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see BERMAN and Bernhardt

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fail documented

4 25

our Tweet Ended Kathleen Sgamma’s Bid to Lead Trump Public Lands Agency

https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication

Memo Revealed Sgamma Was 'Disgusted' by Trump's Role in Inciting Jan. 6 Violence

Sgamma, President, Western Energy Alliance, speaks during a House Committee on Natural Resources hearing on America's Energy and Mineral potential, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

On Tuesday morning, I posted on social media a private memo from Kathleen Sgamma that revealed criticism of Donald Trump from within his own circle. Trump is well known to demand absolute loyalty from his nominees. By Thursday afternoon, just hours before her confirmation hearing, Kathleen Sgamma withdrew her nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management. It has been widely reported that it was the memo that forced her out.

In February Donald Trump nominated Sgamma to oversee the BLM. Few were surprised by his choice. Sgamma has been a longtime advocate for the oil and gas industry and president of the Western Energy Alliance, a prominent trade group representing the industry.

Trump's position on climate change has been well reported since before his first term. Since his 2020 victory, he has openly pushed for expanded drilling, vowed to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, and said(once again), "We will drill, baby, drill," during his inauguration address.

During that speech, Trump also stated that the U.S. has the “largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth—and we are going to use it.”

Sgamma seemed like a natural fit, albeit one that was horrifying for many environmental groups. Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity called her nomination an "unmitigated disaster," citing her "breathtaking disdain" for protecting public lands.

But behind the scenes, we uncovered a revealing internal memo buried among internal Western Energy Alliance documents from 2021, written by Sgamma to the group's member companies. In it, she strongly criticized Trump’s actions around January 6th.

Crucially, the Sgamma memo was sent to WEA members on January 7th, amid intense political backlash following the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and when Trump's leadership faced widespread condemnation and calls for impeachment. Some dissent (or honesty) was possible in that brief window.

In the memo, Sgamma expressed being “disgusted” by the violence on January 6th, placing blame squarely on Trump’s "role in spreading misinformation that incited it.” She went further, offering supportive words to incoming President Joe Biden, hoping he could restore “normalcy and moderation” to a nation shaken by unrest—even as she openly acknowledged their obvious policy differences.

Here is what Sgamma wrote in 2021:

I don’t usually bother you with reactions to major events shaping the country and world, because there is plenty of coverage on those. We take positions on issues in our portfolio, and I usually do not like to stray into larger issues that are outside the lanes directed by our committees and boards. We stick to our issues in social media, and I personally limit engagement on most other issues because of my professional position and general intolerance for a medium that quickly devolves into people yelling past each other.

However, the events yesterday at the Capitol were so shocking that our policy engagement with and PAC support for the Trump Administration compels me to speak up. I am disgusted by the violence witnessed yesterday and President Trump’s role in spreading misinformation that incited it. I’m disgusted he discredited all the good work he did reorienting the judiciary back toward respect for the rule of law and constitution by dishonoring the vote of the People and the rulings of those very same judges on his numerous challenges. I’m disheartened he besmirched his smart, well-intentioned people in the agencies who did such good work on important policies that advance the crucial mission of making life-sustaining, affordable energy accessible to all Americans, no matter their race, gender, and political orientation.

Senator Mike Lee, Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources announced Ms. Sgamma's withdrawal as the committee gathered on Thursday. “We accept her withdrawal and look forward to putting forth another nominee,” said a White House spokesperson.

Former Trump Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, now in private practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, tweeted after the withdrawal: "Individuals who know their views don’t align with the president, yet seek political appointments hoping such divergence won't be noticed, cause needless harm. Sad. Self-inflicted."

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nice overview

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/**2021/02**/biden-climate-change-actions-anger-big-oil/

President Joe Biden signed executive actions last week prioritizing solutions to the “existential threat” of climate change, drawing the ire of many key players in the politically powerful oil and gas industry.

Biden’s actions pressed pause on the leasing of federal lands and waters for oil drilling, set a goal of keeping 30 percent of federal lands for conservation purposes and announced the electrification of the federal government’s fleet of vehicles. The move comes a week after Biden revoked the permits for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline just hours after his inauguration, following through on a campaign-trail promise.

Leading up to the 2020 election, the oil and gas industry contributed around $1.6 million more to former President Donald Trump than to Biden. Trump painted himself as an ally to the industry on the stump and throughout his presidency — though industry insiders told Politico in 2020 that the Trump administration was “a mixed bag” and “more like ‘meh’” than the windfall they had hoped for in 2016.  

The oil industry spent millions in 2020 to try to keep a GOP majority in the Senate. Valero, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, among the few corporations that give to super PACs, gave at least $1 million each this election cycle to the Senate Leadership Fund, a conservative super PAC that spent $271 million to campaign against Democrats vying for the Senate.

Pausing land and water leases ‘to the extent possible’

Biden’s decision to halt future leases of federal land, pending a comprehensive review of the climate impact, caused an uproar among oil and gas companies and trade associations. Just hours after Biden formalized the order, theWestern Energy Alliance announced it would sue the Biden administration, alleging the move violates existing law.

Most drilling occurs on private land, rather than federal property. In 2017, approximately 24 percent of oil and 13 percent of natural gas extracted in the United States came from federal lands. According to analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey, around a quarter of U.S. emissions come from the combustion and extraction of resources from federal lands. 

Oil and gas companies rushed to stockpile drilling permits during Trump’s lameduck period — doubling the number of permit requests over the same period in 2019, according to an AP report.Under Biden’s order, oil and gas companies can continue to obtain new permits to drill on land that has already been leased. 

Experts say the executive action likely won’t immediately impact rates of oil extraction in the U.S. As of 2019, there were 38,294 leases active across the country, concentrated mostly in the American West. Once a lease has been issued, companies have 10 years to begin production on the land before the lease terminates.

The oil and gas industry’s leading trade association, the American Petroleum Institute, came out against the order. API President Mike Sommers criticized Biden’s suspension of federal agencies’ authority to issue leases of federal land to drilling companies in a Jan. 21 statement. 

“Restricting development on federal lands and waters is nothing more than an ‘import more oil’ policy. Energy demand will continue to rise—especially as the economy recovers—and we can choose to produce that energy here in the United States or rely on foreign countries hostile to American interests,” Sommers said.

In 2020, API’s PAC spent $88,200 to support Republican candidates, giving $5,000 to the Great America PAC, a Trump-aligned Carey committee.  API also dropped $5.3 million to employ 40 lobbyists, reporting lobbying 66 individual bills. The institute’s lobbying spending fell during Trump’s administration after trending upward throughout former President Barack Obama’s two terms in office.  

Another leading oil and gas industry association, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, has also come out in opposition to the action.

“We think it was really misguided,” Senior Vice President for Government Relations Dan Naatz told an Arkansas TV news team. “It impacts jobs and economies through the inner-Mountain West, all the way through the country.”

In 2020, the organization’s PAC spent $215,300 in campaign contributions, giving $10,000 each to Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and former Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Martha McSally (R-Ariz.).

Biden framed the executive action as a jobs package,remarking, “today is climate day in the White House which means today is jobs day at the White House,” just before he signed the executive actions. Labor leaders say they are waiting to hear how exactly Biden will replace jobs lost in energy sectors. 

“It’s too glib and easy to say someone working in the mines can get a solar job. That is too simplistic,” Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, told the Washington Examiner. “There is a mismatch between where energy jobs are getting lost and where they are created. We have to close that gap, but we also have to be real and help economies diversify their economies in ways based on their own assets.”

Oil corporations emphasize that gap. The Global Energy Institute, a subsidiary of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, came out against some of Biden’s climate actions, claiming it would lead to widespread unemployment.

“Without the prospect of future leases, investment and planning will begin to dry up immediately, thwarting job creation and the economic growth at the worst possible time,” the Institute’s President Marty Durbin said in a statement.

The Chamber of Commerce perennially favors Republicans and dropped $5.7 million in outside spending in 2020.

Keystone canceled, frustrating some oil companies

The Chamber of Commerce also condemned Biden’s action to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, a project widely opposed by environmental advocates, indigenous communities and scientists.

“This is a politically motivated decision that is not grounded in science. It will harm consumers and put thousands of Americans in the building trades out of work,” Durbin said.

The Keystone XL pipeline was proposed in 2008, vetoed by Obama in 2015 and promptly re-initiated by Trump in 2016 along with another controversial project, the Dakota Access Pipeline. Environmental and indigenous rights advocates are now calling on Biden to cancel the latter pipeline, which abuts the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

That pipeline is owned by Energy Transfer Partners, an oil and gas conglomerate that gave more in campaign contributions than any other company in the industry. Ninety-nine percent of its donations went to Republican candidates and committees. In 2020, the company’s co-founder and board chair, Kelcy Warren, donated a whopping $10 million to America First Action, a Trump-affiliated super PAC.

Biden’s climate actions are also drawing criticism from Republican lawmakers from oil-rich states who have benefited from industry contributions. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) announced Jan. 22 that they would introduce legislation to overturn Biden’s executive action and re-issue permits to the Keystone XL Pipeline, which was slated to pass through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska before connecting to an existing pipeline in Kansas.

“We came so far during the last administration – from prioritizing American energy development to ending the far-left’s war on fossil fuels,” said Inhofe in a statement announcing the legislation.

Throughout his career, Inhofe has received in excess of $2.2 million in campaign contributions from oil and gas companies. Daines and Barrasso have each received $1.2 million from the industry.

The group’s bill is a symbolic gesture to the industry and its supporters without any real hope of passing the Senate, where Democrats wield a majority, albeit narrowly. The oil and gas industry spent heavily to prevent the upper chamber from swinging blue, giving around $600,000 each to Republican Senate candidates in Georgia Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who both lost narrowly to Democratic challengers in January runoffs. The American Petroleum Institute donated $5 million to the Senate Leadership Fund in late November, after every Senate campaign had concluded save the two ultra-expensive Georgia races. 

Faced with pressure from Washington, other corporations look to adapt

Some energy companies are taking a different tact, announcing plans to adapt their business model to thrive in a Biden administration that prioritizes conservation and climate action.

Industry giant Exxon Mobil announced Feb. 1, just days after Biden’s executive order, that it would initiate massive investments in carbon capture technology aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The company, whose employees favored Biden over Trump in 2020 campaign contributions, will spend $3 billion over the next five years to build up a new subsidiary business: ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions. 

General Motors has committed to only manufacturing zero-emissions vehicles by the year 2035, inline with Biden’s commitment to electrifying the government’s fleet. Ford’s new CEO has also pledged to restructure production plans, prioritizing the addition of electric vehicles to its portfolio, which currently features only one fully-electric model.

The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, an oil-refining trade association that spent $3.2 to lobby the government in 2019, responded to that provision by reaching out to an unlikely ally: biofuel manufacturers. AFPM reportedly hopes to create an alliance with the competitor industry to lobby Biden to revise his fleet electrification plans in order to include cars powered by low-emission gasoline made from a mix of gasoline and ethanol.

TESTIMONY

Testimony Before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources The Department of the Interior’s Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program

Kathleen Sgamma President, Western Energy Alliance April 27, 2021 Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about my favorite energy subject, the federal onshore oil and gas program.

https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/092189F1-C93A-4480-96BD-B319C1CDC66C CITES

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/university-of-wyoming-professor-draws-scrutiny-for-energy-industry-funded-analyses/article_ec03f5e9-feed-5869-9832-ad02723b0d30.html

Since 2009, Dr. Considine has produced paid research for, at least, theAmerican Petroleum Institute, the Manhattan Institute, the Marcellus Shale Coalition, and the Interstate Policy Alliance.

Has Dr. Considine not submitted any financial interest disclosures to the University? When these disclosures are submitted, how long does the University retain them?

Robert Galbraith 2015 PENN --> WYO?

https://**moneytrails.**org/issue/western-energy-alliance/

western Energy Alliance is a Trade Association Representing the Interests of Oil and Gas Companies in the West

Western Energy Alliance Advocates on Behalf of Western Oil and Gas Companies

Western Energy Alliance is a Trade Association of Oil and Natural Gas Companies in the West. “Western Energy Alliance is a nonprofit trade association representing more than 300 companies engaged in all aspects of environmentally responsible exploration and production (E&P) of oil and natural gas in the West. We are an advocacy organization promoting the beneficial use and development of oil and natural gas, and the important economic, environmental and energy security solutions provided by the industry in the West. Since 1974, the Alliance has been the voice of the Western oil and natural gas industry, representing the ‘upstream’ segment of the industry. Alliance members include independents, the majority of which are small businesses with an average of fourteen employees, and associated companies.” Western Energy Alliance, [:{accessed:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}: :{11/25/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}:]

Western Energy Advocates For Reducing Regulations To The Oil Industry And Once Argued For A “Moratorium On New Federal Regulations”

Western Energy Alliance Professes to Dedicate Itself to Environmental Responsibility When it Actually Advocates for Favorable Regulatory Outcomes for Oil and Natural Gas Companies. “The group describes itself as ‘dedicated to environmentally responsible exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the West,’ despite opposing almost every land management and energy reform initiative of the Obama administration:{.” PolluterWatch, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{accessed:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}: :{11/25/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Lobbied Congress to Ban Obstructive Lawsuits and to Enact a Moratorium on Federal Regulations of Hydraulic Fracturing.:{ “Predicting a rise in energy production over the next 10 years and with it, billions of dollars in potential revenue and investments, the alliance is asking Congress to put an end to lawsuits that obstruct domestic energy production and to enact a moratorium on new federal regulations, including those aimed at hydraulic fracturing.” :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:*Billings Gazette*:{, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{04/24/12:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Fights Against Regulation of Methane Emissions. “Kathleen Sgamma, :{president of the trade group Western Energy Alliance,testified that the Methane Waste Protection Act and two other bills to more tightly regulate oil and gas companies would do more harm than good.” Colorado Politics, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{9/24/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Supports Using Funds From Fossil Fuel Production on Public Land to Wipe Out the Maintenance Backlog. “The bills would allow fossil fuels production on public land to ‘fix up the national parks’:{ and wipe out half their maintenance backlog within five years, said Aaron Johnson, vice president of public affairs for the Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas producers on federal lands in the West.” :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:*Bloomberg Environment*:{, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{7/12/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Fought the Obama Administration for Not Drilling Enough on Federal Land. :{“A trade group for the energy industry accused federal officials Thursday of illegally canceling or postponing the sale of more than two dozen oil and gas leases over the past two years, including some in Colorado. The Western Energy Alliance sued the Obama administration in U.S. District Court in New Mexico, seeking to force officials to hold lease sales four times a year as required under the federal Mineral Leasing Act. :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:*The Denver Post*:{, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{08/12/16:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Believes in Putting Public Lands to Economic Use. “Western Energy Alliance believes in the principle of multiple use of public lands. As the population in western states swells and more focus is paid to the various uses of these lands, it’s increasingly important that federal agencies are prepared to respond to growing demand for compet[]ing resources.” Western Energy Alliance, [:{accessed:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}: :{09/25/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}:]

Western Energy Alliance is Closely Aligned With the Trump Administration’s Interior Department

Western Energy Alliance Is “Driving The Agenda” Of Donald Trump’s Interior Department

Western Energy Alliance Is “Driving The Agenda Of The Interior Department” By “Rewriting Policies That Hollow Out Protections For Endangered Species.”:{ “But critics charge that Western Energy Alliance does more than take a few bullets and beat back critics of Trump’s environmental strategy. Behind the scenes, it is driving the agenda of the Interior Department, rewriting policies that hollow out protections for endangered species, while helping oil and gas companies gain easier access to federal lands and unravel rules that take a cautious approach to drilling.” :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:*Yahoo News*:{ :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{02/18/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

When Western Energy Alliance Asked The Trump Department To Reform Sage Grouse Plans, Interior “Accepted 13 of 15 Of Sgamma’s Recommendations.” “The summer after Trump entered office, Alliance president Sgamma wrote to the Interior Department to complain about the sage grouse. In her letter, Sgamma claimed that sage grouse management would cost more than 9,000 oil and gas jobs and impede $2.4 billion in economic growth. After examining correspondence between the Interior Department and industry lobbyists, the Western Values Project found that Trump officials accepted 13 of Sgamma’s 15 recommendations to alter sage grouse protection. When the administration released a revised sage grouse plan a year ago,Zinke sent an internal memo that reversed the Obama administration’s focus on developing oil and gas outside of grouse habitat:{.” :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:*Yahoo News*:{ :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{02/18/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Has Access To Donald Trump’s Interior Department 

In An Email To Members, Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma Bragged About Her Access To Interior. 

Western Energy Alliance Supports the Trump Interior Department’s Rollback Of Important Oil And Gas Safeguards

Western Energy Alliance Supported the Trump Administration’s Rollback of Methane Regulations. :{“‘We’ll see hyperbolic statements made by certain states and environmental groups, when in reality the adjustments merely realign the rule properly with the Clean Air Act,’ WEA President Kathleen Sgamma said in a statement.’” :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:*UtilityDive*:{, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{08/30/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Supported Interior’s Reversal of Obama-era Migratory Bird Treaty Act Guidance. :{“Western Energy Alliance applauded the Department of Interior’s solicitor’s letter released today overturning a last-minute maneuver by the Obama Administration just ten days before President Trump took office. The solicitor’s opinion entitled rightly restores the rule of law as passed by Congress in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to Interior Department protections for bird species.” Western Energy Alliance, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{accessed:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}: :{11/25/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Said David Bernhardt Was “‘An Excellent Choice’ To Head Interior.”:{ “Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, praised Bernhardt in an email Monday as someone with ‘a deep understanding of public lands issues’ who would be ‘an excellent choice’ to head Interior. :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:*The Salt Lake Tribune*:{, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{02/04/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Supports Oil And Gas Drilling Near Tribal Sacred Sites Like Bears Ears National Monument 

Western Energy Alliance Supports Leasing to Oil and Gas Companies On Archaeologically Sensitive Land With Sacred Tribal Sites.  “The U.S. government will allow oil and gas companies to make lease bids Monday on lands considered archaeologically sensitive near a national monument stretching across the Utah-Colorado border that houses sacred tribal sites…Kathleen Sgamma of the oil industry trade group Western Energy Alliance countered that the plans are far from the boundaries of the monument. ‘They’re making sure companies are operating in a responsible way while meeting the call from Congress to expand oil and gas development.’ she said.” *KUTV*, [:{09/09/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}:]

Kathleen Sgamma Said There Was “Industry Appetite” for Development in Bears Ears National Monument. Sgamma said “there certainly is industry appetite for development there, or else companies wouldn’t have leases in the area,” even though Secretary Ryan Zinke said there were no oil and gas resources in Bears Ears. *E&E News*, [:{04/13/17:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}:; The Salt Lake Tribune, :{12/04/17:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}:]

Western Energy Alliance Has Tried To Discredit Federal Government Scientists And Calls National Geographic “Expert Propagandists” 

Kathleen Sgamma Discredited Federal Government Scientists. Kathleen Sgamma wrote that peer review is “normally a rigorous scientific process,” but, “when used by federal agencies for endangered species listing decisions,” “is spin for asking somebody in a close circle of friends to approve your work.” Sgamma said that the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) “can count on its ‘friends’ in a tight circle of scientist-activists who won’t point out something that’s inconvenient to it.” She also claimed that a Department of theInterior analysis was “probably done by the Sierra Club” and believes that federal agencies used “faulty information that ignores a large body of scientific literature on the sage grouse:{.” Western Energy Alliance, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{05/15/15:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{; Twitter, }::{01/15/16:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Kathleen Sgamma Called National Geographic “Expert Propagandists.” Sgamma tweeted that National Geographic ‘are expert propagandists’ in reference to their TV show ‘Fracking Hell.:{’ Twitter :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{12/21/15:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Blamed The Bundy Family’s Armed Takeover Of A Wildlife Refuge On “Too Much Federal Ownership Of Land” 

Western Energy Alliance Says The Armed Occupation Of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Is A “Situation [That] Arises From Too Much Federal Ownership Of Land In The West.” In a blog post, Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma Wrote, “The situation arises from too much federal ownership of land in the West. Whereas in the East and Mid-West lands were transferred as private property to individuals for farms, by the time the West was settled the government retained a vast amount of land. Ranchers are not ‘freeloaders’ as they have been unfairly characterized by those who enjoy their own private property. They are admirably trying to make a living while feeding America, but are too often at the mercy of the federal government.”:{ Western Energy Alliance, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{01/08/16:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Denies That Oil And Gas Development Has An Impact On Climate Change

Kathleen Sgamma Denied The Effect Oil and Gas Has on Climate Change. Sgamma said drilling on public lands has “an infinitesimal impact on climate change” and that oil and gas “provides more climate benefits than wind and solar combined.:{” :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}::{Associated Press:(style="background-color:#faf8f5;;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat"):}::{, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{09/01/15:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{; }::{The Salt Lake Tribune}::{, }::{11/17/15:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Republican Political Operative Richard Berman Gave a Speech at a Western Energy Alliance Conference in October 2014. Berman told the crowd to think of their efforts to undermine opponents of the oil and gas industry as an “endless war” that they could “either win ugly or lose pretty.”:{ :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:*New York Times*:{, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{10/30/14:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Is A Major Campaign Donor

Western Energy Alliance Has A Political Action Committee That Gives Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars To Candidates Who Oppose Oil And Gas Regulations

In The 2018 Election Cycle, The Western Energy Alliance PAC Gave $131,000 To Federal Candidates. :{Open Secrets, :(style="background-color:#faf8f5;"):}:[:{accessed:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}: :{11/26/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}::{]}:

Western Energy Alliance Was An Early Donor To Donald Trump’s 2016 Presidential Campaign 

Western Energy Alliance Gave $2,500 to Trump for President on August 4, 2016. FEC, [:{accessed:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}: :{11/25/19:(style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 0px -0.225em;padding:0px 0.15em;border-style:solid;border-width:0px;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:relative;display:inline-block;z-index:9"):}:]

Western Energy Alliance Is Supporting The 2020 Campaigns For Senators Gardner, Daines, And McSally:{

}:

BP DEFECTS 2/20

12 pp

https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/sustainability/our-participation-in-trade-associations-climate.pdf

Summary findings table – for further details see page 7

Not aligned Associations deemed not aligned are those which we found to have

stated opposition to BP positions with limited balancing support in

other areas.

Associations in this category are:

American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM)

AFPM collaborated with its members over the past year to support

changes to its climate policy. While we are encouraged by this

progress, BP and AFPM’s views on carbon pricing are at odds and

currently we have no areas of full alignment. As a result, we have

decided to resign our membership.

Western Energy Alliance (WEA)

We have decided not to renew our membership with WEA due to

material differences around the federal regulation of methane and

due to BP’s divestment of assets in the states in which the

organization is active.

Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA)

BP has decided to resign its membership in WSPA as a result of...

BP quit WEA but hired

met w/ WEA

:{

}:

:{**Downey Magallanes**:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}:, Palmer’s daughter, is a 2012 graduate of theGeorgetown University Law Center who worked for seven years as a staffer for Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and now serves as Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s deputy chief of staff for policy.

Downey Magallanes, the former deputy chief of staff to former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, left the departmentin August 2018 to work for the oil giant BP. Vincent DeVito, an energy advisor to Zinke, similarly left to join an oil and gas firm working in the Gulf of Mexico.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/coal-trump-monuments-review_us_5a3dbe56e4b06d1621b46552

WASHINGTON — This month, on the recommendation of his Interior secretary, President Donald Trump :{gutted a pair of protected national monuments in Utah:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}:, including coal-rich Grand Staircase-Escalante. The decision followed the :{controversial review of more than two dozen national monuments:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}: ― a process that public records reveal to have been overseen by the daughter ofFrederick Palmer, the former executive of coal giant Peabody Energy and a current :{senior fellow:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}: at the conservative Heartland Institute.

:{**Downey Magallanes**:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}:, Palmer’s daughter, is a 2012 graduate of theGeorgetown University Law Center who worked for seven years as a staffer for Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and now serves as Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s deputy chief of staff for policy. Magallanes was at Zinke’s side throughout his months-long monuments review.And :{her personal calendar:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}: shows she had several one-on-one meetings with Zinke to discuss the review in the days before Aug. 24, when Zinke submitted his draft report to the White House.

A version of that report was :{leaked:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}: to the media in September, and the Interior Department released the final version earlier this month. It calls on Trump to :{shrink or otherwise weaken protections for 10 monuments:(style="box-sizing:inherit;background-color:#ff9900;"):}:. On Dec. 4, Trump signed a pair of proclamations to reduce the size of the two Utah sites by a combined 2 million acres. The 1.87 million-acre :{Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}:, the largest land monument in the country, was :{cut roughly in half:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}:. The boundary of :{Bears Ears National Monument:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}:, a 1.35 million-acre landscape named after a pair of buttes and home to thousands of Native American archeological and cultural sites, was shrunk by about 85 percent. ...

cic:

Western Energy Alliance

Western Energy Alliance (WEA) is a non-profit trade association that represents oil and gas companies that are from or work in the western US. WEA focuses many of its efforts on supporting legislation for hydraulic fracturing, a natural gas extraction method, also known as fracking.

FTI Consulting

FTI Consulting has been listed as a contractor on WEA’s 990s starting in 2017, earning a total of $460k since. FTI is a large consulting firm that describes itself as “an independent global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional.”

In early 2019, some of the work FTI had been doing for WEA made headlines when FTI employees were accused of misrepresenting themselves as journalists while working at Western Wire, a news outlet that isrun by WEA. The environmental legal organization EarthRights recorded and released audio of FTI strategist Matt Dempsey seeking an interview for Western Wire with EarthRights’ general council. At the time, EarthRights was representing the city and county of Boulder, Colorado and the County of San Miguel, California in a lawsuit where the local communities sought climate damages from Exxon, aWEA member.

During the phone conversation, after questioning from EarthRight’s general council Marco Simons, Dempsey revealed that Western Wire’s staff consisted of primarily FTI employees, which were funded by their contract with WEA. This relationship is confirmed on WEA’s 2018 990, where the purpose of FTI’s contract was stated as “Western Wire.”

afpm older than API? more aggressive, thus more defectors? Paris?

https://qz.com/1962079/oil-companies-are-dropping-oil-lobbies-over-climate-change/

by Samanth Subramanian

Looking into the Future of Capitalism

Published January 27, 2021

Earlier this month,oil major Total took the unusual step of abandoning the American Petroleum Institute (API), the influential trade group that has advocated for the industry’s interests in Washington for more than a century.

As an explanation for quitting the group, Total cited API’s support for the rollback of curbs on methane emissions, its opposition to electric vehicle subsidies, and its funding of electoral candidates who opposed the US’ participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

its departure is the starkest example yet of a broader shift of oil companies quitting their memberships in industry bodies and lobbying groups—particularly those that, like API, have been accused of obstructing climate change initiatives.

On its website, API commits to “delivering solutions that reduce the risks of climate change.” On the ground, however, it has been found to have repeatedly stymied new climate-friendly legislation and supported moves such as Donald Trump’s decision to invite drillers into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

In 2019, Total left theAmerican Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, a more niche lobbying group.Shell quit that group as well, as did BP,which additionally left the Western States Petroleum Association and theWestern Energy Alliance.

Shell and BP remain members of API, however, as do other major companies such as Siemens Energy, Chevron, LafargeHolcim, and Echinor. A Shell spokesperson told Quartz that the company is “now updating and assessing its membership in 36 global trade associations (API among them)” but that groups like API aren’t expected to be “monolithic in their platforms or advocacy approach.”

A Siemens Energy spokesperson said the company supports decarbonization of the world’s energy system, but that this transformation would not happen overnight: “Natural gas will remain an important interim solution for our global energy system for years to come. Our customers and API share this vision.”

Megan Baldino, the head of corporate communications for BP, said the company monitors its trade association memberships, “especially those we view as only ‘partially aligned’ with us on climate-related issues. We remain committed to trying to influence those associations from within and will publish a trade association update” in the second quarter of this financial year.

Echinor, LafargeHolcim, and Chevron did not respond to a request for comment.

agnes Hall, the campaigns director for 350.org, an advocacy group pressing for laws to combat climate change, identified a buildup from activists and institutional investors as the driving force behind some of these realignments. This buildup has occurred over the course of several years, intensifying since 2015, when the Paris Agreementwas signed.That year, 25 institutional investors with more than £45 billion ($62 billion) in assets urged nine listed companies to quit European trade groups such as FuelsEurope and Cefic.

Investors and asset managers have also been demanding more transparency about trade group memberships and lobbying expenditure. Hall said that more than 1,300 investors worth over $14 trillion have pledged to divest from fossil fuels.

Evelyn Dietsche, a senior business lead at the research institute swisspeace, which studies companies in high-risk business environments, also pointed to frictions within firms as a reason for these shifts in stances. “Within these companies, you’ll have some people tasked with looking for the opportunities in the transition to gas or renewable fuels and the company’s future in that, and you’ll have others who, at least until recently, focused their attention on prolonging the status quo,” she said. “At some point, it should become untenable to gloss over that ambiguity.”

But Hall, at 350.org, called these publicly announced departures from trade associations “a clear greenwashing strategy.”

“If Total, BP, Shell, and the oil majors wanted to be coherent with what they try to pass as climate leadership, they would not only leave trade associations pushing back on ambitious climate policies, but they would also immediately start a rapid transition of their business model,” she said.

polluterwaTCH

https://polluterwatch.org/center-environmental-science-accuracy-reliability-cesar

TheCenter of Environmental Science, Accuracy & Reliability also known as CESAR is a non-profit 501(c)(3)corporation that self-describes their purpose as to “use of data and the scientific method to ensure consistent application of environmental statutes throughout all industries and all sectors”. CESAR is also known as "Best Science," and maintains BestScience.org.

CESAR functions both to publish ‘reports’ describing the regional threats on a range of species:{:(style="background:url("):}: as well as making arguments over the scientific description of species as subspecies vs. same species. They then use those reports and other outside documents to file lawsuits using the Endangered Species Act.

Initially established in 2008 as the Council for Endangered Species Act Reliability, CESAR rebranded in 201 as the Center for Environmental Science Accuracy and Reliability, keeping the same acronym.

All of the CESAR fundings come from contributions, gifts, grants, and donations. Their yearly revenue varies drastically from year to year. In 2009:{:(style="background:url("):}:, CESAR received $201,352 in revenue but a year later that dropped significantly to only $25,025.

Key Officers  (none of which are compensate):

Craig Manson - Executive Director

Science Advisors:{:(style="background:url("):}::

Rob Roy Ramey II, PhD

Robert M. Zink, PhD

In addition, the acting director of the U.S. Department of the Interior, David Bernhardt, was a director of CESAR from June, 2012:{:(style="background-image:url("):}: until May, 2017:{:(style="background-image:url("):}:. When Bernhardt was nominated for the deputy secretary position at DOI in 2017, he left his position at the Center for Environmental Science, Accuracy & Reliability.

EVIDENCE:

Arguments are "completely out of touch with current science":{:(style="background-image:url("):}:

- Center for Biological Diversity 

Oil and Gas Funding

In 2014:{:(style="background:url("):}:, CESAR received $10,000 donation from DonorsTrust. Since it’s founding its founding in 1991:{:(style="background:url("):}:, DonorsTrust has donated $400 million to more than 1,000 conservative and libertarian groups. Together with its sister group, Donors Capital Fund, they distributed nearly $120 million to 102 think tanks and action groups skeptical of the science behind climate change:{:(style="background:url("):}: between 2002 and 2010.

In 2015:{:(style="background:url("):}:, the Charles Koch Foundation [bernhardt used to work there mojo] donated $25,000 to CESAR. The foundation is run by Charles Koch, the CEO of Koch Industries, a multibillion dollar corporation heavily involved in oil refinement and benzene production.

Oil and Gas Motivated Legislation

Hookless Cactus

In 2012:{:(style="background-image:url("):}:, CESAR published a report that argued that (1) the three subspecies of Hookless Cactus don’t exist and there is only one species, (2) the species is not in great threat (when considered one species) and therefore don’t require the current conservation efforts, and (3) the oil and gas industry’s fracking does not pose a threat to the Hookless Cactus. This goes directly against previous findings on the scientific warrant for subspecies classifications. They counter this point by (1) making counter claims and (2) arguing that because the scientists/professors who came to this conclusion either published on the topic or were general plant experts, they were either too biased or unqualified to make this opinion. It’s worth noting that the only scientist on the CESAR report was CESAR employee Dr. Rob Ramey, who has far less plant scientific background than any of the three critiqued scientists, never mind the difference in plant taxonomy experience. Still, he offered his own opinion on this matter and critiqued the decision of the three botanists that have long standing consultant agreements with the Department of the Interior.

Additionally, the Fish and Wildlife Service determined that areas with Hookless Cactus populations had to have 400 and 1000-foot setback areas around individuals. This poses a problem for oil and gas companies, because there is a large overlap between the Hookless Cactus range and fracking sites.

The Western Energy Alliance, a group of aligned oil and gas companies, held the Utah Basin Advisory Network Meeting in response to the Hookless Cactus setback rule. In the meeting, a Western Energy Alliance official stated:{:(style="background:url("):}:, “On behalf of CESAR (the Center for Environmental Science, Accuracy, & Reliability), Dr. Rob Ramey has initiated a review of the various studies and materials that support the listing decision and FWS’ management policies. We hope that his findings will be useful as we continue to advocate against needlessly restrictive setbacks.”

Interact here:{:(style="background:url("):}: with the current range of Hookless Cactus.

Sage Grouse

CESAR has a long history of attempting to delist the Sage Grouse:{:(style="background-image:url("):}: from the Endangered Species Act. Their efforts range from producing papers disputing oil and gas development’s harms on Sage Grouse to issuing reports:{:(style="background:url("):}: that criticized the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s The Sage Grouse Conservation Objectives Team Report (COT Report) as not “a scientific document” and “overstates some threats”. The same CESAR report has been slightly rewritten and put on the website of the Western Energy Alliance, an alliance of oil and gas companies.

In addition, the Western Energy Alliance sources their conclusions to reports:{:(style="background:url("):}: publised by Dr. Ramey in order to petition the Department of the Interior on Sage Grouse impact statements and land use plans.

CESAR's Direct ties to Oil and Gas Industry in regards to the Sage Grouse

Head CESAR scientist Dr. Rob Ramey was paid $200hr to “analyze review and critique influential studies and reports on GRSG [greater sage grouse]:{:(style="background:url("):}:” by Western Energy Alliance, American Exploration Mining Association, Colorado Mining Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, The International Association of Drilling Contractors, Montana Association of Oil Gas & Coal Counties, Montana Petroleum Association, the Nevada Mining Association and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming

Why the Sage Grouse Matters to the Oil and Gas Industry

On June 7, 2017:{:(style="background:url("):}:, Secretary of the Department of the Interior announced an official review on the 2015 Federal Sage Grouse Plan, which outlines the areas of protection the Sage Grouse is afforded.  This excited the oil and gas industry because of the large overlap in the land leased to oil and gas companies and the nesting areas for greater Sage Grouse.

[map]

Map :{:(style="background:url("):}:of the Sage Grouse habitat and current Oil and Gas Leases in southwestern Colorado. This is far from the only area with this type of overlap - with 10 other states containing Sage Grouse protected habitat.

As of November 2014, there was $9 million:{:(style="background:url("):}: spent lobbying the 2015 Sage Grouse plan. This number does not included private efforts, such as the Western Energy Alliance’s peitition:{:(style="background:url("):}: of the Department of the Interior with $275,000 budget in 2014 to challenge the 2015 sage grouse plan.

There is a large financial stake:{:(style="background:url("):}: in this for oil and gas companies to delist the Sage Grouse. When fighting the 2015 Sage Grouse plan, which ultimately passed, Western Energy Alliance claimed that the most conservative plan would have caused a reduction of $307 million in annual economic revenue, their mid-plan would cost $839 million in annual economic revenue and most restrictive plan would cost $5.6 billion in annual economic revenue.

Conservationists are concerned for the Sage Grouse. Scientific studies:{:(style="background:url("):}: concluded that 44% of the most important habitat for Sage Grouse is at risk of energy development, with 9.1 million acres of sagebrush and 2.7 million acres of grassland within the sage-grouse range to be lost to oil and gas drilling in the coming years.

Water Motivated Legislation

climATE INVEST

Matt Dempsey, a Managing Director at FTI, manages Energy in Depth and lists himself as an editorial editor WesternWire, another front group run for Western Energy Alliance, another oil trade association like IPAA. Dempsey and a colleague were recently recorded by a lawyer for EarthRights International who called them out for being agents of Exxon, and pretending to be journalists. Exxon is a defendant in the Boulder Colorado lawsuit that EID and WesternWire have tried hard to malign. Dempsey used to work for Senator James Inhofe.

==

Dempsey, a Managing Director at FTI, manages Energy in Depth and lists himself as an editorial editor WesternWire, another front group run for Western Energy Alliance, another oil trade association like IPAA. Dempsey and a colleague were recently recorded by a lawyer for EarthRights International who called them out for being agents of Exxon, and pretending to be journalists. Exxon is a defendant in the Boulder Colorado lawsuit that EID and WesternWire have tried hard to malign. Dempsey used to work for Senator James Inhofe

ref

https://earthrights.org/media/exxon-sends-undisclosed-agents-to-question-opposing-counsel-about-colorado-climate-litigation/

[audio]

:{

}:

:{Valentina Stackl

valentina@earthrights.org

}:(202) 466 5188 x100

January 15, 2019. Washington, D.C. — Exxon-sponsored consultants posing as journalists attempted to question EarthRights International (ERI) General Counsel Marco Simons, who represents three Colorado communities in climate change litigation against the oil giant, over email and in a recorded phone call  yesterday.

[transcript]

“Western Wire” describes itself as “the go-to source for news, commentary and analysis on pro-growth, pro-development policies across the West,” but is staffed by a public relations firm under a contract to the Western Energy Alliance (WEA), a secretive oil and gas association. They were established in 2017 and publish stories that portray the climate lawsuits as a “conspiracy.” WEA does not disclose its members – but its board includes an Exxon executive, Greg Pulliam.

Boulder County, San Miguel County, and the City of Boulder sued Exxon and Suncor last year for their role in contributing to climate change harms, and ERI represents the communities in court. Because legal ethics rules prohibit attorneys from talking with agents of opposing parties without their attorneys present, Simons refused to talk with the Western Wire staff “if you’re representatives of Exxon in any way.” While the Western Wire staff said they did not know the members of WEA – the organization that sponsors them – they did not dispute that they were representatives of Exxon.

The Western Wire staff involved are Michael Sandoval and Matt Dempsey, listed as Western Wire’s “Managing Editor” and “Opinion Editor,” respectively. Neither, however, is a journalist. Dempsey is listed on the website of FTI Consulting as a Managing Director of Strategic Communications. Sandoval’s name is not listed on FTI’s website, but his LinkedIn page lists him as a Director of Strategic Communications at FTI, and he was reached through FTI’s general phone number. In fact, Sandoval confirmed that Western Wire was staffed by employees of FTI Consulting under a contract to WEA.

The call was recorded with the consent of both sides; here is a full transcript and a recording.

Western Wire is not the only fossil fuel company front group. ERI has produced a fact sheet on several industry initiatives to present misleading information.

The Colorado climate litigation is still in the early stages. Suncor and Exxon moved the case to federal court, and the plaintiffs are now seeking to return the case to Colorado state court, where it was initially filed. Several other cities, counties and states across the country have filed similar climate accountability lawsuits in the past year and a half. ERI is joined in representing the plaintiffs by David Bookbinder, Chief Legal Counsel of the Niskanen Center, and Kevin Hannon of the Hannon Law Firm LLC.

For more information about the Colorado climate accountability lawsuit and these communities’ efforts to fight climate change, please see:

From ERI: :{https://earthrights.org/case/climate-change-litigation-colorado/:(style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border:0px;font-weight:400"):}:

From Boulder County: :{https://www.bouldercounty.org/environment/sustainability/climate-change-2/climate-accountability/:(style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border:0px;font-weight:400"):}:

From San Miguel County: :{https://www.sanmiguelcountyco.gov/514/Climate-Accountability:(style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border:0px;font-weight:400"):}:

From the City of Boulder: :{https://bouldercolorado.gov/climate:(style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;border:0px;font-weight:400"):}:

==

==

no lnx

British Petroleum (BP) is working to clean up its climate image. In the two months since environmental law nonprofit Client Earth filed a complaint against the UK oil giant with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) alleging its ads were misleading, BP has announced intentions to reach “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050,  stop all “corporate reputation” advertising and, now, withdraw from trade associations with approaches on climate that are out of step with its values.

The company announced this week it will resign its membership in the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) and will not renew its membership with the Western Energy Alliance (WEA).

The decision came after BP conducted a review comparing the climate-related policies of several trade associations to its own. The company found its policies are not aligned with those of the AFPM, WSPA and WEA.

BP cited WEA’s opposition of federal methane regulation as a main area of misalignment. BP said “recent and developing differences in the area of carbon pricing” have contributed to its decision to leave the WSPA, as has its current focus on stopping a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) initiative in Washington state. But while proclaiming to support a tax on carbon, BP contributed nearly $13 million to a campaign by the WSPA to help defeat a Washington state carbon emissions fee initiative in 2018.

BP listed disagreements over carbon pricing as the main reason for leaving the AFPM.

However, BP will remain a member of the American Petroleum Institute (AP), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), despite finding that its policies are only partially aligned with those groups. According to its review, BP disagrees with the API’s opposition to the federal regulation of methane, disagrees with NAM over its opposition to carbon pricing and differs from the Chamber’s approach to climate science and emissions reduction efforts.

Yet for now, BP will remain a member of these groups, despite the fact that the API, U.S. Chamber and NAM are well-known architects of climate science denial.

“A company like BP that engages with trade associations is doing a constant cost-benefit calculation--to what extent does this group represent BP's interest and its policy advocacy versus pose a reputational risk for the company with its own investors, and with the public," said Kathryn Mulvey, climate accountability campaign manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists. "Clearly the fact that the company is staying with the American Petroleum Institute, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Manufacturers, despite finding only partial alignment indicates that there's a calculation being made on its part.”

BP is not the first oil major to call it quits with the AFPM. Shell withdrew its membership last year in response to pressure from investors. It continued its membership with the WSPA despite finding “some misalignment” between its own policies and those of the WSPA. Shell appears to have discontinued its WEA membership in 2016.

AFPM president and chief executive officer Chet Thompson said the association is disappointed.

"As a member of our executive committee they know that AFPM is and has been committed to supporting policies that address climate change. Because of that, it leads us to assume that this decision was made based on factors other than our actual positions on the issues,” Thompson said in a statement without specifying what those factors are.

The split could ratchet up the pressure on ExxonMobil and Chevron, along with other oil companies to examine their trade association membership, Mulvey said.

"We would expect it would make it a good deal harder for major oil and gas companies to hide behind third-party lobby groups,” she said.  “We're starting to see a real new norm in terms of transparency, regarding climate policy positions and also action to address misalignment and inconsistency of trade group positions with stated company positions.”

BP said it will conduct its next review in two years and plans to provide periodic, internal updates to its board of directors and stakeholders. It did not rule out potentially withdrawing from more trade associations in the future.

“BP will pursue opportunities to work with organizations who share our ambitious and progressive approach to the energy transition. And when differences arise we will be transparent. But if our views cannot be reconciled, we will be prepared to part company,” said BP chief executive officer Bernard Looney in a statement, adding that the industry has long demonstrated it can collaborate effectively through trade associations.

“My hope is that in the coming years we can add climate to the long list of areas where, as an industry, we work together for a greater good,” Looney added.

Catherine Rheis-Boyd, president of the WSPA resident said her group and its members will continue to talk with BP and other stakeholders regarding the creation of a sustainable energy future.

“Our members know the way the world produces, distributes and consumes energy is evolving, and our industry will remain leaders in investing in and developing the diverse energy sources and technologies we need for the future,” Reheis-Boyd said. “Working together as an industry, we will rise to the challenge of a changing climate.”

The WEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mulvey said while BP is clearly concerned about its reputation and has pledged to be at net zero, whether the company will take the necessary steps remains to be seen. The company has so far only mentioned carbon capture technology and carbon offsets as methods to achieving net zero, promising to provide more details in September, nine months after its announcement.

Meanwhile, the company has pulled its “Possibilities Everywhere” campaign (the source of the Client Earth OECD complaint), but has been advertising its net zero commitment quite a bit on social media and in search engines.

BP’s withdrawal from the three associations does make one thing clear, Mulvey said.

"It lays down a gauntlet for ExxonMobil and Chevron to really step up or they may be understood, by the investor community in particular, to be falling behind their competitors."

BP Calls It Quits with 3 Trade Associations, but Continues Membership in NAM, API, US Chamber

On the heels of its net zero announcement and commitment to stop corporate reputation ads, BP withdraws from three trade groups over climate

==

==

oct 2014 berman prolly 2x

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives-western-energy-alliance-speech-taped.html

==

ref 1

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/todd-wynn-interior-ethics_us_5b23f523e4b0f9178a9cd1fc

...Ryan Zinke's information from outside organizations comes under the control of a political appointee whose ties to former employers have raised ethics questions.

A top political appointee at the Interior Department repeatedly scheduled meetings with his former employers in an apparent violation of federal ethics rules,HuffPost has learned.

Todd Wynn, director of the agency’s powerful Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, worked as the task force director at the American Legislative Exchange Council from 2011 to 2013, overseeing the energy, environment and agriculture division, and organizing three national conferences a year, a copy of his :{résumé:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: shows. He then joined the utility trade group Edison Electric Institute, :{paying:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: to :{participate:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: in the ALEC task force he previously led.

On Oct. 27, he planned a 30-minute video call with :{Jennifer Butler:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}:, a senior policy adviser at the ALEC-linked State Policy Network, according to calendars released under a Freedom of Information Act request. On Dec. 19, he scheduled another such call with :{Grant Kidwell:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}:, the ALEC director in charge of his former task force. A spokeswoman for ALEC denied that the meeting occurred. 

Two days later, Wynn slotted 30 minutes for a call with :{Rich Lindsey:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}:, who heads the energy and environment committee at the :{oil-funded:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: Council of State Governments ― where, according to his :{CV:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: and :{financial disclosures:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}:, Wynn :{also served:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: as a committee member from June 2015 until he joined the Interior Department.

It’s unclear what might have been discussed during the calls, and indeed, HuffPost could not confirm whether they definitely took place as scheduled ― but the calendars of agency officials are generally reliable. The Interior Department and the three political operatives did not respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment on Friday.

Wynn’s meetings with ALEC and its affiliate did not violate the ethics pledge because his formal employment at the organization ended more than two years before he joined the agency, Interior Department spokeswoman Faith Vander Voort argued Monday via email. She said Wynn was not employed by the Council of State Governments.

Vander Voort did not respond to questions about Wynn’s continued work with ALEC through the Edison Electric Institute, his role at the Council of State Governments, or provide examples of other agency appointees with similar arrangements.

[pix looks like a proud boy]

CASCADE POLICY INSTITUTETodd Wynn appears in a video posted on YouTube by the conservative Cascade Policy Institute, one of his former employers.

But on Oct. 16, Wynn :{signed:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: President Donald Trump’s :{ethics pledge:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: prohibiting political appointees in the executive branch from participating “in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to [one’s] former employer or former clients.” Barred interactions include “any meeting or other communication relating to the performance of one’s official duties with a former employer or former client, unless the communication applies to a particular matter of general applicability and participation in the meeting or other event is open to all interested parties.”

The scheduled calls :{also appear to violate:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: the “government-wide regulatory standards of conduct” that “bar [Wynn] from meeting personally with any former client or employer he served in the year prior to the meeting,” Walter Shaub, the former head of the Office of Government Ethics, said in an email.

Apparentconflicts of interestare not new at the Interior Department. In March, :{HuffPost reported:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: that Lori Mashburn, the agency’s White House liaison, attended two private events hosted by her former employer, the conservative Heritage Foundation. Her attendance violated the same ethics pledge Wynn signed. In May, newly released calendars showed David Bernhardt, the Interior Department’s deputy secretary, met with a trio of lobbyists for MGM Resorts International, the casino-resort giant that his longtime former employer also represents.

Wynn has been a rising star in the influential network of fossil fuel-funded think tanks that push policies and produce pseudoscientific research to muddle the debate on climate change. He maintained those ties since taking over in a :{critical position:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: that controls the flow of information at the Interior Department, serving as a gatekeeper between Secretary Ryan Zinke and outside organizations.

In November, Wynn attended an energy conference hosted by the Heartland Institute,a former tobacco industry defender turned aggressive climate change denial outfit. Later that month he met with Reaching America, a group that :{advocates:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: for increasing fossil fuel extraction as a means of reducing racial inequality. Throughout that month, he held four separate meetings with the Property and Environment Research Center, a Montana-based “free market” group :{associated:(style="list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;box-sizing:inherit"):}: with the State Policy Network.

===

ref2

Interior Department advisory group relied on a top energy industry lobbyist to help draft a list of potential regulatory rollbacks, documents obtained by HuffPost show.

At least one suggestion ― reducing the role that local environmental concerns play in leasing federal lands for oil and gas development ― quickly became a reality.

The Onshore Work Group, charged with recommending how Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ought to regulate federal lands available for fossil fuel development, already has deep ties to the energy industry. Its chair is Kathleen Sgamma, the president of the oil and gas industry group Western Energy Alliance and a vocal proponent of tearing down many Obama-era environmental protections.

But metadata from the working group’s first draft of recommendations further link the Interior Department with the industry it is tasked with regulating. According to the metadata, Tripp Parks, the Western Energy Alliance’s head of government affairs, was the initial author of the document.

The working group belongs to a growing cadre of industry-friendly advisory bodies Zinke has set up to guide his agenda. In November, he assembled a wildlife conservation advisory group dominated by people with links to trophy hunting. Most members of a public lands advisory group have connections to the outdoor recreation industry.

“It’s a huge concern,” said John DeCicco, a University of Michigan research professor who has worked for the environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund. Under previous administrations, DeCicco said, committees like these were usually composed of scientific experts. “What it really represents is that certain powerful interests, moneyed interests, they have the ear of policymakers who are running roughshod over due process and running roughshod over important checks and balances that are supposed to be there.”

The working group was set up under the umbrella of the Royalty Policy Committee, a group tasked with recommending the royalty rates the federal government should charge for drilling. Many of the committee’s members hail from the oil and gas sector or have significant ties to it. Whereas the same committee had a narrow, technical focus under previous administrations, under Zinke, it has been making sweeping proposals to roll back regulations on federal lands. The committee members who set up the working group have proposed measures like charging bargain-basement royalties for deepwater drilling operations and have described their mandate as “looking at steps to be taken to make DOI a better business partner to its investors.”

Some of those steps appear to have been come directly from the Western Energy Alliance. A document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that Parks created the draft recommendations one day before Sgamma circulated them to committee members overseeing the working group.

“It’s a very clear instance of regulatory capture,” said Pat Gallagher, the Sierra Club’s legal director. Of the recommendations, he said, “There is no other object than to get drill bits in the ground as quickly as possible.”

At best, Gallagher said, industry representatives are creating an echo chamber inside the Interior Department. Several of Parks’ recommendations mirror a report the department released in October on “energy burdens.” Sgamma told HuffPost that Parks’ name appears in the document’s metadata because she asked him to pull out relevant sections of the report. This was “the full extent of my staff’s involvement,” she wrote in an email. What it really represents is that certain powerful interests, moneyed interests, they have the ear of policy makers who are running roughshod over due process.

John DeCicco, University of Michigan research professor

The recommendations included items that had been on Western Energy Alliance’s wish list for years, like a proposal to abandon the practice of re-evaluating long-term leases instead of automatically renewing them, which allowed federal regulators to plan around major changes to the landscape, such as new suburban developments.

Sgamma circulated the draft ― which she described as focusing on “increasing the competitiveness of federal lands” ― on Jan. 9, inviting her fellow group members to make changes. Some of Parks’ initial recommendations were cut from later drafts, but the agency has already taken action on one recommendation that survived: The Interior Department quietly ceased the Obama-era practice of planning local drilling sites according to local environmental concerns on Jan. 31. The industry had long argued that the practice created a redundant roadblock to new drilling projects.

“We’re very pleased,” Sgamma said at the time.

A handful of the most influential oil and gas developers in the country fund the Western Energy Alliance. Although it does not currently publicize the names of its members, the alliance has included Devon Energy, Halliburton, Anadarko Petroleum and Pioneer Natural Resources. Its political action committee donated $5,000 to Zinke’s campaigns while he served as Montana’s lone congressman.

The Western Energy Alliance fiercely opposed the Obama administration’s efforts to regulate the oil and gas industry,sometimes to the point of adopting a siege mentality. It invited Rick Berman, known for his ruthless, corporate-backed PR campaigns against environmentalists, to address its members in 2014. At the event, Berman framed the struggle against environmental groups as “an endless war.”

The draft recommendations are not the only example of the Western Energy Alliance having an outsized voice in the Trump administration. Parks, who is not registered as a lobbyist, previously presented an Interior advisory group with 15 recommendations for scrapping protections for the greater sage-grouse, which the industry felt impeded new energy projects; the advisory group adopted 13 of them.

The Interior Department did not respond to HuffPost’s questions about Parks’ role in drafting the recommendations. Sgamma has defended her role in making policy recommendations to the Interior Department by noting she has subject matter expertise. “I’m not an alternate member of the Royalty Policy Committee because of my sparkling personality,” she told HuffPost.

Sgamma added that the Interior Department had considered scrapping several of the Western Energy Alliance’s least favorite regulations even before the formation of her working group.

But the alliance’s relationship with the Trump administration also stretches back many months.

Entries in Zinke’s calendar show he met with representatives of the alliance in April 2017. A brief prepared for the secretary reminded him of a Trump administration order that for every new regulation created, agencies must place two old regulations on the chopping block.

The brief recommended that Zinke ask the alliance lobbyists which regulations he should scrap.But it wasn’t a matter of urgency: The agency has already rolled back more than two regulations for every new rule, the brief made clear, with the result that it had “built [up] a credit.”

==

==

https://www.ecowatch.com/interior-adviser-national-monuments-bp-2599866546.html

Interior Adviser to Join BP After Pushing to Open National Monuments to Fossil Fuel Development

:{:{

A Department of the Interior (DOI) official who played an important role in opening public lands to fossil fuelinterests has left the federal government to accept a job at BP, The Washington Post reported Monday.

Former DOI Deputy Chief of Staff Downey Magallanes led the review that resulted in Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke's plan to shrink the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah by 85 and 46 percent respectively, Think Progress pointed out.

"Her prior work on behalf of oil, gas and coal, her family's ties to the coal industry, and the fact that she is headed to BP all point in one direction: that she came to Interior with an agenda to promote fossil fuel development over the interest of the American public," Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance legal director Stephen Bloch told The Washington Post in an email.

Documents made public in March and June confirmed that allowing access to coal, oil and gas reserves was a large part of the decision to reduce the monuments' size, as was enabling mining, Think Progress reported.

Magallanes also worked on regulatory reform and offshore oil drilling, according to The Washington Post.Her father worked as a lobbyist for Peabody Energy Corp. for 14 years, according to The Hill.

The Trump administration's ethics pledge bans former employees from lobbying either their former agencies or anyone in the executive branch for five years after departure, but anonymous sources told The Washington Post that Magallanes will work with Congress. BP has confirmed she will be part of its government affairs team.

Magallanes met three times with BP officials between Jan. 30 and Aug. 31, 2017 while working for DOI, according to an official calendar obtained using the Freedom of Information Act.

On March 16, 2017 she met with BP government and regulatory affairs division officials and on April 25 she met with both BP Exploration (Alaska) and members of the Western Energy Alliance including Colorado-based BP government affairs official Sam Knaizer.

Magallanes' departure was announced by E&E news Aug. 24, according to Think Progress.

"Downey was an incredible asset and I trusted her to carry out some of the Administration's highest priority projects," Zinke said in a statement reported by The Washington Post. "She will be missed in our office and I wish her all the best."

Magallanes also spoke with excitement about her work at BP, which will begin after Labor Day.

"I am grateful to Secretary Zinke and President Trump for giving me the chance to serve in the Department of the Interior," she said in an email to The Washington Post. "I look forward to this incredible new opportunity with BP."

Meanwhile, Native American and environmental groups are fighting in court to reverse the shrinking of the Utah monuments.

"We'll be working to undo that mischief long after she's gone," Bloch told The Washington Post.

[twit]

RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB

115th

4. The**Planning 2.0**rule:Issued by the BLM and aimed at protecting the voice of local communities in public lands management decisions.

The striking commonality among these rules is the scale of the campaign contributions and the political connections of the affected industries to the sponsors of the legislation. Thus far, industries that have succeeded in having Congress overturn an environmental rule have donated an average of $2.3 million to the sponsors of the CRA resolutions in both chambers.

==

http://www.**desmogblog**.com**/2016**/05/17/keep-it-in-ground-circus-online-public-lands-bidding-iogcc

At the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC)'s 2016 meeting in Denver, Colorado this week, a representative from a prominent oil and gas lobbying group advocated that auctions of federal lands should happen online “eBay”-style — a clear attempt to shut the public out of the bidding process for fossil fuel leases on public lands. 

Speaking on public lands issues in front of IOGCC's public lands committee, Kathleen Sgamma — Western Energy Alliance's (WEA) vice president of governmental affairs — compared environmental groups' Keep It In The Ground campaign actions at U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) bids to a “circus.” Sgamma said WEA was in contact with both BLM and Congressional members to push the auctions out of the public sphere and onto the internet.

DeSmog, which attended the IOGCC meeting, recorded the presentation and has published it online.

Sgamma opened her statement on the Keep It In The Ground “circus” by pointing to the fact that BLM has already compared the activism, intestimony delivered to Congress (beginning at 54:30) on March 23, 2016, with the right-wing militia that occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge's public lands plot in Oregon.  

Sgamma also revealed that WEA has a counter campaign that it will launch soon to oppose Keep It In The Ground. 

Here is a partial transcript of Sgamma's statement (beginning at about 19:55 in the audio):

So Western Energy Alliance is planning some counter-efforts with Keep It In The Ground which we'll be announcing probably later this month. We've also been working with BLM and Congress to say 'Let's just get rid of this circus, let's just have online auctions. eBay is out there, it can be done.' So BLM has also expressed concern for its employees as well. In fact, BLM Director [Neil] Kornze, in a hearing a couple months ago, was asked about all of these protests and even equated these protests with the militia who shut down and occupied the Malheur Wildlife Reserve in Oregon. So BLM is likewise concerned about the safety of its employees and it put in place security measures at last week's auction. But, what we're saying and what a lot of people are saying is, 'Let's just get rid of the circus. Let's do online auctions.' So hopefully BLM is compelled even more after Thursday to move in that direction.

The “Thursday” Sgamma referred to was an action that took place near Denver at a May 12 BLM auction occurring under the fold of “Break Free,” a rolling wave of anti-fossil fuel actions conducted worldwide between May 3 and May 15, 2016. It was after that meeting that Sgamma began calling the Keep It In The Ground campaign a “circus,” referring to it as such in a quote given to The Denver Post, and calling for its “end” by implementing online auctions.

WEA's over 400 oil and gas industry members include many of the same companies that funded IOGCC's meeting: XTO Energy (an ExxonMobil subsidiary), ConocoPhillips, Devon Energy, Noble Energy, Marathon Oil, Anadarko and others. It was at a WEA meeting in 2014 that Rick Berman stated in a speech that the oil and gas industry is waging an “endless war” against environmental advocates,and that it has to “play dirty to win.”

IOGCC's members include appointees of governors of the U.S. oil and gas producing states, which generally means heads of state oil and gas regulatory agencies as official state representatives, and at-large members that include oil and gas industry lobbyists and executives.Of the 180 people who attended the IOGCC meeting, 63 were oil and gas industry employees.

Keep It In The Ground is a campaign whose basis is that fossil fuels on public lands must be left in the ground due to the science-based climate change costs inherent in not doing so. IOGCC, which claims concern about “protecting health, safety and the environment” in its mission statement, has gone on the record to say it has no stance on climate change.

Concerted Push

It appears the WEA push for online lease sales began in February, when it wrote and published a letter to BLM to make its pitch.

“Might we suggest as an alternative that BLM take advantage of online auctions,” wrote Sgamma in the February 11 letter. “If protesters continue to disrupt lease sales, we strongly suggest BLM simply hold online auctions within the same quarter as the original sales. Online auctions also have added cost-savings benefits as venues and security personnel do not have to be enlisted to handle potentially unruly crowds.” 

BLM has stated on the record that, responding to the WEA push, it is now considering online auctions moving forward.

“There's been research done that shows the overall participation and bid amounts are enhanced through the internet process,” Kent Hoffman, deputy state director of BLM's Utah office, told Deseret News on May 6. “We've been desiring to move into the electronic world for years…It is more efficient for us and probably for industry, too, to participate in an online auction.”

BLM's Washington, DC headquarters will have the final say over whether online auctions are the future of bidding for oil, gas and coal leases on U.S. public lands.

Congress Hatch-ing Online Auctions

Meanwhile, Congress has started moving on the WEA-proposed online auctions of public lands, led by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). Hatch inserted an amendment into the proposed congressional comprehensive energy bill calling forthe BLM to study the possibility of online bids “so that the mere threat of protest does not derail oil and gas lease auctions that are critical to Utah’s economy.”

The amendment, Section 3108 of the legislation, passed in the Senate as part of the broader bill on April 20 and awaits a House vote. 

...

When the federal government introduced stronger standards for fracking on public lands earlier this month, the oil and gas industry was quick to file lawsuits. On Thursday, the state of Wyoming joined the fray.

Claiming that the new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) set of rules released last week “unlawfully interferes” with the state’s existing fracking regulations, Wyoming filed a suit Thursday against the U.S. Department of the Interior, Sec. Sally Jewell, and BLM, requesting judicial review of the rules.

In the lawsuit, Wyoming claims that BLM cannot put these restrictions on fracking because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has “exclusive authority” to regulate any underground injections under the Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974.

However, under the so-called “Halliburton Loophole,” added to the SWDA in 2003, fracking activities are specifically excluded from the definition of underground injections, unless diesel fuel is being used — which is fairly uncommon.

“It appears the state just has it wrong legally,” Mike Freeman, an attorney with Earth Justice told ThinkProgress. “Wyoming’s petition actually cites the definition of underground injection that excludes fracking.”

The new BLM rules require oil and gas companies to disclose all the chemicals used while fracking on protected lands. During the fracking process, a liquid, usually water, is mixed with chemicals and injected into shale, releasing pockets of natural gas or oil. The water generally cannot be recycled and is toxic after use. Under the new rules, companies will be prohibited from storing fracking wastewater in open pits on national public land and required to periodically test the integrity of every well to help prevent pollution.

Two oil and gas industry groups, Independent Petroleum Association for America and the Western Energy Alliance, have also filed a lawsuit against BLM on similar overreach grounds, saying that the “final rule as issued is contrary to law.” North Dakota is also reportedly considering a lawsuit. Both Wyoming and North Dakota have experienced an oil and gas boom in recent years.

BLM manages more than 17.5 million acres of public lands in Wyoming, and also has the mineral rights to another 40.7 million acres in the state. In 2013, the most recent year data has been released, 620 new oil and gas wells were started in the state. According to that data, more than 7 million acres of public land in Wyoming are currently under lease by oil and gas developers.

The BLM’s new rules apply only to oil and gas extraction on federally managed land. As of 2013, the United States managed 247 million acres of public land and had another 700 million acres of mineral rights. Some in Congress want that to change, though. A nonbinding amendment introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) would support state efforts to sell public lands, including national forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, historic sites, and national monuments. The amendment, which would require further legislation in order to become law, passed the Senate on Thursday. The amendment echoes similar proposals made by House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Tags:

}:}:

http://www.:{sourcewatch:(style="background-color:#ffff66;"):}:.org/index.php/Western_Energy_Alliance

The Western Energy Alliance is a Denver, Colorado-based oil and gas drilling trade and lobbying group funded by 400 independent natural gas and oil producers, service and supply companies, banking and financial institutions and industry consultants.[1] The group's website promises that it will "actively influence regulatory actions and legislation on behalf of your business." Membership fees range from $1,000 to $50,000. [2]

Contents

Anti-government/anti-regulation PR

In July, 2011 Western Energy Alliance promoted a report titled "Blueprint for Western Energy Prosperity" that concluded that by 2020, the western part of the United States could produce more energy from oil and natural gas than the U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela and a host of other major foreign producers, but added this is only possible if the government reduces the amount of regulation on the industry. David Ludlam of Colorado's Western Slope Oil and Gas Association, commenting on the report, said “Energy producers on Colorado’s West Slope have grave concerns that burdensome federal regulations will actually prevent these predictions from coming to fruition.” Neither Ludlam nor the Western Energy Alliance mentioned any of the environmental and health problems caused by drilling.[3][4]

Board of Directors

Sourcewatch resources

External resources

Contact

Western Energy Alliance

410 17th Street, Suite 700

Denver, CO 80202

P: 303.623.0987

F: 303.893.0790

References

  1. :{Jump up:(style="top:-99999px;clip:rect(1px 1px 1px 1px);overflow:hidden;position:absolute !important;padding:0px !important;border:0px !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important"):}:↑ Western Energy Alliance About Us, organizational website, accessed July 11, 2011
  2. :{Jump up:(style="top:-99999px;clip:rect(1px 1px 1px 1px);overflow:hidden;position:absolute !important;padding:0px !important;border:0px !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important"):}:↑ Western Energy Alliance General Membership Benefits, organizational website, accessed July 11, 2011
  3. :{Jump up:(style="top:-99999px;clip:rect(1px 1px 1px 1px);overflow:hidden;position:absolute !important;padding:0px !important;border:0px !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important"):}:↑ Dennis Webb Report: Western energy production to surpass imports from eight nations, Grand Junction, Colorado Daily Sentinel, July 11, 2011
  4. :{Jump up:(style="top:-99999px;clip:rect(1px 1px 1px 1px);overflow:hidden;position:absolute !important;padding:0px !important;border:0px !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important"):}:↑ Brandon Loomis Oil, natural gas industry says government must enable Western energy boom, Salt Lake Tribune, July 11, 2011

Category: 

nyt

INGTON — If the oil and gas industry wants to prevent its opponents from slowing its efforts to drill in more places, it must be prepared to employ tactics like digging up embarrassing tidbits about environmentalists and liberal celebrities, a veteran Washington political consultant told a room full of industry executives in a speech that was secretly recorded.

The blunt advice from the consultant, Richard Berman, the founder and chief executive of the Washington-based Berman & Company consulting firm, came as Mr. Berman solicited up to $3 million from oil and gas industry executives to finance an advertising and public relations campaign called Big Green Radicals.

The company executives, Mr. Berman said in his speech, must be willing to exploit emotions like fear, greed and anger and turn them against the environmental groups. And major corporations secretly financing such a campaign should not worry about offending the general public because “you can either win ugly or lose pretty,” he said....

But the speech, given in June at the Broadmoor Hotel and Resort, where the Western Energy Alliance held its 2014 annual meeting, could end up bringing a new round of scrutiny to Mr. Berman and the vast network of nonprofit groups and think tanks he runs out of his downtown Washington office.

Mr. Berman repeatedly boasted about how he could take checks from the oil and gas industry executives — he said he had already collected six-figure contributions from some of the executives in the room — and then hide their role in funding his campaigns.

“People always ask me one question all the time: ‘How do I know that I won’t be found out as a supporter of what you’re doing?’ ” Mr. Berman told the crowd. “We run all of this stuff through nonprofit organizations that are insulated from having to disclose donors. There is total anonymity. People don’t know who supports us.”

What is unclear is if the hardball tactics that Mr. Berman has pitched will succeed in places like Colorado. Already, The Denver Post editorial page, generally supportive of the oil and gas industry, has criticized Mr. Berman’s tactics, calling one video spot — featuring fictitious environmentalists who debate if the moon is made of cheese before calling for a ban on fracking — “a cheap shot at fracking foes.”

In fact, at least one of the major oil and gas companies that had executives at the event — Anadarko, a Texas-based company that operates 13,000 wells in the Rocky Mountain region — now says that it did not agree with the suggestions that Mr. Berman offered on how to combat criticism of oil and gas drilling techniques.

“Anadarko did not support Mr. Berman’s approach and did not to participate in his work because it does not align with our values,” John Christiansen, a company spokesman, said.

Mr. Berman probably appreciates the criticism. As he explained in his remarks, what matters is increasing the number of people who see his work, which is part of the reason he intentionally tries to offend people in his media campaigns.

“They characterize us in a campaign as being the guys with the black helicopters,” he explained. “And to some degree, that’s true. We’re doing stuff to diminish the other sides’ ability to operate....

==

is fall, it's possible that two constitutional amendments will appear on the ballot to curb oil and gas drilling. And while there are plenty of adult-level arguments that can be mustered against them, neither can be equated with Flat Earth looniness. 

Yet an ad by the Environmental Policy Alliance opens with the Flat Earth Discussion Group leader saying, "Last week's meeting on whether the moon is actually made of cheese was very enlightening." And the 60-second spot continues in that vein. 

Thankfully, the Environmental Policy Alliance is not part of the main coalition that will fight to defeat the amendments, and its ad probably represents an outlier. And yet this isn't the only instance of an opponent of the amendments stooping to caricature. 

Tim Wigley, president of the Western Energy Alliance, told an audience at the recent Western Conservative Summit that those collecting signatures for the measures were "long-haired, maggot-infested hippie freaks."

Fortunately, the "nervous laughter" that greeted his tasteless gibe suggests it failed to play well even in that highly ideological crowd. 

Climb to a higher ground, guys. 

http://www.denverpost.com/editorials/ci_26217999/flat-earth-ad-is-cheap-shot-at-fracking

==

Tim Wigley, President

Tim comes to Western Energy Alliance from PAC/WEST, where he managed the firm’s Washington, D.C. operations. He has extensive experience in educating policymakers on energy, forest management, mining, and manufacturing issues. From 1998-2002, Tim served as the president of the Oregon Forest Industries Council, an organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the interests of industrial forestland owners.

Advocacy

Kathlee Sgamma

Kathleen Sgamma, Vice President of Government & Public Affairs

Kathleen joined Western Energy Alliance in March 2006. Prior to joining Western Energy Alliance, she spent eleven years in the Information Technology sector, including managing the European consulting practice for a software vendor, and three years as a Military Intelligence Officer in the US Army. She holds a B.S. in Political Science/Defense and Arms Control Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Information Technology from Virginia Tech.

Ursula Rick

Ursula Rick, Ph.D, Manager of Regulatory Affairs

Ursula joined Western Energy Alliance in July 2012 and brings expertise in engineering, science and policy.  Prior to joining Western Energy Alliance, she was a Congressional Science Fellow in the office of Senator Mark Udall, focusing on energy and natural resource policy.  Ursula’s decade of technical experience includes material property analysis, air and water flow through porous materials, and measurements of the lower atmosphere.  She holds a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science from Michigan Technological University, an M.S. in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College, and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of Colorado.

Brain Meinhart

Brian Meinhart, Policy Analyst

Brian joined the Alliance in January 2013 as a Policy Analyst to strengthen the association’s public lands advocacy and community outreach efforts.  Meinhart brings extensive experience working with the federal government including service as a congressional aide to both U.S. Senator Wayne Allard and most recently, U.S. Representative Scott Tipton, in addition to roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of State. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in History from Colorado Mesa University.

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