By Kevin McCauley
BP America has retained all-Republican heavyweight firm Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock to lobby the GOP-dominated 112th Congress on oil and gas production issues.
The move supplements work from Democratic powerhouse shop Podesta Group, which collected $480K in fees last year from the U.S. unit of the British energy giant.
In the aftermath of the midterm elections, the influential National Journal crowned FI&B one of its "new power players." The magazine noted that "Isakowitz and Blalock didn't follow the lead of other Republican lobby shops that staffed up with Democrats several years ago in anticipation of a Democratic Congress and White House. Their firm now holds a niche spot in the lobbying world that became a lot more valuable after last week's elections: it is Republican to the core."
Union Pacific, Watson Pharmaceuticals and Managed Funds Assn. joined FI&B's roster following the November "shellacking" of Democrats.
They are part of a sparkling client list that includes Ford Motor, JPMorgan Chase, Business Roundtable, Delta Airlines and MillerCoors.
Isakowitz, (aide to former Republican Congressman Paul Gillmor and a member of the Bush-Cheney transition team), Blalock, (deputy director of public liaison in Bush II White House) and Kirsten Chadwick (special assistant to Bush II for legislative affairs.) handle the BP America account.
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