The oil and gas industry’s largest trade group will begin direct contributions to political candidates as it ramps up for a fight over the Obama administration’s proposal to cut billions in tax breaks for energy companies. “This is adding one more tool to our toolkit,” Martin Durbin, API’s executive vice president for government affairs, told Bloomberg in an interview. “At the end of the day, our mission is trying to influence the policy debate.” Energy company giving has been heavily weighted toward Republicans.