So often we talk about “big oil” and how “big oil” doesn’t care about the environment, and how they treat native cultures badly, and how they make large profits from exploiting the environment. Almost all of these “big oil” companies are owned by every day people like you and me. If you own stock in Exxon, you my friend are big oil.

ConocoPhillips yesterday held its Annual Stockholders’ Meeting, where owners of the company’s stock voted on the election of board members, the appointment of an independent registered public accounting firm, and five additional proposals. The preliminary results, reported by the Inspector of Elections, were as follows:

Approximately 99.7 percent of stockholders who cast votes elected six directors: James E. Copeland, Jr., Kenneth M. Duberstein, Ruth R. Harkin, William R. Rhodes, J. Stapleton Roy, and William E. Wade, Jr. In addition, stockholders ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2007, with 99.0 percent of votes cast.

ConocoPhillips stockholders voted against a proposal for a report on the company’s policies and procedures for political contributions, against a proposal to require company stock ownership as a qualification for director nominees, and against a proposal for a report on the environmental impact from drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska. These proposals were defeated by 88.1percent, 94.1 percent, and 73.3 percent of votes cast, respectively.

Proposals in regard to reporting on the company’s policies and procedures with respect to recognition of indigenous rights and on environmental accountability to communities where the company operates were defeated by 90.1 percent and 90.6 percent of votes cast, respectively.

The stockholder proposal regarding global warming and renewable energy sources was withdrawn prior to the meeting. Final results of the stockholder voting will be reported in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Next time you get mad at “big oil” remember big oil is us. Any of us who buy oil, own oil stock, use oil. We are big oil. These stock owners had ample chance to make a difference and by an overwhelming majority voted against doing so. Nothing is going to change from the top. If we want to change big oil, we need to change ourselves.