American Energy Alliance (AEA)
Background
The American Energy Alliance is a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization founded in May, 2008. It is the advocacy arm of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Institute for Energy Research (IER). According to its website, the AEA โengages in grassroots public policy advocacy and debate concerning energy and environmental policies.โ1โAbout the AEA,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VJO52
While the stated aim of the AEA is to โeducate and mobilize citizens in understanding, promoting and helping to solve Americaโs most pressing energy and environmental policy problems,โ this education has taken the form of attack ads against political candidates and messages such as โstand with coalโ and โvote no on Obama’s failing energy policy.โ This has led to some questions on the validity of the AEA‘s nonprofit status, especially given the AEA‘s own statement that their group is โnot political.โ2Michael Beckel. โAnti-Obama nonprofit tells IRS it’s not ‘political’,โ The Center for Public Integrity, November 18, 2013. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/k4qq2 3“Stand with Coal,” American Energy Alliance, October 12, 2012. Archived May 8, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7LDZj
The American Energy Alliance once declared that it โhas no ties to any political party, and it has no interest in supporting the agenda of any particular political party.โ4โAbout Us,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived June 12, 2010. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/wnjbR However, Brad Johnson at the Wonk Room noted that all of AEA‘s employees at the time were former House Republican staffers and AEA‘s website, EnergyTownHall.org, was also run by a former GOP house staffer.5Brad Johnson. โGOP Team At American Energy Alliance Runs โEnergy Town Hallโ Oil Bus Tour,โ The Wonk Room, August 22, 2009. Archived October 12, 2010. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tuwhW
AEA has also spent millions of dollars on media advertising through Republican-orientated vendor Mentzer Media for its stated nonpartisan activities.6Michael Beckel. โAnti-Obama nonprofit tells IRS it’s not ‘political’,โ The Center for Public Integrity, November 18, 2013. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/k4qq2
Greenpeace reports that IER and AEA worked together on a $3.6 million anti-Obama gas price advertising campaign funded by Koch Industries. The American Energy Alliance has also received over $3.8 million from Freedom Partners, including $1.5 million in 2012, a 501(c)(6) group directed by many of the Koch brothers’ โinner circleโ such as Richard Fink, Marc Short, Wayne Gable, and Kevin Gentry.7โInstitute for Energy Research (IER) & American Energy Alliance (AEA),โ Greenpeace. Accessed May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/q1FqQ
Koch Connections
Both the American Energy Alliance and its parent organization, the Institute for Energy Research (IER), are run by Tom Pyle, a former lobbyist for Koch Industries. 8โPyle, Thomas J,โ Profile at OpenSecrets. Archived May 20, 2016. Politico reports that Pyle regularly attends the mega-donor summits organized by the Koch brothers, including the 2012 winter summit in Indian Wells, Calif., where the Kochs raised more than $150 million to be directed to groups ahead of the general election.9โKochs linked to anti-Obama gas ads,โ Politico, March 29, 2012. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aMh7J
Nancy Pfotenhauer, another lobbyist for Koch Industries, is listed as a Director on AEA‘s 2014 990 tax return. Pfotenhauer, formerly Nancy Mitchell, was an advisor to Senator John McCain during his presidential election campaign, and a former director of Koch Industriesโ Washington office. Pfotenhauer was Koch Industriesโ chief in-house lobbyist from 1996 to 2001 with a focus on gas pipelines.10Carol Eisenberg. โMcCain adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer learned ropes as lobbyist, crusader,โ Muckety, September 26, 2008. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/0MSSM In 2001, Nancy Pfotenhauer left Koch Industries to become the President of the Independent Womenโs Forum (IWF) and later president of both Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the IWF. She was also executive vice president for Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) a group co-founded by David H. Koch.11(Press Release). โIWF Announces Exciting New Partnership,โ Independent Women’s Forum, October 28, 2003. Archived November 19, 2003. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/TpCWC 12โKoch Industries Inc. Lobbying Activities,โ DeSmog.
Many of Pfotenhauer’s organizations have received significant funding from Koch Industries. For example:
- Independent Women’s Forum โ At least $894,000 from Koch foundations.13โIndependent Women’s Forum,โ Conservative Transparency. Accessed May 20, 2016.
- Citizens for a Sound Economy โ Founded by the Kochs, and received $7.9M between 1986 and 1993.14Jane Mayer. โCovert Operations,โ The New Yorker, August 30, 2010. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UahNu
- Americans for Prosperity โ At least $8,266,250 from Koch Foundations.15โAmericans for Prosperity,โ Conservative Transparency. Accessed March 10, 2016. 16โAmericans for Prosperity Foundation,โ Conservative Transparency. Accessed March 10, 2016.
Stance on Climate Change
2015
โAt a time when the Obama administration is pushing an aggressive climate agenda in Paris, public concerns about the economy and terrorism far outpace anxieties about climate change. Rather than forcing more costly climate policies on the public, world leaders should focus their attention on the economic and national security issues that matter most to people.โ17โPublicโs Collective ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ on Climate Change,โ Energy Townhall (AEA publication), December 8, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/EIKnu
2014
โEven if the apocalyptic vision painted by Al Gore and others is perfectly trueโwhich itโs notโmeasures limiting the emissions from individual cities are utterly absurd. They epitomize the prevalence of symbolism over science in our climate change policy debates.โ18โNYCโs Climate Goal: Symbolism Over Science,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), November 20, 2014. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XNnEk
โ[A]ccording to official climate models, even if the U.S. enacted an immediate and total ban on all human emissions of greenhouse gases, the difference in global temperature by the year 2050 would be a mere five one-hundredths of a degree Celsius. And thatโs the most that the U.S. government could possibly achieve, even if it relied on a ridiculously draconian ban on all future emissions.โ19โ‘Risky Business’ Nonsense,โ Energy Townhall, July 7, 2014. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/sD069
Fossil Fuels
โThe morally superior choice is for people to be free to use energy to make their lives better. Today, that means having access to the abundant energy resources of coal, oil, and natural gas. Those are the technologies that lifted the developed world out of poverty, and they continue to lift millions out of poverty while they power the high-energy lives of those of us fortunate enough to live in the developed world.โ20โWhat is the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement?โ American Energy Alliance, February 5, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/JDkmB
CO2
โCarbon dioxide is not dirty, and is not poisonous to humans in concentrations we observe in the atmosphere. In fact, carbon dioxide is the natural product of combustionโwhether that combustion occurs within our cells (which is why humans exhale carbon dioxide), or whether carbon dioxide results from the combustion of natural gas. Carbon dioxide is essential to life on Earth because vegetation requires carbon dioxide to survive and thrive.โ
[โฆ] The policies that environmental activists advocate for, such as shutting down our nationโs affordable and reliable coal power plants, will make energy more expensive. And as we have seen in countries that have made electricity a luxury good through ill-advised energy policyโlike Germanyโhigher energy costs exacerbate poverty and the negative health impacts associated with it.โ21โEarth Day: Continuing a Storied Tradition of Misleading Claims and Outrageous Predictions,โ Energy Townhall (AEA publication), April 22, 2016. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/1FiCK
Nonpofit Status & Political Activities
The American Energy Alliance is registered as a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization, which means it is not required to disclose its funding sources and contributions are not tax-deductible. 501(c)(4) organizations, commonly referred to as โsocial welfareโ groups, play an influential role in politics.22Sean Sullivan. โWhat is a 501(c)(4), anyway?โ The Washington Post, May 13, 2013. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/gXRMI
The IRS notes that โa section 501(c)(4) social welfare organization may engage in some political activities, so long as that is not its primary activity.โ The IRS also notes that โThe promotion of social welfare does not include direct or indirect participation or intervention in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.โ23โSocial Welfare Organizations,โ IRS, November 18, 2015. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Lmmnl
When the AEA filed for tax-exempt status in 2008, it told the IRS that it had no interest in supporting the agenda or any particular political party or political candidate,โ reports The Center for Public Integrity. While AEA acknowledged โthe possibility that some of AEA‘s publications and communications may be considered โpolitical,โโ the group asserted that it was a โnonpartisan policy-oriented organization,โ not a ‘political’ organization.โ24Michael Beckel. โAnti-Obama nonprofit tells IRS it’s not ‘political’,โ The Center for Public Integrity, November 18, 2013. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/k4qq2
Tax documents show that AEA spent over $5 million on โmedia and advertisingโ with vendor Mentzer Media, a media buying firm that works primarily with Republicans, receiving $3.9 million of that amount. In 2012, AEA had produced television ads in swing states Virginia and Ohio encouraging voters to โstand with coalโ and โvote no on Obama’s failing energy policy,โ while claiming they were not designed to assist Mitt Romney in unseating Barack Obama.25Michael Beckel. โAnti-Obama nonprofit tells IRS it’s not ‘political’,โ The Center for Public Integrity, November 18, 2013. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/k4qq2
Marcus Owens, an attorney who previously headed the IRSโ tax-exempt division, said the American Energy Allianceโs 2013 tax filing โcertainly raises a red flag.โ26Michael Beckel. โAnti-Obama Nonprofit Tells IRS Itโs Not โPoliticalโ,โ Huffington Post, November 18, 2013. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tO9Vt
โItโs a politically active organization,โ he told Huffington Post. According to Owens, AEA‘s pre-election advertisement blitz โsounds like a lobbying message on its face.โ27Michael Beckel. โAnti-Obama Nonprofit Tells IRS Itโs Not โPoliticalโ,โ Huffington Post, November 18, 2013. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tO9Vt
Funding
The following data is compiled from the Conservative Transparency project. Note that as a 501(c)(4) organization, the American Energy Alliance is not required to disclose its donors, so available data is limited.28โAmerican Energy Alliance,โ Conservative Transparency. Search performed May 20, 2016.
View the attached spreadsheet for additional details on American Energy Alliance funding by year (.xlsx).
As Recipient
Donor | 2008 | 2010 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Grand Total |
Freedom Partners | $1,460,000 | $40,000 | $2,367,500 | $2,935,000 | $1,000,000 | $7,802,500 | |||
Center to Protect Patient Rights | $250,000 | $864,960 | $1,114,960 | ||||||
American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers* | $340,000 | $250,000 | $350,000 | $940,000 | |||||
Wellspring Committee | $509,000 | $95,000 | $604,000 | ||||||
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers | $50,000 | $50,000 | |||||||
Americans for Prosperity | $15,000 | $15,000 | |||||||
Grand Total | $509,000 | $345,000 | $2,339,960 | $40,000 | $2,367,500 | $3,275,000 | $1,250,000 | $400,000 | $10,526,460 |
As Donor
Recipient | 2009 | 2011 | 2015 | Grand Total |
Institute for Energy Research | $300,000 | $500,000 | $800,000 | |
Americans for Prosperity | $100,000 | $100,000 | ||
United for Jobs | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||
American Committment | $10,000 | $10,000 | ||
Americans for Limited Government | $20,000 | $20,000 | ||
Doctors for Disaster Preparedness | $10,000 | $10,000 | ||
Energy Policy Network | $200,000 | $200,000 | ||
Hispanic Leadership Fund | $7,500 | $7,500 | ||
National Black Chamber of Commerce | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||
Taxpayers Protection Alliance | $7,500 | $7,500 | ||
The 60 Plus Association | $37,500 | $37,500 | ||
The Buckeye Institute | $5,000 | $5,000 | ||
Grand Total | $15,000 | $400,000 | $812,500 | $1,227,500 |
Koch Funding
According to Greenpeace, AEA and the Institute for Energy Research have received a combined total of at least $684,742 from Koch foundations between 1997 and 2017.
Greenpeace reports that IER and AEA have received funding from Koch for a $3.6 million anti-Obama gas price advertising campaign.29โInstitute for Energy Research (IER) & American Energy Alliance (AEA),โ Greenpeace. Accessed May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/q1FqQ
According to Greenpeace, AEA received $1.5 million in 2012 funnelled through Freedom Partners, a 501(c)(6) business leaguue directed by many of the Koch brothers’ closest connections such as Richard Fink, Marc Short, Wayne Gable, and Kevin Gentry.30โInstitute for Energy Research (IER) & American Energy Alliance (AEA),โ Greenpeace. Accessed May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/q1FqQ
990 Forms
Key People
Board of Directors
The following is compiled from publicly available 990 tax forms.
Name | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | Position |
Brian Kennedy | Y | Y | Director | |||||
Dan Kish | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Senior Vice President, Policy | ||
Dan Simmons | Y | Y | Y | Y | Vice President, Policy | |||
James Clarkson | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director | |
John Peterson | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director | ||
Lisa Wallace | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Secretary/Treasurer |
Nancy Pfotenhauer | Y | Director | ||||||
Robert Bradley | Y | Y | Y | IER Executive Officer | ||||
Scott Alex Beaulier | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director | |
Thomas Pyle | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | President |
Wayne Gable | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Chairman |
Staff
Name | 201031โMeet the Staff,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived July 8, 2010. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/21XwX | 201132โSTAFF,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived May 18, 2011. Archive.is URL:https://archive.is/A1ZW6 | 201233โSTAFF,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived January 27, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/9Cp8z | 201334โStaff,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived July 27, 2013. | 201435โStaff,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived March 20, 2014. | 201536โStaff,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived February 2, 2015. | 201637โStaff,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived May 20, 2016. | 201738โStaff,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived February 17, 2017. Archive.is URL:https://archive.is/hzGKt | Position |
Benjamin Cole | Y | Y | Y | Director, Communications | |||||
Chris Warren | Y | Y | Y | Y | Vice President,Communications | ||||
Dan Kish | Y | Senior Vice President, Policy | |||||||
Daniel R. Simmons | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Vice President, Policy | |
Doug Macgillivray | Y | Y | Director of Federal Affairs | ||||||
Dustin DeBerry | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Director, Donor Relations | |
Genevieve Thornton | Y | Y | Director, Marketing | ||||||
Hubbel Relat | Y | Vice President for State Policy and General Counsel | |||||||
Jeffrey Hubbard | Y | Y | Director, New Media | ||||||
John Mavretich | Y | Director, Communications | |||||||
Kevin Kennedy | Y | Director, Federal Affairs | |||||||
Kris Daniel | Y | Director, Development | |||||||
Laura Henderson | Y | Spokesperson | |||||||
Lisa Wallace | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Secretary/Treasurer | |
Mike Morrison | Y | Y | Y | Director, Digital Media | |||||
Robin Millican | Y | Director, Federal Affairs | |||||||
Thomas J. Pyle | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | President |
Travis Fisher | Y | Economist |
Actions
May 2020
AEA hosted a watch party for Michael Moore’s documentary Planet of the Humans and, as reported by Heated, spent thousands of dollars to promote it to millions of people.39Emily Atkin. โA party for the planet(โs destruction),โ Heated, May 19, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
โIt turns out the green energy movement is not so โgreenโ after all,โ one of the AEA Facebook advertisements reads. โJoin our โPlanet of the Humansโ Watch Party to learn more.โ40Emily Atkin. โA party for the planet(โs destruction),โ Heated, May 19, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
According to Heated, after reviewing the Facebook Ad Library, AEA spent somewhere between ten and thirteen thousand dollars over four days to promote six ads about the party.41Emily Atkin. โA party for the planet(โs destruction),โ Heated, May 19, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Planet of the Humans was eventually removed from YouTube over copyright claims. Climate experts had previously called the film โdangerous, misleading and destructiveโ and asked it be taken down.42Jonathan Watts. โMichael Moore film Planet of the Humans removed from YouTube,โ The Guardian, May 25, 2020. Archived June 1, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/zQLyu 43Oilver Milman. โClimate experts call for ‘dangerous’ Michael Moore film to be taken down,โ The Guardian, April 28, 2020. Archived June 1, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/0Ia0D
Planet of the Humans has been described as a โgift to Big Oilโ that is โriddled with errors about clean energy and climate activismโ44Leah C. Stokes. โMichael Moore produced a film about climate change thatโs a gift to Big Oil,โ Vox, April 28, 2020. Archived May 29, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/NgJeE while numerous sources have described its facts as โmisleadingโ and โway out of date.โ45Dan Gearino. โInside Clean Energy: 6 Things Michael Mooreโs โPlanet of the Humansโ Gets Wrong,โ Inside Climate News, April 30, 2020. Archived June 1, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/CeEY0
April 6, 2020
AEA sent an open letter to President Donald Trump supporting the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles
Rule which would scrap federal fuel economy mandates under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.46CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF), American Energy Alliance.
Describing CAFE, the letter contends: โThose families and individuals who prefer or need trucks, SUVs, and crossovers pay more to subsidize those who buy smaller vehicles or electric vehicles under the existing mandate. This significant, needless, and unjust cost is a very real regressive tax on American families that has made our country worse off.โ47CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF), American Energy Alliance.
Signatories were listed as follows:
March 5, 2020
AEA announced a new campaign to fight against the electric vehicle (EV) tax credit. The series of digital ads urged senators to โblock proposed amendments to the American Energy Innovation Act that would expand the unnecessary, inefficient, costly and unfair electric vehicle (EV) tax credit.โ48โAEA Launches Initiative to Stop Special Interest Tax Giveaways,โ American Energy Alliance, March 5, 2020. Archived March 9, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.vn/O2Soq
AEA President Thomas Pyle issued a statement:49โAEA Launches Initiative to Stop Special Interest Tax Giveaways,โ American Energy Alliance, March 5, 2020. Archived March 9, 2020. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.vn/O2Soq
โSome Senate Democrats are once again focused on expanding the EV tax credit despite its gross inequities. They are using the American Energy Innovation Act as a tool to enrich two auto companies, GM and Tesla, along with wealthy coastal elites, mainly from California and New York. Itโs now time for all Senators, especially Republicans, to stand up for their constituents and stop this obvious handout. No amendments, no deals, and no extensions of the tax credit.โ
December 17, 2019
AEA released a statement from Tom Pyle praising President Trump50Jon Haubert. โPresident Trump Holds the Line: Protects Middle Class Taxpayers from the Green New Deal,โ AmericanEnergyAlliance.org, December 17, 2019. Archived January 1, 2020. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/bIlkn after he pressured lawmakers to eliminate electric vehicle and solar tax credits from a must-pass spending package:51Ari Netter. โTrump Helped Nix Electric Car Tax Measure Sought by Tesla, GM,โ Bloomberg.com, December 16, 2019. Archived January 7, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/wip/DQq90
โAfter a marathon political showdown,โ Pyle wrote, โPresident Trumpโs opposition to green subsidies has won the day. Credit is something you earn, not give away. Refusing to expand the costly, unnecessary, and unfair electric vehicle tax credit, the solar investment tax credit, and other green giveaways, is a major win for middle class American taxpayers. [โฆ] President Trump stuck to his guns against a Congress hell-bent on saddling the cost of the Green New Deal on middle class American taxpayers.โ52Jon Haubert. โPresident Trump Holds the Line: Protects Middle Class Taxpayers from the Green New Deal,โ AmericanEnergyAlliance.org, December 17, 2019. Archived January 1, 2020. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/bIlkn 53Ari Netter. โTrump Helped Nix Electric Car Tax Measure Sought by Tesla, GM,โ Bloomberg.com, December 16, 2019. Archived January 7, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/wip/DQq90
Pyle also expressed frustration that the federal wind production tax credit would be extended:54Jon Haubert. โPresident Trump Holds the Line: Protects Middle Class Taxpayers from the Green New Deal,โ AmericanEnergyAlliance.org, December 17, 2019. Archived January 1, 2020. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/bIlkn
โBig Wind succeeded in securing themselves another taxpayer-funded, billion-dollar windfall, proving once again they are afraid to compete on a level playing field. You can bet they are already gearing up to take another run at picking our pockets again next year, but they wonโt do so without a fight from AEA. You can take that to the bank.โ55Jon Haubert. โPresident Trump Holds the Line: Protects Middle Class Taxpayers from the Green New Deal,โ AmericanEnergyAlliance.org, December 17, 2019. Archived January 1, 2020. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/bIlkn
November 20, 2019
The AEA purchased a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal calling on the Republican-led Senate to โprotect consumers and taxpayers by eliminating the electric vehicle tax credit once and for all.โ 56Jon Haubert. โAEA Launches Initiative Calling on Republican Senators to End Welfare for Auto Manufacturers and Wealthy Coastal Elites,โ American Energy Alliance, November 20, 2019. Archived December 9, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/TKwK3
The ad described the EV tax credit as a subsidy for โwealthy coastal elites,โ 50% of whom reside in California.57Jon Haubert. โAEA Launches Initiative Calling on Republican Senators to End Welfare for Auto Manufacturers and Wealthy Coastal Elites,โ American Energy Alliance, November 20, 2019. Archived December 9, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/TKwK3
AEA President Thomas Pyle justified the ad with a statement on AEAโs website:58Jon Haubert. โAEA Launches Initiative Calling on Republican Senators to End Welfare for Auto Manufacturers and Wealthy Coastal Elites,โ American Energy Alliance, November 20, 2019. Archived December 9, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/TKwK3
โHouse Democrats have made expanding the electric vehicle subsidy a top priority before Congress wraps up for the year. This move would essentially enrich two auto companies, GM and Tesla, along with wealthy coastal elites, mainly from California and New York. Itโs now up to the Republicans in the U.S. Senate to stop the madness. No deals, no extensions. Majority Leader McConnell and his Senate GOP colleagues must protect consumers and taxpayers by eliminating the electric vehicle tax credit once and for all. At the very least, they must block the proposed expansion of this welfare program for the wealthy.โ59Jon Haubert. โAEA Launches Initiative Calling on Republican Senators to End Welfare for Auto Manufacturers and Wealthy Coastal Elites,โ American Energy Alliance, November 20, 2019. Archived December 9, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/TKwK3
October 15, 2019
AEA promoted a recent poll, claiming it revealed a strong voter rejection of electric vehicle purchase incentives.60John Haubert. โVoters to Congress: Make U-Turn on Special Vehicle Preferences,โ American Energy Alliance, October 15, 2019. Archived October 17, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/fULJA
The poll, conducted by AEA in Maine, Michigan, and South Dakota, asked likely voters โhow much they would be willing to pay each year to support the purchase of electric vehicles by other consumers.โ61John Haubert. โVoters to Congress: Make U-Turn on Special Vehicle Preferences,โ American Energy Alliance, October 15, 2019. Archived October 17, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/fULJA
Some of the statements respondents were asked to agree or disagree with included:
โI usually trust the federal government to make the right decisions.โ
โThe citizens of the State of Michigan should not help pay for those who buy electric vehicles in California.โ
โConsumers should pay for their own cars and not rely on tax credits paid for by other consumers.โ62John Haubert. โVoters to Congress: Make U-Turn on Special Vehicle Preferences,โ American Energy Alliance, October 15, 2019. Archived October 17, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/fULJA
There were no questions relating to climate change, energy policy, or whether respondents would be interested in purchasing an electric vehicle themselves.63John Haubert. โVoters to Congress: Make U-Turn on Special Vehicle Preferences,โ American Energy Alliance, October 15, 2019. Archived October 17, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/fULJA
The reportโs authors concluded:
โVotersโ sentiments about paying for otherโs electric vehicles are especially sharp when they learn they that those who purchase electric vehicles are, for the most, wealthy and/or from California.โ64John Haubert. โVoters to Congress: Make U-Turn on Special Vehicle Preferences,โ American Energy Alliance, October 15, 2019. Archived October 17, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/fULJA
May 9, 2019
The American Energy Alliance organized open letter fighting against an electric vehicle tax credit.65โDear Senator Grassley, Senator Wyden, Representative Neal and Representative Brady:โ May 9, 2019. Retrieved from The Daily Caller.
โThe American Energy Alliance has organized a coalition to proclaim in one unified voice that there should be no expansion of the misguided electric vehicle tax credit,โ Pyle wrote in a statement, quoted at The Daily Caller. โThere is no question that the electric vehicle tax credit distorts the auto market to no gain.โ66Christ White. โCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโS TAX CREDITS โOVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ,โThe Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3
According to Pyle and others who signed the letter, Electric vehicle tax credits โoverwhelmingly benefit the rich.โ DeSmog’s Koch vs. Clean project has systematically debunked this, among other well-rehearsed talking points and misinformation put forward by industry about electric vehicles.67Christ White. โCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโS TAX CREDITS โOVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ,โThe Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3
The letter cites research by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a group that has received over $600,000 from ExxonMobil and millions from โdark moneyโ groups DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.
July 18, 2018
The American Energy Alliance, represented by Tom Pyle, was among signatories of a letter supporting an anti-carbon tax resolution from House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.68โ41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,โ Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
โWe oppose any carbon tax. We oppose a carbon tax because it would lead to less income and fewer jobs for American families,โ the letter read. โWe support the House Concurrent Resolution in opposition to a job-killing carbon tax and urge members to co-sponsor and support this effort.โ 69โ41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,โ Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
The resolution would call a carbon tax โdetrimental to the United States economy.โE&E News reported it was similar to a measure that passed the House in 2016. Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, co-chairman of the Climate Solutions Caucus, said he would not vote for the resolution.70Nick Sobczyk. โHouse voting on anti-carbon-tax measure: ‘Pass the popcorn’,โ E&E News, July 16, 2018. Archived Aug 2, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/aTP8h
โProtecting our environment and economic growth are not mutually exclusive,โ he said in a statement. โThe resolution presents a false choice.โ
June 2018
The American Energy Alliance released the results of a poll asking voter’s opinions on electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel efficiency standards.71โNew Survey: Voters (Still) Find Vehicle Subsidies ‘Unfair’,โ American Energy Alliance, June 19, 2018. Archived June 21, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/Kw2YF DeSmog, after reviewing the actual poll questions,72โMWR Strategiesโ (PDF), June 2018. Retrieved from AmericanEnergyAlliance.org. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. reported the poll73โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018. was an example of a โpush poll,โ defined by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as โa form of negative campaigning that is disguised as a political poll.โ74โWhat is a ‘Push’ Poll?โ AAPOR. Archived June 21, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/fIaYW
โVoters want to make their own decisions about what kind of cars and trucks to buy. And they definitely donโt want to pay for the toys of the rich,โ the American Energy Alliance said was the takeaway from the results.75John Siciliano. โMost voters don’t like electric cars because of the subsidies, says new poll,โ Washington Examiner, June 19, 2018. Archived June 21, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/32S7u
The poll was conducted by MWR Strategies, a lobbying firm whose clients have included Koch Industries and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers. The questions implant the idea that consumers are being pushed to buy certain vehicles and that taxpayers are being forced to pay for the federal programs that support EV sales.76โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
For example, one question states that every purchaser of an electric vehicle is paid โ75 hundred dollarsโ by the โtaxpayer,โ which misrepresents the mechanics of the non-refundable electric vehicle tax credit. The tax credit simply lowers the buyerโs tax rate in the year of purchase โ functionally the same way that a home mortgage interest deduction or child tax credit works.77โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
Another question claims that the average income of an electric car buyer is $150,000, and then asks whether the respondent thinks itโs โfairโ that the buyer should โbe paid 75 hundred dollars.โ As of 2016, 54 percent of EV purchasers have a household income above $100,000, not $150,000. Also not noted, nearly 80 percent of EVs are leased rather than purchased, and only 38 percent of leases have a household income above $100,000.78โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
Below is a sample of one split sample question, where the interviewer uses to different wordings to ask the same question:79โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
The first question, set up to make respondents feel a direct personal sacrifice, 29 percent answered that this was โway too muchโ and 25 percent said it was โabout right.โ The second question, framed without the direct emotional connection, the percentage of respondents that said it was โabout rightโ rose slightly to 27 percent, and those who said it was โway too muchโ dropped to 19 percent. Both wordings were misleading, considering a tax credit is not a payment from the government and not all buyers of EVs get the full value of the tax credit.80โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
April 23, 2018
The AEA, represented by Thomas Pyle, was among 22 groups signed on to an open letter asking President Trump to ignore recent criticism of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.81โCoalition letter to the President on Scott Pruitt,โ (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived .pdf on file with DeSmog.
In a speech to the U.S. Senate, a group of Democratic senators identified the organizations as front groups for the Koch Brothers and other wealthy donors, nicknamed the โWeb of Deceit.โ The senators outlined how, in addition to funding from the Koch network, many of the groups use untraceable โdark moneyโ funneled through groups like Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust to influence legislation, particularly with regards to climate and pollution.
Senator Whitehouse outlined it as โa web of deceit conceived and bankrolled by the Koch brothers and other self-interested billionaires to advocate for very selfish and unpatriotic policies.โ Whitehouse added: โThis web of deceit has infiltrated and populated the Trump administration, and it is swamping the interests of everyday Americans.82Senator Whitehouse. โTime to wake up: Web of Deceitโ April 23, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/HzIsa
The full list of pro-Pruitt signatories and their respective organizations is as follows:
- Saulius โSaulโ Anuzius – 60 Plus Association
- Fred Birnbaum – Idaho Freedom Foundation
- L. Brent Bozell III – Media Research Center
- Amy Oliver Cooke – Independence Institute
- Wesley Denton – Conservative Partnership Institute
- Viv Forbes – The Carbon Sense Coalition
- Frank J Gaffney – Center for Security Policy
- Steve Goreham – Climate Science Coalition of America
- Phil Kerpen – American Commitment
- Andrew Langer – Institute for Liberty
- Lisa B. Nelson – American Legislative Exchange Council
- Rick Manning – Americans for Limited Government
- Jenny Beth Martin – Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund
- William Perry Pendley – Mountain States Legal Foundation
- Thomas Pyle – American Energy Alliance
- George Rasley – ConservativeHQ.com
- Sandy Rios – American Family Association
- Craig Richardson – Energy & Environment Legal Institute
- Craig Rucker – Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)
- Dr Jameson Taylor – Missisippi Center for Public Policy
- Kyle Wingfield – Georgia Public Policy Foundation
May 8, 2017
The American Energy Alliance, represented by Thomas J. Pyle is listed on an open letter to President Donald J. Trump urging him โto withdraw fully from the Paris Climate Treaty and to stop all taxpayer funding of UN global warming programs.โ83โDear Mr. Presidentโ (PDF), retrieved from Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
DeSmog reported that the 40 groups represented in the letter, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), The Heartland Institute, and the Heritage Foundation, have received a combined total of millions of dollars from the Koch Brothers, ExxonMobil, and other industry groups.84Graham Readfearn. โConservative Groups Pushing Trump To Exit Paris Climate Deal Have Taken Millions From Koch Brothers, Exxon,โ DeSmog, May 10, 2017.
Analysis also showed that the groups accepted about $80 million through Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust, two groups that have been confirmed is a key financial source for key U.S-based climate change denial groups.85Susanne Goldberg. โConservative groups spend up to bn a year to fight action on climate change,โ The Guardian, December 20, 2013. Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/TB2yy
January 12, 2017
The AEA‘s Thomas Pyle was a signatory to a January 12, 2017 official letter of support (PDF) for Scott Pruitt, in which numerous groups, including The Heartland Institute, and others, declared that the Senate should โswiftly approve his nominationโ for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Other signatories of the letter included:86โDear Senators,โ (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, January 12, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- Michael Needham, Heritage Action for America
- Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
- Kent Lassman, Competitive Enterprise Institute
- Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks
- David McIntosh, Club for Growth
- Phil Kerpen, American Commitment
- Craig Richardson, Energy and Environment Action Team
- David Williams, Taxpayers Protection Alliance
- Harry Alford, National Black Chamber of Commerce
- Jim Martin, 60 Plus
- Andrew Langer, Institute for Liberty
- Heather Higgins,ย Independentย Womenโsย Voice
- Independence Institute
- Richard Martin, Americans for Limited Government
- Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST)
- Brett Healy, MacIver Institute
- Joseph Bast, Heartland Institute
- George Landrith, Frontiers of Freedom
- Randy Eminger, Energy Policy Network
- Paul Gessing, Rio Grande Foundation
- Mike Nasi, Balanced Energy for Texas
- Brent Mead, Montana Policy Institute
- Forest Thigpen, Mississippi Center for Public Policy
December 2016
Thomas Pyle was chosen to head Donald Trump’s energy transition team after Mike McKenna stepped down from the position.87Julian Spector. โTrump Energy Team Swaps Out Its Transition Team Leader,โ Green Tech Media, December 1, 2016. Archived December 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/uDcE5
Shortly before his appointment, Pyle had sent a a memo (see full .pdf)โobtained and published by the Center for Media and Democracyโto a private email list outlining โThe Trump Administration’s Energy Plan.โ Pyle’s memo, featuring a banner with both the American Energy Alliance (AEA) and Institute for Energy Research (IER) logos included 14 policy proposals such as:88โPyle-What-to-Expect-From-the-Trump-Administration.pdfโ From the Desk of Thomas Pyle. Retrieved from Documentcloud.org. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 89Nick Surgey. โREVEALED: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATIONโS ENERGY PLAN,โ The Center for Media and Democracy, December 4, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/R9rzX 90Ben Jervey. โTrump Energy Agenda Revealed in Thomas Pyle Memo,โ DeSmog, December 7, 2016.
- Withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Climate agreement;
- Increasing federal oil and natural gas leasing;
- Lifting the coal lease moratorium;
- Eliminating the Clean Power Plan;
- Expediting approvals of LNG export terminals;
- Moving forward with pipeline projects including the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline;
- Rolling back federal fuel economy standards;
- Ending the use of the social cost of carbon in agency rulemaking; and
- Reconsidering the โendangerment findingโ that found greenhouse gases to be a threat to public health and welfare.
June 13, 2016
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD/PRWatch) reports the American Energy Alliance (AEA) was named as a creditor in Peabody Energy’s recent bankruptcy filings.91Nick Surgey. โPeabody Coal Bankruptcy Reveals Climate Denial Network Funding,โ PRWatch, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/a73wj
While the available bankruptcy documents do not list the scale or dates of funding, they outline Peabody Energy’s financial ties to a large network of groups promoting climate change denial.92โIn re: Peabody Energy Corporation, et al. Debtors,โ United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Missouri Eastern Division, Case 16-42529, May 27, 2016. Retrieved from DocumentCloud.
Prominent individuals appearing in the documents include climate deniers Willie Soon, Richard Lindzen, Roy Spencer and Richard Berman. The long list of organizations also includes groups such as Americans for Prosperity, American Legislative Exchange Council, CFACT, Institute for Energy Research, State Policy Network, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and dozens more.93Farron Cousins. โCourt Documents Show Coal Giant Peabody Energy Funded Dozens Of Climate Denial Groups,โ DeSmog, June 13, 2016.
The Guardian also analysed and reported on the Peabody bankruptcy findings94Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. โBiggest US coal company funded dozens of groups questioning climate change,โ The Guardian, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pw7On
โThese groups collectively are the heart and soul of climate denial,โ said Kert Davies, founder of the Climate Investigation Center, who has spent 20 years tracking funding for climate denial. โItโs the broadest list I have seen of one company funding so many nodes in the denial machine.โ
The companyโs filings reveal funding for a range of organisations which have fought Barack Obamaโs plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and denied the very existence of climate change. [โฆ]
Among Peabodyโs beneficiaries, the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change has insisted โ wrongly โ that carbon emissions are not a threat but โthe elixir of lifeโ while the American Legislative Exchange Council is trying to overturn Environmental Protection Agency rules cutting emissions from power plants. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity campaigns against carbon pricing. The Oklahoma chapter was on the list. [โฆ]
โThe breadth of the groups with financial ties to Peabody is extraordinary. Thinktanks, litigation groups, climate scientists, political organisations, dozens of organisations blocking action on climate all receiving funding from the coal industry,โ said Nick Surgey, director of research for the Center for Media and Democracy.
โWe expected to see some denial money, but it looks like Peabody is the treasury for a very substantial part of the climate denial movement.โ
Notable organizations listed in the initial documents include:
- 60 Plus Association
- The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
- American Energy Alliance
- Alliance For Energy And Economic Growth
- American Energy Alliance
- American Legislative Exchange Council
- Americans For Prosperity Oklahoma
- Atlas Economic Research Foundation
- Berman And Company, Inc
- Consumer Energy Alliance
- Center For Clean Air Policy
- Center for Energy and Economic Development
- Center For The Study Of Carbon Dioxide And Global Change
- Coalition for Responsible Regulation
- Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow
- Council on State Taxation
- DCI Group AZ, LLC
- Ducks Unlimited
- Energy & Environment Legal Institute
- Edison Electric Institute
- Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
- Free Market Environmental Law Clinic
- Frontiers Of Freedom Institute
- George C. Marshall Institute
- Hill Knowlton Strategies
- Hill Knowlton, Inc
- Hudson Institute
- Hunton & Williams
- Independence Institute
- Institute For Energy Research
- Institute for Liberty
- National Association of Manufacturers
- National Black Chamber of Commerce
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- National Mining Association
- National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
- NextGen Energy Council
- PACE (May refer to Partnership for Affordable Clean Energy)
- Science & Public Policy Institute
- Sidley Austin LLP
- State Policy Network
- Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute
- Texas Public Policy Foundation
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Western Business Roundtable
Notable individuals named in the initial documents include the following:
May 2016
The American Energy Alliance is part of a coalition of 60 conservative organizations led by Americans for Prosperity claiming that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ozone rule will cost jobs and hurt the U.S. economy.95Asha Glover. โAFP-Led Coalition Says EPA Ozone Regulation Will Kill Economy,โ Morning Consult, May 9, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CyQMl
โThe only way EPA could justify the regulation was to use questionable cobenefits,โ a letter addressed to House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) read. โIn reducing ozone, there may also be benefits from reductions of other pollutants, in this case particulate matter (PM). However, the EPA already has another set of regulations dealing exclusively with PM. Either the EPA has woefully inadequate standards for PM or it is effectively โdouble countingโ the health benefits of PM reductions to justify the ozone regulation.โ96Asha Glover. โAFP-Led Coalition Says EPA Ozone Regulation Will Kill Economy,โ Morning Consult, May 9, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CyQMl
April 2016
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that the American Energy Alliance is one of several Koch-funded groups including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN) working to โstymie the Clean Power Plan,โ President Obama’s signature effort to cut carbon pollution from power plants.97Aliya Haq. โKoch Brothers Struggling to Block Climate Action in State Legislatures,โ NRDC, May 3, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/x5tFd
In April, 2016, the American Energy Alliance itself declared that it was behind the push in state legislatures in the US to bar funding for work on the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan.98Elizabeth Harball. โCLEAN POWER PLAN:Conservative groups claim responsibility for state budget restrictions,โ E&E Publishing, April 28, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iSLmN
โThe point of these riders is to restrict the agency from putting time and attention into this regulation,โ said Hubbel Relat, vice president for state policy and general counsel for AEA. โThese budget riders exist in the first place because the governors insist on moving forward on a regulation that is held up in litigation and the Supreme Court has questioned its legality.โ99Elizabeth Harball. โCLEAN POWER PLAN:Conservative groups claim responsibility for state budget restrictions,โ E&E Publishing, April 28, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iSLmN
September 1, 2015
American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle issued a statement criticizing Michigan’s Governor Richard Dale Snyder for his plan to implement EPA carbon regulations:100โGov. Snyder Surrenders to Obamaโs EPA,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), September 1, 2015. Archived May 21, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tjntJ
โThe Snyder administrationโs decision to wave the white flag and implement EPAโs carbon regulation is bad news for Michigan families. The governor claims this approach โretains controlโ for Michigan, yet the opposite is true. Implementing this regulation, when serious legal challenges persist, effectively hands over the keys to Michiganโs energy future to unelected bureaucrats in Washington. Once Gov. Snyder signs away Michiganโs control over its energy future to Obamaโs EPA, there is no turning back.
โObama and EPA want states to think their only choices are to submit a state plan or have a federal plan imposed on them. Gov. Snyder has apparently fallen for this false choice. The real choice is between shielding Michigan from this harmful carbon regulation or helping President Obama carry it across the finish line as the sun sets on his presidency.
โObamaโs carbon regulation is a national energy tax that will burden Michiganders, especially the poor, with higher energy prices and fewer jobs, yet will have no impact on climate change. Michigan voters made clear their stance on higher energy taxes when they overwhelmingly rejected Governor Snyderโs gas tax proposal earlier this year. The governor should listen to the citizens in his state and join the ranks of several of his fellow governors by rejecting the Obama administrationโs carbon regulation.โ101โGov. Snyder Surrenders to Obamaโs EPA,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), September 1, 2015. Archived May 21, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tjntJ
August 6, 2015
AEA President Thomas Pyle published an article in Medium responding to a previous post by EPA Chief Gina McCarthy โwith his own six reasons as to why states and the American people should be wary of entrusting EPA with their energy futures.โ102โSix Things Every American Should Really Know About EPAโs Carbon Agenda,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), July 12, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LllJS
Pyle contends in his article that the EPA‘s power plan, which he entitles a โcarbon agendaโ will have โno impact on climate change,โ will โ[hurt] Americans’ health,โ โrelies on threats and bribes,โ and โwas written by the environmental lobby,โ among other criticisms.103Tom Pyle. โSix Things Every American Should Really Know About EPAโs Carbon Agenda,โ Medium, August 6, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/v8Drs
August 3, 2015
AEA President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement criticizing President Obama’s Clean Power Plan:104(Press Release). โObamaโs Carbon Rule Still a Bad Deal for Americans,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), July 3, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/2mFW7
โThe final version of President Obamaโs โClean Power Planโ is somehow more harmful than the proposed rule. It forces states to make even steeper cuts, it guts natural gas in favor of costly renewables, and it still has no effect on climate change. While the EPA touts these adjustments to the rule as a sign of โflexibilityโ, itโs really an admission that Obama needs states to do his dirty work. But state leaders shouldnโt give in to the administrationโs bribery schemes. Regardless of these cosmetic changes to the rule, the fundamental flaws remain.
โItโs important to remember that President Obamaโs carbon regulation, the crown jewel of his climate legacy, has no impact on climate change. EPAโs own models show that their carbon rule will limit global temperature rise by a mere 0.018 degrees Celsius by 2100. Thatโs a bad deal for the American people. State leaders should protect their citizens from Obamaโs costly carbon rule by refusing to submit a plan.โ
July 30, 2015
The American Energy Alliance launched a new initiative at SmartPowerPlan.org, which it describes as โa hub for the latest information on how states and the public are fighting back against the EPAโs so-called Clean Power Plan.โ AEA calls it a โone-stop shopโ for โthe latest news, legal analysis, public comments, and state action against the EPAโs carbon rule.โ105โMounting Opposition to EPAโs Carbon Rule,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), July 30, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/4ysOl
According to WHOIS archives, the American Energy Alliance registered the website smartpowerplan.org on May 12, 2015.106Whois Record for SmartPowerPlan.org, whois.domaintools.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
According to their website, the Smart Power Plan consists of three principles that โthat should guide both elected officials and regulators when composing energy policyโ:107โAbout this Effort,โ Smart Power Plan. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/07KHU
โ1. Make Americansโ Lives Better Not Harder: We support individuals picking the most reliable, abundant, and affordable energy sources free from government interference. Natural gas, oil, and coal, which account for two-thirds of our electricity, enrich our lives and allow families to spend more of their hard-earned income on health care, housing, education, and their pursuit of happiness. We embrace individual choice over government mandates.
โ2. Base Policy Decisions on Science and Common Sense: Any public policy that creates new burdens on individuals and families should be subject to rigorous scrutiny that measures the full range of costs and benefits. Unfortunately, the EPAโs Carbon rule fails this basic test. The claimed benefits used to justify the rule are based on dubious science, while the huge costs will diminish Americansโ health, wealth, and environment.
โ3. Hold Our Elected Officials Accountable: Our foremost concern is that states, individuals, and markets drive U.S. energy policy. Increasingly, regulators at federal agencies like the EPA have co-opted the decision-making power and circumvented the legislative process. We need binding action from our elected officials to preserve the authority of states over any significant energy tax hikes and new mandates on their statesโ residents.โ
February 2015
The AEA began publishing articles linking back to an โinitiativeโ titled โDivestment Truthโ (#DivestmentTruth). AEA argues that a โmorally bankrupt movement is trying to keep billions of people in poverty, deny people access to energy, and forbid access to the lifesaving products that come from coal, natural gas, and oil [โฆ]โ and asks readers to โHelp us fight against this misguided movement, and take back the reliable, affordable energy that drives America forward.โ108โDivestment Truth: What is Fossil Fuel Divestment?โ American Energy Alliance. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/HrFim
Publications filed under Divestment Truth include a June, 2015 op-ed in Forbes by Institute for Energy Research Founder and CEO Robert Bradley Jr. titled โFossil Fuel Divestment: Flight From Reality.โ According to Bradley, โDivestment is a solution looking for a problem. It is destined to fail [โฆ].โ109โOpinion: Fossil Fuel Divestment: Flight From Reality,โ American Energy Alliance, June 16, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/RShpi
AEA also published a political cartoon depicting a โfossil fuel divestment protestorโ with and without fossil fuels which was also shared on social media.110โNo shirt, no shoes, no fossil fuels,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), February 13, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/lGfRq
According to AEA, โThe fossil fuel divestment movement [โฆ] has it backwards. The morally superior choice is for people to be free to use energy to make their lives better. Today, that means having access to the abundant energy resources of coal, oil, and natural gas. Those are the technologies that lifted the developed world out of poverty, and they continue to lift millions out of poverty while they power the high-energy lives of those of us fortunate enough to live in the developed world.โ111โWhat is the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement?โ American Energy Alliance, February 5, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/JDkmB
November 4, 2015
AEA released โ10 Reasons to Oppose a Carbon Taxโ on its Energy Townhall publication. According to AEA, โA carbon tax would impose an indirect tax on [natural gas, oil, and coal] due to their carbon dioxide emissions.โ They list the following โten reasonsโ they believe a carbon tax should be opposed112:โ10 Reasons to Oppose a Carbon Tax,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), November 4, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/e7yIU
โ1). It is a tax on transportation fuels like gasoline and most forms of electricity
2). It will increase the cost of goods and services
3). It disproportionately hurts low income communities and seniors
4). It damages American economic competitiveness
5). It may increase air pollution
6). It does not impact climate change
7). It is not a market-driven solution
8). It is a tool for politicians to continue wasteful government spending
9). It is not ‘revenue-neutral’
10). The American public is opposed to itโ
November 21, 2014
AEA President Thomas Pyle published an op-ed in the Las Vegas Review-Journal titled โIt’s time for wind tax credit to get blown away.โ Some excepts below:113โICYMI: Itโs Time for the Wind PTC to Blow Away,โ Energy Townhall, November 21, 2014. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/e7yIU
โOne of the central building blocks of the EPAโs power plant rule is increased use of wind and solar for electricity generation. But wind and solar are uncompetitive without massive taxpayer subsidies and mandated renewable portfolio standards. For wind, that takes the form of the production tax credit. [โฆ]
โCongress should reject any attempt by [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid to revive the wind production tax credit in the lame-duck session. Itโs clearly a bad deal for Nevadans, enriching out-of-state billionaires at the expense of working families.โ
September 2014
The American Energy Alliance wrote a coalition letter, signed by 20 organizations, to congress claiming widespread support for โThe PTC Elimination Actโ, which would cut subsidies for wind energy production, Huffington Post reports.114Gabe Elsner. โAmerican Energy Alliance Leads Front Group Attack on Wind PTC,โ Huffington Post, September 3, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LC1ML
The Energy and Policy Institute examined the signatories list and found that 18 of the signatories had signed a similar letter for the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity in June of 201, and that 14 have ties to fossil fuel funders, and 18 have ties to the Koch Brothers’ political network.115Gabe Elsner. โAmerican Energy Alliance Leads Front Group Attack on Wind PTC,โ Huffington Post, September 3, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LC1ML
May 2014
The American Energy Alliance spent over $400,000 on television ads attacking Senator Mark Udall and accusing him of opposing construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Video below.116Laura Barron-Lopez. โAd targets Sen. Udall as anti-Keystone pipeline,โ The Hill, May 14, 2014. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/yV7V5
โThe simple truth: Americans needs jobs,โ the narrator reads. โAnd the Keystone pipeline will create thousands of high-paying jobs.โ
โSen. Mark Udall is siding with Washington lobbyists and special interests to kill it,โ the ad states.
March 2012
The American Energy Alliance launched a $3.6 million ad campaign criticizing President Barack Obama on gasoline prices, and criticizes his decision on the Keystone XL Pipeline, Politico reports.117โKochs linked to anti-Obama gas ads,โ Politico, March 29, 2012. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aMh7J
Politico notes that both the American Energy Alliance and IER are partly funded by the Koch brothers and their donor network. Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse accused the Koch brothers of โfunding yet another shadowy outside group to defend the interests of Big Oil and protect their own tax breaks and profits with Mitt Romney being the ultimate beneficiary.โ
Video from the AEI ad campaign below:
August 2009
The American Energy Alliance set off on a nation-wide campaign โto smear President Barack Obamaโs clean energy reform agenda,โ reported Thinkprogress. AEA staff rode in the โAmerica Energy Expressโ bus, claiming that the American Clean Energy and Security act will โcripple our sluggish economy.โ118Brad Johnson. โGOP Team At American Energy Alliance Runs โEnergy Town Hallโ Oil Bus Tour,โ ThinkProgress, August 22, 2009. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5zmlW
September, 2008
The American Energy Alliance funded pro-drilling radio ads in Colorado, including one criticizing Colorado Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall, NPR reports.119Will Evans. โNew Group Tied To Oil Industry Runs Ads Promoting Drilling, Attacking Democrat,โ NPR, September 22, 2008. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/cRZqN
American Energy Alliance Contact & Location
As of May, 2016, the American Energy Alliance listed the following contact information on their website:120โContact,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived May 22, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/3Vfcx
American Energy Alliance
1155 15th Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005Phone: 202.621.2940
Fax: 202.741.9170
Email: [email protected]Media Contact: Christopher Warren | 202.621.2947 | [email protected]
Related Organizations
- Institute for Energy Research (IER) โ Parent Organization
- Smart Power Plan โ An โInitiativeโ of the AEA designed to fight the Clean Power Plan.121โFight For a Smart Power Plan!โ Smartpowerplan.org. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/JNWU0
Social Media
- @AEA on Twitter.
- โAmerican Energy Allianceโ on Facebook.
- โAmerican Energy Allianceโ on LinkedIn.
Other Resources
Resources
- 1โAbout the AEA,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VJO52
- 2Michael Beckel. โAnti-Obama nonprofit tells IRS it’s not ‘political’,โ The Center for Public Integrity, November 18, 2013. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/k4qq2
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- 21โEarth Day: Continuing a Storied Tradition of Misleading Claims and Outrageous Predictions,โ Energy Townhall (AEA publication), April 22, 2016. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/1FiCK
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- 61John Haubert. โVoters to Congress: Make U-Turn on Special Vehicle Preferences,โ American Energy Alliance, October 15, 2019. Archived October 17, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/fULJA
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- 64John Haubert. โVoters to Congress: Make U-Turn on Special Vehicle Preferences,โ American Energy Alliance, October 15, 2019. Archived October 17, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/fULJA
- 65โDear Senator Grassley, Senator Wyden, Representative Neal and Representative Brady:โ May 9, 2019. Retrieved from The Daily Caller.
- 66Christ White. โCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโS TAX CREDITS โOVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ,โThe Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3
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- 68โ41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,โ Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 69โ41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,โ Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
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- 72โMWR Strategiesโ (PDF), June 2018. Retrieved from AmericanEnergyAlliance.org. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 73โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
- 74โWhat is a ‘Push’ Poll?โ AAPOR. Archived June 21, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/fIaYW
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- 76โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
- 77โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
- 78โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
- 79โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
- 80โPoll by Former Koch Lobbyist Skews Public Support for Clean Cars, Electric Vehicles,โ DeSmog, June 20, 2018.
- 81โCoalition letter to the President on Scott Pruitt,โ (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived .pdf on file with DeSmog.
- 82Senator Whitehouse. โTime to wake up: Web of Deceitโ April 23, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/HzIsa
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- 84Graham Readfearn. โConservative Groups Pushing Trump To Exit Paris Climate Deal Have Taken Millions From Koch Brothers, Exxon,โ DeSmog, May 10, 2017.
- 85Susanne Goldberg. โConservative groups spend up to bn a year to fight action on climate change,โ The Guardian, December 20, 2013. Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/TB2yy
- 86โDear Senators,โ (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, January 12, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 87Julian Spector. โTrump Energy Team Swaps Out Its Transition Team Leader,โ Green Tech Media, December 1, 2016. Archived December 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/uDcE5
- 88โPyle-What-to-Expect-From-the-Trump-Administration.pdfโ From the Desk of Thomas Pyle. Retrieved from Documentcloud.org. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 89Nick Surgey. โREVEALED: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATIONโS ENERGY PLAN,โ The Center for Media and Democracy, December 4, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/R9rzX
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- 91Nick Surgey. โPeabody Coal Bankruptcy Reveals Climate Denial Network Funding,โ PRWatch, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/a73wj
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- 94Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. โBiggest US coal company funded dozens of groups questioning climate change,โ The Guardian, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pw7On
- 95Asha Glover. โAFP-Led Coalition Says EPA Ozone Regulation Will Kill Economy,โ Morning Consult, May 9, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CyQMl
- 96Asha Glover. โAFP-Led Coalition Says EPA Ozone Regulation Will Kill Economy,โ Morning Consult, May 9, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CyQMl
- 97Aliya Haq. โKoch Brothers Struggling to Block Climate Action in State Legislatures,โ NRDC, May 3, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/x5tFd
- 98Elizabeth Harball. โCLEAN POWER PLAN:Conservative groups claim responsibility for state budget restrictions,โ E&E Publishing, April 28, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iSLmN
- 99Elizabeth Harball. โCLEAN POWER PLAN:Conservative groups claim responsibility for state budget restrictions,โ E&E Publishing, April 28, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iSLmN
- 100โGov. Snyder Surrenders to Obamaโs EPA,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), September 1, 2015. Archived May 21, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tjntJ
- 101โGov. Snyder Surrenders to Obamaโs EPA,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), September 1, 2015. Archived May 21, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tjntJ
- 102โSix Things Every American Should Really Know About EPAโs Carbon Agenda,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), July 12, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LllJS
- 103Tom Pyle. โSix Things Every American Should Really Know About EPAโs Carbon Agenda,โ Medium, August 6, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/v8Drs
- 104(Press Release). โObamaโs Carbon Rule Still a Bad Deal for Americans,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), July 3, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/2mFW7
- 105โMounting Opposition to EPAโs Carbon Rule,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), July 30, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/4ysOl
- 106Whois Record for SmartPowerPlan.org, whois.domaintools.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 107โAbout this Effort,โ Smart Power Plan. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/07KHU
- 108โDivestment Truth: What is Fossil Fuel Divestment?โ American Energy Alliance. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/HrFim
- 109โOpinion: Fossil Fuel Divestment: Flight From Reality,โ American Energy Alliance, June 16, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/RShpi
- 110โNo shirt, no shoes, no fossil fuels,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), February 13, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/lGfRq
- 111โWhat is the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement?โ American Energy Alliance, February 5, 2016. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/JDkmB
- 112:โ10 Reasons to Oppose a Carbon Tax,โ Energy Townhall (AEA Publication), November 4, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/e7yIU
- 113โICYMI: Itโs Time for the Wind PTC to Blow Away,โ Energy Townhall, November 21, 2014. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/e7yIU
- 114Gabe Elsner. โAmerican Energy Alliance Leads Front Group Attack on Wind PTC,โ Huffington Post, September 3, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LC1ML
- 115Gabe Elsner. โAmerican Energy Alliance Leads Front Group Attack on Wind PTC,โ Huffington Post, September 3, 2015. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LC1ML
- 116Laura Barron-Lopez. โAd targets Sen. Udall as anti-Keystone pipeline,โ The Hill, May 14, 2014. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/yV7V5
- 117โKochs linked to anti-Obama gas ads,โ Politico, March 29, 2012. Archived May 20, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aMh7J
- 118Brad Johnson. โGOP Team At American Energy Alliance Runs โEnergy Town Hallโ Oil Bus Tour,โ ThinkProgress, August 22, 2009. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5zmlW
- 119Will Evans. โNew Group Tied To Oil Industry Runs Ads Promoting Drilling, Attacking Democrat,โ NPR, September 22, 2008. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/cRZqN
- 120โContact,โ American Energy Alliance. Archived May 22, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/3Vfcx
- 121โFight For a Smart Power Plan!โ Smartpowerplan.org. Archived May 21, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/JNWU0