Exxon Mobil spent nearly $3.1M lobbying in 1Q

The company also lobbied on various appropriations bills and on legislation dealing with patent reform, international relations and trade agreements, consumer product safety, exploration and more, according to the form posted online April 18 by the House clerk's office.

The Irving, Texas-based company spent more than $16.9 million to lobby the federal government in 2007.

The energy bill President Bush signed in December did not include billions of dollars in higher taxes for large oil companies that many Democrats wanted to use to fund tax breaks for various clean energy industries. Similar proposals, recently revivedm, are working their way through Congress.