Cross-posted from: here
The American Petroleum Institute is planning to launch a major astroturf campaign in the coming weeks to try in gin up “opposition” to climate legislation in the Senate. I saw this first on The Huffington Post by Kevin Grandia, who has provided the once secret memo uncovered by Greenpeace. The contents of the pdf are a letter by Phil Radford, the Executive Director of Greenpeace to the President of API calling him out. Below that is the memo sent by API to its allies. The best part of this is the context is which Radford closes his letter descrbing how API asked for it’s memo not to be divulged so that their gameplan is not known by critics. Radford says “game plan known”. The contents are copied below.
Dear Mr. Gerard,
Today we obtained a memo (attached below) from one of our supporters detailing your organization’s plans for a “Energy Citizen” astroturf campaign in the two weeks before Labor Day and continuing into the fall. Can you verify if this email is from your office and to whom it was addressed?
It would logically appear that the “Energy Citizen” campaign’s objective is to defeat climate change regulation. This goal runs contrary to several prominent API members’ public support for climate action, namely Shell, BP America, ConocoPhillips, General Electric and Siemens. These companies are all a part of the pro cap-and-trade U.S. Climate Action Partnership, which has publicly supported the Waxman-Markey bill. In addition, most members of USCAP are also members of the Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers, named partners in your “Energy Citizen” campaign. Can you explain the contradictory objectives of supporting cap-and-trade on one hand and working to defeat it on the other? And also reveal if any API members opted out of the “Energy Citizen” effort?
Furthermore, do you intend to reveal at these rallies which of your members are providing funding for the campaign?
