee’s new staff member, comes from HBW Resources, where she was federal affairs director. HBW Resources is a PR, communications, and lobbying firm that specializes in representing clients in the energy industry.

The firm appears to operate Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), an oil and gas company-funded nonprofit that fashions itself as a consumer group and describes its mission as “expand[ing] the dialogue between the energy & consuming sectors to improve overall understanding of the need for a balanced energy policy for America.” CEA’s members include oil companies like Chevron, Shell, and Occidental Petroleum, as well as trade groups like the U.S. Oil & Gas Association and the American Petroleum Institute. Chevron discloses paying the group up to $49,999 annually, Phillips 66 disclosed a payment of $80,000 in 2019, and utility company Dominion Energy disclosed paying the organization $88,000 in 2018.

CEA lists HBW Resources’ Houston, Texas office address on its tax filings, and it pays HBW Resources millions of dollars annually as an independent contractor. CEA does not list any staff on its tax forms, and many of the staff listed on its website are affiliated with HBW Resources. CEA President David Holt is a HBW Resources managing partner, for example, and HBW’s other partner, Andrew Browning, is CEA’s chief operating officer.