Campaign contributions from political action committees of the fracking industry have shot up over the last eight years, with those candidates in districts with fracking activity having the largest increase.

A new report, Natural Cash: How the Fracking Industry Fuels Congress, was issued Wednesday by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). The report found “contributions from the industry to House and Senate candidates from districts and states home to fracking activity rose by 231 percent between the 2004 and 2012 election cycles, from approximately $2.1 million to 6.9 million.”

The top recipient was Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, chairman emeritus of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who received $509,447. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., received $384,700.

View CREW press release.