vote4energy
<div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">api busted for using stock photos?</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: var(--sy); margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); list-style: none; counter-reset: ordered 0; box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); counter-increment: ordered 1; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); font-weight: bolder; box-sizing: border-box;">“Real people” played by actors:</span> <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); box-sizing: border-box;">API’s Energy Citizens campaign tries to frame their arguments in terms of real people, like “Ben” who was </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TBxpSISlzgIAVvHdR-gVh4PIhcKUlgkN1vmxX6UQVR4/edit?usp=sharing" target="blank" currentcolor="currentColor" background-image="background-image" background-position-x="background-position-x" background-position-y="background-position-y" background-size="background-size" background-repeat-x="background-repeat-x" background-repeat-y="background-repeat-y" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" opacity="opacity" var="var" aop="aop" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1), color; --aown: 1px; --aocn: currentColor; --aoch: transparent; --aow: var(--aown); --aoc: var(--aocn); --abc: var(--abcn); --atc: var(--atcn); --aop: var(--aopn, 1);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); cursor: pointer; box-sizing: border-box;">featured in an ad</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); box-sizing: border-box;"> about oil and gas workers. Ben was actually played by </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4589825/" target="blank" currentcolor="currentColor" background-image="background-image" background-position-x="background-position-x" background-position-y="background-position-y" background-size="background-size" background-repeat-x="background-repeat-x" background-repeat-y="background-repeat-y" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" opacity="opacity" var="var" aop="aop" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1), color; --aown: 1px; --aocn: currentColor; --aoch: transparent; --aow: var(--aown); --aoc: var(--aocn); --abc: var(--abcn); --atc: var(--atcn); --aop: var(--aopn, 1);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); cursor: pointer; box-sizing: border-box;">actor Rigo Nova</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); box-sizing: border-box;">, who also played “Carlos” the bartender in the right-wing dystopian fantasy film “</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Obamaland-Isaac-Anderson/dp/B07L8M4ZCC" target="_blank" currentcolor="currentColor" background-image="background-image" background-position-x="background-position-x" background-position-y="background-position-y" background-size="background-size" background-repeat-x="background-repeat-x" background-repeat-y="background-repeat-y" background-attachment="background-attachment" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" opacity="opacity" var="var" aop="aop" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1), color; --aown: 1px; --aocn: currentColor; --aoch: transparent; --aow: var(--aown); --aoc: var(--aocn); --abc: var(--abcn); --atc: var(--atcn); --aop: var(--aopn, 1);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); cursor: pointer; box-sizing: border-box;">Obamaland Part 1: Rise of the Trumpublikans</span></a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition-property: var(--t8n_p1); box-sizing: border-box;">.”</span></font></li></ul></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="font-size: small;"><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">wow api a whole bunch:</font></div><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">food & ww</font></div><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/insight/who-supports-fracking" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">
</a></font></div><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/insight/who-supports-fracking" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/insight/<b>who-supports-fracking</b></a></font></div><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style=""><div class="u-smallText" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 26px;"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2014-11-21T00:00:00-05:00" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>11.21.14</b></font></span></div><div class="u-smallText" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 26px;"><div class="authors" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Alison Grass</font></div></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The science is in: climate change is a threat, and fracking worsens climate change. Fracking also brings many other well-documented problems, including water contamination, air pollution and adverse health effects. Clean, safe energy solutions are available, such as wind and solar power, energy efficiency technologies and conservation policies. To harness these solutions, we must remake the U.S. energy system -- but the oil and gas industry stands in the way.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The oil and gas industry has captured U.S. energy policy. To see that U.S. energy policy continues to serve the industry’s bottom line, it has erected a huge money machine to push a pro-fracking agenda at all levels of government. Whether it’s lobbying the halls of Congress or spreading misinformation in the media, the following groups are helping the oil and gas industry manipulate public opinion so it can continue drilling and fracking for fossil fuels. Here is our list of some of the main players helping to push fracking on the American public.</font></p><h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 52px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trade Associations</font></h2><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">America's Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ANGA was formed in 2009 by a group of 27 independent natural gas companies to lobby for an industry-friendly climate bill.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ANGA “… <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://anga.us/about-us#.VAdb4GRdX7E" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">works</a> with industry, government and customer stakeholders to promote increased demand for and continued availability of our nation’s abundant natural gas resource … ”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ANGA lobbies for natural gas interests and spends millions of dollars on advertising and public relations aimed at convincing people to carry out its agenda.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ANGA spent <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/07/30/30climatewire-stream-of-new-lobbying-money-helped-climate-61474.html?pagewanted=all" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">$300,000</a> on lobbying in the early stages of the failed climate bill in 2009, to push for natural gas incentives.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2012, ANGA gave $50,000 to a group called Longmont Taxpayers for Common Sense, the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2012/10/24/big-oil-weighs-in-big-in-longmont.html?page=all" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">largest donation</a> to help keep a local fracking ban off of the ballot in Longmont, Colorado.</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In one of its most egregious public relations stunts, which can be seen in its 2012 IRS 990 form, ANGA gave $1 million to help fund “<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://blog.littlesis.org/2012/06/13/fracking-industrys-answer-to-gasland-devised-by-astroturf-lobbying-group-and-political-ad-agency/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Truthland</a>,” a short film devised by the oil and gas industry to respond to the 2010 documentary “Gasland.”</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">American Gas Association (AGA)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AGA is a natural gas utility trade association that advocates for the use of natural gas and “represents companies delivering natural gas to consumers …”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AGA’s president and CEO, Dave McCurdy, is a former Democratic congressman from Oklahoma. Among McCurdy’s <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.pipelineandgasjournal.com/dave-mccurdy-brings-strong-credentials-aga" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">priorities</a> at AGA is to expand the use of natural gas for transportation, so as to serve the AGA membership’s interests in increasing demand for natural gas.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AGA is credited with positioning natural gas as a “<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/01/24/407765/natural-gas-is-a-bridge-to-nowhere-price-for-global-warming-pollution/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">bridge fuel</a>” decades ago. This positioning has allowed natural gas to be viewed as part of the solution to climate change, but climate pollution stemming from natural gas dependence is a major threat.</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">American Petroleum Institute (API)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">API is “the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and gas industry.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">API uses its financial power to back <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.thenation.com/blog/171529/saudi-led-oil-lobby-group-financed-2012-dark-money-attack-ads" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">several</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.republicreport.org/2012/coalition-for-american-jobs/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">dark money groups</a>, including the Coalition for American Jobs, a 501(c)(6) group, </span>which was set up by API lobbyists and is also supported by the chemical industry to air political ads for supportive candidates.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Since 2008, API has been led by its president, oil <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=12412" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">lobbyist</a> Jack Gerard. Under Gerard’s leadership, API has invested heavily in public relations campaigns, like its <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.energyandpolicy.org/american_petroleum_institute_s_vote_4_energy_campaign" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Vote4Energy </a>advertisements that inundated televisions during the 2012 presidential election.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to the <b><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/01/15/16596/who-needs-lobbyists-see-what-big-business-spends-win-american-minds" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Center for Public Integrity</a>, in 2012 API spent $85.5 million to four PR and advertising firms including $51.9 million to just one firm—Edelman, which calls itself “the world’s largest public relations firm.” The API is Edelman’s biggest client.</b></font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A bulk of API’s <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/jack-gerard-the-force-majeure-behind-big-oil/2012/04/06/gIQA1hjC0S_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">advertising</a> and lobbying is done under names of its<b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> front groups:</span> Energy Nation, Energy Citizens, EnergyTomorrow and America’s Energy Forum.</b></font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">API’s front groups aggressively employ<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/GP%20API%20letter%20August%202009-1.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">astroturf campaigns</a> to give the appearance of grassroots support by organizing rallies and spreading misinformation to promote its agenda.</span></font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">IPAA is a national trade association that represents companies focused on exploration and production of oil and natural gas.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">IPAA is responsible for creating Energy In Depth (EID), an industry-biased media outlet designed to respond to hydraulic fracturing criticism.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2011, DeSmogBlog revealed an IPAA <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/HFUnderFire.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">leaked memo</a> from 2009 that stated: “For months, IPAA’s government relations and communications teams have been working around-the-clock on a new industry-wide campaign — known as “Energy In Depth (<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.energyindepth.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">energyindepth.org</a>) — to combat new environmental regulations, especially with regard to hydraulic fracturing.”</font></li></ul></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The MSC is a trade association working to promote drilling and fracking for shale gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The MSC comprises a large number of companies and law firms with stakes in expanded drilling and fracking for natural gas in the region, and across the country.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of the MSC’s associate members, Aqua America, the second largest U.S. investor-owned water company, sells water to shale drillers.</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The MSC’s <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://marcelluscoalition.org/about/executive-committee/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Executive Board</a> is run by industry employees from Range Resources, Williams, XTO Energy, CONSOL Energy, EOG Resources and numerous other companies profiting from fracking.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The group spends big money on public relations initiatives, has funded <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://blog.littlesis.org/2012/06/13/frackademics-timothy-considine-analyst-or-advocate/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">industry-biased</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140512/NEWS04/405120303" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">fracking studies</a> and has given money to colleges.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many of Pennsylvania’s elected officials, regulators, lobbying groups and law firms have direct ties to the natural gas industry and the MSC.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For example, in 2010, the MSC brought on former <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.prwatch.org/news/2010/08/9321/tom-ridge-joins-marcellus-shale-coalitions-natural-gas-gold-rush" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Department of Homeland Security Secretary</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://marcelluscoalition.org/2011/07/update-on-the-msc-gov-ridge-partnership/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Pennsylvania Governor </a>Tom Ridge for a year as a strategic adviser under a $900,000 contract, shared by his two consulting firms.</font></li></ul></li></ul><h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 52px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Astroturf Campaigns and Front Groups</font></h2><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While ACSF benignly describes itself as “an independent nonprofit working for cleaner energy in the U.S. transportation and power sectors,” it is, at best, an astroturf group that works to advance the natural gas industry.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ACSF was co-founded in <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.cleanskies.org/about/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">2007</a> by Aubrey McClendon, the former Chesapeake Energy CEO</span> who was <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/09/us-eig-chesapeake-mcclendon-idUSBRE8471H020120509" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">stripped of his chairmanship</a> in 2012 after it was revealed that major financial backers of Chesapeake issued personal loans to McClendon in order for him to take personal stakes in the company’s wells.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although McClendon stepped down from the ACSF board in 2013, its <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.cleanskies.org/about/board-bios/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">leadership</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=145507916&ticker=TEXC" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">still</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.phillipsmurrah.com/attorneys/jim-roth" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">has</a> ties to oil and gas industry interests.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One way that ACSF exerts its influence is through its financial backing of academic studies — funding so-called “<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://public-accountability.org/wp-content/uploads/industry_partner_or_industry_puppet.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">frackademia</a>” — such as the high-profile 2011 MIT study, The Future of Natural Gas, led by Ernest Moniz, now U.S. Secretary of Energy.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2011, before the report was released, Moniz was appointed to a profitable position on the Board of Directors of ICF International, a consulting firm with strong ties to the oil and gas industry.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Moniz also served on the NGP Energy Technology Partners advisory board for several years (although it is unclear whether or not he was compensated), in addition to his many other professional <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.propublica.org/article/wealth-of-business-connections-ernest-moniz" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">ties</a> to the energy sector.</font></li></ul></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">America's Energy Forum</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>America’s Energy Forum, launched in 2008 by the American Petroleum Institute (API), is a lobbying group.</b></font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a presentation by API, the target audience of America’s Energy Forum is described as: “Politically influential third parties — 'grasstops' — including ‘political family’ members of local, state, federal lawmakers and federal candidates.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">API says that the mission of America’s Energy Forum is to: “Orchestrate new public policy outcomes for the industry by surrounding lawmakers with the most politically persuasive grass-top constituents supporting energy issues.”</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20140127/ARTICLES/140129695?tc=ar" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">an example</a> of how the group operates, in early 2014 America’s Energy Forum managed to write, and have a North Carolina mayor sign, a letter of support for oil exploration off the state’s coast.</font></li></ul></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Big Green Radicals</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On March 6, 2014, Big Green Radicals, an industry front group, launched an attack on Food & Water Watch, and two other activist groups, with a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.biggreenradicals.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/BGR-WSJ-Ad.jpg" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">full-page ad</a> in The Wall Street Journal, a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRzVnPuZT8Q&feature=youtu.be" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">90-second commercial</a> online and a website calling us a “big green radical.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Big Green Radicals is led by PR flack/lobbyist<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://bermanexposed.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Rick Berman</a></span>, a man nicknamed “ <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://bermanexposed.org/broadcast-clips" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Dr. Evil</a>.” He has been the force behind many industry front groups pushing the interests of tobacco companies, payday lenders and casinos, and is often hired by companies to attack consumer and public interest groups.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Berman runs an advertising firm, Berman and Company, which shares office space with many of his industry-driven nonprofits, devised to appear like <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/hidden-interests-dr-evils-payday" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">grassroots</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.architectmagazine.com/architecture/astroturf-organization-turns-to-green-building-leed-exposed_o.aspx" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">advocacy</a> groups or independent research institutions.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Big Green Radicals is a project of Berman’s Environmental Policy Alliance.</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) greenwashes the public with the delusion that widespread drilling and fracking can be done safely and sustainably, as long as the industry follows the CSSD’s drafted voluntary guidelines and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://037186e.netsolhost.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/CSSD-Performance-Standards-3-13R.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">performance standards</a>.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These “standards” are the basis for the CSSD’s <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/https://www.sustainableshale.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Master_News_Release.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">certification scheme</a>, which it <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2014/01/21/what-leed-did-for-buildings-this-could-do-for-shale-gas-production/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">shamelessly</a> likens to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for recognizing green building design. For $30,000, applicants that meet certain standards are rubberstamped and the company can flaunt that it has met certain “sustainability” criteria.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Launched in March 2013, the CSSD was formed by a group of 11 companies, foundations and nonprofits: Chevron, CONSOL Energy, EQT, Shell, PennFuture, Group Against Smog and Pollution, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Clean Air Task Force, Environmental Defense Fund, The Heinz Endowments and William Penn Foundation.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In reality, the CSSD is a portal for the oil and gas industry to exert its influence and help “<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://public-accountability.org/2014/08/anatomy-of-an-industry-front-group/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">scrub the image</a>” of drilling and fracking.</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CEA poses itself as a grassroots organization, claiming that it works as “<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://consumerenergyalliance.org/about-consumer-energy-alliance/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">the voice of the energy consumer</a>” and that it “provide[s] consumers with sound, unbiased information on U.S. and global energy issues.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">HBW Resources </span>— an oil and gas lobbying firm — formed CEA in the late 2000s, and an IRS 990 form shows that CEA is run out of <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/261/658/2012-261658339-096be961-9O.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">HBW Resources’ Houston office</a>; many of the listed CEA staff are also employed at HBW Resources.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CEA has been a staunch advocate of the Keystone XL Pipeline, of drilling offshore from Florida to Maine and of fracking.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2011, CEA funded a public relations <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.celdf.org/community-organizing-pennsylvania-organizing-campaigns-peters-township" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">campaign</a> that helped defeat a fracking ban ordinance in Peters Township, Pennsylvania.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">More than once, CEA president David Holt, also a managing partner at HBW Resources, has written articles attacking Food & Water Watch, alleging without support that we are misrepresenting the risks and harms from fracking. Science makes clear the significant risks and harms.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, CEA is misleading the public by claiming that it is a grassroots group. Its <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://consumerenergyalliance.org/about-consumer-energy-alliance/members/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">members</a> consist of industry trade associations and oil and gas companies, while it receives funding from oil and gas industry groups, including the<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> American Petroleum Institute.</span></font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Energy Citizens</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">Energy Citizens is one of the American Petroleum Institute’s (API’s) front groups </span>and has a presence in every congressional district in the United States.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Energy Citizen’s mission is to “identify, recruit, educate, engage, and mobilize citizens to voice support, participate in the energy-policy debate, and affect change at all levels of government” in order to fulfill oil and gas industry interests.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">API describes its Energy Citizen membership base as mostly males with “nationalistic tendencies,” who consider themselves “eternal pragmatists,” “very religious” and “right of center,” and who “Love Sports — in particular Motorsports.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to a 2012 presentation by API’s Director of External Mobilization, the target audience for Energy Citizens is “Voters without a direct connection to the oil and natural gas industry.”</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A leaked memo, however, exposed that in 2009, Energy Citizens planned <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/5922:energy-in-depth-counterinsurgency-tactics-and-astroturf-energy-citizens" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">astroturf rallies</a> against climate change legislation that year, rallies that were fully organized from the top down and paid for by API, other industry lobbyists and API member companies, so that employees of those companies would participate.</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/GP%20API%20letter%20August%202009-1.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">memo</a> noted: “API will provide the up-front resources to ensure logistical issues do not become a problem. This includes contracting with a highly experienced events management company that has produced successful rallies for presidential campaigns, corporations and interest groups. It also includes coordination with the other interests who share our views on the issues, providing a field coordinator in each state, conducting a comprehensive communications and advocacy activation plan for each state, and serving as central manager for all events.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Energy Citizens propagates its agenda by using the web to “educate, activate, and organize,” while also attending Vote4Energy rallies, holding roundtables and participating in hearings.</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Energy In Depth (EID)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">EID acts as a PR arm for the oil and gas industry.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">EID uses <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/5922:energy-in-depth-counterinsurgency-tactics-and-astroturf-energy-citizens" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">pseudo-grassroots</a> tactics to build opposition against fracking activists, and it aggressively attacks any group, person or media outlet that displays concerns about or objections to fracking, in order to discredit them.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Among its tactics, in 2011 <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/10/gas-lobby-bribery-public-meeting_n_874903.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">EID bribed citizens</a> into testifying at public hearings in Pennsylvania on the industry’s behalf by offering free Pittsburgh Pirates tickets, paid airfare or bus transportation, and meals, in an effort to fill the space with pro-industry members of the public.</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In response to “Gasland,”<b> IPAA and EID </b>spearheaded the pro-fracking short documentary “<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://blog.littlesis.org/2012/06/13/fracking-industrys-answer-to-gasland-devised-by-astroturf-lobbying-group-and-political-ad-agency/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Truthland</a>.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">EID’s “Contact Us” page on its website <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.desmogblog.com/%E2%80%98energy-depth%E2%80%99-was-created-major-oil-and-gas-companies-according-industry-memo" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">used to</a> describe itself as, “… a project of America’s small, independent oil and natural gas producers…” Conversely, major fracking companies have <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/12/11921/%E2%80%9Cenergy-depth%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%93-reporters%E2%80%99-guide-its-founding-funding-and-flacks" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">heavily funded EID</a>.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As an IPAA memo noted: “The ‘Energy In Depth’ project would not be possible without the early financial commitments of: El Paso Corporation, XTO Energy, Occidental Petroleum, BP, Anadarko, Marathon, EnCana, Chevron, Talisman, Shell,<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> API, </span>IPAA, Halliburton, Schlumberger and the Ohio Oil and Gas Association.”</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">EID’s influence is extensive. For example, former EID spokesperson John Krohn is now employed with the U.S. Energy Information Administration.</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Energy Nation</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Energy Nation, one of the <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">American Petroleum Institute’</span>s front groups</b>, is a fleet of fracking advocates made up of current and former oil and gas industry employees, vendorsand their families.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although backed by major oil and gas interests, Energy Nation attempts to rally itself like a grassroots organization. As illustrated in this <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/API%20on%20Empowering%20Employee%20Advocates.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">presentation,</a> the group strongly fosters employee mobilization to get current and former employees to be active “brand ambassadors.”</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Energy Tomorrow</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Energy Tomorrow is <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/jack-gerard-the-force-majeure-behind-big-oil/2012/04/06/gIQA1hjC0S_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">central </a>to the American Petroleum Institute’s misinformation projects.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A key method of disseminating its propaganda is through TV advertisements, in which Energy Tomorrow spokesperson Brooke Alexander — a former soap opera actress — hypes the “benefits” of natural gas jobs.</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Environmental Policy Alliance</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Environmental Policy Alliance — “EPA”! — is a project of the Center for Organizational Research & Education, formerly known as the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/BermanCORECCF.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Center for Consumer Freedom</a>, and has the same registered address as <b>Rick Berman’s PR firm Berman and Company.</b></font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Environmental Policy Alliance says it is “ … devoted to uncovering the funding and hidden agendas behind environmental activist groups and exploring the intersection between activists and government agencies.” In reality, the group is operating on its own financial interests, not the public interest:</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In July 2014, the Environmental Policy Alliance launched a snarky and misleading advertisement in Colorado to counter fracking activists who have been campaigning to get anti-fracking ballot measures on the November ballot.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wuKMID3Gq4" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">ad spot </a>mocks, insults and ridicules fracking activists, claiming that activists’ opposition to fracking is rooted in asinine assumptions, ignorant of science — even though science makes clear the significant risks and harms.</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In June 2014, <b><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://bermanexposed.org/node/482" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Anastasia Swearingen</a>, who works for Rick Berman and the Environmental Policy Alliance,</b> published two pro-fracking <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/58061863-82/lands-blm-energy-federal.html.csp" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">newspaper</a> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/nevada-being-denied-right-join-energy-boom" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">op-eds</a> attacking the Bureau of Land Management for not yet opening up federal lands to fracking and drilling.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Swearingen’s op-eds are based on findings from a University of Wyoming study authored by Timothy Considine, a notorious figure in the world of frackademia, who has led industry-skewed studies funded by the Marcellus Shale Coalition and American Petroleum Institute.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In March 2014, five days after Swearingen published an op-ed attacking LEED certification in USA Today, the paper added <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/03/09/environment-carbon-climate-change-pollution-column/6027923/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">an editorial update</a> stating that it found out that she was “… employed by public relations firm Berman and Co., not the Environmental Policy Alliance.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The editorial update went on to say: “The Environmental Policy Alliance, a tax-exempt group, has no employees and is housed at the same address as Berman, which controls the recently created group, according to Berman spokeswoman Sarah Longwell.”</font></li></ul></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">United Shale Advocates (USA)</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On March 20, 2014, the <b>Marcellus Shale Coalition l</b>aunched a new initiative in Pennsylvania, United Shale Advocates, “focused on ensuring that [they] advance common sense, predictable policies that encourage investment and job growth across the Commonwealth.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This group, with its noticeably patriotic abbreviation (USA) is billed by the MSC as “a movement to tie together those interested in Pennsylvania energy and it’s a platform for them to engage further.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As previously mentioned, the MSC is a consortium of major oil and gas industry players and their special brand of “grassroots” organizing, which should really be called “gasroots” organizing.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On May 6, 2014, “USA” hosted a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to oppose any efforts to impose taxes on the oil and gas industry in the state, and in support of fracking jobs and further development of the Marcellus Shale in Harrisburg.</font></li></ul><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Vote4Energy</font></h3><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Launched on January 1, 2012, Vote4Energy is another American Petroleum Institute astroturf campaign</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, which staged fake citizen support with commercials tha</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">t highlight “real Americans” who are “energy voters.”</span></font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Activists </span><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/upcoming-american-petroleum-institute-vote-4-/blog/38291/" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">revealed</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, after responding to the </span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Vote4Energy casting call sent out on behalf of API,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">that the campaign initiative was an election-related advertising package with CNN</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, tied to the network’s political coverage for maximum political influence.</span></font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://checksandbalancesproject.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/apicommercialcasting.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">casting call</a>, sent on December 1, 2011, stated:</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We are writing to you because we need all ages and races to express their views in a Commercial Spot on American Made Energy!”</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The call listed five qualifications that they were seeking, including:</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“You are willing to go on camera and state your beliefs” and;</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“You are comfortable portraying YOURSELF! </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">They want REAL PEOPLE not Actors!”</span></font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Yet several people were kicked out if they didn’t agree to read API’s script verbatim.</font></li></ul><h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 52px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Astroturf Propaganda</font></h2><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Truthland"</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Truthland” is a short film conceived by the oil and gas industry as a rebuttal to “Gasland.” Its name, however, is an oxymoron, as the film is rather misleading.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The film, released in 2012, initially had its web domain registered to Chesapeake Energy Corporation.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It was eventually changed so that it was registered to MFL Holdings, ATTN TRUTHLANDMOVIE.COM, care of Network Solutions, but LittleSis (a project of Public Accountability Initiative) was able to save a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://blog.littlesis.org/2012/06/13/fracking-industrys-answer-to-gasland-devised-by-astroturf-lobbying-group-and-political-ad-agency/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">cached screen shot</a> of its domain when it was registered to Chesapeake.</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to the movie’s website, it is a project of E<b>nergy In Depth and IPAA</b>, and according to an EID document acquired by LittleSis, Fred Davis, a Republican media strategist, produced “Truthland.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Biased appearances were also made by: Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission member and fracking advocate, Terry Engelder; former Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary, John Hanger; and former Pennsylvania DEP Deputy Secretary for Mineral Resources Management, J. Scott Roberts.</font></li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 38px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“FrackNation”</font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“FrackNation,” a pro-fracking documentary, was released in 2013 in response to “Gasland 2” — with its public debut at the same time as Matt Damon’s “Promised Land.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The people behind “FrackNation” claim that it is an independent, grassroots-funded film, free from financial backing from the industry. But that doesn’t mean it is <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/06/03/exposed-fracknation-deploys-tobacco-playbook-response-gasland-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">without its biases</a>.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Once described as “stars of the Republican Party,” the producers/directors of “FrackNation” are climate change-denying couple Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, who have significant ties to powerful right-wing entities.</font><ul style="box-sizing: border-box;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">McAleer and McElhinney’s first two films received money from <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/05/28/fracknation-part-two-koch-industries-ties-bind" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Donors Trust/Donors Capital</a>, a nonprofit that siphons money into the climate change denial agenda and has financial ties to the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/exclusive-billionaires-secretly-fund-attacks-on-climate-science-8466312.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">Koch Brothers</a>.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a 2012 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, McAleer referred to environmentalism as “outsiders coming in and treating people like children.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">McAleer and McElhinney are reportedly “proud” that film critics compared one of their early films, “Mine Your Own Business,” to “pornography” and “Nazi propaganda.”</font></li></ul></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“FrackNation,” endorsed by countless oil and gas groups, also spotlights several industry persons, a former Big Tobacco champion, and climate change deniers, dubbed as “independent experts.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DeSmogBlog has described how “FrackNation” <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20160220093132/http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/06/03/exposed-fracknation-deploys-tobacco-playbook-response-gasland-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">takes a page from the Big Tobacco playbook</a> and tries to turn clear scientific concerns into a matter of opinion, or into a “he-said, she-said” debate.</font></li></ul></div><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div>