Building materials industry lobbying in 2008

Isn't lobbying in Washington something that less-reputable industries do -- tobacco, casinos, and other "heavy hitters"? Doing some research on OpenSecrets.org, I was interested to learn the extent to which the building materials and equipment industry engaged in lobbying in 2008. The industry paid lobbyists a total of $11,676,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Here's the breakdown, by company. A figure of $0, by the way, actually means "less than $5,000." Client

Client

Total

Advanced Diamond Technologies

$50,000

Advanced Drainage Systems

$110,000

American Cast Iron Pipe

$30,000

American Concrete Pipe Assn

$60,000

American Concrete Pumping Assn

$60,000

American Lumber Standard Committee

$20,000

American Sand Assn

$50,000

American Supply Assn

$20,000

American Traffic Safety Services Assn

$300,000

Armstrong World Industries

$60,000

Asphalt Institute

$45,000

Asphalt Systems

$50,000

Assn of Equipment Manufacturers

$132,000

Associated Equipment Distributors

$90,000

Blue Lake Crane

$20,000

Brutz Group

$0

Capital Sand

$0

Carmeuse NA

$35,000

Carmeuse SA

$0

Caterpillar Inc

$1,578,202

Cemex SA

$610,000

CEMEX SA de CV

$310,000

Cemex USA

$50,000

Ceratech

$30,000

Certainteed Corp

$110,000

Committee on Pipe & Tube Imports

$0

Crane Group

$10,000

Ductile Iron Pipe Research Assn

$160,000

EverSealed Windows Inc

$0

Geosynthetic Materials Assn

$120,000

Holcim Ltd

$430,000

Holcim Ltd

$1,210,000

Hood Canal Sand & Gravel

$90,000

Hunter Fan Co

$42,000

Hycrete Inc

$70,000

Idleaire Technologies

$0

James Hardie Building Products

$0

JC Bamford

$230,000

JLG Industries

$90,000

Johns Manville Corp

$150,000

Joy Global

$70,000

LaFarge North America

$340,000

Lehigh Portland Cement

$60,000

LiveWire Test Labs

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