Checks & balances pjt

legit, cf alford

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/in-smog-battle-industry-gets-help-from-unlikely-source-black-business-group/2015/09/28/8c1c7e34-63c8-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html

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offic

<a href="http://checksandbalancesproject.org/">http://checksandbalancesproject.org/</a>

<a href="http://checksandbalancesproject.org/checks-and-balances-project-launches-captured-regulators/">http://checksandbalancesproject.org/checks-and-balances-project-launches-captured-regulators</a>/

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/checks-and-balances-project/

<h3><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-horn/exposed-exxonmobil-fundin_b_8714268.html" data-beacon="{" p="p" lnid="lnid" hdln="hdln">Exposed: ExxonMobil Funding Influential Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy</a></h3>

<strong>Steve Horn</strong>

<span>Posted 12.03.2015</span>

<a class="green" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/green">Green</a>

</div>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/white-house">White House,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/academia">Academia,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/oil-exports">Oil Exports,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/checks-and-balances-project">Checks and Balances Project,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/center-on-global-energy-policy">Center on Global Energy Policy,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/jason-bordoff">Jason Bordoff,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/obama">Obama,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/president-obama">President Obama,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/barack-obama">Barack Obama,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/exxonmobil">Exxonmobil,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/exxon">Exxon,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/columbia-university">Columbia University,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/columbia-university-journalism-school">Columbia University Journalism School,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/exxon-knew">Exxon Knew,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/mexico-energy-privatization">Mexico Energy Privatization,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/mexico">Mexico,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/mexico-energy-reform">Mexico Energy Reform,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/exxonknew">Exxonknew,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/green">Green News</a>

<hr />

</div>

</a>

<p>In a sentence buried at the very bottom of a story making

headlines nationwide, Politico revealed for the first time one of the

funders of Columbia University's influential Center on Global Energy

Policy (CGEP).</p>

</div>

<p><a class="read_post_link" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-horn/exposed-exxonmobil-fundin_b_8714268.html">Read Whole Story</a></p><p><a class="read_post_link" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-horn/exposed-exxonmobil-fundin_b_8714268.html">n a sentence buried at the very bottom of a story making </a><a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://gawker.com/exxon-accuses-journalism-students-of-ethics-violations-1745391960" target="blank">headlines</a> <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://dailycaller.com/2015/12/01/letter-columbia-university-deliberately-distorted-docs-interviews-to-smear-exxon-on-global-warming/" target="blank">nationwide</a>, Politico <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2015/11/exxonmobil-climate-change-ethics-allegations-columbia-university-216287" target="blank">revealed for the first time one of the </a><a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2015/11/exxonmobil-climate-change-ethics-allegations-columbia-university-216287" target="blank">funders</a> of Columbia University’s influential <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/about-us" target="_blank">Center on Global Energy Policy (<span class="caps">CGEP</span>)</a>.

</p><div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p>The funder: <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>ExxonMobil</b></span>, the company <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/2015/11/05/ny-attorney-general-investigation-subpoena-exxonmobil-peabody-coal-climate-denial" target="blank">embroiled in a New York state Attorney General investigation</a> for its extensive<a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://insideclimatenews.org/content/Exxon-The-Road-Not-Taken" target="blank"> internal knowledge of the impacts of climate change</a> since the 1970s, followed by Exxon’s <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.climateinvestigations.org/exxon-did-cohen" target="blank">funding of climate change denial</a> campaigns <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/exxonmobil-funding-climate-science-denial" target="blank">to the tune of $31 million</a>. Politico got its numbers from <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://cdn.exxonmobil.com/%7E/media/global/files/worldwide-giving/2014-worldwide-contributions-public-policy.pdf" target="blank">ExxonMobil’s 2014 </a><a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://cdn.exxonmobil.com/%7E/media/global/files/worldwide-giving/2014-worldwide-contributions-public-policy.pdf" target="blank">Worldwide Contributions and Community Investments report</a>.</p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">While Politico reported on Exxon’s grievances about the Los Angeles Times’ <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://graphics.latimes.com/exxon-arctic/" target="blank">two</a>-<a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://graphics.latimes.com/exxon-research/" target="blank">part</a>

investigation conducted by students and staff at Columbia University’s

Graduate School of Journalism that exposed what Exxon knew about climate

change science and when it knew it, it also touched on what money

currently flows into the University’s coffers via the “<a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.amazon.com/Private-Empire-ExxonMobil-American-Power/dp/0143123548" target="_blank">private empire</a>.”</span></p></div>

<p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Through its foundation, Exxon gave $219,229 to Columbia in 2014 as

part of a matching gift program for educational institutions, as well as

$9,000 in direct grants,” reads the article’s final paragraph. “The

company also gave $25,000 last year to the markets program at the

university’s Center on Global Energy Policy.”</span></p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p>DeSmog has long sought to discover who funds <span class="caps">CGEP</span> and has sent multiple rounds of information requests to the Center, never receiving a response.</p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p>The watchdog group Checks and Balances Project, which contacted DeSmog months back about <span class="caps">CGEP</span>

and its lack of disclosure regarding funding, has also written multiple

rounds of letters to the Center and also received no response.</p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p>Checks and Balances Project wrote letters to <span class="caps">CGEP</span>, published here for the first time on DeSmog, asking for clarification about who butters its bread in both <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/Inquiry%20Columbia%20Ctr%20on%20Global%20Energy%209.25.14.pdf" target="blank">September 2014</a> and <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/Columbia%20Ctr%20on%20Global%20Energy%20Policy%20inquiry%201.26.15.pdf" target="blank">January 2015</a>.

</p><h3>Academic Veneer, Advocacy Reality</h3>

As reported previously by DeSmog, <b><span class="caps">CGEP</span> has used the veneer of academia and traded on the Columbia University brand to serve as a <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/2015/10/22/ivy-league-universities-pushing-oil-industry-agenda-no-accountability" target="blank">leading advocate for <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">exporting oil</span></a> obtained via <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/fracking-the-future/" target="blank">hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) </a>to the global market, as well as for<a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/2015/08/07/hillary-clinton-state-department-emails-mexico-energy-reform-revolving-door" target="blank"> Mexico’s energy sector privatization</a> and <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/reports-and-working-papers" target="blank">other</a> energy <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/issue-briefs-and-other-publications" target="_blank">issues</a>.</b></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p><b>“If you were

looking for a success story in starting up a brand new group at your

university and having it very quickly jump into a leading role in the

national energy policy debate, Columbia’s <span class="caps">CGEP</span> represents the gold standard,</b>” <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/2015/10/22/ivy-league-universities-pushing-oil-industry-agenda-no-accountability" target="_blank">wrote DeSmog’s Justin Mikulka back in October</a>. “On the surface the formula is pretty simple, although perhaps not easily replicated without some deep-pocketed funders.”</p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p><b>The Center is <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/jason-bordoff" target="_blank">headed by Jason Bordoff</a>,

former special assistant to President Barack Obama and <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">senior director

for energy and climate change for the National Security Council</span>. </b>Bordoff

has not responded to multiple requests for comment on <span class="caps">CGEP</span>‘s funding stream sent by DeSmog.</p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p>With <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/about-us/people?qt-people=0#qt-people" target="blank">22 fellows</a> and <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/about-us/people?qt-people=1#qt-people" target="blank">19 faculty affiliates</a> staffed at <span class="caps">CGEP</span> — with backgrounds ranging from <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/colin-fenton" target="blank">Wall Street bank oil trading</a>, a <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/ambassador-carlos-pascual" target="blank"><span class="caps">U.S.</span>ambassador</a>, an <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/adrian-lajous" target="blank">industry executive</a>, <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/ke-wei" target="blank">industry consultants</a>,

etc. — one can probably safely bet that the $25,000 Exxon gave to the

Center merely serves as pennies to the dollar in terms of overall

industry bucks buttering <span class="caps">CGEP</span>‘s bread. DeSmog will continue digging for answers.</p></div><p><span class="read_post_link">---</span><a class="read_post_link" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-horn/exposed-exxonmobil-fundin_b_8714268.html">
</a></p>

</div>

<h3><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabe-elsner/state-department-inspector_b_3360350.html" data-beacon="{" p="p" lnid="lnid" hdln="hdln">State Department Inspector General Probing Keystone XL Contractor's Conflicts of Interest</a></h3>

<strong>Gabe Elsner</strong>

<span>Posted 08.05.2013</span>

<a class="green" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/green">Green</a>

</div>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/tar-sands">Tar Sands,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/environment">Environment,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/politics">Politics,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/president-obama">President Obama,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/secretary-kerry">Secretary Kerry,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/john-kerry">John Kerry,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/transcanada">Transcanada,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/exxonmobil">Exxonmobil,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/checks-and-balances-project">Checks and Balances Project,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/keystone">Keystone,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/obama">Obama,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/keystone-xl">Keystone XL,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/energy">Energy,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/state-department">State Department,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/energy-production">Energy Production,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/green">Green News</a>

<hr />

</div>

</a>

<p>In yet another investigation into the Obama Administration's

activities, the State Department Inspector General is probing the

conflicts of interest surrounding the contractor that performed the

Keystone XL review.</p>

</div>

<p><a class="read_post_link" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabe-elsner/state-department-inspector_b_3360350.html">Read Whole Story</a></p>

</div>

<h3><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brendan-demelle/energy-information-administration-report-_b_913794.html" data-beacon="{" p="p" lnid="lnid" hdln="hdln">Controversial Energy Subsidy Report Made Public By Watchdog Group</a></h3>

<strong>Brendan DeMelle</strong>

<span>Posted 10.01.2011</span>

<a class="green" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/green">Green</a>

</div>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/corporate-welfare">Corporate Welfare,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/energy-information-administration">Energy Information Administration,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/checks-and-balances-project">Checks and Balances Project,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/howard-gruenspecht">Howard Gruenspecht,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/desmog-blog">DeSmog Blog,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/energy-information-administration-report-flaws">Energy Information Administration Report Flaws,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/energy-information-administration-report">Energy Information Administration Report,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/energy-reports">Energy Reports,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/renewable-energy-report">Renewable Energy Report,</a>

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/green">Green News</a>

<hr />

</div>

</a>

<p>The Checks and Balances Project has obtained a copy of the

controversial Energy Information Administration report that was called

"garbage" by EIA Acting Administrator Howard Gruenspecht. </p>

</div>

<p><a class="read_post_link" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brendan-demelle/energy-information-administration-report-_b_913794.html">Read Whole Story</a></p>

</div>

</div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://checksandbalancesproject.org/" target="_blank">Checks and Balances Project</a> has obtained a copy of the <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/eia-head-objected-politically-dictated-garbage-subsidy-report-delivers-it-anyway">controversial Energy Information Administration</a>

report that was called “garbage” by EIA Acting Administrator Howard

Gruenspecht.  The polluter-friendly report was just delivered yesterday

afternoon to the GOP House requesters, Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT),

Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Congressman Roscoe Bartlett

(R-MD). </span>Checks and Balances provided a copy to DeSmogBlog, which we’re

providing to the public here: <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?dp9rzhnoca7lva6" target="_blank">“Direct Federal Financial Interventions and Subsidies in Energy in Fiscal Year 2010” [PDF]</a>.

<p>Gabe Elsner, Deputy Director of the Checks and Balances Project, told

DeSmogBlog that, “<b>if it’s true that the Acting Administrator

Gruenspecht called this report a “piece of garbage” he was right,

because it deliberately leaves out the six other ways in which coal, oil

and natural gas get government handouts.</b>  The fossil fuel welfare tab

is tens or hundreds of times greater than the cost of pro-renewable

policy support.”  </p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p><b>Elsner says

that this report is essentially a re-issue of the 2007 Alexander study

that was designed to defend public welfare to the fossil fuel industry,</b>

such as oil and gas industry subsidies. The new EIA analysis fails to

take into account the full range of subsidies at play in the energy

sector, and therefore delivers a favorable analysis of fossil fuels over

renewables. </p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p>By excluding a

lot of the other avenues of direct federal support given

disproportionately to fossil fuel interests, as well as financial tools

designed to assist dirty energy companies, the report is just plain

faulty, or “fuzzy math” as some guy once said. </p></div>

<p>Missing from the EIA calculations are a plethora of advantages the

dirty energy industry enjoys over clean tech companies, including

outsized direct subsidies for mature industries, publicly funded

pollution cleanup assistance, cheap insurance, low-interest federal

loans, extensive tax breaks, and —<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> most gut wrenching in the wake of <a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.desmogblog.com/breaking-tim-dechristopher-sentenced-two-years-prison">Tim DeChristopher’s imprisonment</a>

— insanely cheap public land leases for oil and gas drilling, as well

as access to public lands and tax credits to build transmission lines. </span></p></div>

<div class="content-list-component mt-paragraph text"><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On Monday, the </span><a data-beacon="{" p="p" mnid="mnid" entry_text="entry_text" lnid="lnid" citation="citation" mpid="mpid" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?c1nytbmcvpqhdq3" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Checks

and Balances Project, Greenpeace U.S. and Oil Change International plan

to file this Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)</span> request [PDF]</a> to the

EIA seeking records of the meetings and communications between the EIA

and the three GOP Congressmembers’ offices, as well as other materials

used in compiling the report. </p></div>
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