For years the oil industry has appealed to the executive branch and courts to de-fang a U.S. rule forcing Exxon Mobil Corp. , Chevron Corp. and other producers to disclose their payments to foreign governments. Now, the Republican takeover in Washington is handling it for them. The House of Representatives is set to vote this week on killing a Securities and Exchange Commission edict that requires publication of overseas payments by oil, natural gas and mining companies. The industry says the rule, part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank act, gives global rivals a competitive edge. Backers say it will help keep payments to foreign nations in government coffers, not private pockets. “To roll it back would be a complete abdication of U.S. initiative and leadership on issues of corruption,” said Daniel Kaufmann, president of the Natural Resource Governance Institute, an international transparency watchdog. The SEC rule, set to take effect […]

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