Enviros go conspiracy theory: Cap-and-trade sabotaged from within by coal lobbyists pretending to work for enviros

3 thoughts on “Enviros go conspiracy theory: Cap-and-trade sabotaged from within by coal lobbyists pretending to work for enviros”

1. Steve – be sure to go back and look at the Editor’s note posted above the original post. Here it is:

   How the Climate Reform Effort Was Poisoned From the Inside [EDITORS’ NOTE ADDED ON 4/30/13]

   Lee Fang on April 22, 2013 – 3:58 PM ET

   Editors’ Note: After a review, we’ve determined that this blog post overstates the role Blue Line Strategic Communications and its founders, Michael Meehan and David DiMartino, played in Clean Energy Works. A coalition comprised of dozens of NGOs, Clean Energy Works was founded in 2009 to campaign for the passage of climate change legislation. The organization was led by Democratic strategist Paul Tewes and a managing committee comprised of representatives from each of the participating groups, which collectively determined the coalition’s priorities and strategies. Clean Energy Works subsequently hired several firms to work on the campaign, including Blue Line, which handled strategic communications. While Blue Line played a role in shaping the campaign’s messaging, it neither managed Clean Energy Works nor was it in a position to unilaterally determine strategy, as the post suggests.

   The post also leaves the impression that Michael Meehan worked for Clean Energy Works. While Meehan worked for groups that were part of the broader coalition, he did not work directly with Clean Energy Works. That account was handled by his partner David DiMartino. As Fang reported, Meehan was a vice president at Virilion, the digital media company that held a $19 million contract from American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. Meehan maintains, however, that he never worked directly on the ACCCE account, which preceded his arrangement with Virilion, and had no financial stake in it. Both Meehan and DiMartino, who were not interviewed before publication, contacted The Nation to say that neither of them are registered lobbyists, as the post describes them, but rather communications professionals. They previously worked at BGR Public Relations, part of the BGR Group, which has lobbied on behalf of fossil fuel companies, although both Meehan and DiMartino maintain that they had no role in those efforts.

   We stand by the post’s contention that Meehan’s work for Blue Line and Virilion—while Blue Line was coordinating communications strategy for Clean Energy Works in favor of climate legislation and Virilion was working to block the same bill—created an apparent conflict of interest. What is not supported by the evidence is that this conflict influenced Clean Energy Works’ strategic decisions and ultimately contributed to the failure of the bill. We apologize for the errors.

   http://www.thenation.com/blog/173977/how-climate-reform-effort-was-poisoned-inside-editors-note-added-43013

2. The Soviets always thought like this too… It was NEVER their ideology or implementation that was to blame, it was ALWAYS… the targeted group that was to blame for “things” not working correctly!

   And, the NAZIs…
   And, Fascist….
   And, the Imperialist…
   And, the Feudalists….

   It always the same in matters of faith…..

   Faith in the omniscience and the omnipotence of the Chairman….
   Faith in the Fuehrer…
   Faith in the Boss…
   Faith in the Emperor….
   Faith in the King…..

   And now,…. apparently Presidents…. how TRULY unfortunate that we should suffer this way and must be forced to wear the shame…. like all the rest.

3. Here’s the nasty trick played by the double-dealing ‘insider’ PR firm: “The firm ignored the science and the dramatic consequences of inaction and focused instead on stressing the secondary benefits of a clean energy economy, like energy independence and job creation.”

   I guess they’re saying that the firm blew it because there’s no actual up-side to controls on CO2.

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