New report reveals corporate-funded moves to block US renewable energy

Desmos

Hydra Head MosaicA new report from the Energy and Policy Institute reveals the fossil fuel- and utility sector-funded network working to curb the proliferation of renewable energy in the United States.

Co-authored by Gabe Elsner and Matt Kasper and titled, “Attacks on Renewable Energy Policy in 2015,” the 86-page report shines a spotlight on the bevy of coordinated attacks on renewable energy policy happening in 27 states across the nation.*

The report examines how this network flexes its muscle and advances corporate interests in statehouses nationwide.

Look no further than the State Policy Networl (SPN), an entity created by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) corporate bill mill, which acts as the central hub around which the rest of the spokes in the think-tank (or “stink tank”) and public relations wheel connect. Both of these groups play a central role in the report.

“Once ALEC model bills are introduced, allied legislators and fossilfuel-funded front groups cite flawed reports to back up their reasoning to either repeal or weaken” laws favorable to advancing renewable energy, the report explains. “[Thereafter], State Policy Network lobbyists…[provide] testimony in favor of the ALEC bills. Finally, fossil fuel-funded members groups, such as Americans for Prosperity, put additional pressure on lawmakers to pass ALEC model bills.”

But ALEC and SPN are just two examples and although they play a pivotal role, the report points to 23 other industry-funded front groups also part of the anti-renewable influence peddling machine. Others include names familiar to DeSmog readers, including the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity and Institute for Energy Research, the Heartland Institute and Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) and others.

Not Just Money in Politics, Lobbying

The report has citation after citation raising dire questions about the state, and often lack thereof, of U.S. democracy. But just as important is the premise it presents.

In a nutshell, it’s not just about money in politics and lobbying alone.

It’s that these industry-funded front groups play a central role in shaping the public narrative, providing cover to industry-funded politicans to do the bidding of corporate interests in statehouses nationwide, and thus shape the body politic at-large.

“While corporate interests also lobby politicians and regulators,” they write, “these front groups serve a fundamental role in these assaults by adding a supposed independent, anti-clean energy voice to energy policy debates.”

The back-drop to all of this, of course, is climate change. And among the chief drivers of global warming are the same fossil fuel and utility industries that fuel this PR machine with their money to begin with. At the end of the day, they fear a major challenge to their corporate bottom lines.

“Utilities and fossil fueld companies are alarmed at what the clean energy boom will do to their market share as the economics of [scale of] clean energy see continued improvementment year after year,” the report states early on. “As a result, the fossil fuel and utility industries have launched efforts to protect vested financial interests by repealing and weakening these laws through state legislatures and regulatory agencies.”

It’s a report with troubling findings, no doubt, but one well worth the read and keeping bookmarked as a go-to reference.
Source: Desmos. Reproduced with permission.

Comments

3 responses to “New report reveals corporate-funded moves to block US renewable energy”

  1. Rob G Avatar
    Rob G

    Lock them pup and throw away the key!

  2. Farmer Dave Avatar
    Farmer Dave

    There is an opportunity for some investigative work to be done in Australia, as I expect that similar things are happening here. There must be more to Tony Abbott’s war on renewables than a belief that “coal is good for humanity”. I simply don’t understand what is motivating Tony in this. Surely he understands the political risks in attacking renewables? Is his hatred of environmentalists so deep that anything they are “for” he is automatically “against”?

    1. JustThink4Once Avatar
      JustThink4Once

      What it comes down to is “He who pays the piper plays the tune.”
      The Liberals received 80% of the $2.3 million mining and energy sectors donated to political parties in 2013-14.
      They perceive minimal risk because the reality is that most voters have the memory of a goldfish. So in 10 years time expect whoever is leading the Liberal party to argue that only they are the great environmental saviors for Australia.
      That is of course unless the climate falls apart so fast that the current front bench find themselves in court for crimes against humanity. There’s nothing like a panicked population to increase the sales of pitchforks…….

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