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Sunday, December 2, 2012

Climate Deniers and ALEC

An article on Media Matters well worth your read - to connect the dots on who is pushing the climate denying agenda in the US.


Blog ››› November 28, 2012 3:16 PM EST ››› JILL FITZSIMMONS
Despite the overwhelming consensus among climate experts that human activity is contributing to rising global temperatures, 66 percent of Americans incorrectly believe there is "a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening." The conservative media has fueled this confusion by distorting scientific research, hyping faux-scandals, and giving voice to groups funded by industries that have a financial interest in blocking action on climate change. Meanwhile, mainstream media outlets have shied away from the "controversy" over climate change and have failed to press U.S. policymakers on how they will address this global threat. When climate change is discussed, mainstream outlets sometimes strive for a false balance that elevates marginal voices and enables them to sow doubt about the science even in the face of mounting evidence.


Here, Media Matters looks at how conservative media outlets give industry-funded "experts" a platform, creating a polarized misunderstanding of climate science.
  
Media Matters then goes on to give you a description of the the conservative "Industry funded experts" that polarize climate science.

It is important for all of us to know the connection between these climate deniers and the  American Legislative Exchange Council which promulgates climate denial "model legislation" for their ALEC legislators at the state and federal levels to introduce in our state and federal legislatures.

Below is the list from Media Matters:
The ones in Vikings purple have already been identified as affiliated with ALEC on the Alecexposed webpage
The ones in Packer green have NOT been identified as affiliated with ALEC on the ALecexposed webpage – but I will connect the dots to ALEC below
    Heartland Institute And James Taylor
    Competitive Enterprise Institute
    Chris Horner And The American Tradition Institute (formerly Western Tradition Institute)
    Manhattan Institute And Robert Bryce
    Heritage Foundation
    Cato Institute And Patrick Michaels
    American Enterprise Institute
 (The Vikings/Packers border battle is going on as I write this)

Let's see - now based on my color coding - they are all connected to ALEC.

Here's the Connect the Dots for the ones noted in green - which are not listed on the ALECexposed webpage as affiliated with ALEC.
Competitive Enterprise Institute
1993 ALEC Meeting – Panel Participant
Government Reform & Mandates
Governors Hall EF
Much of the infrastructure of government is in need of reform. Government at all levels is too inefficient and unwieldy.
Panelist:
Fred Smith, President
Competitive Enterprise Institute

From the 1995 ALEC Sourcebook of American State Legislation
National Task Force on Energy Environment and Natural ' Resources
Task Force Advisors
Fred Smith, Competitive Enterprise Institute

From the 2005 ALEC Federal Forum
Marlo Lewis, Task Force Advisor Competitive Enterprise Institute

From the June 2007 Inside ALEC
Natural Resources Task Force Update
At the 2007 Spring Task Force Summit, the Natural Resources Task Force subcommittees heard many important presentations from members.      Chris Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute—and author of the Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming—discussed global warming;

From the May 2009 Inside ALEC
Article: Florida Loses Insurance Business
By Eli Lehrer
Eli Lehrer is a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and an advisor to ALEC’s Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task

2010
American Legislative Exchange Council
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT and AGRICULTURE TASK FORCE
Natural Resources Task Force as of July 1st, 2010
Christopher Horner
Advisor
Competitive Enterprise Institute
1899 L. St NW
12th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 331-1010 FAX: 202-331-0640

Manhattan Institute
Not only involved in environmental issues with ALEC but is also supplies right-wing propaganda to ALEC legislators, through ALEC publications,  in the ALEC fight for school privatization and tort reform.

In addition to the one lone notation on the ALECexposed webpage supporting the connection of the Manhattan Institute and ALEC, you can add these two items - showing the Manahattan Institute's on-going affair with ALEC.

2002
Show Me The Money: Budget-Cutting Strategies for Cash-Strapped States
Copyright © July 2002 by the American Legislative Exchange Council and
The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
THE MANHATTAN INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH
Executive Director of Center for Civic Innovation
Henry Olsen
   Author-Senior Fellow
   William D. Eggers

Civil Justice Task Force Meeting
Spring Task Force Summit | The Westin Charlotte | Charlotte, North Carolina
May 11, 2012 | 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
4:10 p.m. PRESENTATION: A Careful Balance of Justice and Fairness: Securities Litigation Considerations for State Legislators
Jim Copland, Manhattan Institute
 
The American Tradition Institute
Sierra Club Claim: “Before that, he [Todd Wynn, Director of the Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force at ALEC] worked for another ‘free market think tank,’ the American Tradition Institute.”

Fact Check: Mr. Wynn has never been on the staff at the American Tradition Institute. He like many of the other fellows of ATI serves in an unpaid advisory capacity to the ATI staff
Note that the Sierra Club only said Wynn “worked for”
And he does!  Even an “unpaid advisor” “does work”!!!!!! (Supposedly)

From Todd Wynn’s LinkedIn page
Current
        Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force Director
           at American Legislative Exchange Council
        Board Member at Oregon Capitol Watch Foundation
        Research Fellow at American Tradition Institute

Research Fellow
American Tradition Institute
April 2011 – Present (1 year 9 months) Washington D.C. Metro Area

American Tradition Institute (ATI) is a public policy research and educational foundation – a “think tank” – founded in 2009 to help lead the national discussion about environmental issues, including air and water quality and regulation, responsible land use, natural resource management, energy development, property rights, and free-market principles of stewardship.

American Tradition Institute utilizes a three-pronged strategy to advance responsible, economically sustainable environmental policy: public policy research, investigative journalism, and litigation.

I advise the staff on a wide variety of issues which include research, fundraising and marketing.

How much does a senior fellow get paid in Washington DC?
        Fellow   The Brookings Institution        $75k    Washington, DC (08/2010)

From Glassdoor



Pretty altruistic of both Mr. Wynn and ALEC
to allow him to provide "free" advisory services to the American Tradition Institute
- supposedly on ALEC's time
- unless, of course, he is doing his "advisory volunteering"
- only on nights and weekends
- which I doubt.


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