Pac/West Comm

<div id="mw-content-text" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" lang="en">=<div>=</div><div>https://www.desmog.com/2022/09/14/house-committee-pr-climate-disinformation/</div><div>
</div><div>On September 14, a congressional committee probed the history that PR firms have played in creating and spreading climate disinformation in order to block climate policy and promote fossil fuel interests.The <a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/hearings/hybrid-oandi-oversight-hearing_september-14-2022" data-wpel-link="external" target="blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">hearing</a>, held by the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee Oversight & Investigations, invited several firms, including Singer Associates, Story Partners, and Pac/West Communications. None of them showed up.Instead, the hearing heard from several witnesses, including experts in the PR industry. One of them was Christine Arena, a former VP at Edelman who now researches and exposes greenwashing and industry obfuscation. Arena laid out three overarching campaign strategies that PR firms use on behalf of their fossil fuel clients, citing a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-021-03244-4" data-wpel-link="external" target="blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">study</a> from Brown University researchers Robert Brulle and Carter Werthman. Those strategies are corporate image promotion, third-party mobilization (astroturf groups), and delegitimization of the opposition.“The U.S. oil and gas sector has always pushed for policies that allow for new fossil fuel expansion, and against policies that would reduce demand,” Arena said in a prepared testimony. “But what has changed recently is the intensity of the industry’s pursuits, and the vast resources it deploys through public relations and lobbying efforts meant to crush potential regulatory obstacles in its path.”The oil industry and its hired PR hands continue to deploy these strategies. A recent example Arena cited was the oil industry’s effort to opportunistically <a href="https://www.desmog.com/2022/05/24/oil-gas-industry-ukraine-climate-policy-influencemap/" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">seize</a> on Russia’s war in Ukraine to promote long-standing policy wishes, while misleading the public by blaming climate policy for causing higher energy prices.These tactics are especially aggressive at the state and local level, where “brute financial force” is used to kill off climate initiatives, Arena added.That power imbalance was on vivid display in Colorado in 2018 when grassroots activists succeeded in getting a ballot initiative put to voters that would have imposed greater setback distances on fracking operations, limiting how close to homes and schools new oil and gas wells could be drilled. A year earlier, <a href="https://www.desmog.com/2017/05/26/anadarko-depressed-stock-colorado-explosion/" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">two deadly oil and gas infrastructure explosions</a> had rocked Firestone, Colorado.The industry poured money into that election, outspending community and environmental groups by a factor of more than <a href="https://publicintegrity.org/politics/state-politics/six-environmental-ballot-measures-attract-massive-out-of-state-and-industry-cash/" data-wpel-link="external" target="blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">thirty to one</a>. Noble Energy, a large fracking company (now owned by Chevron), hired DC-based PR firm Story Partners, to help defeat the measure. Story Partners created two astroturf campaigns, based on the firm’s research that showed that support for setback distances declined when voters heard about the “devastating consequences” that it would have on the state’s economy. The campaign ran ads to promote “clean” natural gas, warn of damage to Colorado’s economy, and positioned Noble Energy as a responsible partner. Story Partners still displays its campaign to defeat the ballot initiative on its <a href="https://storypartnersdc.com/case-study-noble-energy/" data-wpel-link="external" target="blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">website</a> as a successful “case study” of how it protected its client’s assets.The House committee also heard from Anne Lee Foster, who held an unpaid position in 2018 for Colorado Rising, a grassroots group supporting the ballot measure to establish drilling setback distances. She spoke about the multiple instances in which people would harass her and her colleagues as they tried to gather signatures.Around that time, Colorado Public Radio <a href="https://www.cpr.org/2018/07/26/protests-to-slow-signature-efforts-another-front-in-colorados-oil-and-gas-ballot-battle/" data-wpel-link="external" target="blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">reported</a> that an internal Anadarko Petroleum document, leaked to Colorado Rising, asked employees to report the locations of signature gatherers via a phone texting system. Once the location was identified, counter-protesters appeared at a moment’s notice, shouting and harassing the signature gatherers and passersby who considered signing on to the ballot initiative effort.   According to a report produced by the House committee, oil companies including Anadarko Petroleum, Noble Energy, and Chevron, had set up two front groups, “Protecting Colorado’s Environment, Economy and Energy Independence” (Protect Colorado), and “Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development” (CRED). Those two groups then funneled most of their proceeds to an Oregon-based PR firm called PAC/West. The two front groups offered a “buffer” between the oil drillers and the PR campaign, the committee report said.Although it was later deleted from its website, PAC/West <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181201180329/https:/pacwestcom.com/portfolio/energy-natural-resources/" data-wpel-link="external" target="blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">described</a> how it was paid by Anadarko Petroleum and Noble Energy to “lead a statewide education campaign” to defeat the ballot measure. Ultimately, the ballot measure was narrowly defeated at the polls in 2018.“I personally suffered from what I feel is stalking or harassment in a number of other circumstances throughout this campaign,” Anne Lee Foster told the committee on Wednesday in her prepared testimony.That was one small example of a web of influence between a handful of PR firms and the oil and gas industry. “Let me be clear: There is nothing standard or ethical about these practices. They are deceptive communications practices that mislead our citizenry and undermine our democracy,” Arena said.The work that PR firms do goes far beyond simply promoting the image of their clients, according to Melissa Aronczyk, an associate professor at Rutgers University’s School of Communications & Information, another witness at the congressional hearing. “Public relations firms often present themselves and their work in terms of facilitating or amplifying ideas or information. In fact, public relations is not only communicating ideas and information but coming up with those ideas and creating that information,” Aronczyk said in her testimony. PR firms provide long-term strategic planning, set up front groups, manufacture the illusion of support, and monitor and target opponents. She said the work goes back many decades.PR firms also operate a broad network of influence out of public view, sharing information among multiple clients and trade groups, which allows companies to “minimize the reputational and financial risk of speaking out against climate action,” Aronczyk said.“Because this coordinated infrastructure of anti-environmental action is operating behind the scenes, members of the public and lawmakers have no way of knowing if the campaigns operating on behalf of fossil fuels are real or manufactured,” she added.But the growing pressure on the PR industry is having an effect. Clean Creatives, a climate campaign targeting the advertising industry, says that nearly 400 PR firms have <a href="https://cleancreatives.org/agency-signers" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">signed</a> a pledge to not work with coal, oil, and gas companies.“We’re seeing the beginning of a transformation of the PR and Advertising industry when it comes to climate,” Duncan Meisel, executive director of the Clean Creatives campaign, said in a statement. “Oil and gas companies used to be seen as prestige clients, now agencies are embarrassed to admit that they work for them. But this dirty work is still going on in the shadows, making the spotlight of this House hearing and investigation all the more important. The future of creativity is clean and it’s time for agencies to step into the light.”One PR firm was not at Wednesday’s hearing: <a href="https://www.desmog.com/fti-consulting/" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">FTI Consulting</a>. The House committee is <a href="https://www.desmog.com/2022/08/26/fti-consulting-fossil-fuels-work-climate-disinformation-house-natural-resources-subpoena/" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; box-shadow: none;">investigating</a> FTI, which has refused to turn over documents requested by the congressional investigators.“We initiated the subpoena process for FTI Consulting, which has one of the worst reputations in the business. The negotiations are ongoing. The trajectory is sadly not good,” Rep. Katie Porter said in her closing comments on Wednesday. “What are they trying to hide? Is it their creation of fake grassroots groups for their clients to hide behind? Was it the creation of fake social media profiles to track plans of activist groups? Or is there something worse? The harder FTI Consulting fights, the more it appears that they have a lot to lose by having their tactics exposed through oversight.”She added: “We are just getting started.”<div><div>ref2018 npr no pix<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Published 7.26.2018 | Updated 7.27.2018<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Here’s how heated the battle over oil and gas development has become in Colorado: Protesters follow people collecting signatures for a potential ballot measure to limit drilling. They carry banners with counter-messages and urge people not to sign petitions<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Some people call it harassment. Others say it’s fair game under the First Amendment.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline;">Anti-fracking coalition <a href="https://corising.org/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">Colorado Rising for Health and Safety</a> began gathering signatures for <a href="https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/results/2017-2018/97Results.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">Initiative 97</a> in April. If it reaches the ballot and wins approval with voters, the buffer between homes and new drilling would increase to 2,500 feet — five times the current limit.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">There’s little wonder why the oil and gas industry opposes the measure. A <a href="https://cogcc.state.co.us/documents/library/Technical/Miscellaneous/COGCC_2018_Init_97_GIS_Assessment_20180702.pdf" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">recent study</a> from state regulators found it would make 85 percent of non-federal land in Colorado off-limits to drilling.<ul style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem 2.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.75; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Oil And Gas Advocates: <a href="https://www.cpr.org/news/story/oil-and-gas-advocates-warn-taxpayers-they-could-pay-up-later-if-they-vote-against" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">Taxpayers Could Pay Up Later For Voting Against Drilling</a></li></ul><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The group first raised complaints about protesters dogging its circulators over a month ago. Just recently, Colorado Rising believes it learned how the protesters might be finding them.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline;">Colorado Rising volunteer Anne Lee Foster said an anonymous employee at Anadarko Petroleum shared an internal document. It appears to ask employees to report when they see Initiative 97 canvassers. The letter includes an email address and a text message hotline.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Brian Loma, who helps run the signature campaign for Colorado Rising, showed CPR News what can happen when someone — in this case him — reports the location of a signature gatherer. As he stood nearby Denver’s Civic Center Park, he gave away the gatherer's location.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“So, now we are going to say ‘food trucks by the Capitol,’” he said as he punched away at a text on his phone.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kimmy Fry, a petite 19-year-old with pixie haircut and a fanny pack with a built-in speaker system, was one of the paid signature gatherers working that day. She said the chosen location was good territory. It had no shortage of people she could approach as they got lunch from food trucks during the annual <a href="http://www.civiccenterconservancy.org/event-civic-center-eats-2018_88.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">Civic Center Eats</a> showcase.<figure class="wp-block-image" style="margin: 3.125rem 0px 2.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; max-width: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="image-credit" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0.188rem 0.313rem 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; text-align: right;">Sam Brasch/CPR News<figcaption style="margin: 0.5em 0px 1em; padding: 0.313rem 0px 0.938rem; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(18, 18, 28); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.28571; vertical-align: baseline; display: table-caption; caption-side: bottom;">The protestors that arrived to trail signature gatherers in Civic Center Park were not bashful about keeping a close proximity to interactions with the public.</figcaption></figure><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">With a goal of 10 signatures in a half hour, Fry was soon approached by a group of young men. They opened their bags and pulled out signs.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline;">“This Petitioner Wants To Ban Fracking In Colorado. So does Vladimir Putin,” read one. Another sign proclaimed “Save CO Jobs.” The four protesters surrounded Fry on all sides. Two others eventually arrived before splitting off to follow other petitioners.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One of the newly arrived protestors gave his name as Cole Rose. He said his interest in oil and gas issues started during debates in high school. Another protester initially gave his name as Tyson but later recanted and said his actual name is Tyler James.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“If fracking is banned from Colorado, the amount of jobs we would lose is so detrimental to our economy,” Rose said. He added that he was not being paid to stop Fry from collecting signatures and was just expressing an opinion.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“We’re not physically not allowing them to do it. We’re just saying our mind. If people really want to do it, they can still sign if they want to.”<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Fry pointed out that she had already met some of the same protestors while canvassing. In a more lighthearted moment, the entire group paused together for a break in the shade. Fry asked what they thought of her new sunglasses, which she worried were too large for her face. They approved of the new look.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Still, the protestors stuck close behind Fry for hours. Whenever she approached someone, they shouted “Don’t sign! Don’t sign!”<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Many people enjoying the food trucks ignored the shouting and signed the petition anyway. But the protesters did appear to have deterred Ben Hammond. He declined to sign the drilling setback petition, saying he needed more information.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“I’m curious if I would have signed the fracking thing if they hadn’t been here,” he mused. “In the past, I’ve been quicker to put my signature on ballot initiatives and stuff. So maybe they were effective. I don’t know.”<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">CPR News reached out to Anadarko to inquire about their connection to the protestors. Instead, <a href="https://www.protectcolorado.com/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">Protect Colorado</a> responded. The industry-backed group opposes the setback initiative as a “bad business measure.” Anadarko Petroleum is the largest funder of Protect Colorado — <a href="http://www.cpr.org/news/story/protect-colorado-has-a-84m-piggy-bank-ready-to-do-battle-this-november" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">to the tune of almost $2.5 million as of June</a>.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline;">A spokesperson relayed a statement that did not confirm nor deny any relation to the protesters, but said:<blockquote style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1.25rem; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 4px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(18, 18, 28); border-image: initial; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none;">“We are exercising our First Amendment rights, which includes asking people to think about and read what they are signing. We have also asked the public and oil and gas employees to let us know when they see individuals gathering signatures on the 2,500-foot setback measure. This is standard practice in modern campaigns. We get asked about the activities in the field and want to understand what is going on. Monitoring opposition is important. The proponents of these bad measures monitor us as well.”</blockquote><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Protect Colorado’s statement said they felt that proponents were not presenting the impacts of anti-oil and gas measures accurately to the public. Their statement concluded that “ensuring people know the facts about the petition they are signing and what it would do to Colorado’s economy is responsible advocacy.”<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rick Reiter, a Democratic political consultant who works on ballot issues, said he’s heard of paid petition protests on statewide issues going back to 2014. He doesn’t think much of the tactic.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“You have to literally hire people to go find people who are hired to collect signatures to create noise around them that scares away potential signers,” he said. “It rarely, if ever, works.”<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Yet, even small setbacks could be a big problem for Colorado Rising at this point. They have less than two weeks to collect the rest of their signatures. The group said it hopes the dispute it had with the company it hired to collect signatures, Direct Action Partners, doesn't impact their ability to get on the ballot.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">On Thursday, they accused company owner Mike Selvaggio of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/26/us/colorado-anti-fracking-signatures.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">holding seven boxes of completed petitions hostage</a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"> in a payment dispute. By midday Friday, the missing <a href="https://www.cpr.org/news/story/colorado-rising-recovers-missing-petitions" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline; transition: color 125ms ease-in-out 0s;">petitions were recovered</a>.<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.55556; vertical-align: baseline;">Colorado Rising has until Aug. 6 to gather 98,000 valid signatures to qualify for the statewide ballot.</div><div></div></div><div>ref</div><div><div>Corporate Tax Policy Organized Labor Labor/Management Health Care Energy & Natural Resources Brochure Video</div><div>ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES</div><div>Pac/West recognizes the importance of science-based resource management, including domestic energy production, and we are proud to work on behalf of leading corporations and associations in the energy and natural resource industries.</div><div>
</div><div>From solar power to fracking, and spotted owls to predator control, Pac/West has the expertise to help you achieve success. Whether you are seeking to pass new legislation, defeat a ballot measure, execute a large-scale public relations campaign or promote your position to a targeted audience, our team has the experience to deliver a favorable outcome.</div><div>
</div><div>One example of our success in the energy and natural resources arena is our award-winning work for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Noble Energy Inc.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>COLORADANS FOR RESPONSIBLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT</div><div>In recent years, Colorado has become ground zero for the debate over domestic energy production—in particular, hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. To push back against misinformation and shift public opinion in favor of energy development, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Noble Energy Inc. hired Pac/West to lead a statewide education campaign in concert with a political advocacy campaign.</div><div>
</div><div>Coloradans for Responsible Energy Development (CRED) was formed in September 2013 to directly engage the public and respond to industry challenges in an aggressive yet strategic manner. CRED is driven by research, including public opinion analysis, message testing and analytics.</div><div>
</div><div>2013</div><div>CRED is an educational effort that informs Coloradans about the economic, social and environmental benefits of safe and responsible energy development.</div><div>
</div><div>CRED.org / StudyFracking.com</div><div>
</div><div>We launched English and Spanish websites—CRED.org and StudyFracking.com—to spread information, advance our policy positions and engage our audiences. The two sites received more than 1 million page views within 13 months.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>We created ads tailored to Denver Broncos football fans and used geo-fencing technology to ensure that every cell phone at the game received the ad.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>We led a robust earned media campaign to secure coverage in outlets such as the Coloradoan and the National Journal.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Pac/West won a 2014 Gold Pollie Award from the American Association of Political Consultants for our work on CRED.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Aggressively leveraging digital platforms, we attained more than 21,987 Facebook likes and 3,205 Twitter followers in 13 months.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Pac/West sent 600,000 pieces of direct mail with messages tailored to our target audiences.</div><div>
</div><div>View the Brochure</div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div></div></div><div></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> 9 22</div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2022.09.14%20Hearing%20Report_PR%20Firms%20Preventing%20Action%20on%20Climate%20Change.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">https://naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2022.09.14%20Hearing%20Report_PR%20Firms%20Preventing%20Action%20on%20Climate%20Change.pdf</a></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="font-size: small;"><div style="">2. Third-Party MobilizationThe general public is less likely to be convinced by a narrative that appears only to serve a specialinterest, especially one with significant reputational liabilities, such as the oil and gas industry. PRfirms consequently work to make the industry’s positions seem widely supported by a range ofostensibly unrelated groups, manufacturing the appearance of representing the broader publicinterest.32 This tactic can take the form of third-party spokespersons, “generating favorable mediacoverage, attributing advertisements to [a] third-party group instead of to the organization, creatingsupportive social media, and mobilizing “astroturf” groups of public supporters.”33 Oil and gascompanies have also created and funded nonprofit entities, which they used to organize oppositionto climate policies.34 Through these front groups, the industry has funneled tens of millions ofdollars to public relations firms to manage media campaigns.35A prominent example of such an approach is the successful defeat of a 2016 effort to put on theColorado ballot two initiatives that would have altered Colorado’s constitution to (1) give localmunicipalities the ability to ban fracking, and (2) prevent oil and gas development within a 2,500-foot buffer zone from occupied buildings and parks, waterways, playgrounds, and other “areas ofspecial concern.”36 Seeing an existential threat to its “license to operate,” Noble Energy, a majornatural gas company operating in Colorado (later bought by Chevron), hired PR firm StoryPartners to help it prevent these safeguards from becoming law.The Committee has obtained documents that reveal, in the PR firm’s own words, how StoryPartners successfully designed and executed its multipronged plan to defeat the initiatives at thesignature-gathering stage (Appendix 5). Story Partners achieved this through tactics includingastroturfing and careful analysis of which kind of message was most likely to persuade people thatthe ballot measure would economically harm not only Noble Energy and “the industry at large,”but the general public as well.37 This campaign and its techniques are discussed in greater detail inthe final section of this memorandum.Third-party mobilization can also directly reach policymakers and their staff. Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine, House Natural Resources Committee staff received a series of seven
...p 11Staff from “HBW Resources” sent the emails and identified themselves as representatives of CEA,describing it as “a nationwide grassroots organization that supports energy policies ensuringabundant, affordable, reliable, and sustainable domestic energy supplies.” CEA claims to havemore than 550,000 individual members and to represent “a broad list of organizations that includefarmers, academia, conservation groups, truck drivers, laborers, trades-people, energy producers,manufacturers, business owners to so much more.”51
Watchdog organization Energy and Policy Institute calls CEA an industry front group, and itspositions align closely with fossil fuel interests. CEA has been accused of engaging in astroturfingon behalf of the major extractive energy industries.52 The organization received a score of “E-”from LobbyMap (on an “A+” to “F” scale) on their climate policy’s alignment with the goals ofthe Paris Agreement, reflecting CEA’s work to obstruct climate policy and energy transition at thestate and national level.53HBW Resources, a self-described “government affairs, advocacy, public relations, andcommunications firm,”54 appears to run CEA. The organization is run out of HBW’s Houston-based office.55 IRS forms indicate that CEA has no paid staff and its chief officers include HBWemployees, such as CEA President and Director—David Holt—and Vice President—MichaelWhatley.56 Since 2010, HBW Resources has been CEA’s highest paid contract by far. Over thistime, 53% of all of CEA’s expenses were paid to HBW, totaling nearly $17 million.57 Large sumswere also paid to two PR firms currently under investigation by this Committee, FTI Consultingand Story Partners.58p 12The source of CEA’s funding is unclear. Since 2010, CEA has reported revenues of over $34.7 million made up almost entirely of contributions and grants.59 As a registered 501(c)(4) organization, CEA is not required to disclose its donors. 60 However, CEA’s members include major oil corporations such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell USA.  61 
3. Delegitimization of Opposition Delegitimizing competing narratives is the final major strategy PR firms use to shore up the fossil fuel industry’s messages.62 PR firms use a range of tactics to undermine other narratives and their messengers, from disputing the facts to attacking individuals and organizations’ “reliability and reputations.”63 The following case study illustrates the extreme and unethical methods some PR firms use. Industry Defeat of Colorado Anti-Fracking Ballot Measures...
P 14...reaffirmed Noble Energy as a strong partner in the community.”74 Meanwhile, print and digitaladvertisements “creatively told the story of the unintended consequences of the proposed ballotmeasures,” and “informed voters of the products and services dependent on oil and natural gas,both from a funding point of view and from a resources perspective.”75 These narratives positionNoble as a socially responsible member of the community, while eliding the full environmentaland public health burden the fossil fuel industry creates in Colorado.These advertisements against proposed fracking restrictions ran “under the brand of the SouthMetro Denver Chamber of Commerce (SMDC),” and “concurrently under the banner of theConsumer Energy Alliance (CEA),” creating the illusion of third-party mobilization.76 Notably,“guerilla marketing teams attended dozens of Colorado events and engaged hundreds of thousandsof citizens.”77 Story Partners’ budget for this campaign is not public information, but CEA’s taxfilings show that the organization paid the PR firm $535,442 in 2016 for “communications,”presumably for this effort.78Story Partners called the campaign a “huge success,” and “an enormous, measurable achievementfor Noble Energy.”79 The PR firm noted that a survey, “after just two months of campaign activity,indicated that support for the specific ballot measures dropped to its lowest point in our research,and opposition to the measures had increased. For the first time, support for the measures wasunder 51 percent, and it was clear the campaign messages were working and recalled.”80 The PRcampaign had successfully stopped climate legislation.Two years later, there was an effort to revive the buffer zone ballot measure. Proposition 112 (akainitiative 97) was a 2018 Colorado ballot initiative designed to mandate that new oil and gasdevelopment, including fracking, be sited a minimum distance of 2,500 feet from occupiedbuildings such as homes, schools, hospitals, and other areas designated as vulnerable. The measurewas brought by grassroots environmental group Colorado Rising.81Industry pushback was coordinated, sophisticated, and heavily funded. Oil and gas firms funneledmillions of dollars into coordinated PR campaigns to defeat Proposition 112.82 Oil and gas industry[CRED protect colo]P18attempted to end their contract while demanding additional payments.96,97 When Colorado Risingcontracted with another signature-gathering firm, the firm broke the contract several days later. Ina recorded conversation shared with the Committee, a subcontractor admitted to taking a bribe of“a lot” of money to stop working with Colorado Rising. He also stated the people who paid himoff had asked him to give them the signatures he had gathered for Proposition 112, but he did notconfirm or deny that the request came from Protect Colorado, the Pac/West front group. (Appendix7(a))98Volunteers for Colorado Rising also experienced harassment in their volunteer and personalcapacities. Members of the opposition attempted to infiltrate their campaign trainings, showed uprepeatedly at their press conferences and outside their campaign office to monitor them, andmonitored the campaign’s delivery of signatures to the Secretary of State’s office. In her personallife, the witness was followed around town by unidentified men – who also showed up to recordColorado Rising press conferences – and received unsolicited texts from one of the people whoattempted to infiltrate their campaign (Appendix 7(b)).99 Another lead volunteer receivedharassing mail at her home address (Appendix 7(c)).[gun in waistband?]100CONCLUSIONFor decades, the oil and gas industry denied or downplayed climate change and its role in causingit. Now that fossil fuel companies and trade groups can no longer get away with outright denial,they pay millions to PR firms to wage sophisticated and varied campaigns that go far beyond meremarketing. These efforts include falsely depicting industry as joining the fight against climatechange, engineering astroturf “citizen” groups to advocate for industry interests and defeatlegislative proposals, and using unscrupulous tactics to sabotage genuine policy solutions andattack community advocates. These modern techniques are arguably far more insidious than thedenialism of the past, thanks to the pivotal involvement of PR firms.[long appendix rich st'd CEA, threat ltr]</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</div></div>
==
Pac/West Communications is a <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Public_relations" title="Public relations">public relations</a> firm with offices in Oregon, Washington D.C., Sacramento and Alaska.

<h2>Contents</h2>

[<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications#" class="internal" id="togglelink">hide</a>] </div>

<ul><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications#Anti-Enviro_Front_Groups_Grow_on_Trees">1 Anti-Enviro Front Groups Grow on Trees</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications#Pushing_For_Drilling_In_the_Artic_Wildlife_Refuge">2 Pushing For Drilling In the Artic Wildlife Refuge</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications#Friends_Formerly_in_High_Places">3 Friends Formerly in High Places</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications#Personnel">4 Personnel</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications#Contact_Details">5 Contact Details</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications#External_links">6 External links</a></li></ul>

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

<h2> Anti-Enviro Front Groups Grow on Trees</h2>

Paul D. Thacker reports on "one short-lived 'grassroots'

organization" based in Oregon, whose leaders "played a key role in

passing President Bush's <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Healthy_Forests_Initiative" title="Healthy Forests Initiative">Healthy Forests legislation</a> and are now promoting changes" to the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Endangered_Species_Act" title="Endangered Species Act">Endangered Species Act</a>

(ESA) that would reduce protections and require the government to

compensate landowners if the law impedes them from developing their

land. One key figure is <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Tim_Wigley" title="Tim Wigley">Tim Wigley</a>,

the director of the PR firm Pac/West Communications. After working for a

timber industry trade group and a forest-products company, Wigley led

the group <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Project_Protect" title="Project Protect">Project Protect</a>, which supported the Healthy Forests bill and was run out of the offices of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Forest_Resource_Council" title="American Forest Resource Council">American Forest Resource Council</a>. Wigley is now the campaign director of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Save_Our_Species_Alliance" title="Save Our Species Alliance">Save Our Species Alliance</a> (SOSA), "which has become a prominent voice in convincing voters that change to ESA is needed." Other SOSA figures include <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Steve_Quarles&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Steve Quarles (page does not exist)">Steve Quarles</a>, a timber industry <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Lobbyist" title="Lobbyist">lobbyist</a>; supporters include the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Competitive_Enterprise_Institute" title="Competitive Enterprise Institute">Competitive Enterprise Institute</a> and the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/National_Center_for_Public_Policy_Research" title="National Center for Public Policy Research">National Center for Public Policy Research</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/mar/policy/pt_bigindustry.html">[1]</a>

<h2> Pushing For Drilling In the Artic Wildlife Refuge</h2>

In May 2006 PR Week reported that Pac/West Communications had

won a $3 million contract with the state of Alaska to co-ordinate a

campaign to gain access to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for

oil exploration.

"At this point, it's research-based, [with] a number of phases," he

said. "One, determining where the issue sits with the American people,

with all the other discussion about energy floating around these days,"

Pac/West's president and CEO, Paul Phillips, told PR Week. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/article/558738/Pac-West+prepares+oil+exploration+push+AK/">[2]</a>

<h2> Friends Formerly in High Places</h2>

In February 2007, Pac/West announced that former U.S. House Resources Committee Chairman <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Richard_Pombo" title="Richard Pombo">Richard Pombo</a> was joining the firm as a "senior partner." Previous Pac/West campaigns had backed Pombo's "attempts to rework the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Endangered_Species_Act" title="Endangered Species Act">Endangered Species Act</a> and open the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Arctic_National_Wildlife_Refuge" title="Arctic National Wildlife Refuge">Arctic National Wildlife Reserve</a> to oil drilling." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16746797.htm">[3]</a>

"What I will be doing is primarily working with grass-roots groups

doing strategy and organizing, looking at a lot of the issues that I

worked with in Congress -- resource issues, agriculture issues," Pombo

told the Contra Costa Times. "What I'm doing really doesn't

involve lobbying Congress." Pombo declined to say what Pac/West was

paying him, but joked, "I'm doing OK." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16746797.htm">[4]</a>

<h2> Personnel</h2>

<ul><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Paul_Phillips" title="Paul Phillips">Paul Phillips</a>, President/CEO</li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nancy_Phillips&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Nancy Phillips (page does not exist)">Nancy Phillips</a>, Owner/CFO</li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Pam_Wilson&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Pam Wilson (page does not exist)">Pam Wilson</a>, Senior Vice President</li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Tim_Wigley" title="Tim Wigley">Tim Wigley</a>, Executive Vice President</li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Angela_Dilkes&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Angela Dilkes (page does not exist)">Angela Dilkes</a>, Vice President</li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Richard_Pombo" title="Richard Pombo">Richard Pombo</a>, Senior Partner <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16746797.htm">[5]</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Larry_Harvey&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Larry Harvey (page does not exist)">Larry Harvey</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Liz_Arnold" title="Liz Arnold">Liz Arnold</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Emily_Hascall&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Emily Hascall (page does not exist)">Emily Hascall</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jerod_Broadfoot&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jerod Broadfoot (page does not exist)">Jerod Broadfoot</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ray_Phelps&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Ray Phelps (page does not exist)">Ray Phelps</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Laura_Probst&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Laura Probst (page does not exist)">Laura Probst</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Kent_Burton&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Kent Burton (page does not exist)">Kent Burton</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jeff_Blanton&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jeff Blanton (page does not exist)">Jeff Blanton</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Janis_Ward&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Janis Ward (page does not exist)">Janis Ward</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rashad_Henry&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Rashad Henry (page does not exist)">Rashad Henry</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=JoLonna_Windsheimer&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="JoLonna Windsheimer (page does not exist)">JoLonna Windsheimer</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Suzanne_Foster&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Suzanne Foster (page does not exist)">Suzanne Foster</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Katie_Handel&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Katie Handel (page does not exist)">Katie Handel</a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Liz_Good&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Liz Good (page does not exist)">Liz Good</a></li></ul>

<h2> Contact Details</h2>

Pac/West - Oregon

8600 SW Saint Helens Dr., Ste 100

Wilsonville, Oregon 97070

503-685-9400

Fax 503-685-9405

Web: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.pacwestcom.com/">http://www.pacwestcom.com/</a>

Pac/West - Washington D.C.

2600 Virginia Avenue, Ste 505

Washington, D.C. 20036

703-360-2384

Fax: 202-333-0178

Pac/West - Alaska

3136 Pioneer Avenue

Juneau, Alaska 99801

907-586-1851

Cell: 907-957-1579

<h2> External links</h2>

<ul><li>Paul D. Thacker, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/images/4/4f/Pac_West_and_Healthy_Forests.pdf">Hidden ties: Big environmental changes backed by big industry.</a>

Lobbyists and industry officials who once pushed for the president’s

Healthy Forests legislation now collaborate with Rep. [Richard] <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Richard_Pombo" title="Richard Pombo">Pombo</a> to alter the Endangered Species Act", Environmental Science & Technology, March 8, 2006.</li><li>Hamilton Nolan, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/article/558738/Pac-West+prepares+oil+exploration+push+AK/">Pac/West prepares oil exploration push for AK</a>", PR Week (sub req'd), 11 May 2006.</li><li>Josh Richman, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16746797.htm">Pombo hired by firm that supported his bill</a>," Contra Costa Times (California), February 21, 2007.</li></ul>

</div>

        
    
    
            
    </font></font></font><div id="catlinks" class="catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Category</a>: </font></font></font></font></font></font></font><ul><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Public_relations_firms" title="Category:Public relations firms"><font face="Times New Roman">Public relations firms</font></a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li></ul><p><font face="Times New Roman">=====</font></p><div id="mw-content-text" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" lang="en"><p><font face="Times New Roman"><b>Tim Wigley</b> is Executive Vice President of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications" title="Pac/West Communications">Pac/West Communications</a></font><br/>

"Prior to joining Pac/West, Tim served as the president of the Oregon

Forest Industries Council (OFIC) - a Salem-based, statewide trade

association representing the interests of Oregon's forest products

industry. He also served as West Coast Director of Corporate

Communications for <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Georgia-Pacific_Corporation" title="Georgia-Pacific Corporation" class="mw-redirect" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Georgia-Pacific Corporation</a>

where he managed all internal and external communications for wood

products manufacturing facilities as well as the timber division," his

biographical note states. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.pacwestcom.com/staff/wigley.htm">[1]</a>

Wigley led the group <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Project_Protect" title="Project Protect">Project Protect</a>, which supported the Healthy Forests bill and was run out of the offices of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Forest_Resource_Council" title="American Forest Resource Council">American Forest Resource Council</a>. Wigley is now the campaign director of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Save_Our_Species_Alliance" title="Save Our Species Alliance">Save Our Species Alliance</a> (SOSA), "which has become a prominent voice in convincing voters that change to ESA is needed." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/mar/policy/pt_bigindustry.html">[2]</a>

<h2> Other SourceWatch resources</h2>

<ul><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Property_rights" title="Property rights">Property rights</a></li></ul>

<h2> External links</h2>

<ul><li>"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.pacwestcom.com/staff/wigley.htm">Tim Wigley</a>", accessed March 2006.</li><li>Paul D. Thacker, "<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/mar/policy/pt_bigindustry.html">Hidden ties: Big environmental changes backed by big industry</a>

Lobbyists and industry officials who once pushed for the president’s

Healthy Forests legislation now collaborate with Rep. Pombo to alter the

Endangered Species Act", Environmental Science & Technology, March 8, 2006; article available <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://sourcewatch.org/images/a/a9/Pt_bigindustry.pdf">here</a>.</li></ul>

<table style="margin:0.5em 0.57em 0.5em 0.7em; border-collapse: collapse; background: #fffacd; border: 1px solid #dad26d;"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 100%; padding:.25em .25em 0.25em .25em;">This article is a <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/SourceWatch:Find_or_fix_a_stub" title="SourceWatch:Find or fix a stub">stub</a>. You can <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/SourceWatch:Find_or_fix_a_stub" title="SourceWatch:Find or fix a stub">help</a> by <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tim_Wigley&action=edit">expanding it</a>.</td><td>
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    <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>: </font><ul><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Public_relations_professionals" title="Category:Public relations professionals"><font face="Times New Roman">Public relations professionals</font></a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Environment" title="Category:Environment"><font face="Times New Roman">Environment</font></a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:United_States" title="Category:United States"><font face="Times New Roman">United States</font></a></li><li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Stubs" title="Category:Stubs"><font face="Times New Roman">Stubs</font></a></li><li><font face="Times New Roman">===</font></li></ul><div><font face="Times New Roman">=====</font></div><div><div>---</div><div><div class="itemHeader" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h2 class="itemTitle" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 4px; border: 0px; line-height: 39.599998474121094px;"><font size="3">Hidden Ties: Big Environmental Changes Backed by Big Industry</font></h2><span class="itemDateCreated" style="font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Wednesday, 08 March 2006 20:20</span><span class="itemAuthor" style="font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; display: block; font-style: italic; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);"><br /></span></div><div class="itemBody" style="margin: 0px; padding: 8px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"><div class="itemFullText" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><div class="article_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Hidden Ties: Big Environmental Changes Backed by Big Industry</b><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By Paul D. Thacker<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Environmental Science and Technology Online</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wednesday 08 March 2006</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 17px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Lobbyists and industry officials who once pushed for the president's Healthy Forests legislation now collaborate with Rep. Pombo to alter the Endangered Species Act.</span></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 17px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><br /></i></b></blockquote><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0" align="right" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px; font-size: 17px;"><table bordercolor="#111111" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100" border="0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px; font-size: 17px;" /><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px; font-size: 17px;" /><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px; font-size: 17px;" /></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Since President Bush took office, Republicans have successfully pushed through major reforms that target regulations for power-plant emissions and the management of federal forests. During his 2004 campaign for reelection, the president&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004c.html" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">praised</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;his Healthy Forests initiative as "a good, common-sense policy." This year, the Republican-led Congress is gearing up for yet another "common-sense" reform to a major piece of environmental legislation - the Endangered Species Act (ESA).</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Critics of these reforms charge that they are little more than giveaways to the affected industries and note that the changes enacted with the Healthy Forests legislation limit citizens' ability to appeal logging sales on federal lands and emphasize cutting trees to prevent fires. However, the reformers point to support by "grassroots" groups as a sign that these changes are popular with citizens and not just industry.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ES&T has examined in detail one short-lived "grassroots" environmental organization that was based in Oregon - a state with vast forests and species-rich ecosystems. The leading figures in this group played a key role in passing President Bush's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/healthyforests/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Healthy Forests</a>&nbsp;legislation and are now promoting changes to ESA. From dozens of interviews and reviews of thousands of pages of documents, ES&T has found clear evidence that this "grassroots" organization has clear ties to timber corporations - an industry likely to benefit financially from legislative reforms.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Change - With Help From Your Friends</b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The movement to alter ESA is being led in Congress by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.house.gov/pombo/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Rep. Richard Pombo</a>&nbsp;(R-CA), a rancher from California and the powerful chair of the House of Representatives' Committee on Natural Resources. The effort to change ESA cleared its first hurdle in September 2005 when the House approved Pombo's bill (H.R. 3824). Major provisions in the bill would remove requirements to designate critical habitat to protect endangered and threatened species and would also add a new requirement for the government to compensate landowners when the law impedes them from developing their land.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To write the bill, Pombo called on the help of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.crowell.com/AttorneyTemplate.cfm?Section=Lawyers&template=/Staff/StaffDetail.cfm&StaffID=242" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Steve Quarles</a>, a lobbyist who works for the timber industry. "I spent a great deal of time with Pombo's staff," Quarles told ES&T, and during that time he helped write the bill.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But Pombo, Quarles, and other reformers face an important obstacle. For well over a decade, public opinion has run strongly against changes viewed as weakening environmental laws. An October 2005&nbsp;<a href="http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=607" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Harris Poll</a>&nbsp;found that 74% of Americans believe that "protecting the environment is so important that requirements and standards cannot be too high, and continuing environmental improvements must be made regardless of cost."</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To counter possible negative opinion and shape a message that is palatable to political moderates, Pombo and other ESA reformers have drawn on a new form of grassroots environmentalism that sides with corporate causes. One example is the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.saveourspeciesalliance.org/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Save Our Species Alliance</a>&nbsp;(SOSA), which has become a prominent voice in convincing voters that change to ESA is needed.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On its website, SOSA carries this message: "The Endangered Species Act is a good law with good intentions. The Save Our Species Alliance will work across the country to promote common sense, balanced, and scientifically supported changes to the ESA." Pictured next to the statement is an endangered reptile.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SOSA's campaign director is&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pacwestcom.com/images/WigleyPromotion.doc" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Tim Wigley</a>&nbsp;[MS Word], who is also the executive director of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pacwestcom.com/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Pac/West Communications</a>,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;a public-relations (PR) firm with offices in Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, DC. In an interview with ES&T, Wigley stated that SOSA is a grassroots group of farmers, labor groups, and others "who all care about modernizing the Endangered Species Act."</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In January 2005, Wigley traveled to Washington, DC, to address a group of property-rights activists who also wanted to reform ESA. The gathering took place in a committee meeting room at the House of Representatives.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Democrats contacted by ES&T said that they were not invited, but the participants included staffers working for a number of republicans including<font color="#ff0000">&nbsp;Pombo and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK</font>), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wigley's presentation discussed how to best sell changes in ESA to the American public and included results from focus groups and polls, said&nbsp;<a href="http://www.landrights.org/Staff.htm" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Chuck Cushman</a>, executive director of the American Land Rights Assoc., a private-property-rights group, and a participant at in the meeting. Of Wigley's talents at delivering a message, Cushman said, "He's very skilled, more skilled than I am. He has the grassroots at heart." Cushman added that he had even employed Wigley to help with various political causes.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Hidden Roots, Hidden Money</b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Federal&nbsp;<a href="http://sopr.senate.gov/cgi-win/opr_gifviewer.exe?/2005/01/000/041/000041807|2" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">records show</a>&nbsp;that SOSA's lobbyist is Steve Quarles</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, who told ES&T that he filed the paperwork to incorporate the organization. Practically a Washington, DC, institution, Quarles has long worked to shape environmental laws to favor corporations. During the debate over the president's Healthy Forests legislation,</span><a href="http://sopr.senate.gov/cgi-win/m_opr_viewer.exe?DoFn=3&LOB=QUARLES,%20STEVEN%20P.&LOBQUAL==&sequence=1" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Quarles lobbied</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;for its passage on behalf of the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.afandpa.org/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">American Forest and Paper Assoc.</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, the largest trade group for the forest products industry. Previously, he represented the&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.afrc.ws/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">American Forest Resource Council</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;(AFRC), a group that&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">lobbies for management of public lands to favor industry.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wigley, too, has a long history with the timber industry. Before joining Pac/West, he worked for the Oregon Forest Industries Council (OFIC), a trade organization that represents forest-products companies. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records show that his work for OFIC included raising large sums of cash. For the 2002 elections</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">,<a href="http://forms.irs.gov/politicalOrgsSearch/search/gotoSearchDrillDown.action?pacId=%27697%27&criteriaName=%27OREGON+FOREST+INDUSTRIES+COUNCIL+PAC%27" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Wigley raised</a>&nbsp;$327,100 from timber companies, such as Weyerhaueser and Boise Cascade. This money was then handed out to Republicans running for state offices in Oregon</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Before joining OFIC, Wigley worked&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.pacwestcom.com/Team.shtml" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">as a press officer</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;for Georgia Pacific, one of the world's largest forest-products corporations. His biography also states that he is a<b>&nbsp;graduate of the American Campaign Academy, a group&nbsp;</b></span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/leadership/stories/010797.htm" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>created</b></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>&nbsp;by advisers to former Rep. Newt Gingrich to train Republican political operatives</b>.&nbsp;</span><a id="a" href="http://truth-out.org/archive/component/k2/item/61283:hidden-ties-big-environmental-changes-backed-by-big-industry#aa" name="a" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[1]</a></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wigley and Pac/West are no strangers to environmental reform movements. Several years ago, Wigley led Project Protect, which helped pass the Healthy Forests legislation by lobbying Congress and running advertisements and opinion pieces to influence the public in timber-rich states.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One example of this work was an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2003/07/23/47662.php" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">opinion piece</a>&nbsp;that ran in July 2003 in the Reno Gazette, a Nevada newspaper. Pac/West's community outreach associate, Liz Arnold, wrote, "[M]anaging our forests and rangelands instead of spending ... time responding to litigation and special interest politics is now an environmental necessity." She encouraged residents to support "scientific management" of our forests, adding, "Passage of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act is critical." The piece describes her as a "Project Protect grassroots coordinator."</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When asked, Wigley shied away from disclosing who financially backs SOSA and who funded Project Protect, saying Project Protect "was a grassroots organization." He added, "<font color="#ff0000">I am not a lobbyist</font>. I think this line of questioning is misleading."</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><br /></span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Project Protect was registered as a nonprofit in April 2003 by Wigley at Pac/West Communications. According to federal records, Wigley became the group's lobbyist and coordinated his work with the Bush Administration until the project disbanded in 2004,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;after the 2004 presidential race. In 2003, the address for Project Protect was a MailBoxes Etc. store in Portland, Ore., but the following year, the address changed to the offices of American Forest Resource Council (AFRC).</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;AFRC's president, Tom Partin, said the council's members weren't really involved in Project Protect, which he said was just a PR campaign coordinated by Wigley to pass the Healthy Forests legislation.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Project Protect's now-defunct website (www.landsense.us)&nbsp;<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030617222317/http://www.landsense.us/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">billed the organization</a>as a "grassroots coalition of western communities, natural resource groups, labor organizations, and conservationists" whose mission was "<b>to protect our over-populated, dense forests from catastrophic wildfire and disease."</b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Until now, Project Protect has hidden its ties to industry and sources of funding. The first public mention of Project Protect was in the industry magazine<a href="https://www.paperloop.com/premiumresearch/iwr/current/2003/5/14/IWRmay3.pdf" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">International Wood Fiber Report</a>&nbsp;[184KB PDF] in May 2003. In an article that month,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Jim Peterson of the industry-funded Evergreen Foundation was quoted calling Project Protect a "hardball approach" to get the president's bill signed. "It's not a warm, fuzzy PR campaign," he said. "It's a fight to the finish. We intend to work behind the scenes with industry associations with much of the PR off the radar screen by design."</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0" align="left" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px; font-size: 17px;"><table bordercolor="#111111" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100" border="0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><tbody style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px; font-size: 17px;" /></tr><tr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px; font-size: 17px;"><center style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><br /></center></td><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px; font-size: 17px;" /></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In an email obtained by ES&T that Wigley wrote in February 2005, he revealed his own views on Project Protect. "When I directed the healthy forests battle two years ago, I had to change the way the forest products industry talked," he wrote. "We didn't change our goals - just the way we communicated."</span></p></div><div class="article_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;"><br /><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania estimated that Project Protect bought&nbsp;<a href="http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/issueads05/2003-2004/Org%20Bios/project_protect.htm" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">$10,000 in advertising</a>&nbsp;in 2004. However, ES&T has learned that the organization&nbsp;<b>actually spent $2.9 million on media and lobbying during its 2-year existence&nbsp;</b>before evaporating after the 2004 elections, according to copies of Project Protect's 2003 and 2004 tax statements. The documents do not list the donors.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From newspapers and radio stations in Oregon, ES&T learned how some of this money was spent. In 2004, two full-page ads for Project Protect ran in The Oregonian; a salesperson with the newspaper said they cost more than $10,000 each. And a salesperson at Oregon radio station KEZI said that ads for Project Protect totaled more than $70,000 between August and November of 2004. "They made a real statement," said the salesperson. Tax forms for SOSA are not yet available.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In November 2004, Pombo recognized Wigley's work with Project Protect by sending a&nbsp;<a href="http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/mar/policy/figures/Pombo_letter.pdf" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">letter</a>&nbsp;[117KB PDF] to the Forest Resources Assoc. recommending Wigley for an award. "Tim's efforts in leading the grassroots campaign 'Project Protect' without question helped position the Healthy Forests Restoration Act for successful passage in the U.S. Congress," Pombo wrote. Wigley&nbsp;<a href="http://www.forestnet.com/timberwest/archives/May_June_05/association_news.htm" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">received the award</a>&nbsp;and a cash prize from the association a few months later.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In August 2005, Pac/West returned the favor by hosting a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/notices/PomboWilsonvilleGrassrootsInvite.pdf" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">fund-raiser</a>&nbsp;[1.2MB PDF] for Pombo</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;in Wilsonville, Ore., where the firm is headquartered. Around this time, the&nbsp;<b>Pac/West CEO Paul Phillips, a former Oregon state senator</b>,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave.asp?strID=C00387670&Cycle=2004&txtSort=C" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">donated</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;$1000 to Pombo's campaign. Members listed on IRS documents as directors for Project Protect donated an additional $3000.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ES&T contacted Pombo's office on numerous occasions seeking comment about his ties to SOSA and to various officials who created the group. After a brief exchange, Pombo's office stopped returning calls and would no longer respond to inquiries.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Creating a Synthetic Movement</b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Larry Noble at the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.crp.org/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Center for Responsive Politics</a>, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics, said this type of corporate-funded countermovement only came to fruition in the 1990s after businesses suffered decades of poor public perception and lost numerous political battles to environmental groups.&nbsp;<a id="b" href="http://truth-out.org/archive/component/k2/item/61283:hidden-ties-big-environmental-changes-backed-by-big-industry#bb" name="b" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">[2]</a></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the sixties, people heard the corporate message, "Better living through chemistry" but then discovered that this same industry was making napalm. The widespread disillusionment of the era led to a cynical attitude toward large companies. "People just began to discount them," Noble said. Industry responded, he added, by putting more resources into PR and lobbying groups that know how to get an industry message out to the media and to the public in an appealing way.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"There is this issue of balance in the media," he said. "So, a journalist will go out and interview someone from an environmental group and then someone from an industry [funded] environmental group."</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And another payoff exists, Noble said, when it comes to advertising and shaping public perception. "When one of these groups takes out an ad, most people will not look to see who's behind it" or whether the sponsoring group is funded by industry or by a public-interest group, he said.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Noble said that it is shocking that Project Protect spent $2.9 million in advertising to pass Bush's Healthy Forests legislation. "It gives you some sense of what the real grassroots [organizations] are up against."</b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Some people call it Astroturf," said&nbsp;<a href="http://www.skadden.com/index.cfm?contentID=45&bioID=1015" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Ken Gross</a>, a lawyer who specializes in ethics and campaign-finance cases. Unlike traditional grassroots groups that may consist of local activists meeting in someone's living room, these new operations are backed by corporate money and run like professional political campaigns. "It's not mom-and-pop; it's highly sophisticated, with well-compensated people. [But] there's nothing unholy about it."</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With a grant from the National Science Foundation, Drexel University associate professor of sociology&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~brullerj/" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Robert Brulle</a>&nbsp;is analyzing the nearly 8000 U.S. environmental organizations that operated between 1900 and 2000. He found that while some groups prospered with large memberships, broad community support, and elected leaders, some of the newer groups consisted of an appointed board and had unknown financial sources. The new groups labeled themselves as grassroots, but they also had strong financial ties to corporations and leaders drawn from industry groups or PR firms.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The word grassroots "implies broad representation, but when you ask questions, you'll find that some groups get [mad]," said Brulle, especially when you ask them where they get their money. "I have yet to find one of these industry groups that was authentic. They are mostly top-down, short-term groups."</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pac.org/page/StaffBio-DouglasPink.shtml" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Douglas G. Pinkham</a>, president of the Public Affairs Council, an educational group for lobbyists, said that current scandals in the U.S. involving disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, may lead to greater transparency in politics and lobbying.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Most companies I talk with shy away from these tactics," he says, referring to PR firms creating industry-funded environmental advocacy groups. "They realize in the long run that it hurts their reputation."</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><hr align="center" width="15%" style="border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); height: 1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a id="aa" href="http://truth-out.org/archive/component/k2/item/61283:hidden-ties-big-environmental-changes-backed-by-big-industry#a" name="aa" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">[1]</a>&nbsp;<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">IRS Forms</b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Secretly funded and staffed by industry, Project Protect was a $2.9 million media campaign to persuade the public to support President Bush's Healthy Forests legislation.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/mar/policy/figures/PP_990_2003.pdf" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">2003 IRS form</a>&nbsp;[2.4MB PDF]<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/mar/policy/figures/PP_990_2004.pdf" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">2004 IRS form</a>&nbsp;[1MB PDF]</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a id="bb" href="http://truth-out.org/archive/component/k2/item/61283:hidden-ties-big-environmental-changes-backed-by-big-industry#b" name="bb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">[2]</a>&nbsp;<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Think Tank or Lobby Shop?</b></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The January 2005 meeting in Washington, DC, at which Tim Wigley spoke to activists in the property-rights movement about changing the Endangered Species Act was attended by representatives from several libertarian think tanks, including&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cei.org/dyn/view_Expert.cfm?Expert=125" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Myron Ebell</a>&nbsp;of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nationalcenter.org/Staffbios.html" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">David Ridenour</a>&nbsp;of the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR). Ebell, Ridenour, and other "scholars" from these think tanks have been central to the advance of conservative policy and efforts at deregulation,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;say many observers.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For example,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.landrights.org/Staff.htm" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Chuck Cushman</a>, executive director of the American Land Rights Assoc., told ES&T that he had employed both Wigley and Ebell to help with various political causes in the property-rights movement. And when Wigley's Save Our Species Alliance sent out press releases in the summer of 2005, journalists were asked to contact&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Tom Randall&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">with the consulting firm&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.winningreen.com/about.htm" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Winningreen</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Before he started Winningreen, Randall and his wife Gretchen were employed by&nbsp;</span><font color="#ff0000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">NCPPR,</font><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;where they wrote environmental policy papers that supported corporate positions on topics such as forest policy and global warming.</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ebell, in particular, has emerged as a major force in shaping public opinion. At CEI, Ebell refashioned himself from a property rights adovocate to become a leading global-warming skeptic. He is now often quoted by media outlets&nbsp;<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56421-2004Dec10.html" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">such as the Washington Post</a>&nbsp;as a counter to researchers whose studies point out the need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.crp.org/about/staff.asp?staffer=noble" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Larry Noble</a>&nbsp;of the Center on Responsive Politics said he wasn't too surprised to hear that a network of lobbyists, industry officials, and scholars from libertarian think tanks jump from one issue to the next in an effort to change environmental laws. "It's known that this is going on, just not all the exact details," he said. "It makes me think of the early 70s in rock, where all these music groups formed and then quickly died. But when you really looked at it, it was just the same musicians moving from band to band."</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;NCPPR's current senior fellow on environmental policy is&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA534LawofSea.html" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46);">Bonner R. Cohen</a>.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;A check of Internal Revenue Service documents showed that Cohen is also the director of TASSC, a science lobbying group which was started in 1993 by the communications firm APCO Associates to promote "sound science" on behalf of tobacco companies. As&nbsp;</span><a href="http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2005/may/business/pt_junkscience.html" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">reported</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;by ES&T in May 2005, TASSC is now run from the home of Steven Milloy, a FoxNews.com columnist, climate-change skeptic, self-described basher of "junk science", and an adjunct "scholar" at CEI. -PDT</span></p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">--</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">inset:&nbsp;<span style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-center; font-size: 17px;">Critics say that the tactics detailed in this email sent by Wigley are now commonly employed to persuade the public to support laws that favor large corporations.</span></p><a href="http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/mar/policy/figures/Wigley_email.pdf" target="_blank" style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-center; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(156, 22, 46); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">View the email</a><span style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-center; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[168KB PDF]</span><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">--</p><p style="padding: 0px; border: 0px; margin: 0px !important; line-height: 1.467em !important; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><hr align="left" width="7%" style="border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); height: 1px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Paul D. Thacker joined the ES&T staff in early 2004, after four years as a freelance writer for publications such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, Science, and The Christian Science Monitor. He has covered a wide variety of stories, including an Ebola outbreak in Africa, urban butterflies inhabiting our cities, and the politics of restoring populations of prairie dogs. During his free time, Thacker enjoys reading books, following the news, and cooking. He is a recent migrant to Washington, DC, and loves exploring the city and its great restaurants and museums.</i></div></div></div></div><div>===</div></div><div><div id="content-header" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; widows: auto; font-size: 16px;"><h1 class="title" style="font-size: 2.077em; line-height: 1.15em; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 2px; font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">[Orin] Hatch Joins Phony "Stop the War on the Poor" Effort</font></font></font></span></h1></div><div id="content-area" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; widows: auto; font-size: 16px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div id="node-36535" class="node node-type-blog"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><div class="node-inner"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><div class="meta"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><div class="submitted" style="font-size: 1em; font-style: italic; padding-bottom: 9px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div></div><div class="content" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(152, 152, 152);"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">For the past few weeks, we’ve been</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2008/07/astroturf_group.html" title="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2008/07/astroturf_group.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">reporting</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">on the “Stop the War on the Poor” campaign, an effort to label “extreme environmentalists” who oppose increased domestic oil drilling as enemies of the poor.&nbsp; The campaign counts among its leaders a group called Americans for American Energy, which</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://www.americansforamericanenergy.org/about+us.aspx" title="http://www.americansforamericanenergy.org/about+us.aspx" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">describes</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">itself as “a non-profit, grassroots-based organization dedicated to educating the public about the importance of greater energy independence for America and promoting public policies that support that goal.”&nbsp;</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As we</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2008/07/dubious_grassro.html" title="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2008/07/dubious_grassro.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">wrote</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">last week,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Americans for American Energy was created by Pac/West Communications, a firm with</span></font></font></font><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://dwb.adn.com/front/v-front_section/story/8928963p-8829174c.html" title="http://dwb.adn.com/front/v-front_section/story/8928963p-8829174c.html" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">considerable Republican ties</font></font></font></a></span><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">, and shares a location with the consulting firm of Jim Sims,&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">communications director for Vice President Cheney’s energy task force.&nbsp; In 2007, fresh off</span></font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/story/8928968p-8829176c.html" title="http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/story/8928968p-8829176c.html" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">helping to defeat</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">attempts “to ban bear baiting in Alaska and impose new taxes on cruise ships,” Pac/West received a $3 million grant from the state of Alaska to “educate” the American public about ANWR drilling, that was later stopped by Gov. Sarah Palin because the PAC/West-Americans for American Energy efforts were “not part of an open and transparent process.”&nbsp; But that was not the end for&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Americans for American Energy.&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Although its profile has risen along with the “Stop the War on the Poor” campaign, Americans for American Energy has been engaging in suspicious activities in western states for the last several years.&nbsp; In Colorado, it</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_7207754" title="http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_7207754" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">released</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">a report claiming $1.2 billion in first-year profits for natural gas drilling on the Roan Plateau, an estimate that critics, such as the Wilderness Society, claimed were based on “junk science”</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font></span></p><blockquote style="margin: 13px 35px 13px 8px; border-left-color: rgb(140, 151, 171); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 7px; padding-left: 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Credible economic studies need to stand up to independent review, list data sources and methods, and at the very least include the names of economists who authored the report. Unbelievably, this industry-backed study does none of this.</font></font></font></span></blockquote><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In Wyoming, its leaders falsely</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070913/NEWS/109130087" title="http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070913/NEWS/109130087" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">claimed</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">that Gov. Dave Freudenthal was a supporter of their “powerful new oil and gas campaign,” leading the governor to write a letter disavowing the group.&nbsp; In Utah, they launched an email attack on Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) that</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://www.eenews.net/eed/2008/01/16/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">compared him</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">to Hugo Chavez and Osama Bin Laden:</font></font></font></span></p><blockquote style="margin: 13px 35px 13px 8px; border-left-color: rgb(140, 151, 171); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 7px; padding-left: 20px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Last week, over 160,000 Utah residents received an e-mail letter indirectly comparing a New York congressman to some of the most infamous men in the world.</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Along with mug shots of Osama bin Laden, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared a photo of Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.).</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Hinchey's crime? Sponsoring the Red Rock Wilderness Act, a bill that would set aside 9.4 million acres of public land in Utah as wilderness.</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The letter was attributed to Utah state GOP Reps. Aaron Tilton and Mike Noel, but it was the brainchild of Americans for American Energy, a Colorado-based industry group that has accepted money from, among others, the state of Alaska.</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Red Rock Wilderness Act will "WEAKEN America," the letter states. "How? Because it will hamstring our ability to produce American energy right here in Utah. That leads America to become more dependent on energy from hostile foreign nations -- some of whom fund terrorist organizations that are right now targeting our American men and women in uniform."</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">An online version of the letter and corresponding Web site go further, for instance with a picture of bin Laden, Chavez and Ahmadinejad. "These terror leaders also want America to continue its foreign oil dependence," reads the caption underneath the graphic.</font></font></font></span></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Now, Americans for American Energy has turned from accusing its opponents of being in league with terrorists to accusing them of fighting a “war on the poor,” and this message seems to have resonated with Republicans on Capitol Hill.&nbsp; A number of rank and file Congressional Republicans showed up on-message at the kick-off press conference, including&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Rep. Bill Sali of Idaho,</span></font></font></font><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://sali.house.gov/apps/list/press/id01_sali/poor7152008.shtml" title="http://sali.house.gov/apps/list/press/id01_sali/poor7152008.shtml" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">co-sponsor</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font></span><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">of a bill suspiciously entitled the “Americans for American Energy Act,” which “would open ANWR and the OCS</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;to increase production of American crude oil and give the right incentives to boost conservation, improved efficiency and bring alternative energy online sooner.”</span></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But they’ve gained a much higher-profile ally in Senator Orrin Hatch, who mentioned the campaign, quoted one of its leaders, Bishop Harry Jackson,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;and plugged its website,</span></font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Print&PressRelease_id=60875c1b-1b78-be3e-e0a6-f2c2488eb60f&suppresslayouts=true" title="http://hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Print&PressRelease_id=60875c1b-1b78-be3e-e0a6-f2c2488eb60f&suppresslayouts=true" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">all on the Senate floor</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">:</font></font></font></p><blockquote style="margin: 13px 35px 13px 8px; border-left-color: rgb(140, 151, 171); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 7px; padding-left: 20px;"><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Unfortunately for the Democrat party, the poor are beginning to wake up that the liberals they have always looked to are behind the War on the Poor. By War on the Poor, I refer to the movement by the anti-oil extremists to close off every good domestic oil resource, which is a direct cause of the high energy prices Americans face.</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Democrats in Congress have been forced to choose between the very well funded extreme anti-oil interests and the poor, because on energy prices there is no compromise between the two. The Democrats have begun to recognize the position they are in, and are trying to have it both ways with today’s vote.</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Earlier this month, a group of protesters came to Capitol Hill calling on Congress to Stop the War on the Poor by groups and congressmen who are closing off America's energy resources.</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Included in the group were pastors and civil rights leaders calling on this body to unlock America's oil resources for the benefit of Americans, and especially for the benefit of lower income Americans.</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">One of the Participants was Bishop Harry Jackson. I would like to quote some of his remarks for the record. These are his words:</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"I am a registered Democrat, but this has nothing to do with partisan politics. Unless the public understands that there are specific people and organizations that are fueling this war against the poor, nothing will change and the poor will continue to suffer. We will unmask those behind this war regardless of their political party or ideology. Party labels and partisan ideologies are meaningless when it comes to protecting the lives of America's most vulnerable citizens,"</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">By the way, Mr. President, you can see more about the&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">stop the war on the poor</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">movement on the web at</span></font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.stopwaronpoor.org/" title="www.stopwaronpoor.org" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">www.stopwaronpoor.org</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">.</font></font></font></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Ironically, Niger Innis, co-chair of the Stop the War on the Poor effort,</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://www.financialpost.com/trading_desk/energy/story.html?id=687887" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">says</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">that U. S. politicians are "being cowered by a very powerful, well-funded environmental extremist lobby that has a great deal of influence over them, and a great deal of influence over policy” and that their primary mission is "’outing’ the extremist groups and the politicians it says are doing their bidding.”</font></font></font></span></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Bold words for a man heading an effort that is itself a</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2008/07/dubious_grassro.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">phony Astroturf campaign</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">on behalf of energy interests.&nbsp;</font></font></font></span></p></div><div class="terms-container" style="margin-top: 28px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><h3 style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-top: 0.769em; margin-bottom: 0.769em; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.4em; padding-bottom: 9px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 152, 152);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FILED UNDER</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h3><div class="tags"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div class="vocabulary-84"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" /></span></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><h3 style="font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-top: 0.769em; margin-bottom: 0.769em; text-transform: uppercase; padding-bottom: 10px; border: 0px; margin-right: 5px; display: inline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4">ORGANIZATIONS:</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h3>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/organizations/americans-for-american-energy" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">Americans for American Energy</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4" /></font></div><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font><div class="vocabulary-85"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 style="font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-top: 0.769em; margin-bottom: 0.769em; text-transform: uppercase; padding-bottom: 10px; border: 0px; margin-right: 5px; display: inline;"><font size="4"><font size="4">PEOPLE:</font></font></h3>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/people/sarah-palin" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">Sarah Palin</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4" /></font></span></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" /></font></font><div class="vocabulary-2"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 style="font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-top: 0.769em; margin-bottom: 0.769em; text-transform: uppercase; padding-bottom: 10px; border: 0px; margin-right: 5px; display: inline;"><font size="4"><font size="4">TOPICS:</font></font></h3>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/civil-rights" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">Civil Rights</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4">,</font></font><font size="4"><font size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/congress" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">Congress</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4">,</font></font><font size="4"><font size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/politics" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">Politics</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4">,</font></font><font size="4"><font size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/republicans" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">republicans</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4">,</font></font><font size="4"><font size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/science" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">Science</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4">,</font></font><font size="4"><font size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/senate" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">senate</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4">,</font></font><font size="4"><font size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/utah" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">Utah</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4">,</font></font><font size="4"><font size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/vote" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">vote</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4">,</font></font><font size="4"><font size="4">&nbsp;</font></font><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/topics/women" style="text-decoration: none; font-size: 12px;"><font size="4"><font size="4">Women</font></font></a><font size="4"><font size="4" /></font></span></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font size="4" /></font></font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman" /></font></font></font><p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">- See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/hatch-joins-phony-stop-war-poor-effort#sthash.49aRpdWn.dpuf</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman" /></font><p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">==</font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Liz Arnold</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;is Community Outreach Associate for the PR firm,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pac/West_Communications" title="Pac/West Communications" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Pac/West Communications</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Arnold runs their office in Alaska</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">A biographical note states that "Arnold has supported natural resource industries, multiple use of public land, a balanced approach to environmental protection as well as the protection of private property rights both as an activist and as a grassroots consultant. She has served in various leadership positions in grassroots groups organizing volunteers and coordinating campaigns. Some of the groups she has worked with include&nbsp;<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Citizens_for_a_Sound_Economy" title="Citizens for a Sound Economy" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Citizens for a Sound Economy</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=National_Forest_Homeowners_Association&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="National Forest Homeowners Association (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(165, 88, 88); background: none;">National Forest Homeowners Association</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Partnership_for_the_West" title="Partnership for the West" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Partnership for the West</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Project_Protect" title="Project Protect" style="color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Project Protect</a>."&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.pacwestcom.com/staff/arnold.htm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs+9AAAAVElEQVR42n3PgQkAIAhEUXdqJ3dqJ3e6IoTPUSQcgj4EQ5IlUiLE0Jil3PECXhcHGBhZ8kg4hwxAu3MZeCGeyFnAXp4hqNQPnt7QL0nADpD6wHccLvnAKksq8iiaAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) 100% 50% no-repeat;">[1]</a></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Pac/West Communications Alaska office is located in Juneau in Liz Arnold's home. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Liz Arnold is married to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Tim_Arnold" title="Tim Arnold" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Tim Arnold</a>, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Vice-President and General Manager for Couer Alaska.</span></font></font></font></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Contact_Details"><font face="Times New Roman">Contact Details</font></span></font></font></font></h2><p style="margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Pac/West Communications - Alaska<br />3136 Pioneer Avenue<br />Juneau, Alaska 99801<br />Phone: 907-586-1851<br />Cell: 907-957-1579<br />Email: arnirish AT aol.com</font></font></font></font></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); font-size: 19px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links"><font face="Times New Roman">External links</font></span></font></font></font></h2><ul style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAUAAAANAQMAAABb8jbLAAAABlBMVEX///8AUow5QSOjAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAABNJREFUCB1jYEABBQw/wLCAgQEAGpIDyT0IVcsAAAAASUVORK5CYII=); font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">"<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.pacwestcom.com/staff/arnold.htm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs+9AAAAVElEQVR42n3PgQkAIAhEUXdqJ3dqJ3e6IoTPUSQcgj4EQ5IlUiLE0Jil3PECXhcHGBhZ8kg4hwxAu3MZeCGeyFnAXp4hqNQPnt7QL0nADpD6wHccLvnAKksq8iiaAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) 100% 50% no-repeat;">Liz Arnold</a>", undated, accessed August 2006.</font></font></font></font></li></ul></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">==</font></font></font></font></div><div><p style="font-weight: bold;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">rww</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Hatch Joins Phony "Stop the War on the Poor" Effort</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">SUBMITTED BY Anonymous on Wednesday, 7/30/2008 3:46 pm</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">For the past few weeks, we’ve been reporting on the “Stop the War on the Poor” campaign, an effort to label “extreme environmentalists” who oppose increased domestic oil drilling as enemies of the poor. &nbsp;The campaign counts among its leaders a group called Americans for American Energy, which describes itself as “a non-profit, grassroots-based organization dedicated to educating the public about the importance of greater energy independence for America and promoting public policies that support that goal.”</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">As we wrote last week,<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Americans for American Energy&nbsp;</span>was created by Pac/West Communications, a firm with considerable Republican ties, and shares a location with the consulting firm of Jim <b>Sims, communications director for Vice President Cheney’s energy task force. &nbsp;In 2007, fresh off helping to defeat attempts “to ban bear baiting in Alaska and impose new taxes on cruise ships,”</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Pac/West received a $3 million grant from the state of Alaska to “educate” the American public about ANWR drilling, that was later stopped by Gov. Sarah Palin because the PAC/West-Americans for American Energy efforts were “not part of an open and transparent process.”</span> &nbsp;But that was not the end for Americans for American Energy.&nbsp;</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Although its profile has risen along with the “Stop the War on the Poor” campaign, Americans for American Energy has been engaging in suspicious activities in western states for the last several years. &nbsp;<b>In Colorado, it released a report claiming $1.2 billion in first-year profits for natural gas drilling on the Roan Plateau, an estimate that critics, such as the Wilderness Society, claimed were based on “junk science.</b></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Credible economic studies need to stand up to independent review, list data sources and methods, and at the very least include the names of economists who authored the report. Unbelievably, this industry-backed study does none of this.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In Wyoming, its leaders falsely claimed that Gov. Dave Freudenthal was a supporter of their “powerful new oil and gas campaign,” leading the governor to write a letter disavowing the group. &nbsp;In Utah, they launched an email attack on Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) that compared him to Hugo Chavez and Osama Bin Laden:</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Last week, over 160,000 Utah residents received an e-mail letter indirectly comparing a New York congressman to some of the most infamous men in the world.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Along with mug shots of Osama bin Laden, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared a photo of Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.).</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><br /></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Hinchey's crime? Sponsoring the Red Rock Wilderness Act, a bill that would set aside 9.4 million acres of public land in Utah as wilderness.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">The letter was attributed to Utah state GOP Reps. Aaron Tilton and Mike Noel, but it was the brainchild of Americans for American Energy, a Colorado-based industry group that has accepted money from, among others, the state of Alaska.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>The Red Rock Wilderness Act will "WEAKEN America," the letter states. "How? Because it will hamstring our ability to produce American energy right here in Utah. That leads America to become more dependent on energy from hostile foreign nations -- some of whom fund terrorist organizations that are right now targeting our American men and women in uniform."</b></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">An online version of the letter and corresponding Web site go further, for instance with a picture of bin Laden, Chavez and Ahmadinejad. "These terror leaders also want America to continue its foreign oil dependence," reads the caption underneath the graphic.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Now, Americans for American Energy has turned from accusing its opponents of being in league with terrorists to accusing them of fighting a “war on the poor,” and this message seems to have resonated with Republicans on Capitol Hill. &nbsp;A number of rank and file Congressional Republicans showed up on-message at the kick-off press conference, including Rep. Bill Sali of Idaho, co-sponsor of a bill suspiciously entitled the “Americans for American Energy Act,” which “would open ANWR and the OCS to increase production of American crude oil and give the right incentives to boost conservation, improved efficiency and bring alternative energy online sooner.”</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">But they’ve gained a much higher-profile ally in <b>Senator Orrin Hatch, </b>who mentioned the campaign, quoted one of its leaders, Bishop Harry Jackson, and plugged its website, all on the Senate floor:</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Unfortunately for the Democrat party, the poor are beginning to wake up that the liberals they have always looked to are behind the War on the Poor. By War on the Poor, I refer to the movement by the <b>anti-oil extremists</b> to close off every good domestic oil resource, which is a direct cause of the high energy prices Americans face.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Democrats in Congress have been forced to choose between the very well funded extreme anti-oil interests and the poor, because on energy prices there is no compromise between the two. The Democrats have begun to recognize the position they are in, and are trying to have it both ways with today’s vote.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Earlier this month, a group of protesters came to Capitol Hill calling on Congress to Stop the War on the Poor by groups and congressmen who are closing off America's energy resources.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Included in the group were pastors and civil rights leaders calling on this body to unlock America's oil resources for the benefit of Americans, and especially for the benefit of lower income Americans.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">One of the Participants was Bishop Harry Jackson. I would like to quote some of his remarks for the record. These are his words:</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">"I am a registered Democrat, but this has nothing to do with partisan politics. Unless the public understands that there are specific people and organizations that are fueling this war against the poor, nothing will change and the poor will continue to suffer. We will unmask those behind this war regardless of their political party or ideology. Party labels and partisan ideologies are meaningless when it comes to protecting the lives of America's most vulnerable citizens,"</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">By the way, Mr. President, you can see more about the stop the war on the poor movement on the web at www.stopwaronpoor.org.</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Ironically, Niger Innis,</span>&nbsp;co-chair of the Stop the War on the Poor effort, says that U. S. politicians are "being cowered by a very powerful, well-funded environmental extremist lobby that has a great deal of influence over them, and a great deal of influence over policy” and that their primary mission is "’outing’ the extremist groups and the politicians it says are doing their bidding.”</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">Bold words for a man heading an effort that is itself a phony Astroturf campaign on behalf of energy interests.&nbsp;</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">FILED UNDER</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">ORGANIZATIONS:Americans for American Energy</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">PEOPLE:Sarah Palin</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">TOPICS:Civil Rights, Congress, Politics, republicans, Science, senate, Utah, vote, Women</font></font></font></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">- See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/hatch-joins-phony-stop-war-poor-effort#sthash.49aRpdWn.dpuf</font></font></font></font></p><p style="font-weight: bold;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">===</font></font></font></font></p><div class="entity clear" style="margin: 16px 0px 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/people/harry-jackson">http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/people/harry-jackson</a></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">HRick Santorum Presents Latest 'Religious Persecution' Movie</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">SUBMITTED BY: Peter Montgomery, Thursday 07/31/2014, 11:28am</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Two current Religious Right fixations — the “persecution” of American Christians and the need for conservatives to do more to influence the pop culture — have come together in movies like “Persecuted” and “We the People—Under Attack.” The latest entry, “One Generation Away: The Erosion of Religious Liberty,” was screened by Rick Santorum at the Heritage Foundation on Monday night. Santorum said the movie will be released in September. His EchoLight Cinemas is trying to create an alternative to Hollywood distribution... MORE ></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Right Wing Bonus Tracks - 7/30/14</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Wednesday 07/30/2014, 5:31pm</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Get ready! "Homosexual Re-Education Camps Set to Begin." Harry Jackson calls for a boycott of "Black Jesus." Bert Farias can't quite understand why people were upset when he said that gays were possessed by smelly demons. Citizens for Community Values is holding "Four Days of Prayer for Marriage" before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals hears arguments against Ohio's gay marriage ban. David Wasserman says Lenar Whitney is "the most frightening candidate I’ve met in seven years interviewing congressional hopefuls."... MORE ></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Harry Jackson: Pastors Need To Fight 'Radical Homosexual Agenda,' Teach That 'God Didn't Make Anyone That Way'</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">SUBMITTED BY: Miranda Blue, Tuesday 05/27/2014, 12:01pm</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Speaking at the Family Research Council’s Watchmen on the Wall conference last week, Bishop Harry Jackson presented his case for pastors “leading the people in civil affairs,” including fighting the “radical homosexual agenda that is trying to take over the nation.” Jackson counselled the pastors to make sure that every lay leader in their churches can “bring a New Testament apologetic on why homosexuality is not the will of God, why God didn’t make anyone that way, and why it’s all right to speak up, speak out and keep on speaking.”... MORE ></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">'Holy Laughter' Pastor To Organize Latest Religious Right Prayer Rally</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">SUBMITTED BY: Brian Tashman, Wednesday 05/14/2014, 3:30pm</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Rodney Howard-Browne is organizing a Washington D.C. prayer event, Celebrate America, complete with a promotional video that includes a gay couple alongside images of a strip club, mass shootings, terrorist attacks, and Agenda 21 as threats to America. Back in 2012, the preacher organized a right-wing prayer rally with Focus on the Family to coincide with the Republican National Convention, and the Family Research Council recently held a prayer meeting to support Celebrate America. Howard-Browne is a pioneer of the Holy Laughter movement, which you can see on display here with Howard-Browne... MORE ></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">The Company That David Barton Keeps</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Monday 02/10/2014, 12:08pm</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Later this month, a Religious Right gathering is scheduled to take place in Texas called "San Antonio in Black, White, and Brown" which, as the name suggests, is aimed at unifying the White, Black, and Hispanic communities in order to establish a "Biblical worldview" in the city: David Barton and Harry Jackson will be among the speakers at this event, sharing the stage with several other figures who played high-profile roles in Gov. Rick Perry's Dominionist-dominated "The Response" prayer rally back in 2011, including Doug Stringer and, more interestingly,... MORE ></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Harry Jackson Films Infomercial For Cindy Jacobs' Generals International</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Tuesday 11/19/2013, 1:07pm</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Harry Jackson has worked closely with Mike and Cindy Jacobs for several years, but we were still a little surprised to see him film something of an infomercial for their Generals International ministry that aired during the most recent episode of "God Knows." In an effort to raise money for the Jacobs' ministry, Jackson recounted a time when America was on the brink of war and Mike and Cindy called a meeting of top religious leaders in Washington, DC where they revealed, through divine inspiration and revelation, when the war would start and how it would unfold. As such, Jackson... MORE ></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Right Wing Round-Up - 11/12/13</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">SUBMITTED BY: Kyle Mantyla, Tuesday 11/12/2013, 6:37pm</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">PFAW: The Nullification Strategy: How Senate Republicans Abuse the Filibuster to Undermine the Courts, Executive Agencies, and American Voters. Josh Israel @ Think Progress: Group That Opposed Judicial Filibusters Hits Senator For Not Filibustering Judges. Luke Brinker @ Equality Matters: Meet The Anti-LGBT Extremists Behind The Campaign To Repeal California's Transgender Protections. Jeremy Hooper: Audio: Harry Jackson 'explains' his claim that LGBT rights = 'satanic'. David Edwards @ Raw Story: Tony Perkins wants the ‘liberty’ to deny birth... MORE ></span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;" /><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">- See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/people/harry-jackson#sthash.YYujzE9X.dpuf</span></font></font></font></font></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></font></font></font></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></font></font></font></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">===</font></font></font></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><img src="http://www.ip-adress.com/email/1ee6056c2ff8faa7ea50f87ae1c0eb4c4dfb179e19b906094a982b67ecd2cf26" align="absbottom" /></font></font></font></p></div><div class="entity" style="margin: 16px 0px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="created" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 4px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Creation Date</font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">12/19/2013</font></font></font></p></div><div class="entity" style="margin: 16px 0px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="updated" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 4px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Updated Date</font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">02/18/2014</font></font></font></p></div><div class="entity clear" style="margin: 16px 0px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="expires" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 4px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Expiration Date</font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">12/19/2014</font></font></font></p></div><div class="entity" style="margin: 16px 0px 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="registrant" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 4px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Registrant</font></font></font></h3><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Rhys Nawodycz</font></font></font></p><p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></font></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/rhys-nawodycz/5b/b53/a71">http://au.linkedin.com/pub/rhys-nawodycz/5b/b53/a71</a></span></font><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">-</span></font><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">28a/5 Clifford St</span></font><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Surfers Paradis, Queensland 4217</span></font><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">AUSTRALIA</span></font><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Telephone: 61413680747</span></font><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Email:&nbsp;<img src="http://www.ip-adress.com/email/1ee6056c2ff8faa7ea50f87ae1c0eb4c4dfb179e19b906094a982b67ecd2cf26" align="absbottom" /></span></font></font></font></font></p></div><div class="entity" style="margin: 16px 0px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="adminc" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 4px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Administrative Contact</font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Rhys Nawodycz<br />-<br />28a/5 Clifford St<br />Surfers Paradis, Queensland 4217<br />AUSTRALIA<br />Telephone: 61413680747<br />Email:&nbsp;<img src="http://www.ip-adress.com/email/1ee6056c2ff8faa7ea50f87ae1c0eb4c4dfb179e19b906094a982b67ecd2cf26" align="absbottom" /></font></font></font></p></div><div class="entity clear" style="margin: 16px 0px 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h3 class="techc" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px 0px 4px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Technical Contact</font></font></font></h3><p style="margin: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Rhys Nawodycz<br />-<br />28a/5 Clifford St<br />Surfers Paradis, Queensland 4217<br />AUSTRALIA<br />Telephone: 61413680747<br />Email:&nbsp;<img src="http://www.ip-adress.com/email/1ee6056c2ff8faa7ea50f87ae1c0eb4c4dfb179e19b906094a982b67ecd2cf26" align="absbottom" /></font></font></font></p></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">==</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman">wayback</font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.pacwestcom.com/staff/*"><font face="Times New Roman">https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.pacwestcom.com/staff/*</font></a></font></font></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></font></font></font></div><div><table border="0" width="99%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td class="SmallText"><font face="Times New Roman"><span class="SubHead">Stefany B. Bales</span><br /><i>Vice President—Idaho</i><span class="Plain"><br /><a href="mailto:bales@pacwestcom.com">bales@pacwestcom.com</a><br />&nbsp;</span></font></td><td><font face="Times New Roman"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20071111012243im_/http://www.pacwestcom.com/images/spacer.gif" width="20" height="2" /></font></td><td align="center" width="150" class="SmallText"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></td><td><font face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></td></tr><tr valign="top"><td><font face="Times New Roman"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20071111012243im_/http://www.pacwestcom.com/images/spacer.gif" width="20" height="2" /></font></td><td class="SmallText" colspan="3"><p><font face="Times New Roman">Stefany Bales, vice president—Idaho, joined Pac/West in January 2007, after serving as U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo's North Idaho regional director for two years. Prior to working for Sen. Crapo, Bales served as vice president of communications for the Intermountain Forest Association (IFA), a trade association representing forest products businesses in Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado. In addition, she has worked for several natural resource agencies on watershed and salmon habitat projects, public relations, strategic communication development and environmental interpretation. Bales holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Elmira College in New York, and a master's degree in natural resource management and communications from the University of Idaho.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman">---</font></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div>

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