"Chemical Company Adds Lobbying Muscle for Push on Energy, EPA"

"Eastman Chemical Co. beefed up lobbying this year as it sought a host of energy priorities including climate legislation rewrites, funding for power conservation work and scuttling U.S. EPA's effort to regulate greenhouse gases.

The Kingston, Tenn.-based company spent more than $1.1 million in influence efforts through September, up 37 percent from the first nine months last year, Center for Responsive Politics data show. The company by Sept. 30 already had spent more than it had on lobbying all of last year, which at that time was a high mark of $1.08 million.

Even that combined spending is small compared with that of the largest oil companies and utilities. But Eastman Chemical was among a small group of businesses that upped spending in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year. Many companies and trade groups pared back lobbying work."

Anne C. Mulkern reports for Greenwire November 24, 2010.