By Simpson
4-10-2007
ConocoPhillips is pushing to become a full-fledged sponsor of Big Oil U with a grant of $22.5 million to Iowa State University to develop technologies to produce biorenewable fuels.
“We believe the key to a secure energy future is the efficient and effective use of a diverse mix of energy sources,” said Jim Mulva, chairman and chief executive officer of ConocoPhillips. “ConocoPhillips is developing long-term relationships with respected academic institutions such as Iowa State to research extensions of traditional energy sources that ultimately will benefit consumers.”
What’s really at stake are two things.
First, ConocoPhillips gets to greenwash its dirty image by associating with academic institutions like Iowa State as it touts its new-found environmentally friendly incarnation in PR campaigns that take advantage of the school’s reputation.
Second, ConocoPhillips has to pony up the money if it wants to stay competitive with oil giants like ExxonMobil and BP. Exxon began the trend with a $100 million dirty deal with Stanford University and BP as upped the stakes with a proposed $500 million arrangement with the University of California at Berkeley.
Both have sparked concerns about academic integrity and fears that the oil giants will determine research agendas and control discoveries that should be public.
Conoco, third largest oil company in the United States is in the game for a mere $22.5 million over eight years, but vows to create more joint research programs with major universities.
How long will it be before Big Oil U fields a football team?
Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin’s wife, Ruth, told reporters she lobbied hard for the grant. She serves on both the nine-member board of regents that oversees Iowa State and on the ConocoPhillips board of directors. She didn’t make it clear if she lobbied the directors on behalf of the university or the regents on behalf of the oil company.
She should make clear just whose interests she was pressing; they are absolutely not the same.
What the Harkins actually should be doing is working to ensure that ConocoPhillips doesn’t set the Iowa State research agenda or that the oil company unfairly controls any discoveries made in the program.