Edelman, the worlds largest PR company, synonymous with astroturf-style front groups, has announced that it will no longer work for groups that deny climate change.
Edelman Makes a Climate Change Pledge, But Forgets About ALEC
By Nick Surgey | at
News
How ALEC Fronts for Fossil Fuels
By Nick Surgey | at
Even as the Environmental Protection Agency finally attempts to limit carbon dioxide pollution from coal plants, it is meeting resistance at the state level, thanks to a secretive campaign by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Who Is Behind the National Right to Work Committee and its Anti-Union Crusade?
By Jay Riestenberg and Mary Bottari | at
The Supreme Court is poised to decide is Harris v. Quinn, “the most important labor law case the court has considered in decades.”
Revealed: ALEC’s 2014 Attacks on the Environment
By Nick Surgey | at
An internal tracking document — obtained from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) by the Center for Media and Democracy under Texas public records law — reveals the scope of ALEC’s anti-environmental efforts in 2014.
Documents from Open Records Lawsuit Further Undermine Claims that ALEC Is Legislator-Driven
By Brendan Fischer | at
Newly-released ALEC documents obtained as part of CMD”s open records litigation provide more evidence that lobbyists and special interests are calling the shots within ALEC, undermining that group’s latest PR spin that it is a “legislator-driven” organization.
Oil Industry Conjures Illusion of Public Support for KXL Using ALEC Politicians
By Nick Surgey | at
Millions of U.S. citizens have voiced their opposition to the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline in recent months, with more than 2 million public comments opposing the project hand delivered to the State Department last week. At the same time, hundreds of state legislators have been lining up in favor of KXL, seemingly just as passionate and as heartfelt as those opposed to the project. But many legislators have been tasked with promoting the project by oil industry lobbyists who provide them with model bills, talking points and draft op-eds.
Peabody Energy Lobbyist Schools Legislators on Getting More ALEC Travel Perks
By Nick Surgey | at
An internal ALEC document provided to the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), shows that a Peabody Energy lobbyist provided ALEC legislators with a presentation on how to get more cash from corporations like Peabody to attend ALEC conferences. Peabody, a long time member of ALEC, is a frequent presenter at ALEC events and sponsor of several items of ALEC “model” legislation in recent years.
Keystone Academy: Where Legislators Learn the Etiquette of Serving Special Interests
By Nick Surgey | at
In October 2012, nine U.S. state legislators went on an industry paid trip to explore the Alberta tar sands. Publicly described as an “ALEC Academy,” documents obtained by CMD show the legislators were accompanied on a chartered flight by a gaggle of oil-industry lobbyists, were served lunch by Shell Oil, dinner by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, and that the expenses of the trip were paid for by TransCanada and other corporations and groups with a direct financial interest in the Alberta tar sands and the proposed Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline.
ALEC Tours Tar Sands, Works with Industry Groups to Block Low-Carbon Fuel Standards
By Nick Surgey | at
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) recently adopted a “model” bill from an oil-industry lobby group, that would limit the ability of states to negotiate regional “low-carbon fuel standards” (LCFS), a mechanism designed to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. If agreed by states, LCFS could have a significant impact on the sale of fuels derived from Canadian tar sands in the United States, regardless of any decision the Obama administration makes over the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
“Elections Confidential” Report Reveals Role of Dark Money Nonprofits and Shell Corporations in 2012
By Brendan Fischer | at
Nearly one-fifth of all business gifts to Super Pacs were contributed by shell corporations.