Oil and gas lobbying reached $38 million in early 2025, yet fell short of previous highs

Last year, the oil and gas industry spent over $153 million on lobbying the federal government, its biggest total during the Biden administration, when the White House was pushing for alternative energy solutions even as U.S. oil production hit a record high. 

With Republicans now in full control of the federal government, the oil and gas industry could be positioned for another boom. President Donald Trump’s push for homegrown energy has invigorated investment into national energy and exploration of vulnerable lands across the country. As a result, the oil and gas industry has spent millions in lobbying to promote fossil fuel exploration, pro-extraction policies and reduced regulation. And there are signs of a potential energy downturn that could spur increased lobbying.

ConocoPhillips spent the most on lobbying of any company in the industry, directing over $3.2 million toward influence activities in the first three months of 2025. Like many of the other oil and gas giants, ConocoPhillips has focused its lobbying efforts on supporting liquid natural gas exploration. ConocoPhillips, which spent about $8.4 million on lobbying in the year prior, saw two projects begin producing oil in Alaska’s North Slope: Nuna and Willow. 

The Nuna project, which reached oil at the end of last year, is set to produce 20,000 barrels of oil a day. The continuous push and pull over approval of the “Willow Project” stalled a program anticipated to put out 180,000 barrels of oil daily — as well as 4 percent of annual U.S. carbon emissions. ConocoPhillips also acquired Marathon Oil in 2024 in a $22.5 billion deal meant to solidify its footing on lower-48 oil production, especially in the Permian Basin. 

The application for the widely contested Ambler Road project, a 212-mile mineral access project in Alaska’s North Slope, was quickly moved forward by the Trump administration after years of rejection from nearly every federal agency involved in the approval process. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced plans to support Ambler Road and the Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Pipeline project. Venture Global LNG, a low-cost liquid natural gas supplier, poured $860,000 into lobbying in 2024, compared to $20,000 in 2023. ConocoPhillips and a host of other oil and gas companies lobbied on the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2024.

Koch Inc. funneled the second most into lobbying the federal government, over $2.8 million in the quarter. Yet, the company announced in April it was leaving the global oil trade to focus on less volatile markets. In 2024, Koch Inc. funneled over $11 million into lobbying on the Environmental Protection Agency’s emission guidelines and emission regulations, among a host of other bills.

In 2024, the American Fuel and Petrochem Manufacturers spent nearly $28 million to lobby the federal government on issues related to enforcing EPA rules and car emission regulations, compared to $7 million spent in lobbying the year previous. In the first quarter of 2025, AFPM spent $1.8 million on lobbying, way behind the $7.8 million spent during the first quarter of 2024. 

The lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck did the most oil-and-gas business in the first quarter of the year, taking in $880,000 in fees (virtually the same as the 2024 Q1 total of $870,000). BGR Group saw the biggest increase, jumping from $300,000 in oil-and-gas lobbying earnings in the first quarter of 2024 to $450,000 this year.