ACCF am cncl cap form

<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading">American Council for Capital Formation see also accf koch

</h1><div>15 tags 4 22</div><div>
</div><div>with trade groups good kill rate on climate bills?</div><div>
</div><div>think tank?  more pension than rev door tho catanzaro trump</div><div>=</div><div>w/ CoC ~ paris cop 21 BS study</div><div>
</div><div><div></div><div>=TRADE GROUPS KEY IN BEATING CLIMATE BILLS? EG LIEBERMAN-MARKEY 2008<h1 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Case Study: Koch Organizations Instrumental in Dissemination of ACCF/NAM Claims</h1><div class="happen-content article-content" style="font-size: small;"><div class="on-page"><div class="text"><div class="leader">The Koch web is playing a role in promoting studies that exaggerate the costs of climate policy. In 2008, the Koch-web-funded American Council on Capital Formation (ACCF) teamed up with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to sponsor and disseminate a study of the economic impact of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. Every step of the way, Koch-funded anti-clean energy groups played a key role in moving the NAM/ACCF study in the media and at the grassroots level.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ul><li>ACCF funded and co-released the study with NAM.</li><li>ACCF disseminated the results in presentations at over a dozen <a href="http://www.yourenergyfuture.org/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">"Climate Dialogues"</a> organized by the U.S. Chamber's <a href="http://www.fightcleanenergysmears.org/behind_the_smears.cfm#aeeg" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">Alliance for Energy and Economic Growth (AEEG)</a>.  ALSO API</li><li>The AEEG "climate dialogues" involved other organizations funded through the Koch web, including:<ul><li>The <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/polluterwatch/koch-industries/the-heritage-foundation/" title="Greenpeace Koch Industries Heritage Foundation" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">Heritage Foundation</a> which provided <a href="http://www.michamber.com/mx/climatechange" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">speakers for some events</a>;  </li><li>Frontiers of Freedom staff and scholars <a href="http://www.desmogblog.com/history-background-research-alliance-energy-economic-growth" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">participated</a> in some of the dialogues.</li></ul></li></ul></div></div></div> </div>ACCF and Coc funded BS NERA study that sank Paris via trump=</div><div>=</div><div>ucs negin 10 21</div><div>
</div><div>...The U.S. Chamber of Commerce</div>Since 2014, ExxonMobil has given more than <a href="https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/global-warming/ExxonMobil-grants-2020.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">$5 million</a> on top of its annual dues to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—a <a href="https://tinyurl.com/7bea47f6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">major player</a> in blocking action on climate change for decades. A few years after becoming an ExxonMobil grantee, the Chamber gained some unwanted notoriety by financing a <a href="https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/donald-trump-climate-accord-fact-check" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">widely</a> debunked <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y68ty5g7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">report</a> that then-President Trump cited as a <a href="https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/jun/01/fact-checking-donald-trumps-statement-withdrawing-/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">primary rationale</a> for pulling the United States out of the Paris climate agreement. NERA<div class="proper-ad-unit postContent11" style="margin: auto; position: relative; width: 654.938px; min-width: 100px; text-align: center; box-sizing: border-box !important;"><div id="proper-ad-alternet_content_2" style="position: relative; margin: auto; box-sizing: border-box !important;">In 2019, however, the Chamber appeared to flip 180 degrees, <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/addressing-climate-change" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">declaring</a> on its website, "Our climate is changing and humans are contributing to these changes. Inaction is simply not an option." The assertion that human activity is merely contributing to climate change is <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/brenda-ekwurzel/5-flags-to-watch-for-the-day-after-the-olympics-end-ipcc-6th-climate-assessment-report-release/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">inaccurate</a>, given that burning fossil fuels is the primary cause, but the statement did represent a quantum leap from when the association spuriously <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/10/more-chamber-commerces-climate-denial/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">maintained</a> in comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in 2009 that "a warming of even 3 [degrees Celsius] in the next 100 years would, on balance, be beneficial to humans."That said, the Chamber <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/press-release/us-chamber-vows-defeat-reconciliation-hails-voting-deadline-bipartisan-infrastructure" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">vowed</a> in an August 24 press release to "do everything [it] can to prevent" the proposed $3.5 trillion <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/15/1036954961/congress-is-debating-its-biggest-climate-change-bill-ever-heres-whats-at-stake" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">reconciliation bill</a>—which would slash carbon emissions from the electric power and transportation sectors—"from becoming law." And in a section on its website addressing climate change, the Chamber <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/climate-change-and-environment" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">calls for</a> "the increased use of natural gas" to make "further progress."Increase the use of natural gas?! That runs counter to what climate science says about the need to <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/steve-clemmer/methane-madness-5-reasons-why-natural-gas-doesnt-belong-in-a-clean-electricity-payment-program/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">swiftly decarbonize the energy sector</a>, essentially trading one major carbon pollution source—coal—for another—methane, which is <a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2018/09/how-potent-is-methane/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">86 times more potent</a> than carbon dioxide in warming the planet. Moreover, according to a <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab57b3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">December 2019 study</a> in the scientific journal Environmental Research Letters, the carbon dioxide emissions attributable to the boom in natural gas use over the last decade alone have now surpassed the emissions avoided by closing coal-fired power plants.
----ref NERA~ paris cop 21Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Regulations On theIndustrial SectorPrepared for:American Council for Capital Formation Center forPolicy ResearchReport Sponsors inst 21st c energy COC
March 2017<a href="https://accf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/170316-NERA-ACCF-Full-Report.pdf">https://accf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/170316-NERA-ACCF-Full-Report.pdf</a>Paul Bernstein, Ph.D., Associate Director W. David Montgomery, Ph.D., Affiliated Consultant Bharat Ramkrishnan, Senior Analyst Sugandha D. Tuladhar, Ph.D., Associate Director<div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">=</div><div style="text-align: left;">819 DN...And then, finally, perhaps most importantly, Koch has built a nationwide activist network called Americans for Prosperity. And what this is is a boots-on-the-ground operation. So, Americans for Prosperity has chapters around the country. They can activate people to go knock on doors, take petitions. They will charter buses from West Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, you name it. They will get buses of angry voters [pseudo-populist trigger anti-gubmint] to come to Washington, D.C., and then go visit congressional offices that have been specifically identified by that big corporate lobbying shop we talked about, where they can pressure lawmakers.And Koch put this political machine into full force in 2009 and 2010, when it looked like the United States was going to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for the first time. You know, back then, there really was bipartisan support to do something on climate change. The Republican, John McCain, ran on doing something about climate change. But Koch Industries intervened, and, I think more than even Exxon or other companies, it sort of — it politicized this issue of climate change. And Koch went after any moderate Republicans who acknowledged that climate change was real, who supported any effort to put a price on carbon. And Koch helped to drive those people out of office. So it played a vitally important role in making it clear to Republicans that they could not support any effort on climate change.AMY GOODMAN: The Kochtopus? Elaborate further.CHRISTOPHER LEONARD: The Kochtopus, here’s a great example. In 2009, when we were debating climate change, my book shows that Koch secretly funded a think tank report from this group called the American Council [for] Capital Formation. And this report said that if we regulate climate change, it will be a disaster for the American economy. Then another Koch-funded think tank called the American Energy Alliance took the findings from that report, made political ads and targeted those ads at Republican politicians, like Lindsey Graham, who supported climate change legislation, so now Lindsey Graham has got these horrible campaign spots running back home. And then the corporate lobbyists from Koch will be visiting the offices of Lindsey Graham and explaining why they can’t support climate change bill.So, the Kochtopus is this remarkably effective 360-degree machine that affects the public debate around issues like this, that has lobbyists who work on issues like this, and that can, finally, bring voters in. You know, Americans for Prosperity will — I’ve been at these events where they bus voters into Washington, D.C. They give them glossy printed protest signs. They feed them a boxed lunch. They take them to the congressional offices. And they can stoke what appears to be a real public revolt against legislation like this....=</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">helped kill mccain lieberman:</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">
</div><div style="">mccain obit:
<div style="text-align: left;">Kert Davies, originally published on <a href="http://climateinvestigations.org/covert-attack-john-mccain-climate-change-exxonmobil-koch-brothers/" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">ClimateInvestigations.org</a> </div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"> </div><a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26082018/john-mccain-climate-change-leadership-senate-cap-trade-bipartisan-lieberman-republican-campaign" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">InsideClimate News</a>’  Marianne Lavelle published a long piece this weekend, chronicling Senator John McCain’s rise and fall as a climate leader.  The story highlights a campaign I worked on in 2000, where we asked all the presidential candidates the simple and still pertinent question, “What’s Your Plan?” on global warming.  McCain was one of the only candidates that took it on. He went back to Washington in the middle of 2000, having been defeated by George W. Bush in the primaries, and immediately started holding hearings on climate change science.As always, there is more to the story.  When McCain emerged as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040402004205/http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/04spr/mccain1.asp" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">“Captain Climate” </a>in the early 2000s, and introduced the first serious bipartisan legislation to cut emissions, he became the target of a multifaceted attack by anti-regulatory free market organizations.  It turns out, many of these organizations and front groups were quietly being funded by ExxonMobil and the Koch brothers.This pressure may partly explain why McCain <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/11/as-the-world-burns" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">later abandoned climate change</a> when he ran for President in 2008 and <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2009/11/mccain-slams-horrendous-climate-bill-029747" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">attacked his colleagues’ efforts</a> during the 2009 push for climate legislation.  By that point McCain had succumbed to the now standard Republican talking points on climate.  Oh, and lest we forget, he also picked Sarah Palin as a running mate and starting down the “<a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/90075-mccain-palin-revive-drill-baby-drill-slogan-from-08-campaign" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">Drill, Baby, Drill</a>” path (the opposite of sane climate policy) and the rest is history.  No one has really explained how this turn away from climate leadership really happened. Most commentators attribute it to political choices McCain himself made, without really analyzing the outside pressure that closed in on McCain from 2000 to 2008.  <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26082018/john-mccain-climate-change-leadership-senate-cap-trade-bipartisan-lieberman-republican-campaign" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">InsideClimate News</a> notes briefly that there was a coordinated effort to oppose McCain’s efforts run by corporate-funded entities.  Climate Investigations Center went back and looked at our records for documentation of the campaign to the kill the <a href="https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2001/8/post-4be0be1b-0295-42bf-a9e8-f0ed44f1a8aa" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">McCain-Lieberman climate legislation</a> as it gained momentum. First introduced in 2001 by the two Senators, The Climate Stewardship Act (S.139) was the first national, bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas pollution. This bill eventually became the ground-zero target for climate deniers and corporate interests.Unfortunately, a month after the first McCain-Lieberman bill was introduced, the attacks on September 11th changed everything. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/attacked/transcripts/nbctext_102101.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">McCain and Lieberman</a>, a neo-con Democrat at the time, <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/on-morning-of-9-11-attacks-mccain-immediately-began-making-the-case-for-iraq-war-4042b28b5f9b/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">were among the first to lead</a> the charge to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, well ahead of the Bush Administration according to many accounts from that time.By 2003, McCain and Lieberman got back to thinking about climate change together and leveraged the first full Senate vote on their bill by <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-john-mccain-be-the-last-republican-leader-in-the-senate-to-address-climate-change-102221" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">forcing Majority Leader Bill Frist’s hand </a>on an energy bill he was trying to pass.The McCain-Lieberman bill garnered surprising support but lost 43-55, well short of the 60 votes needed to avoid an override under Senate rule.  Corporations saw this as a close call and began a concerted effort to kill the momentum in 2004 (see below). In 2005, the bill was renamed The Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act, and in McCain style, stubbornly brought up for another vote where it lost by a bigger margin, 38 Yea to 60 Nay votes.I know for a fact that they got blindsided on this.  They thought they had paved the way for success. In a meeting with a McCain staffer after the second vote, I showed them an ExxonSecrets map (similar to the one below) of the organizations and individuals that worked to kill the bill.  The staffer knew there were various organizations and companies lobbying against the bill, but had no idea the level of coordination, nor the ExxonMobil funding channels.[secrets chart]<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;">Was the Exxon Denial Machine built to fight Sen. McCain?</h3>It has always been interesting that our database of ExxonMobil climate denial funding shows a dramatic increase in spending after 2000, which coincides with McCain emerging as a climate champion.<img alt="" src="https://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/exxon%20grants.png" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: 411px; width: 683px;" />The graph above shows the yearly totals of ExxonMobil’s grants to climate denying non-profit organizations and breaks out the total grants specifically earmarked for climate change between the years of 1997-2006.Conventional wisdom would suggest that corporate polluters thought they were off the hook with the Bush-Cheney victory over Gore-Lieberman.  Yet ExxonMobil’s funding of climate denial organizations ballooned to its highest levels between 2000 and 2005 as the McCain-Lieberman legislation gained momentum. Between 2003-2005, Exxon wrote grants totaling more than $3.3 million dollars each year to climate-denying organizations.The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), the leader of the <a href="http://climateinvestigations.org/climate-deniers/cooler-heads-coalition/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">Cooler Heads Coalition </a>(CHC) and recipient of over $2 million dollars total from ExxonMobil between 1997-2005, aggressively fought Sen. McCain’s climate leadership in the early 2000s. A<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4793357-2004-July-CEI-Myron-Ebell-leaked-email-targeting.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;"> leaked 2003 email from Myron Ebell</a>, Director of Global Warming Policy at CEI, lays out a target list for lobbying against the “McLieberman” bill. <a href="http://www.climatefiles.com/denial-groups/cei/cei-white-house-congress-energy-policy/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">FOIAed documents</a> show communications in 2003 between Myron Ebell and the Bush White HouseCouncil on Environmental Quality, where Ebell details the campaign against McCain.  CEI also put out <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3877869-Cei-Email-103003-1-728.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">press releases</a> against the legislation, held <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3877863-Cei-Email-102303-1-728.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">events </a>to debate it, and used the CHC network of climate deniers to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3877746-Cei-Email-6904-1-728-1-Not-Duplicative.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">wage their campaign</a>.The Exxon-funded groups were also being funded by the Koch brothers and their foundations.  In January 2003, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20031207033457/http://www.cse.org:80/informed/issues_template.php/1238.htm" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">CEI co-authored a letter with the Koch-funded Citizen’s for Sound Economy</a> to the Bush Whitehouse decrying the McCain-Lieberman legislation.  <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1019876-2003-exxon-giving-report.html#document/p41/a289372" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">ExxonMobil gave CEI $465,000 that year</a> according to Exxon documents, the largest Exxon haul by CEI in any year.  <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4797409-Competitive-Enterprise-Institute-CEI-2003-IRS.html#document/p14/a450857" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">An unredacted CEI IRS 990</a> for 2003 lists a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4797409-Competitive-Enterprise-Institute-CEI-2003-IRS.html#document/p14/a450858" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">$100,000 donation from David Koch himself</a> and only $180,000 from ExxonMobil (probably an accounting anomaly).<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;">United 4 Jobs, DCI Group and Exxon cash</h3><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;">[banner] patriotic hard hat</h3>Following the 2003 vote on McCain Lieberman bill, the corporate forces got their act together.  In 2004, a front group coalition was set up called United4Jobs.org, complete with an American Flag and a hard hat.  Here’s some of what we know:<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20061006080826/http://www.united4jobs.org/about/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">The United for Jobs website in 2004 said it was “a project of”</a> the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), which received $50,000 from ExxonMobil in 2004, and the National Association of Neighborhoods, which also received $50,000 from ExxonMobil Foundation in 2004 (<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1019878-2004-exxon-giving-report.html#document/p6/a260594" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">including $25,000 earmarked for “Climate Change Issues.”</a>) along with the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council).[bs about]<ul style="margin: 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 30px;"><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div style="text-align: left;">The United4Jobs project was maintained by DCI Group, a public relations company based in Washington, DC.  DCI Group is a long time ExxonMobil contractor and has a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-alford-national-black-chamber-commerce/" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">history</a> of setting up front groups for corporate clients, including the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-16/fossil-fuels-fishy-new-friends" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">fossil fuel industry</a>, even today.  (Bloomberg News’ Zach Mider and Ben Elgin’s recent expose series on DCI Group is worth reading.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div style="text-align: left;">Proof of the DCI Group’s work on the United4Jobs campaign can be found on the Internet archive WayBack Machine. The contact information of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060502132955/http://www.courierpress.com:80/ecp/ebj_bn_nr_in/article/0,2578,ECP_19931_4591597,00.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">Andrea Saul</a> and other employees at DCI group at the time, can be found on United4Jobs’ <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060502132955/http://www.courierpress.com:80/ecp/ebj_bn_nr_in/article/0,2578,ECP_19931_4591597,00.html" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">press releases</a>, webpages, and reports.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://climateinvestigations.org/dci_group_subpoena_exxon_climate_fraud/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">Tech Central Station</a> (TCS), was another DCI Group project, built as a corporate op-ed page, funded by a number of companies to get third party voices published on issues they cared about. TCS prominently featured climate change denial content. In 2003, the year Tech Central was launched, ExxonMobil gave a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1019876-2003-exxon-giving-report.html#document/p44/a258254" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">$95,000 grant to an organization called “Tech Central Science Foundation</a>” which we presume served as the fiscal agent behind Tech Central Station, though no such Foundation ever registered with the IRS, as far as we know.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div style="text-align: left;">From 2003 to 2005, these two DCI Group’s creations, Tech Central and United4Jobs, were used together to fight the McCain-Lieberman legislation.  <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4792633-2003-Charles-River-Associates-Tech-Central.html" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">Tech Central Science Foundation</a>, the ExxonMobil funded org, paid Charles River and Associates to produce <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4792633-2003-Charles-River-Associates-Tech-Central.html" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">a report published in October 2003</a> on the theoretical economic impact of the McCain-Lieberman bill. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040617064632/http://www.unitedforjobs2004.org:80/ufj/wrapper.jsp?PID=8040-5&CID=8040-060704A" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">United4Jobs pushed that report </a>throughout <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040617064632/http://www.unitedforjobs2004.org:80/ufj/wrapper.jsp?PID=8040-5&CID=8040-060704A" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">2004 </a>and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20061006080619/http://www.united4jobs.org/studies/report.aspx?id=7" target="blank" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">2005</a> claiming repeatedly that one million jobs would be lost if the McCain-Lieberman climate bill was passed and implemented.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></li><li style=""><div style="text-align: left;">The Exxon-funded <a href="http://climateinvestigations.org/climate-deniers/cooler-heads-coalition/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">Cooler Heads Coalition</a> also pushed the TCS report on McCain-Lieberman in its June 2004 <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3877746-Cei-Email-6904-1-728-1-Not-Duplicative.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">newsletter</a>. Published by CEI, the newsletter cites United for Jobs and the American Council for Capital Formation (another Exxon funded organization) as co-releasing the report. ACCF received a large ExxonMobil grant ($255,000) that year including <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1019878-2004-exxon-giving-report.html#document/p1/a258280" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">$180,000 earmarked for “climate change”</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div style="text-align: left;">Tech Central Station served as a hub for climate science and policy misinformation during this period, much of which was aimed at McCain-Lieberman. TCS’s <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060317152414/http:/www.tcsdaily.com/sections/science_roundtable.aspx" target="blank" style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">Daily Science Roundtable</a> included a slew of climate change deniers such as <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/sallie-baliunas" target="blank" style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">Willie Soon, Sallie Baliunas</a>, <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/timothy-f-ball-tim-ball" target="blank" style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">Tim Ball</a>, <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/robert-c-balling-jr" target="blank" style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">Robert C. Balling, Jr</a>., <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/david-legates" target="blank" style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline">David Legates</a>,<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/patrick-michaels" target="blank" style="" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold" color="color" rgb="rgb" outline="outline"> Patrick Michaels</a>, Roy Spencer, and others, according to an archived version of their website.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: small; text-align: left;">As CIC has <a href="http://climateinvestigations.org/dci_group_subpoena_exxon_climate_fraud/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">previously written</a>, Tech Central and DCI Group ran multiple climate change denial campaigns for ExxonMobil during this period, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115457177198425388" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">attacking Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth”</a> and in June 2006, less than a year after Hurricane Katrina, DCI and Tech Central produced and distributed a canned <a href="https://youtu.be/DXBqe7ngp24" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">Video News Release (VNR) </a>declaring that there was no scientific evidence <a href="https://www.prwatch.org/fakenews2/vnr40" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">linking dangerous hurricanes with climate change</a>. The VNR listed “TCS Daily Science Roundtable” as the producer.  VNRs are pre-produced segments designed to look like a news story, contracted generally by corporations, sent out to news stations in hopes of getting them aired as if they were news.  This one was aired on at least one TV station along the Gulf Coast.</li></ul><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;">Kochtopus Tentacles Ensnare McCain</h3><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; font-size: small;">...</div></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">=</div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/06/01/tobacco-fossil-fuels-tracing-roots-trump-s-claims-paris-climate-deal" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/06/01/tobacco-fossil-fuels-tracing-roots-trump-s-claims-paris-climate-deal</a></div><div style="">To understand why President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/06/01/trump-paris-climate-leave-fossil-fuels" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">pulled the United States out of the global Paris climate agreement</a>, we might start by looking at the sources he relied on to justify his decision. But we’re not going to start there, but we will end there.Instead, let’s go back to the early 1990s.  The tobacco industry was facing multiple bans on advertising its products in countries around the world.So the tobacco industry took ownership of a study that reviewed a bunch of other studies about the claimed impacts of tobacco advertising on actual tobacco consumption.In short, the study, handed to Phillip Morris International, concluded there was no real link between tobacco advertising and smoking levels.  Studies that had found a link were probably flawed, the report claimed.The reports, the letters, and the memos back and forth, are all <a href="https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/results/#q=file%3A%222500081185%2F2500081593A%2FMARKETING%20CONSUMPTION%3A%20N.E.R.A.%20STUDY%20CORP.%20AFFAIRS%20ISSUES%20C5148%22&h=%7B%22hideDuplicates%22%3Atrue%2C%22hideFolders%22%3Atrue%7D&subsite=tobacco&cache=true&count=6" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">buried away in the Tobacco Industry Documents Archive</a> at the University of California – San Francisco.Clearly, the report would help the tobacco industry to argue there was no need to regulate the advertising of its products, because that advertising didn’t make a difference to smoking levels one way or the other.<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;">National Economic Research Associates</h3>The company that carried out that tobacco study was National Economic Research Associates.Why is this relevant to Donald Trump and his decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement?When Trump spoke of the “onerous energy restrictions” he <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/06/01/statement-president-trump-paris-climate-accord" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">claimed the Paris deal placed on the</a> United States, he cited figures from a report by the very same National Economic Research Associates (NERA).According to the NERA study, the Paris agreement would cut coal and gas production, and “cost” America 2.7 million jobs.<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;">Fossil Fuel Interests</h3>Two groups, namely the <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/american-council-for-capital-formation" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">American Council for Capital Formation</a> (ACCF) and the <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/us-chamber-commerce" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">U.S Chamber of Commerce</a>, sponsored the NERA report (incidentally, a New York Times investigation described the chamber as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/10/business/us-chamber-of-commerces-focus-on-advocacy-a-boon-to-tobacco.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Big Tobacco’s Staunch Friend</a> in Washington, due to its advocacy for the industry).NERA has also <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2012/11/19/revealed-reuters-ids-nera-economic-consulting-third-party-contractor-doe-lng-export-study" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">produced reports supporting the LNG industry and the coal industry</a>.The ACCF has, over the years, accepted funds from a string of major corporations and industry groups, including ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute and foundations linked to the billionaire petrochemical brothers Charles and David Koch.As a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ap-fact-check-trumps-shaky-claims-on-climate-accord/2017/06/01/30bcc158-4719-11e7-8de1-cec59a9bf4b1_story.html?utm_term=.9c7d0edfe1b0" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">fact check by the Associated Press</a> on the part of Trump’s speech citing the NERA study published points out:<blockquote style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1.5em 30px;">“The study makes worst-case assumptions that may inflate the cost of meeting U.S. targets under the Paris accord while largely ignoring the economic benefits to U.S. businesses from building and operating renewable energy projects.Academic studies have found that increased environmental regulation doesn’t actually have much impact on employment. Jobs lost at polluting companies tend to be offset by new jobs in green technology.”</blockquote>A <a href="http://climatefeedback.org/evaluation/paris-agreement-op-ed-us-senator-ted-cruz-misrepresents-costs-benefits-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">separate team of economists and scientists</a> has also checked the claims made in the NERA report, which has previously been cited by failed Republican Presidential candidate (and climate science denier) Ted Cruz. They come to similarly unflattering conclusions to the AP fact check. So in the end, we have President Trump relying on a questionable report paid for by groups with a clear vested interest in undermining the Paris agreement.<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left; line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;">Cigarette, Anyone?</h3>When reporters were <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-will-announce-us-withdrawal-from-paris-accord?via=desktop&source=copyurl" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">being briefed in the hours before Trump walked out to the White House Rose Garden</a>, it was Trump’s energy aide <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-will-announce-us-withdrawal-from-paris-accord?via=desktop&source=copyurl" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Mike Catanzaro</a> making the calls.As DeSmog’s Steve Horn has pointed out, Catanzaro is a <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/02/23/articles-mike-catanzaro-trump-climate-change-denier" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none;">former fossil fuel and energy lobbyist with a history of attacking climate science</a>.He also spent time working with Senator James Inhofe – the Republican who claims global warming is the greatest hoax ever. Catanzaro is just one of a parade of former industry lobbyists now in top positions in the Trump administration.The Paris climate deal, struck in late 2015, was rightly declared a historic moment.No doubt too, Trump’s declaration that he will join Nicaragua and Syria outside the deal will also be seen as historic.It was a decision to delay action to regulate an industry, based on tired old propaganda techniques and the self-serving analysis of a polluting industry under attack.Cigarette, anyone?</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"></div></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">==</div>

<h3 id="siteSub" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">From SourceWatch</h3>

American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) is a <a title="Think tanks" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Think_tanks" style="">think tank</a> that prides itself on "economic growth through sound tax, regulatory, and environmental policies." ACCF is a very influential in Washington D.C. with ACCF's President Mark Bloomfield as being, "one of the most influential figures operating behind the scenes in the Congress," <a title="Robert Novak" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_Novak" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Robert Novak</a>, 1997.

ACCF has a <a title="Conservative" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Conservative">conservative</a> perspective of economic policy and favors policies that favor big business. ACCF's <a title="http://www.accf.org/directors.php" href="http://www.accf.org/directors.php" rel="nofollow" class="external text">Officers and Board of Directors</a> included former high-ranking politicians (predominantly Republican) in the U.S. government along with representatives of industry associations, including individuals from the <a title="American Petroleum Institute" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Petroleum_Institute">American Petroleum Institute</a>, <a title="Principal Financial Group (page does not exist)" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Principal_Financial_Group&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new">Principal Financial Group</a>, <a title="American Chemistry Council" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Chemistry_Council">American Chemistry Council</a>, <a title="American Farm Bureau Federation" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Farm_Bureau_Federation">American Farm Bureau Federation</a>, <a title="American Business Conference (page does not exist)" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Business_Conference&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new">American Business Conference</a>, <a title="American Forest & Paper Association" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Forest_%26_Paper_Association" class="mw-redirect">American Forest & Paper Association</a>, <a title="Edison Electric Institute" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Edison_Electric_Institute">Edison Electric Institute</a>, the <a title="National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (page does not exist)" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=National_Rural_Electric_Cooperative_Association&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new">National Rural Electric Cooperative Association</a> and other pro-industry <a title="Trade association" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Trade_association" class="mw-redirect">trade associations</a> and <a title="Corporation" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Corporation">corporations</a>. Individuals from the <a title="American Enterprise Institute" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Enterprise_Institute">American Enterprise Institute</a>, and the <a title="Hoover Institution" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Hoover_Institution" class="mw-redirect">Hoover Institution</a> are members of ACCF's Board of Scholars.

<h2>Contents</h2>

[<a href="javascript:toggleToc()" id="togglelink" class="internal">hide</a>]</div>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation#Board">1 Board</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation#Contact_details">2 Contact details</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation#External_links">3 External links</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation#Resources_and_articles">4 Resources and articles</a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation#Related_Sourcewatch">4.1 Related Sourcewatch</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation#References">4.2 References</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

</ul>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">Board</h2>

Accessed May 2010: <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation#cite_note-0" title="">[1]</a>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bill_Archer" title="Bill Archer" class="mw-redirect">Bill Archer</a> - former Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee as Republican congressman from Texas for 30 years.</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mark_A._Bloomfield" title="Mark A. Bloomfield">Mark A. Bloomfield</a> - President and CEO, American Council for Capital Formation and host of the blog, www.MrCapitalGains.com</li>

<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Red_Cavaney" title="Red Cavaney" style="">Red Cavaney</a> - former President and CEO, American Petroleum Institute, founder of American Plastics Council and current SVP at <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ConocoPhillips" title="ConocoPhillips">ConocoPhillips</a></li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Kenneth_M._Duberstein" title="Kenneth M. Duberstein">Kenneth M. Duberstein</a> - former Chief of Staff to President Reagan and chairman of the Duberstein Group</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_Engler" title="John Engler">John Engler</a> - President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Glenn_English&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Glenn English (page does not exist)" class="new">Glenn English</a> - CEO, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_W._Galvin" title="Robert W. Galvin">Robert W. Galvin</a> - Chairman Emeritus, Motorola, Inc.</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=William_H._Gray_III" title="William H. Gray III">William H. Gray III</a> - former Chairman, House Committee on the Budget and Democratic Majority Whip, now chairman of lobbyist group, Gray Loeffler, LLC</li>

<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Donna_A._Harman" title="Donna A. Harman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Donna A. Harman</a> - President and CEO, American Forest & Paper Association</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=M._Christine_Jacobs&action=edit&redlink=1" title="M. Christine Jacobs (page does not exist)" class="new">M. Christine Jacobs</a> - Chairman, President and CEO, Theragenics Corporation</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=James_R._Jones" title="James R. Jones">James R. Jones</a> - former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and Congressman from <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Oklahoma" title="Oklahoma" class="mw-redirect">Oklahoma</a></li>

<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jim_Kolbe" title="Jim Kolbe" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jim Kolbe</a> - former Republican congressional representative for Arizona, from 1985 to 2007</li>

<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Thomas_R._Kuhn&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Thomas R. Kuhn (page does not exist)" class="new" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Thomas R. Kuhn</a> - President, Edison Electric Institute</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Donald_L._Lucas&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Donald L. Lucas (page does not exist)" class="new">Donald L. Lucas</a> - Venture Capitalist and former owner of the automotive dealership Lucas Dealership Group</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Frederic_V._Malek" title="Frederic V. Malek">Frederic V. Malek</a> - Chairman, Thayer Capital Partners, L.P. and Republican politician most recently serving as co-Finance chair for the McCain campaign</li>

<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Dave_McCurdy" title="Dave McCurdy" style="">Dave McCurdy</a> - President, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and former conservative Democratic congressman from Oklahoma</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=William_J._McDonough" title="William J. McDonough">William J. McDonough</a> - Vice Chairman & Special Advisor to the Chairman, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Kyle_E._McSlarrow&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Kyle E. McSlarrow (page does not exist)" class="new">Kyle E. McSlarrow</a> - President and CEO, National Cable & Telecommunications Association</li>

<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Don_Nickles" title="Don Nickles" style="">Don Nickles</a> - former Chairman, Senate Committee on the Budget and Republican U.S. Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 to 2005</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Michael_G._Oxley" title="Michael G. Oxley" class="mw-redirect">Michael G. Oxley</a> - former Republican Chairman, House Committee on Financial Services as a congressman from Ohio</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Gerald_L._Parsky" title="Gerald L. Parsky">Gerald L. Parsky</a> - Chairman, Aurora Capital Group and Republican politician who has served all 5 US presidents since Richard Nixon</li>

<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Richard_W._Rahn" title="Richard W. Rahn" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Richard W. Rahn</a> - Chairman, Novecon and on Board of Directors of the taxfree offshore financial center, Cayman Islands Monetary Authority from 2002-2008</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=David_Rehr&action=edit&redlink=1" title="David Rehr (page does not exist)" class="new">David Rehr</a> - President and CEO, National Association of Broadcasters</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=William_D._Ruckelshaus" title="William D. Ruckelshaus">William D. Ruckelshaus</a> - former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Nixon and Reagan administrations</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_P._Shultz" title="George P. Shultz">George P. Shultz</a> - former Secretary of State in the Reagan administration</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Charles_W._Stenholm&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Charles W. Stenholm (page does not exist)" class="new">Charles W. Stenholm</a> - former Member of Congress as a conservative Democrat</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_S._Strauss" title="Robert S. Strauss">Robert S. Strauss</a> - former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, trade negotiator and head of Democratic Party under Jimmy Carter</li>

<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Margo_Thorning&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Margo Thorning (page does not exist)" class="new">Margo Thorning</a> - Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, American Council for Capital Formation</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Charls_E._Walker&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Charls E. Walker (page does not exist)" class="new">Charls E. Walker</a> - Founder and Chairman Emeritus, American Council for Capital Formation, former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Steven_A._Wechsler&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Steven A. Wechsler (page does not exist)" class="new">Steven A. Wechsler</a> - President and CEO, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mark_A._Weinberger&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Mark A. Weinberger (page does not exist)" class="new">Mark A. Weinberger</a> - former Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy), U.S. Department of the Treasury</li>

<li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_C._Whitehead" title="John C. Whitehead">John C. Whitehead</a> - former Deputy Secretary of State in the Reagan adminstration</li>

</ul>

<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">Contact details</h2>

<div style="text-align: left;">1750 K Street, N.W.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">Suite 400</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">Washington, D.C. 20006</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">Web: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.accf.org" title="http://www.accf.org" class="external free">http://www.accf.org</a></div>

<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">External links</h2>

<li style="text-align: left;">Jonathan Weisman,"<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A63037-2003Jan15?language=printer" title="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A63037-2003Jan15?language=printer" class="external text">White House Intensifies Push for Tax Plan</a>", Washington Post, Jan 16, 2003.</li>

</ul>

<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">Resources and articles</h2>

<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">Related Sourcewatch</h3>

<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: left;">References</h3>

<li id="cite_note-0" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation#cite_ref-0" title="">↑</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.accf.org/directors.php" title="http://www.accf.org/directors.php" class="external text">Directors</a>, American Council for Capital Formation, accessed May 9, 2010.</li>

</ol>

<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation">http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_for_Capital_Formation</a>

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Margo Thorning is the vice president and chief economist for the American Council for Capital Formation, or ACCF. ACCF has received <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/polluterwatch/koch-industries/american-council-on-capital-fo/" style="">$215,000</a> from Koch foundations and nearly <a href="http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=77" style="">$1.7 million from ExxonMobil</a>.===no links see ethanolhttp://www.triplepundit.com/2016/01/ethanol-iowa-and-elections/A strange press release crossed my desk today, from the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF). The conservative think tank was tooting its horn about a new ad campaign it launched in Iowa to educate people on the environmental ills of ethanol. Pro-growth economists touting anti-corn environmentalism in Iowa. What?Ethanol has always been a sticky wicket for environmentalists. While biofuels are absolutely a viable source of energy for transportation, ethanol usually comes from corn, which might not be the most efficient stock for the fuel. Commercial corn is a mono-crop, so support for this cash crop mostly means supporting a type of farming at odds with sustainable agriculture. Corn farming contributes to water pollution and algal blooms from pesticides and fertilizers, respectively.On the other hand, we need to get off oil, and ethanol has a lower global warming potential than fossil fuels. But from a systems-thinking perspective, it can be a tough pill to swallow to use a food source to make energy when hundreds of millions of people don’t have enough food to eat.So, why ethanol? Well, that’s a political story. Iowa has produced more corn than any other state for at least the last 20 years: 2.4 billion bushels of corn in 2014, three times as much as the whole country of Mexico. Iowa also happens to be home to the first official vote in the presidential primaries. That’s why so much money and political attention flows into a state with 3.1 million residents (about 1 percent of the U.S. population). So, it’s safe to say that no one wants to mess with Iowa’s farmers.But does anyone outside the industry really love ethanol? The subsidies the industry has received as a part of the Renewable Portfolio Standard keep it cheaper than oil — which makes it a threat to oil. It turns out ethanol has also caught the ire of the recreational boat people and the trade association for chain restaurants. Which is how we come to have the ACCF blasting the Iowa airwaves with an environmental screed against ethanol six days before the Iowa caucuses.n case you  were wondering, the ACCF does not have a strong record on the environment. In fact, it fought against AB 32, California’s landmark cap-and trade-bill, in 2012. Greenpeace calls it a “Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group” because the famous brothers — key funders of the right-wing infrastructure — have donated $375,000 to the group over the years. Here’s what Source Watch has to say about ACCF:American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) is a think tank that prides itself on “economic growth through sound tax, regulatory, and environmental policies.” ACCF is a very influential in Washington D.C. with ACCF’s President Mark Bloomfield as being, “one of the most influential figures operating behind the scenes in the Congress,” Robert Novak, 1997.
ACCF has a conservative perspective of economic policy and favors policies that favor big business. ACCF’s Officers and Board of Directors included former high-ranking politicians (predominantly Republican) in the U.S. government along with representatives of industry associations, including individuals from the American Petroleum Institute, Principal Financial Group, American Chemistry Council, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Business Conference, American Forest & Paper Association, Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and other pro-industry trade associations and corporations. Individuals from the American Enterprise Institute, and the Hoover Institution are members of ACCF’s Board of Scholars.So, why did these guys release a pro-environment screed against ethanol? As usual, wherever there are Koch ties, there is something fishy going on.In this case, ACCF is representing the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) on this ad campaign. NMMA is the trade association for recreational boating. Why the heck do boaters care about ethanol? Well, it turns out that ethanol can stall engines of outboard motors. No wonder the recreational boating people don’t like it.The restaurant industry, NCCR, obviously has a stake in corn prices, since they will impact the raw cost of goods throughout the food sector from high-fructose corn syrup, the main ingredient in everything from soda to beef, which mostly eats corn these days. If corn is used for ethanol, that will, they fear, raise food prices.None of the three groups is particularly environmentally-focused. So, why focus on the environment in their ad? Well, “Ethanol is bad for our business interests,” doesn’t have the same ring to it. It comes down to business as usual, which is to say, “money talks.”

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