Thursday, February 16, 2012

Smoking gun?: anti-warming group exposed.

Prominent anti-global warming group, Heartland Institute, has had a leak, and it's a really bad one for them.

Confidential documents have been released, showing that anti-warming folks are scared of losing in a one-on-one debate on Forbes' website, concluding that, "it is important to keep opposing voices out."  Yes, it really says that in their climate strategy memo.

When you look over their fundraising information, "ECN" projects refers to "Environment and Climate News" issues including fracking and climate change.  On their list of directed contributions towards ECN projects, some strike me as notable:
  • Nucor ($502,000 for 2010-2011) -- a steel company has that kind of money to spend around like water?
  • Baldwin Crosstown Animal Clinic ($12,276) -- really, an animal clinic in Texas is spending money on global warming issues?

With some groups, you obviously know why they're trying to counter global-warming science:
  • Murray Energy Corporation ($100,000) -- largest US private coal company.
  • Marathon Petroleum Company LLC ($2500) -- curious, but does the LLC mean that it is a legal entity designed to keep liability away from its parent corporation, Marathon Petroleum Corporation?

And then there's the curious Heartland board member, from Comcast.  Sure I understand Comcast's issues are over telecom regulations, but it has a board seat at a pseudo think tank that expects to spend over $620,000 on attacking climate science in 2012, as opposed to the $84,000 it spends on telecom and broadband issues.  Consider: Comcast gave Heartland $35,000 in 2010-2011, which is a drop in the bucket.

Curious, isn't it, all this concerted efforts of corporations to spend money to attack science?

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