But Slocum also noted that these Democratic lawmakers, as shareholders, would bear the burden of such proposals as taxes on companies’ windfall profits.

Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), who has criticized “needless tax breaks for giant oil companies” and accused oil companies of deliberately decreasing capacity to boost profits, has one of the biggest oil investments. He owns assets in Richey Oil Company of Houston worth between $250,000 and $500,000, according to his financial disclosure report. He earned royalties worth $50,000-$100,000 from that investment in 2007.

Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-Ohio) owns stock worth $1,000-$15,000 in Exxon Mobil and $15,000-$50,000 in Chevron. Last week he criticized industries for “raking in record profits” while “sitting on 68 million acres of oil-rich federal land that they are not drilling.”

Wilson told The Hill that he doesn’t let his investments interfere with decisionmaking.
“Bringing down gas prices will help families, businesses and our entire economy,” Wilson said in a statement. “It’s my top priority right now. Obviously, bringing down gas prices will hurt Big Oil’s bottom line, and you could argue that works against my own financial self-interest as a shareholder.

But my duties as a member of Congress come first, and I think it’s important to speak out and encourage the oil companies to do the right thing.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) has spoken out on “unjustifiable tax breaks for Big Oil” and the “astronomical earnings report of Exxon Mobil.”

He owns Exxon Mobil stock worth between $100,000 and $250,000 and Chevron stock worth between $50,000 and $100,000. He purchased additional stock in those companies last year.

Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) and his wife own shares of Chevron worth between $15,000 and $50,000 and Exxon Mobil worth between $250,000 and $500,000.

His spokesman, Paul Cox, said Price inherited the Exxon stock in 2000.

“Given Rep. Price’s voting record in opposition to the industry, I bet Exxon wishes it had fewer stockholders like David Price,” said Cox.

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) has $15,000 to $50,000 worth of Exxon Mobil holdings and $1,000 to $15,000 invested in Conoco Phillips.

Sestak, who has told constituents he wants to eliminate $16.1 billion worth of tax benefits for oil and gas companies, said his financial holdings are “totally irrelevant” to his stance on energy issues. He said he inherited the Exxon stock from his father and would likely pass it along to his daughter.

Democratic Reps. Patrick Kennedy (R.I.), Carolyn McCarthy (N.Y.), Heath Shuler (N.C.), and Howard Berman (Calif.) also have investments in oil companies. They have each taken public stands against policies favored by the oil industry.

Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), whose wife owns $50,000 to $100,000 worth of Exxon stock, has touted his efforts to fight oil companies’ manipulation of gas prices. Oberstar’s spokesman, John Schadl, said his boss does not tell his wife how to invest her money.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s (D-Calif.) spouse has retirement investments ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 each in BP and Chevron. Lofgren, who does not accept political contributions from the oil industry, said she asked her husband to request that his money managers steer clear of oil and tobacco companies.

Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), an outspoken opponent of drilling off Florida’s coast, has an investment worth between $1,000 and $15,000 in Hornbeck Offshore Services. The company provides assistance on deepwater drilling projects, according to its website.

“This particular minor investment is one of several managed by outside financial advisers, and as is the case with all of his investments, has absolutely no bearing on Congressman Klein’s decisionmaking process or policy positions,” said Klein’s spokeswoman.

Reps. Rubén Hinojosa (D-Texas) and Charlie Melancon (D-La.) each own investments worth between $15,000 and $50,000 in Exxon Mobil. They have not criticized the industry as their colleagues have.  

Andrea Fuller and David Matthews contributed to this report.