Polluters plan fake grassroots movement against climate legislation
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MemphisBill
Aug 14, 2009, 11:53:29 PM8/14/09
to Memphis Freethought Alliance Public Forum
http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/08/greenpeace-reveals-polluters-plan-to-astroturf-against-climate-reform/
Greenpeace reveals polluters' plan to 'astroturf' against climate
reform
Stop me if you've heard this one before ...
A corporate lobby is told by its member entities that legislation
going down in Washington, D.C. does not suit its immediate financial
interests. Men in suits are dispatched to the capital. Checks are
signed, PR firms get involved, talking points (read: lies) are written
and suddenly, they're all over every cable news channel.
Before you know it, frightened groups of old people are screaming
these very lies at their elected representatives, sending allegedly
liberal politicians scrambling into an indiscernible defense that
somehow does nothing to address what's actually going on. More
confusion ensues.
Oh, you thought I was talking about the health-scare protests? If
only.
Spurred on by the relative success of the health care misinformation
campaigns, the oil lobby is looking to play the same game to counter
climate reforms. And what good is a game without a game plan?
In a leaked American Petroleum Institute memo subsequently released by
environmental group Greenpeace, a strategy to "astroturf" against new
climate regulations is outlined in detail.
You can read the memo here (PDF link).
("Astroturfing," in political-speak, is the manufacturing of phony
"grassroots" campaigns by corporate interests. This happens all the
time.)
The memo triggered an amazingly snappy response from Greenpeace US
Executive Director Phil Radford.
He writes in his conclusion: "[It] seems that at least one of your
members sought to reveal this cynical public relations campaign and
did not heed your advice to 'Please treat this information as
sensitive and ask those in your company to do so as well… we don’t
want critics to know our game plan.'
"Game plan known."
And just whose funds will be backing this game plan? You may recognize
a few of these names: British Petroleum, Shell, General Electric,
ExxonMobil, Halliburton, ConocoPhillips, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
and others.
The Wall Street Journal chimed in with more ...
In template fliers for rallies produced by the API-founded
alliance, EnergyCitizens, the public is warned that “Climate change
legislation being considered in Washington will cause huge economic
pain and produce little environmental gain.”
Other members of the alliance include the National Association of
Manufacturers and the America Farm Bureau.
The flier says the bill passed by the House in June and expected
to come to the floor for a vote later in the year, “will cost 2
million American jobs, raise gasoline and diesel prices up to $4,” and
threaten both U.S. competition and energy security.
"We think it is incumbent upon you," Greenpeace wrote to the API, "to
disclose that the Heritage Foundation report cited as your source for
$4-a-gallon gasoline was funded by ExxonMobil and that the Foundation
in fact concluded that the Waxman-Markey bill would drive gasoline
prices to $4 before 2035, 25 years from now."
(And let's not pretend that the oil and gas allies in Congress are
somehow above outright lying about the costs associated with the
climate reforms.)
The House passed the president's climate change reforms earlier this
year and the U.S. Senate is expected to seal the deal this fall. The
plan to astroturf against preventing global warming is now afoot, and
we can all expect to be hearing very loud misinformation paraded
across the networks in quite short order -- possibly before the
congressional recess is up.
EnergyBoom.com's 'Desmog Blog' is attempting to keep tabs on when and
where these "EnergyCitizens" rallies will be held, in hopes that
rational, energized citizens will take to providing a little truth to
the contrary.
So far, the blog's readers have reported that pro-pollution rallies
are going to be held in "Perry, GA; Detroit, MI; Roswell, NM;
Greensboro, NC; Farmington, NM; Ohio (venue being finalized); Greeley,
CO; Nashville, TN; Indiana (venue being finalized); Bismarck, ND;
Tampa, FL; Sioux Falls, SD; Greenville, SC; Anchorage, AK; Joliet, IL;
Charleston, WV; Fairfax, VA; Philadelphia, PA; Lincoln, NE; Missouri
(TBD) and Arkansas (TBD)."
"Oh good," reacts Brian Merchant at Treehugger. "I guess we can expect
to be bombarded by more yelling, a cascade of misinformation, and
maybe even some more people comparing Obama to the Nazis. If we're
lucky."
And wouldn't you know it, our "luck" runs about as deep as these
firms' pockets. Which is to say, we're pretty damned "lucky."
Brace for the nonsense.
-- Stephen C. Webster
Tags: Astroturf, climate change, Greenpeace
Greenpeace reveals polluters' plan to 'astroturf' against climate
reform
Stop me if you've heard this one before ...
A corporate lobby is told by its member entities that legislation
going down in Washington, D.C. does not suit its immediate financial
interests. Men in suits are dispatched to the capital. Checks are
signed, PR firms get involved, talking points (read: lies) are written
and suddenly, they're all over every cable news channel.
Before you know it, frightened groups of old people are screaming
these very lies at their elected representatives, sending allegedly
liberal politicians scrambling into an indiscernible defense that
somehow does nothing to address what's actually going on. More
confusion ensues.
Oh, you thought I was talking about the health-scare protests? If
only.
Spurred on by the relative success of the health care misinformation
campaigns, the oil lobby is looking to play the same game to counter
climate reforms. And what good is a game without a game plan?
In a leaked American Petroleum Institute memo subsequently released by
environmental group Greenpeace, a strategy to "astroturf" against new
climate regulations is outlined in detail.
You can read the memo here (PDF link).
("Astroturfing," in political-speak, is the manufacturing of phony
"grassroots" campaigns by corporate interests. This happens all the
time.)
The memo triggered an amazingly snappy response from Greenpeace US
Executive Director Phil Radford.
He writes in his conclusion: "[It] seems that at least one of your
members sought to reveal this cynical public relations campaign and
did not heed your advice to 'Please treat this information as
sensitive and ask those in your company to do so as well… we don’t
want critics to know our game plan.'
"Game plan known."
And just whose funds will be backing this game plan? You may recognize
a few of these names: British Petroleum, Shell, General Electric,
ExxonMobil, Halliburton, ConocoPhillips, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
and others.
The Wall Street Journal chimed in with more ...
In template fliers for rallies produced by the API-founded
alliance, EnergyCitizens, the public is warned that “Climate change
legislation being considered in Washington will cause huge economic
pain and produce little environmental gain.”
Other members of the alliance include the National Association of
Manufacturers and the America Farm Bureau.
The flier says the bill passed by the House in June and expected
to come to the floor for a vote later in the year, “will cost 2
million American jobs, raise gasoline and diesel prices up to $4,” and
threaten both U.S. competition and energy security.
"We think it is incumbent upon you," Greenpeace wrote to the API, "to
disclose that the Heritage Foundation report cited as your source for
$4-a-gallon gasoline was funded by ExxonMobil and that the Foundation
in fact concluded that the Waxman-Markey bill would drive gasoline
prices to $4 before 2035, 25 years from now."
(And let's not pretend that the oil and gas allies in Congress are
somehow above outright lying about the costs associated with the
climate reforms.)
The House passed the president's climate change reforms earlier this
year and the U.S. Senate is expected to seal the deal this fall. The
plan to astroturf against preventing global warming is now afoot, and
we can all expect to be hearing very loud misinformation paraded
across the networks in quite short order -- possibly before the
congressional recess is up.
EnergyBoom.com's 'Desmog Blog' is attempting to keep tabs on when and
where these "EnergyCitizens" rallies will be held, in hopes that
rational, energized citizens will take to providing a little truth to
the contrary.
So far, the blog's readers have reported that pro-pollution rallies
are going to be held in "Perry, GA; Detroit, MI; Roswell, NM;
Greensboro, NC; Farmington, NM; Ohio (venue being finalized); Greeley,
CO; Nashville, TN; Indiana (venue being finalized); Bismarck, ND;
Tampa, FL; Sioux Falls, SD; Greenville, SC; Anchorage, AK; Joliet, IL;
Charleston, WV; Fairfax, VA; Philadelphia, PA; Lincoln, NE; Missouri
(TBD) and Arkansas (TBD)."
"Oh good," reacts Brian Merchant at Treehugger. "I guess we can expect
to be bombarded by more yelling, a cascade of misinformation, and
maybe even some more people comparing Obama to the Nazis. If we're
lucky."
And wouldn't you know it, our "luck" runs about as deep as these
firms' pockets. Which is to say, we're pretty damned "lucky."
Brace for the nonsense.
-- Stephen C. Webster
Tags: Astroturf, climate change, Greenpeace
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