The Paradox of Energy Efficiency

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5. Who are these guys? Yet more polluter-funded front groups hit the climate scene

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/paltman/who_are_these_guys_yet_more_po.html

Who are these guys? Yet more polluter-funded front groups hit the climate scene

Posted April 30, 2009

There's a new front-group running around DC, backed by some old gunslingers who've been packing heat for polluters for years.

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So who is the American Energy Alliance? Another offshoot of the ExxonMobil and Koch Industries families of polluter-funded advocacy, it turns out. Described by NPR as "a new advocacy organization with strong ties to the oil industry," AEA was formed in 2008 and is led by long-time polluter-pal Thomas Pyle, who serves as President.

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Pyle is also President of the AEA's counterpart the Institute for Energy Research (IER). What's that? Well, the tobacco industry had the Tobacco Institute to peddle its smoke screens, deceptions and other propaganda. The energy industry has the Institute for Energy Research, which Sourcewatch describes this way: " ... founded in 1989 from a predecessor non-profit organization, [IER] advocates positions on environmental issues which happen to suit the energy industry: climate change denial, claims that conventional energy sources are virtually limitless, and the deregulation of utilities."

Just how far out there does the IER get in touting the energy industry line on climate change denial? In recent weeks, the energy-financed IER has helped tell the, well, dirty lie that "clean energy is a 'dirty lie."

IER also did its part to spread around the lies contained in a widely debunked Spanish "study" that falsely suggests green jobs are somehow a bad thing.

Speaking of being out there on denial issues, one of IER's directors is Steven Hayward with the American Enterprise Institute. Hayward was exposed two years ago for offering to pay scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change $10,000 for written critiques of the IPCC's newest findings.

These industry groups are the same ones that got us into this mess and are trying to keep us tied to old, dirty 19th century technology instead of leading us forward with new safe, clean energy that will create jobs and make America a global leader for 21st century.

And so it goes...