Web of Denial Senate

jlf desmog

July 12, 2016

The John Locke Foundation (JLF), represented by Kory Swanson, was among 22 groups represented in a “Coalition” open letterpushing back against what the Heartland Institute describes as an “affront to free speech.” The groups are responding to the recent Web of Denial Resolution brought up in the Senate, calling out fossil fuel industry-funded groups denying climate change.³⁶

According to the Climate Investigations Center, all but one of the open letter’s signatory organizations have taken money (totalling at least $92 million since 1997) from the “climate denial web” including Koch Brothers’ various foundations, ExxonMobil, and two “Dark Money” organizations, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund.³⁷

Championed by Senators Whitehouse, Markey, Schatz, Boxer, Merkley, Warren, Sanders, and Franken, the resolution condemns what they are calling the #WebOfDenial— “interconnected groups – funded by the Koch brothers, major fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal, identity-scrubbing groups like Donors Trust and Donors Capital, and their allies – developed and executed a massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change to halt climate action and protect their bottom lines.”³⁸

The open letter addresses the senators, calling them “tyrants”:

“We hear you. Your threat is clear: There is a heavy and inconvenient cost to disagreeing with you. Calls for debate will be met with political retribution. That’s called tyranny. And, we reject it.”³⁹

The full list of signatories and their respective organizations is as follows:

• Grover Norquist — Americans for Tax Reform
• Lisa B. Nelson — American Legislative Exchange Council
• John A. Charles, Jr.— Cascade Policy Institute
• David Rothbard— Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• Kent Lassman — Competitive Enterprise Institute
• Nicole Neily — Franklin Center for Government and Policy Integrity
• Benita Dodd — Georgia Public Policy Foundation
• Bridgett Wagner — The Heritage Foundation
• Fred Birnbaum — Idaho Freedom Foundation
• Joseph Bast — The Heartland Institute
• J. Robert McClure III —James Madison Institute
• Brett Healy — The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy
• Kory Swanson — John Locke Foundation
• Dave Trabert — Kansas Policy Institute
• Jason Hayes — Mackinac Center for Public Policy
• Brent Mead — Montana Policy Institute
• Sharon J. Rossie — Nevada Policy Research Institute
• Sally Pipes — Pacific Research Institute
• Kevin Kane —Pelican Institute for Public Policy
• Paul J. Gessing — Rio Grande Foundation
• Lynn Taylor — Virginia Institute for Public Policy
• Carol Platt Liebau — Yankee Institute for Public Policy