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Open in TheBrain

Sea Change Fdn

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big in bogus gop staff report They earnFour Pinocchios.

attempt a kcoh/ exxon expose mirror BS?

recycled in in ukraine energy dominance BS?

see kessler wapo glenn factchecker

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4th phase denialism to DELAYISM

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bs minority report jul 2014

Steve Baldwin, Who Funds the Radical Left in America?, WESTERN JOURNALISM, http://www.westernjournalism.com/exclusive-investigative-reports/who-funds-the-radical-left-in-america (last visited July 24, 2014

About.com, What is Dark Money, http://uspolitics.about.com/od/Money-In-Politics/a/What-Is-Dark-Money.htm (last visited July 28, 2014).

70 Ron Arnold, UNDUE INFLUENCE: WEALTHY FOUNDATIONS, GRANT-DRIVEN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, AND ZEALOUS BUREAUCRATS THAT CONTROL YOUR FUTURE (1991), p. 71. 71 Id. at 72. 72 Id. at 74. 73 Id. at 71.

Lachlan Markay, EXCLUSIVE: Democracy Alliance Network Revealed, THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON, May 19, 2014, http://freebeacon.com/politics/exclusive-democracy-alliance-network-revealed/ 80

Ron Arnold, Electricity for Africa initiative could help make ‘High-Energy Planet’ vision a reality, WASHINGTON EXAMINER, July 22, 2014, 5:00 PM, http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/electricity-for-africa-initiative-could-helpmake-high-energy-planet-vision-a-reality/article/2551141 (last visited July 28, 2014). 98 350.org. Do the Math, http://math.350.org/ (last visited July 28, 2014)

152

Michael Bastasch, Emails: Another top EPA official used private email account to aid environmentalists, THE DAILY CALLER, Feb. 24, 2014, http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/24/emails-another-top-epa-official-used-privateemail-account-to-aid-environmentalists/.

175 Judson Berger, EPA official scrutinized over emails to resign, FOX NEWS, Feb. 19, 2013, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/19/epa-official-scrutinized-over-emails-to-resign (last visited July 25, 2014). 176 John Roberts, ‘Secret dealing’? Emails show cozy relationship between EPA, environmental groups, Fox News, Jan. 22, 2014, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/22/emails-show-cozy-relationship-between-epaenvironmental-groups-on-keystone-coal (last visited July 28, 2014). 177 Emails from EPA, environmental officials, FOX NEWS, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/interactive/2014/01/22/emails-from-epa-environmental-officials/ (last visited July 24, 2014).

187  COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS MINORITY STAFF, EPA’S PLAYBOOK UNVEILED: A STORY OF FRAUD, DECEIT, AND SECRET SCIENCE (March 19, 2014), available at http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=b90f742e-b797-4a82-a0a3- e6848467832a (last accessed July 25, 2014). 188 James T. Bennett, Pandering for Profit: The Transformation of Health Charities to Lobbyists, GEO. MASON DEPT. OF ECON., Paper No. 11-54, p. 20. 189 Ron Arnold, Meet the little nobody from Texas with big power at EPA, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER, June 13, 2013, http://washingtonexaminer.com/ron-arnold-meet-the-little-nobody-from-texas-with-big-power-atepa/article/2531854.

209 Jon Entine, Killing drilling with farcical ‘science’, NEW YORK POST, Jan. 24, 2012, http://nypost.com/2012/01/24/killing-drilling-with-farcical-science (last visited July 25, 2014). 210 Stacey Shackford, Natural gas from fracking could be 'dirtier' than coal, Cornell professors find, CORNELL CHRONICLE, Apr. 11, 2011, http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2011/04/fracking-leaks-may-make-gas-dirtiercoal (last visited July 25, 2014). 211 Jon Entine, New York Times Reversal: Cornell University Research Undermines Hysteria Contention that Shale Gas is "Dirty", FORBES, Mar. 2, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2012/03/02/new-york-times-reversalcornell-university-research-undermines-hysteria-contention-that-shale-gas-is-dirty (last visited July 25, 2014).

265   Tom Shepstone , Artists Against Fracking … and Lobbying Disclosure?, ENERGY IN DEPTH, (Apr. 3, 2013) http://energyindepth.org/marcellus/artists-against-fracking-and-lobbying-disclosure/ ; During the research for this report, Artists Against Fracking’s website was taken down

279  Randy Hildreth, Frack Free Colorado Maintains Deep Ties to National Activist Organizations, ENERGY IN DEPTH, May 29, 2014, http://energyindepth.org/mtn-states/frack-free-colorado-maintains-ties-national-activistorganizations (last visited July 25, 2014).

375

Michael Gorrnley, NY fracking foes: will become lobby if necessary, AP, Mar. 18, 2013, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/apnewsbreak-celeb-fracking-group-not-registered. [pix of n klein arrested at WH]

libtard blog?  Born-Again Communism, or simply, Love Doctrine, ARCADE, http://arcade.stanford.edu/blogs/born-againcommunism-or-simply-love-doctrine (last visited July 29, 2014).

411 Lachlan Markay, Liberal Foundation Distributed Money from Bermuda to Liberal Nonprofits, WASHINGTON FREE BEACON, Aug. 1, 2013, 3:30 PM, http://freebeacon.com/national-security/liberal-foundation-distributedmoney-from-bermuda-to-liberal-nonprofits. 412 Id. 413 Id

The role Sea Change plays as a member of the Billionaire’s Club is deeply troubling, especially in light of recent revelations that environmental activists, many of whom are clearly benefiting from this extreme “dark money,” do not have any moral qualms over where their money comes from – so long as it supports the far-left cause. 416 This sentiment was captured by a recently released investigative video that revealed Hollywood producers of far-left environmental films were eager to accept Middle Eastern money to produce an anti-fracking video. Notably, in speaking with a man believed to represent rich Middle Eastern oil interests opposed to American energy independence through fracking, one producer said: 416 Project Veritas, Full Un edited raw video, exclusive release by Project Veritas, available at YouTube.com, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6HZ5VLmyes&list=UUL9PlYkRD3Q-RZca6CCnPKw (last visited July 29, 2014).

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sieg heil

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forget about allegations of Russian interference in U.S. presidential elections for a moment,

or even“collusion” between Russian officials and Trump campaign operatives.

The real action is in the European and U.S. energy markets, according to a letter from two Texas congressmen to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that details what they call “a covert anti-fracking campaign” with “little or no paper trail.”

The Daily Signal obtained a copy of the June 29 letterto Mnuchin from Reps. Lamar Smith and Randy Weber, both Republicans who chair energy-related House panels. (See the full letter below.)

Want to keep up with the 24/7 news cycle? Want to know the most important stories of the day for conservatives? Need news you can trust? Subscribe to The Daily Signal’s email newsletter. [Learn more >>

Smith and Weber quote sources saying the Russian government has been colluding with environmental groups to circulate “disinformation” and “propaganda” aimed at undermining hydraulic fracturing. Commonly called fracking, the process makes it possible to access natural gas deposits.

The sources include a former secretary-general of NATO, who is quoted by the GOP congressmen as saying:

Russia, as part of their sophisticated information and disinformation operations, engaged actively with so-called nongovernmental organizations—environmental organizations working against shale gas—to maintain dependence on imported Russian gas.

This anti-fracking campaign seizes upon environmental issues and health concerns that could be used to constrain U.S. drilling and fracking exercises, the letter explains.

Gazprom, a large Russian oil company, stands to benefit if Russian-funded environmental activism results in reduced levels of fracking and natural gas production in the United States, Smith and Weber tell Mnuchin. They write:

It is easy to see the benefit to Russia and Gazprom that would result from a reduction in the U.S. level of drilling and fracking—a position advocated for by numerous environmental groups in the U.S.

Smith, chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, joined Weber, chairman of that panel’s energy subcommittee, in calling on the treasury secretaryto investigate whether Russia works with American environmental activists to prevent the U.S. from developing its natural gas resources.

Top U.S. government officials who have acknowledged the connection between Russian and environmental groups include former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president in 2016.

In 2014, Clinton delivered a “private speech” in which she discussed Russia’s financial support for environmental groups, the letter says. The speech was included in documents released by WikiLeaks, it says.

An Oct. 10, 2016, report in TheWashington Times quoted Clinton as saying:

We [the State Department and the U.S. government] were up against Russia pushing oligarchs and others to buy media. We were even up against phony environmental groups, and I’m a big environmentalist, but these were funded by the Russians to stand up against any effort, ‘Oh that pipeline, that fracking, that whatever will be a problem for you,’ and a lot of that money supporting that effort was coming from Russia.

Contrary to what Russia’s propaganda machine and its environmental allies have told news consumers in Europe and America, fracking is safe, effective, and enormously beneficial, Nick Loris, an economist and energy policy analyst with The Heritage Foundation, said in an email to The Daily Signal.

“If successful, an anti-fracking campaign is depriving Americans of good-paying jobs and affordable, dependable energy,” Loris said. “Despite smears and outright lies from environmental activists, smart drilling and energy extraction technologies have been proven to be safe.”

“It feels like every week a new study is published, confirming what we already know,” he said. “Hydraulic fracturing does not contaminate drinking water. The facts and history of hydraulic fracturing, a history that dates back more than half a century and over 1 million fracked wells, indicate that many of the fears associated with the process are grossly exaggerated or flat-out unsubstantiated.”

Loris added:

The good news, however, is that the anti-fracking campaign really hasn’t been all that successful in ‘keeping it in the ground.’ The U.S. is the world’s largest petroleum and natural gas producer, and we can thank fracking and American energy companies for it.

The result is that money is going back into bank accounts of hardworking families through lower energy bills, and American businesses are more competitive because of lower input costs. And we’re in a position to supply our allies with power, significantly reducing the ability of any one nation’s ability to manipulate energy markets for political gain.

In their letter to the treasury secretary, Smith and Weber also say the Russians have been able to advance their strategy without “a paper trail.”

They pass along reports that Russia apparently funnels the money through a Bermuda-based “shell company” known as Klein Ltd.

Tens of millions of dollars are moved from Russia through Klein “in the form of anonymous donations” to a U.S.-based nonprofit called the Sea Change Foundation.

The money, the congressmen write, then is moved in the form of grants to U.S. environmental organizations.

Here is their complete letter to Mnuchin:

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Josh Gasland

delingpole BB

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2014/07/30/exposed-sea-change-the-shadowy-one-percenter-foundation-waging-war-on-affordable-energy/

OMFG:

The role Sea Change plays as a member of the Billionaire’s Club is deeply troubling,

especially in light of recent revelations that environmental activists, many of whom are clearly

benefiting from this extreme “dark money,” do not have any moral qualms over where their

money comes from – so long as it supports the far-left cause.

416

This sentiment was captured by

a recently releasedinvestigative video that revealed Hollywood producers of far-left

environmental films were eager to accept Middle Eastern money to produce an anti-fracking

video. Notably, in speaking with a man believed to represent rich Middle Eastern oil interests

opposed to American energy independence through fracking, one producer said:

416Project Veritas, Full Un edited raw video, exclusive release by Project Veritas, available at YouTube.com,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6HZ5VLmyes&list=UUL9PlYkRD3Q-RZca6CCnPKw (last visited July 29,

2014).

65

This is not the first major project that we’ve had funded through a funding source

which you know, for various reasons – we didn’t disclose. It would have been

very unwise for everybody to understand the dynamics of that funding. So we

know how tricky it is…. It’s money, so in that sense we have no moral issue. OKEEFE

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no lnx

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/17/bogus-allegation-that-putin-is-funding-california-environmental-charity/

Analysis

The bogus ‘allegation’ that Putin is funding a California environmental charity

By Glenn Kessler

Staff writer

March 17, 2022

“It has been alleged that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is using a San Francisco-based e-NGO, the Sea Change Foundation (Sea Change), to funnel money into U.S.-based environmental advocacy efforts designed to undermine American energy production. … Notably, reports suggest that your organization is one of the top e-NGO recipients of Sea Change grants since 2006.”

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— Letter signed by every GOP member of the House Energy Committee, written to several environmental groups, March 10

Note the passive voice in this letter — “it has been alleged.” There’s just enough smoke in the four-page missive to suggest there’s a raging fire. At Fox News, the resulting story was headlined: “House Republicans demand answers from environmental groups over allegation of collusion with Russia.”

The letter demanded answers by March 25 from three environmental groups — the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Sierra Club — on whether they have received funding from Russia or China and whether any funding from Sea Change, an environmental philanthropy, was used for anti-fracking advocacy. Sea Change contributes about $40 million to $50 million a year to a variety of environmental organizations.

“Provided the public reporting of Putin’s dark money influence in Europe and the concerns surrounding similar efforts in the United States, we write today to explore your connections with Sea Change,” the letter said. “Any action by President Putin, the Russian government, or Putin’s allies to undermine American energy security must be addressed.”

But upon inspection, the allegations crumble into dust. The flimsiest of dots are connected to make a case. What is even more astonishing is that, regular as clockwork, Republicans have been making these bogus claims every few years, even after credible explanations have been given. Small wonder — they keep getting the same favorable headlines from right-leaning media.

The Facts

This all started in 2014, when the Republican staff of the Senate Environment Committee published a report alleging that a group of “left wing millionaires and billionaires … directs and controls the far-left environmental movement, which in turn controls major policy decisions and lobbies on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).” The report focused on Sea Change Foundation, based in California, which it said “relies on funding from a foreign company with undisclosed donors.”

The president of Sea Change is Nat Simons, a son of billionaire hedge fund investor James Simons, who is one of the world’s richest people, with a net worth of almost $29 billion.The committee report conceded that Nat and his wife, Laura Baxter-Simons, “predominantly fund Sea Change through their own personal wealth, mostly attributed to their ties to Renaissance Technologies, a wildly profitably hedge fund.”

But the report also noted that “in addition to funding by the Simons, the only other source of its contributions derives from a Bermuda-based company called Klein Ltd.” In 2010, Kleincontributed $13 million to Sea Change, about half of Sea Change’s contributions that year, and in 2011 Klein contributed $10 million to Sea Change, about one-third of the contributions. The report decried the “lack of transparency” about Klein’s funding and said the company appeared to have been set up “for the sole purpose of funneling anonymous donations to Sea Change.”

There was not a word in the report about Russian money. But then, in December 2015, a group called the Environmental Policy Alliance issued a six-page paper titled “From Russia With Love?”

Note the question mark.It intended to raise allegations but provide plausible deniability. The paper — it’s too thin to be called a report — claimed it was building on the Senate report by examining the law firm that set up Klein.

That firm, Wakefield Quin, is one of Bermuda’s top law firms. The hyped discovery in the paper was that some of the lawyers at the firm held directorship positions in companies of some of their clients, including some linked to the Russian energy sector.One 2008 court case in the British Virgin Islands, for instance, resulted in a money laundering conviction against a client associated with an adviser to Putin. “While it is unclear who is funding Klein, the law firm controlling this shady offshore funder of the U.S. environmental movement has ties to Russian money laundering, a friend and advisor of Vladimir Putin, Russian oil production, and more,” the paper said.

Law firms, of course, often have many clients, sometimes with shared interests. But that does not mean the law firm is coordinating among its clients or funneling money between them. The dots are so poorly connected as to be almost nonexistent.

Moreover, there is a certain irony in theEnvironmental Policy Alliance issuing the paper. It’s one of the many “AstroTurf” organizations — faux think tanks — run out of the offices of Berman and Company, headed by GOP lobbyist Richard “Rick” Berman. The group’s webpage says it is devoted to “uncovering the funding and hidden agenda behind environmental activist groups.”

In 2014, the New York Times obtained a recording of a closed-door speech in which Berman bragged to a group of oil industry executives about how he kept corporate donations secret behind a wall of nonprofit groups that sponsor major advertising campaigns supporting industry objectives. “There is total anonymity,” he said. “People don’t know who supports us.”

Despite the dubious provenance and the flimsy reasoning, the claims made by Berman’s group keep circulating.

In 2017, when Russian interference in the 2016 election was in the news, two Republican lawmakers from Texas, Lamar Smith (since retired) and Rep. Randy Weber, issued an open letter asking the Treasury Department to investigate possible money flows from Putin to Sea Change.

The letter began by citing concerns raised about Russia’s opposition to fracking by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Rasmussen in 2014 was quoted as saying that Russia “engaged actively with so-called nongovernmental organizations — environmental organizations working against shale gas — to maintain European dependence on imported Russian gas.”He provided no proof and declined to say more, saying, “That is my interpretation.”

Clinton, in a private speech in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2014, alluded to Russian disinformation efforts. “We were up against Russia pushing oligarchs and others to buy media,” she said. “We were even up against phony environmental groups, and I’m a big environmentalist, but these were funded by the Russians to stand against any effort, ‘Oh that pipeline, that fracking, that whatever will be a problem for you,’ and a lot of the money supporting that message was coming from Russia.”

The speech was revealed when Russia hacked the account of Clinton campaign manager John Podesta and turned over his emails to WikiLeaks. But Nick Merrill, a Clinton spokesman, said she was not talking about Russia funding groups in the United States. “I remember this speech,” he said in an email. “She was talking about proposed pipelines in Europe that would have threatened Russian supply.”

One repeatedly cited statistic is that Russia invested $95 million in nongovernmental organizations to persuade European governments to stop shale gas exploration. The number appeared in a 2018 Senate committee report, sourced to the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies. But the Wilfried Martens Center report does not explain how that figure was calculated and attributes it only to a 2015 “interview with anonymous contributor.” The report also is unclear about how much of this funding came from what are known as GONGOs (government-organized nongovernment organizations) or Russian oil companies themselves, as opposed to secret conduits of Russian money.

Finally, the letter referred to a national intelligence report issued on Jan. 6, 2017, about Russia’s efforts to influence the political debate in the United States. That report noted that RT, the Russian news channel, “runs anti-fracking programming, highlighting environmental issues and the impacts on public health.”

In other words, concerns about apparent Russian efforts to use nongovernmental groups in Europe to undermine fracking were leveraged to suggest that the same problem existed in the United States. But the only direct intervention in the United States that has been identified was a Russian news network.[that is well known propaganda organ vs u.s. NGO?]

When Smith and Weber issued their letter, the Bermuda law firm issued a blistering statement denying any suggestion that it acted as a conduit for Russian funds. “The allegations are completely false and irresponsible,” the firm said. “Our firm has represented Klein since its inception, and we can state categorically that at no point did this philanthropic organization receive or expend funds from Russian sources or Russian-connected sources and Klein has no Russian connection whatsoever.”

Politico quoted a Sea Change spokesperson as saying that no money from Russia had been received and that none of its donations to environmental groups were earmarked for opposition to fracking — which was supposedly the point of the subterfuge. From our study of Sea Change’s tax filings, its contributions have been focused broadly on climate change mitigation, energy efficiency and clean-energy policies.

Finally, a year later, the Sea Change Foundation revealed the source of Klein’s funding — the Simons family wealth. It turns out it was just another trust for the family’s billions.

“I wish to clarify that press reports speculating that Klein has received funding from outside sources are factually incorrect and have no basis,” Nat Simons said in a 2018 statement to Inside Philanthropy. “Neither Klein nor Sea Change Foundation has ever solicited or accepted contributions from non-family related sources.” Simons said that the name of the Bermuda funding vehicle had been changed from Klein Ltd. to Sea Change Foundation International.

Yet, here we are, with a new letter.This new missive repeats, at the start, the same items as the earlier letter — such as quotes from Rasmussen, Clinton and the national intelligence report. It adds a 2019 quote from former Trump aide Fiona Hill, made during the first impeachment inquiry, that Putin “saw American fracking as a great threat to Russian interests.” (Hill told the Fact Checker that “this was only a general statement” as “Putin went on a rant about fracking that I personally witnessed in November 2011.”)

Then the letter claims that “it has been alleged thatPutin” is using Sea Change to advance his interests. No mention is made of Sea Change’s 2018 statement explaining the family wealth as the source of the money.

The letter is so stuck in a time warp that it’s out of date. Rod Forrest, a director and senior counsel at Wakefield Quin, told The Fact Checker that the law firm no longer represents Sea Change (or Klein) and has not done so for some time.“Wakefield Quin does not have any directorship positions with any investment or other group connected in any way to any Russian minister,” he added.

Nat Simons and Laura Baxter-Simons, in a statement to The Fact Checker, said: “We are disappointed to see false allegations of foreign influence through Sea Change Foundation resurface after this untrue assertion was fully refuted in a statement released in 2018. To state clearly, neither Klein nor Sea Change Foundation has or had any connection to Russia or Russian funds.”

The environmental groups also issued statements denying any links to Russian funds.

“We receive no funding from the government of Russia,” said Bob Deans, the Natural Resources Defense Council’s director of strategic engagement. “We answer to our independent leadership, and we don’t do the bidding of any government — foreign or otherwise — in our work to advocate for common sense environmental protections in the public interest. These allegations are rooted in a smear campaign orchestrated nearly a decade ago by fossil fuel interests and a right-wing think tank. They only serve now, as then, as a distraction.”

“This false conspiracy theory, invented by the same deceitful front groups paid to do polluters’ and Big Tobacco’s dirty work, has been repeatedly debunked over its nearly 10-year existence,” said Sierra Club Legislative Director Melinda Pierce. “The Sierra Club has no connections to Russia or China, and proudly fights for clean energy and climate action because this is what our planet requires, our families deserve, and what the overwhelming majority of Americans across the country demand.”

“This story is completely false and has been put to rest for years,” said David Willett, a League of Conservation Voters spokesman. “We have no connections to Russia, or China, and have been an effective advocate for environmental protection for over 50 years. These false and poorly-researched allegations are rooted in a nearly 10-year-old right-wing think tank and fossil fuel industry-funded smear campaign that gets revived every few years to serve as a distraction.”

Jack Heretik, a spokesman for the House Energy Committee’s GOP members, said: “If the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club have nothing to hide, then we look forward to seeing the evidence by March 25.”

Will Coggin, a Berman and Company research analyst associated with entities such as the Center for Consumer Freedom and the Environmental Policy Alliance, issued a statement defending the 2015 paper: “The NATO Secretary General said Russians were working with environmentalists to oppose fracking in other countries as a scheme to help Russian energy. Our report highlighted how a shadowy Caribbean-based organization gave $23 million to Sea Change and how the firm where that group was based had connections to Russian clients. The questions we raised are still unanswered, and this situation deserves a full, independent investigation.”

The Pinocchio Test

For years, it’s been clear that Sea Change Foundation has no connection to secret Russian money. After all, the foundation is associated with one of the world’s richest families. On top of that, we can find no evidence that money donated by Sea Change resulted in anti-fracking campaigns. The foundation might have been quicker to reveal that Klein’s funds were just more of the Simonses’ money, but in any case that has been known now for four years.

The lawmakers may pretend that they are just asking questions, but in reality they are recycling claims that have already been adequately debunked. It’s a smarmy way to earn some publicity during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They earnFour Pinocchios.

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229 Comments

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https://www.mediamatters.org/jesse-watters/kremlin-praises-fox-news-fox-personalities-desperately-try-link-environmental-groups

as Russia’s foreign minister praises Fox News coverage of war in Ukraine, the network has exploited the crisis to villainize the environmental movement, capitalizing on the global economic sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s invasion to recycle previously debunked claims that Russia is secretly funding  “green campaigns” against oil drilling and fracking in the U.S.

Fox hosts and personalities took their cues from a March 10 letter from Republican members of theHouse Energy Committeeasking three environmental groups – the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club – to provide evidence of any financial support from Russia. Yet, as the Washington Post Fact Checker explains, the “bogus” allegations in the letter are remnants of a 2017 scandal concocted by Republicans to distract from an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Here are some examples of Fox pushing this lie:

Fox personalities have been criticized for pro-Kremlin commentary – and the Kremlin itself has noticed, as exposed by minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks about Fox and a recently reported memo from the Russian government that directed the country’s media outlets to promote as many clips of Fox News star Tucker Carlson as possible. (The Kremlin’s propaganda and Carlson’s own rhetoric have remarkable similarities.) The narratives parroted by Fox to earn this praise – from blaming Joe Biden for rising gas prices to suggestions the war in Ukraine is pushed by elitist self interests – are baseless and incendiary. Their recent push of easily debunked anti-environmental conspiracies are no different.

The allegations stem from whether the aforementioned environmental groups received donations from the Sea Change Foundation, an environmental philanthropy group run by billionaire Nat Simons. In 2015, a baseless report from the GOP lobbyist-led front group Environmental Policy Alliance accused the law firm that set up a Bermuda-based company financing Sea Change of having extremely vague ties to an adviser to Putin. The firm refuted these allegations as “completely false and irresponsible,” saying, “We can state categorically that at no point did this philanthropic organization receive or expend funds from Russian sources or Russian-connected sources.” In fact, the sole source of the foundation’s funding is the Simons family. Despite the appearance of Kremlin-linked donations being obliterated, that did not stop 2017 House GOP members from requesting an investigation, and now recycling the debunked claims.

The network’s hosts and guests – primarily recently promoted prime-time stars Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld – are also conflating a separate online article from Fox that quotes “experts” like the Heritage Foundation’s James Carafano noting that “Russians actually fund some of the most rabid environmental groups in Europe.” (Carafano has been a vocal critic of climate science and recently co-authored a piece describing the Biden administration’s climate policies as a “titanic disaster in waiting.”) The article’s so-called “experts” also included right-wing media’s favorite climate contrarian, Michael Shellenberger, a notorious natural gas advocate who’s pushed lies about the cost and efficiency of renewable energy.  

The Republicans point to a 2017 national intelligence report that highlighted a Russian state news channel, RT America, that ran “anti-fracking programming,” and was trying to expand its U.S. audience. Not only did the report not provide any evidence that the channel had been successful, but as of March 4, RT America announced it was “ceasing production.” It is simply preposterous to believe that over a decade of fracking commentary was driven by the network prior to its dissolution.

Some efforts against European drilling and fracking have been linked to Kremlin propaganda designed to increase dependency on Russian oil exports, but with each reshaping of the conspiracy theory, there has been no evidence of any similarly funded successful campaign in the United States.

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ref 1

https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-funding-environmental-groups-europe-united-state

no lnx pix [vid?]

RUSSIA Published March 15, 2022

Russia duped Europe into energy dependence by funding 'rabid environmental groups': experts

Expert James Carafano: 'Russians actually fund some of the most rabid environmental groups in Europe'

By Emma Colton | Fox News

[soc med]

[Biden engaged in 'war on American energy,' finally banned Russia oil over bad news cycle, House rep says

NEW

You can now listen to Fox News articles! BeyondWords]

For years, world leaders have accused Russia of funding environmental groups in Europe to steer nations away from energy independence and strengthen Russia’s iron grip over the continent.As nations across the globe begin shunning Russian oil in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. leaders are also questioning how deep Russia’s ties go in the environmental community.

"The Russians actually fund some of the most rabid environmental groups in Europe because they sic them on the energy projects that aren’t Russian," James Carafano, vice president of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation,told Fox News Digital in a recent phone interview.

RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES]

Back in June 2014, just months after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, European leaders sounded off that Russia was using disinformation operations with environmental groups to steer countries away from fracking in favor of Russian oil.

"I have met allies who can report that Russia, as part of their sophisticated information and disinformation operations, engaged actively with so-called non-governmental organisations - environmental organisations working against shale gas - to maintain European dependence on imported Russian gas," Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former prime minister of Denmark and then-secretary-general of NATO, said, according to the Guardian.

NATO’s press office passed the remarks off as Rasmussen’s personal views, but one NATO official sounded the alarm that Russia’s grip on Europe was tightening.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS OVER ALLEGATION OF COLLUSION WITH RUSSIA

"We don't go into the details of discussions among allied leaders, but Russia has been using a mix of hard and soft power in its attempt to recreate a sphere of influence, including through a campaign of disinformation on many issues, including energy. In general, the potential for Russia using energy supplies as a means of putting pressure on European nations is a matter of concern. No country should use supply and pricing terms as tools of coercion," the NATO official told the Guardian in 2014.

Environmental groups have meanwhile feverishly denied any ties to Russia.

"The idea we’re puppets of Putin is so preposterous that you have to wonder what they’re smoking over at NATO HQ," Greenpeacetold the Guardian in 2014.

By 2016, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Scotland and Bulgaria had all banned fracking, either temporarily or permanently. Russia’s power over European energy grew large by 2022, providing roughly 40% of the continent’s natural gas supply. Lithuania, for example, gets 83% of its oil imports from Russia, Poland gets 58% and Finland 80%, The Hill reported. [DENMARK?]

"You're not really an independent nation if you depend on foreign countries so heavily for your energy supplies," Michael Shellenberger, thebest-selling author of "Apocalypse Never," told Fox News earlier this month.

EUROPE'S GREEN ENERGY POLICIES STRENGTHENED PUTIN, MICHAEL SHELLENBERGER SAYS

Shellenberger said that 15 years ago, "Europe produced more natural gas than Russia," but that all changed as "Russia increased its natural gas production and Europe reduced it."

"Europe decided not to frack in large part in response to climate activists," Shellenberger told Fox News. "We now think there is strong evidence suggesting [the climate activists] were supported directly through financing from Russia." 

REPUBLICANS CALL ON YELLEN TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER RUSSIAN MONEY FINANCED USA GREEN GROUPS

In the U.S., Republican Reps. Lamar Smith and Randy Weber sent a letter to then-Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin in 2017 arguing that Russia’s goal is to "suppress the widespread adoption of fracking in Europe and the U.S." by funding such environmental groups.

The two Republicans even cited former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who complained during a private 2014 speech about "phony environmental groups" pushing an anti-fracking agenda.

"We were even up againstphony environmental groups, and I’m a big environmentalist, but these were funded by the Russians to stand against any effort, ‘Oh that pipeline, that fracking, that whatever will be a problem for you,’ and a lot of the money supporting that message was coming from Russia," Clinton said, according to excerpts leaked by WikiLeaks in 2016.

Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are now holding three environmental groups’ feet to the fire.

The Republicans, led by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, are demanding that the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club disclose their ties to aSan Francisco-based nongovernmental organization that Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly uses to wield power over American energy production.

[PIX: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Councilmeeting in Moscow, Russia.

]

"Provided the public reporting of Putin's dark money influence in Europe and the concerns surrounding similar efforts in the United States, we write today to explore your connections withSea Change," the Republicans wrote in the letter to the three groups last week. "Any action by President Putin, the Russian government, or Putin's allies to undermine American energy security must be addressed."

The three groups denied any ties in a previous comment to Fox News, describing the accusations as "completely false," "rooted in a smear campaign," and a phony "conspiracy theory."

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"It is vital to our national security to know if Vladimir Putin, the Russian government, or Putin’s allies are meddling with America’s energy affordability and security. If the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, or Sierra Club have nothing to hide, then we look forward to seeing the evidence they provide by March 25th," House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican leader McMorris Rodgers told Fox News Digital. 

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ref {note many lnx are just to fox category/tag]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-demand-answers-environmental-groups-collusion-russia

no lnx vid [interestingly on 3 22 pix of ukraine devastation]

REPUBLICANS Published March 10, 2022 7:37pm EST

House Republicans demand answers from environmental groups over allegation of collusion with Russia

The group's reportedly have ties to the Sea Change Foundation based in San Francisco

Kyle MorrisBy Kyle Morris | Fox News

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Vladimir Putin is laughing at the Biden administration: Charlie Hurt]

Fox News contributor tells Laura Ingraham that Vladimir Putin is sitting back laughing at the Biden administration.

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Listen to this article BeyondWords]

House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are calling on certain environmental groups to disclose their ties to a non-governmental organization which is, according to the committee, reportedly used by Russian President Vladimir Putin to make an impact on American energy production.

Three environmental groups – the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Sierra Club – reportedly have ties to the San Francisco-based NGO environmental organization called the Sea Change Foundation, according to Republicans on the committee.

MARYLAND GOV. LARRY HOGAN WORKING ON ‘EMERGENCY SUSPENSION’ OF STATE GAS TAX

In a letter sent to each of the three groups, Republicans inquired about the funding the groups have received from Sea Change since 2006 and called for disclosure of whether the groups "are aware of concerns that Sea Change may be a conduit for Russian funding."

"Provided the public reporting of Putin's dark money influence in Europe and the concerns surrounding similar efforts in the United States, we write today to explore your connections with Sea Change," the Republicans stated in the letter. "Any action by President Putin, the Russian government, or Putin's allies to undermine American energy security must be addressed."

In addition, the Republicans asked the groups if they have received funds or took a particular action after a request "from the Russian government or anyone connected with the Russian government."

All three of the groups, according to Republicans on the committee, were identified as top recipients of Sea Change grants since 2006. The letter was signed by more than 20 Congressional Republicans, including Energy and Commerce Committee Republican leader Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Wash., and ranking member Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.

"If the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club have nothing to hide, then we look forward to seeing the evidence by March 25," a spokesperson for Energy and Commerce Republicans told Fox News.

In a response shared with Fox News, Bob Deans, the director of strategic engagement for the NRDC, suggested the "allegations are false" and are "rooted in a smear campaign."

"We receive no funding from the governments of Russia or China," Deans said. "We answer to our independent leadership, and we don’t do the bidding of any government – foreign or otherwise – in our work to advocate for commonsense environmental protections in the public interest. These allegations are rooted in a smear campaign orchestrated nearly a decade ago by fossil fuel interests and a right-wing think tank. They only serve then, as now, as a distraction."

Similarly, a statement provided to Fox News from the LCV said the "story is completely false and has been put to rest for years."

"We have no connections to Russia, or China, and have been an effective advocate for environmental protection for over 50 years," the group stated. "These false and poorly researched allegations are rooted in a nearly 10-year-old right-wing think tank and fossil fuel industry-funded smear campaign that gets revived every few years to serve as a distraction."

Natali Sevriukova reacts next to her house following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022.]

In a statement shared with Fox News, Melinda Pierce, Sierra Club's legislative director, concluded the allegation of collusion is a "false conspiracy theory."

"This false conspiracy theory, invented by the same deceitful front groups paid to do polluters' and big tobacco’s dirty work, has been repeatedly debunked over its nearly 10-year existence," Pierce said. "The Sierra Club has no connections to Russia or China, and proudly fights for clean energy and climate action because this is what our planet requires, our families deserve, and what the overwhelming majority of Americans across the country demand."

Fox News did not receive an immediate response from the Sea Change Foundation.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Gasoline prices in America hit a record high this week amid Russia’s continued invasion into Ukraine and the announcement that the United States would suspend purchases of Russian oil. As of Thursday, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline reached $4.318, according to AAA data. Prices surpassed the $4 mark Sunday for the first time in 14 years.

The Republican members have requested a response to their questions by March 25.

Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. On Twitter: @RealKyleMorris.

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attacked by Vitter billionaire rep bs:

A review of the IRS Form 990s reveals that Nathaniel (“Nat”) Simons is the President of Sea Change, and his wife, Laura Baxter-Simons, is its Secretary.398 Nat and Laura predominately fund Sea Change through their own personal wealth, mostly attributed to their ties to Renaissance Technologies, a wildly profitably hedge fund.399 Nat was once a principal at Renaissance and currently serves on the board of Renaissance; Laura was an associate counsel at Renaissance.400 Notably, Nat’s father, James Simons founded Renaissance.401 James Simons has been described as “one of the richest people on the planet, 402 is ranked 34th on the Forbes’ Richest People in America, 403 and 88th on the Forbes’ list of world billionaires with a net worth of $12 billion.404 In fact, the most recent data from the Center for Responsive Politics listed James and Nat’s mother, Marilyn Simons, as the #5 top contributor in the 2014 mid-term election cycle, donating 100% to Democrats – totaling $3,289,200.405 Nat also actively donates to political campaigns, including giving $15,000 to Obama’s 2009 Inaugural, and has given to dozens of Democratic candidates for Congress.406 Nat also serves as CEO ofElan Management where he manages the early stages of clean tech companies with a focus on solar and wind energy sources.407 Similar to Sea Change, Elan is based in San Francisco. Elan also created Prelude Ventures in 2009, an investment firm dedicated to clean energy. Tim Woodward, Managing Director of Prelude Ventures, has made comments revealing Elan’s agenda: “we still believe that advancements in renewables from solar to wind will be important opportunities . . . Unfortunately, energy is still a very inexpensive resource in North America, and that can make it difficult for many customers to pay much attention”408 (emphasis added). Only an affiliate of the Billionaire’s Club invested in renewable technologies would express disappointment in low energy prices. Aside from the Simons, Stephen Colwell is the Executive Director of Sea Change. 

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vitter picked up by escalator delingpole:

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2014/07/30/exposed-sea-change-the-shadowy-one-percenter-foundation-waging-war-on-affordable-energy/

 shadowy Californian-based foundation called Sea Change - part-funded by Democrat hedge-fund billionaires and a mysterious Bermuda-based company called Klein Ltd - has been funneling millions of dollars into hard-left environmental causes including the campaign against the affordable energy on which the health of the US economy depends.

Sea Change's machinations are exposed in a shock new report by the US Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works into the 'Billionaires Club' of US rich liberals who are secretly funding the green movement's war on Western industrial civilisation - and benefiting financially in the process.

Though Sea Change was listed in 2011 as the sixth-largest donor to environmental causes - giving $43,149,911 in grants to green activist groups - remarkably little has been known until now about its make-up or the extent of its influence.

Its website consists solely of a page revealing this somewhat limited information:

Sea Change Foundation is dedicated to achieving meaningful social impact through leveraged philanthropy that addresses the most pressing problems facing the world today. The Foundation's initial focus is addressing the serious threats posed by global climate change. The Foundation is in the process of determining how its grantmaking can have maximum impact, and is not able to accept unsolicited proposals.

However, the Senate report reveals that Sea Change is run by one of America's richest Democrat families, whose wealth derives from a wildly successful hedge fund - Renaissance - with more than $23 billion in assets under management.

Sea Change's president is Nathaniel 'Nat' Simons, son of Renaissance's founder James Simons (currently ranked 34th on Forbes's Richest People In America; also - with his wife Marilyn Simons, the no. 5 contributor in the 2014 mid-term election cycle, donating 100% to Democrats – totaling $3,289,200). Nat's wife Laura Baxter-Simons is Sea Change's secretary.

Nat Simons is also involved in businesses which stand to benefit financially from the advancement of the green agenda and the Obama administration's war on fossil fuels.

He is the CEO of Elan Management where he manages the early stages of clean tech companies with a focus on solar and wind energy sources. Elan also created Prelude Ventures in 2009, an investment firm dedicated to clean energy.

As the report notes, Sea Change's war on fossil fuels is felicitously aligned with Simons's business interests:

In 2010, Sea Change contributed $10,933,332 in grants to environmental organizations to “reduce reliance on high carbon energy.” The next year, 2011, Sea Change allocated nearly $10 million in grants for the same purpose. Thus, in 2010-2011, this one private foundation, which receives over 30% of its funding from a foreign overseas company, actively seeking to hide the source of its funding, contributed over $20 million dollars to fight domestic fossil energy production.

What remains a mystery, however, is its other main backer - an offshore company called Klein Ltd.

According to the Senate report:

Sea Change’s IRS Form 990 also shows that in addition to funding by the Simons, the only other source of its contributions derives from a Bermuda-based company called Klein Ltd. It appears that Klein exists on paper only, as it does not have an internet presence, and was set up for the sole purpose of funneling anonymous donations to Sea Change.411 In 2010, Klein contributed $13 million to Sea Change, amounting to 49% of all contributions to Sea Change that year, and in 2011 Klein contributed $10 million to Sea Change, amounting to 33% of all contributions to Sea Change.412 Bermuda offer Klein government guaranteed anonymity for the sources of their donations.413 As a practical matter, an overseas company contributing tens of millions to organizations dedicated to abolishing the use of affordable fossil fuels is highly problematic. This is only compounded by the fact it is deliberately and completely lacking in transparency. However, it is likely this lack of transparency shields Klein Ltd. from any responsibility to the American businesses and families it hurts.

The report concludes:

The role Sea Change plays as a member of the Billionaire’s Club is deeply troubling, especially in light of recent revelations that environmental activists, many of whom are clearly benefiting from this extreme “dark money,” do not have any moral qualms over where their money comes from – so long as it supports the far-left cause.

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 Sea Change Leadership PAC 2014

  Political Nonprofit(1 result)

  Top Contributor to Member(2 results)

https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/nonprof_contrib.php?id=204952986

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