News & Analysis
News and analysis from BailoutWatch on fossil fuel industry bailouts and related topics.

Big Oil's Wartime Bonus: An Update on How It Turns Profits Into Wealth
Explosion in buybacks, dividends continues into Q2 2022 as updated data shows $46B in buyback announcements and $8.3B in special, windfall dividends

Top Oil & Gas Firms Increased Layoffs, Cutting 15k Jobs in 2021
Awash in cash, the fossil fuel industry is laying off workers and increasing pay to executives while it funnels funds to insiders and Wall Street

Powerless in the Pandemic 2.0: Electric Utilities Are Still Choosing Profits Over People
Electric utilities shut off power 3.6 million times since 2020 while increasing payouts to shareholders, according to new research from the Center for Biological Diversity and BailoutWatch

Big Oil's Wartime Bonus: How Big Oil Turns Profits Into Wealth
Amid high gas prices and humanitarian crisis in Europe, the biggest US-based oil and gas companies plan to spend more than $45 billion buying back their own shares, enriching investors and insiders. They also boosted dividend payouts, some by extravagant amounts.

Lawmakers ask why utilities left poor Americans powerless in the pandemic
Top members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee demanded answers this week about how Duke, Dominion, and four others shut off families’ electricity, increasing their risks during Covid-19. They cited reporting by BailoutWatch and the Center for Biological Diversity.

All-American Oligarchs: The Big Oil CEOs profiting from war in Ukraine
While claiming to be the heroes of energy independence, Big Oil CEOs are cashing out, selling nearly $100 million worth of shares as the Ukraine war began

US Banks and Asset Managers Fueled Russian Oil For Years. Now They’re Silent on Ukraine
With oil majors ending their Russia partnerships, it’s easy to forget who’s really funding Russian oil expansion: Citigroup, Blackrock, Vanguard

Fossil fuel profits surged in 2021
Even before the Ukraine war pushed oil past $100 a barrel, fossil fuels were using multi-billion dollar windfalls to enrich insiders

Fossil Fuels Used Our Money to Pay Executives and Harm Americans: A 2021 Roundup
A look back at BailoutWatch’s 2021 findings shows tens of billions in subsidies continue to benefit the fossil fuel industry while fossil fuels harm people and the environment