Saturday, April 3, 2010

Not what Charlie & Dave Koch would call a good week.

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Word's out that a couple of billionaire Koch brothers just got caught funneling $25 million tax-free to dozens of front groups & hired-gun "experts" who peddle anti-science disinformation & denial to the American public, not to mention a few mil to a whole slew of senators & congressmen who help spread the lies & deception. Climate change denial brought to you by Koch Industries

Ain't there laws on the books against all that somewhere?
Climate criminals come in many shapes and forms including many corporate executives and politicians who fail to take meaningful action to reduce carbon emissions or other climate mitigation action despite being aware of the climate science.
But a step above the many who fail to take action, are the few who actively engage in the concerted campaign against climate scientists, climate science and intensively lobby against emissions reduction or mitigation action on climate change. The executives of Exxon-Mobil are part of this elite criminal fraternity, but eclipsing even them are Charles and David Koch, the principal owners of Koch Industries, the second largest privately-held company in the USA.
Koch Industries is a conglomerate of more than twenty companies with $100 billion in annual sales, operations in nearly 60 countries and 70,000 employees. Koch’s industry areas span petroleum refining, fuel pipelines, coal supply and trading, oil and gas exploration, chemicals and polymers, fertilizer production, ranching and forestry products. There are few brand names in their portfolio.
Their investments include multiple leases on the polluting tar sands of Alberta, Canada since the 1990s and the Koch Pipeline Company operates the pipelines that carry tar sands crude from Canada into Minnesota and Wisconsin where Koch’s Flint Hill Resources owns oil refineries.
The Koch brothers and other executives in the company work behind the scenes against climate action by contributing to a combination of foundation-funded front-groups, big lobbying budgets, Political Action Committee (PAC) donations, and direct campaign contributions overwhelmingly favouring Republican candidates at both State and Federal level in the US.
Koch foundations contributed over $48 million to climate opposition groups in the US from 1997 to 2008. With the debate over climate action heating up since 2005 with increasing calls for Government action on carbon emission control and climate mitigation measures the volume of funding has increased significantly. Over one half of this funding - $24,888,282 - was contributed in the three years between 2005 to 2008. Koch Industries top funder of Climate denial and Obstruction
Oh, & did we fail to mention the money connection between the Tea Party & the Cato Institute?
• More than $5 million to Americans for Prosperity Foundation(AFP) for its nationwide “Hot Air Tour”3 campaign to spreading misinformation about climate science and opposing clean energy and climate legislation.
• Over $1 million to the Cato Institute, which disputes the scientific evidence behind global warming, questions the rationale for taking climate action, and has been heavily involved in spinning the recent ClimateGate story.
Now, please don't tell us there's a money connection between Koch Industries & EXXOM, too?
The Green Peace article also points to a connection between Koch and ExxonMobil. Exonmobil was heavily invested in disputing climate change during the last administration. They have since been out spent by Koch. Koch incidentally is one of the largest private companies in the United States. Climate change article accuses Koch industries of orchestrating climate denial machine
Not acid rain, too? From Promoting Acid Rain To Climate Denial: Over 20 Years Of David Koch’s Polluter Front Groups

Who knew? Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine
Billionaire oilman David Koch likes to joke that Koch Industries is “the biggest company you've never heard of.” But the nearly $50 million that David Koch and his brother Charles have quietly funneled to climate-denial front groups that are working to delay policies and regulations aimed at stopping global warming is no joking matter.
Koch Industries Outspends Exxon Mobil On Climate Denial

Executive Summary - Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine
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