Tim Huelskamp

Tim Huelskamp

Credentials

Background

Tim Huelskamp served for three terms in Congress, representing the 1st District of Kansas. During his time in congress, he worked on the Veterans Affairs Committee where, according to his profile at the Heartland Institute, he โ€œwas a leader in exposing the corruption and failures at the VA and pushing through a historic health care choice option for veterans.โ€ He also chaired the Elections and Local Government, Information Technology, and Medicaid Reform committees.3 โ€œTIM HUELSKAMP,โ€ The Heartland Institute Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/gnaXa

He was elected for his first term in November 2010, and subsequently re-elected in 2012 and 2014. Huelskamp was chairman of the the Tea Party Caucus from February 2015. He ran for re-election in 2016 to be defeated in the Republican primary by Roger Marshall. His House term ended January 3, 2017.4 โ€œFull Biography,โ€ Congressman Tim Huelskamp. Archived December 28, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/N9MIf 5 Joe Robertson. โ€œTea partyโ€™s Tim Huelskamp ousted by challenger Roger Marshall in Kansas congressional race,โ€ Kansas City Star, August 2, 2016. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Yp9ys

โ€œIn Congress, Congressman Huelskamp is a leading conservative advocate for life, marriage, cutting spending, reducing taxes, lowering regulatory burdens, and repealing Obamacare,โ€ his archived Congressional biography reads. He also proudly declares โ€œHe leading the battle to reduce government regulations, such as the intrusive Waters of the United States rule and the Endangered Species Act.โ€ Among his stances, Huelskamp has also strongly supported defunding Planned Parenthood and is against gay marriage.6 โ€œFull Biography,โ€ Congressman Tim Huelskamp. Archived December 28, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/N9MIf 7 โ€œTIM HUELSKAMP,โ€ The Heartland Institute Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/gnaXa 8 โ€œCosponsors: H.R.1732 โ€” 114th Congress (2015-2016),โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/myCVd 9 โ€œPlanned Parenthood funding: Discussion with Rep. Tim Huelskamp and Rep. Diana DeGette,โ€ The Washington Post, April 14, 2011. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/VvfDA

In June, 2017, the Heartland Institute announced that Huelskamp would replace Joe Bast as the Institute’s president, beginning his work in July 2017. Huelskamp maintains a lifetime score of 5% with the League of Conservation Voters, with a score of 0% in 2016. A full list of legislation sponsored or cosponsored by Huelskamp is available at Congress.gov. According to his voting record tracked at OnTheIssues, Huelskamp has consistently voted against any legislation that would combat fossil fuel emissions or climate change.10 โ€œPRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE NAMES FORMER CONGRESSMAN TIM HUELSKAMP INCOMING PRESIDENT,โ€ The Heartland Institute, June 29, 2017. Archived June 30, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mzEuW 11 โ€œRepresentative Tim Huelskamp (R),โ€ League of Conservation Voters. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/n8qPf 12 โ€œRepresentative Tim Huelskamp,โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/gWaw4 13 โ€œTim Huelskamp on Energy & Oil,โ€ OnTheIssues. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mgbU4

Huelskamp reportedly resigned from his position as Heartland president in June 2019, with Jim Lakely filing in as interim president. Heartland did not report on why Huelskamp left the position.14 Mary Clarkin. โ€œTim Huelskamp leaves Heartland Institute,โ€ The Hutchison News, July 9, 2019. Archived July 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/eC2EI

Koch & Fossil Fuel Support

The Washington Post reported in 2016 that while Tim Huelksamp was campaigning against Roger Marshall in primaries, he was backed by major conservative groups including the Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the Koch brothers.15 Amber Phillips. โ€œWhat a tea party congressmanโ€™s surprise loss tells us about the tea party right now,โ€ The Washington Post, August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/aGTyC

According to data from OpenSecrets, Huelskamp’s top donor is Koch Industries and he has received the highest lifetime campaign contributions from the Oil and Gas industry, totally over one-quarter of a million dollars. Below are career totals added up by OpenSecrets.16 โ€œTop Contributors,โ€ OpenSecrets. Accessed July 4, 2017. 17“Top Industries,โ€OpenSecrets. Accessed July 4, 2017.

IndustryTotal ContributorTotalIndivsPACs
Oil & Gas$252,393 Koch Industries$40,900$3,400$37,500
Retired$209,441 Watco Companies$36,200$36,200$0
Crop Production & Basic Processing$196,178 American Bankers Assn$35,000$0$35,000
Republican/Conservative$167,254 B&G Production$34,400$34,400$0
Leadership PACs$152,163 House Freedom Fund$34,025$250$33,775
Health Professionals$124,755 National Assn of Home Builders$32,500$0$32,500
Misc Manufacturing & Distributing$102,850 Russell Stover Candies$32,200$32,200$0
Commercial Banks$93,600 Vess Oil Corp$30,000$30,000$0
Real Estate$75,310 Hodgdon Powder$28,700$28,700$0
Railroads$67,848 Onyx Collection$25,500$25,500$0
Agricultural Services/Products$65,700 KMG Tool$24,400$24,400$0
General Contractors$59,647 Berexco Inc$23,700$23,700$0
Food & Beverage$59,550 National Auto Dealers Assn$22,500$0$22,500
Home Builders$58,900 Citizens United$22,000$0$22,000
Securities & Investment$55,286 Every Republican is Crucial PAC$20,000$0$20,000
Misc Finance$53,250 AT&T Inc$19,500$500$19,000
Livestock$51,025 American Medical Assn$19,000$1,000$18,000
Insurance$50,613 National Assn of Realtors$19,000$0$19,000
Retail Sales$44,700 Ariel Corp$18,900$18,900$0
Lawyers/Law Firms$42,422 Ag Services$18,250$18,250$0

Data exported from the FEC lists funding from PACs including ExxonMobil’s PAC, the National Rifle Association’s, R.J. Reynolds, and a wide range of other industry groups. View the complete data of political contributions to Huelskamp’s committee, โ€œKansans for Huelskamp,โ€ as retrieved and analysed by DeSmog (.xlsx).

Stance on Climate Change

Tim Huelskamp is a signatory to Americans for Prosperity‘s โ€œNo Climate Taxโ€ pledge. The pledge reads as follows:18 โ€œPledge Takers,โ€ No Climate Tax. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/B0bNW
No Climate Tax Pledge

According to a 2013 investigative Report on Koch Industries, most pledge signers had also received campaign contributions from Koch Industries.19 CHARLES LEWIS , ERIC HOLMBERG , ALEXIA FERNANDEZ CAMPBELL, LYDIA BEYOUD. โ€œKoch millions spread influence through nonprofits, colleges,โ€ Investigative Reporting Workshop. July 1st, 2013. Archived July 10, 2015.

September, 2015

Tim Huelskampt old HuffPost that he didn’t believe that climate change was โ€œsettled โ€œscience.โ€20 Jennifer Bendery. โ€œConservatives Dismiss Pope On Climate Change, Warn Of Immigrant โ€˜Anarchy’,โ€ HuffPost, September 24, 2015. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/W1exd

โ€œI donโ€™t think thereโ€™s a scientific consensus on that,โ€ Huelskamp said. โ€œIf you want to print that life begins at conception, thatโ€™s settled science.โ€21 Jennifer Bendery. โ€œConservatives Dismiss Pope On Climate Change, Warn Of Immigrant โ€˜Anarchy’,โ€ HuffPost, September 24, 2015. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/W1exd

Energy

Huelskamp offers the following statement on Energy at his website, Tim Huelskamp for Congress:22 โ€œIssues,โ€ Tim Huelskamp for Congress. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ehvnV

โ€œOur nation is dependent on far too many foreign sources of energy. This results in massive volatility and increases in energy prices. We need to take a more common-sense and comprehensive approach to solving our energy crisis.

โ€œI support enhancing our domestic energy production by exploring for and responsibly using our resources in ANWR as well as drilling for oil off Americaโ€™s coasts. I also support coal, natural gas, nuclear, ethanol, wind, biomass, and any other viable methods to increase Americaโ€™s energy supply and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

The Keystone XL Pipeline has been stalled by President Obama for over four years, costing Americans jobs and greater energy security. The jobs and revenue to be generated from the construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline would not only help the First District of Kansas, but all of America. Advancing America’s energy production would go a long way to getting our economy back on track – and protecting our national security.โ€23 โ€œIssues,โ€ Tim Huelskamp for Congress. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ehvnV

Gay Marriage

Huelskamp has consistently opposed gay marriage. After a judge declared the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Huelskamp quickly brought forward his own Federal Marriage Amendment which would redefine marriage as between a man and a woman. He also warned that the DOMA decision would hurt children.24 Jennifer Bendery. โ€œTim Huelskamp Readies Constitutional Amendment To Ban Gay Marriage,โ€ HuffPost, June 26, 2013. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4w0cV 25 Brian Tashman. โ€œRep. Huelskamp: โ€˜Radicalโ€™ DOMA Decision Means โ€˜Children Will Be Hurtโ€™,โ€ Right Wing Watch, June 26, 2013. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/7EZe0

Appearing on The Steve Deace Show later in June, Huelskamp said that the DOMA ruling was an attack on Jesus Christ. He accused the judge of attempting to โ€œrewrite the Constitutionโ€ and said, โ€œThe idea that Jesus Christ himself was degrading and demeaning is what theyโ€™ve come down to.โ€ Huelskamp also said those who ruled on. DOMA shouldn’t have passed law school, saying โ€œI canโ€™t even stand to read the decisions because I donโ€™t even think theyโ€™d pass law school with decisions like that.โ€ Audio below.26 โ€œHuelskamp: DOMA Ruling an Attack on Jesus Christ; Justices Couldnโ€™t Pass Law School,โ€ Right Wing Watch, June 28, 2013. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QN9Nb

Huelskamp has also called for โ€œreal menโ€ to stand up to gay marriage. โ€œYour woman, your wife, she needs you, itโ€™s time you become a real man and stand up,โ€ he said at March for Marriage:27 Brian Tashman. โ€œTim Huelskamp Says โ€˜Real Menโ€™ Oppose Marriage Equality, Protect โ€˜Your Womanโ€™,โ€ Right Wing Watch, June 19, 2014. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/h3PSQ

He also appeared in an anti-gay โ€œdocumentaryโ€ film edited by Faith 2 Action’s Janet Porter at the National Religious Broadcasterโ€™s Convention in Nashville. View a preview of the film, via Right Wing Watch, below.28 Kyle Mantyla. โ€œGOP Presidential Hopefuls And Members Of Congress Appear In New Anti-Gay โ€˜Documentaryโ€™,โ€ Right Wing Watch, February 5, 2015. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hjTWv

Comments Surrounding 2021 Capitol Insurrection

On Jan. 6, 2021, Huelskamp posted โ€œHere, here!!โ€ in response to claims by Rep. Jim Jordan that โ€œAmericans instinctively know there is something wrong with this election.โ€

Key Quotes

May 26, 2018

Following the release of emails under a freedom of information request that revealed the Heartland Institute was working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency, Huelskamp said in a statement:29 โ€œSenior EPA officials collaborated with climate change denial group, emails show,โ€ The Guardian, May 26, 2018. Archived May 26, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/76L8K

โ€œOf course The Heartland Institute has been working with EPA on policy and personnel decisions. โ€œThey recognised us as the pre-eminent organisation opposing the radical climate alarmism agenda and instead promoting sound science and policy.โ€

January 31, 2018

Following President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address, Huelksamp said:30 โ€œPRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE EXPERTS REACT TO PRESIDENT TRUMPโ€™S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS,โ€ The Heartland Institute, January 31, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FeswS

โ€œThe Heartland Institute has been advising many in the administration on climate and energy policy, so we were certainly encouraged and excited the president promoted his pro-energy, pro-America vision in his State of the Union Address.

โ€œThe White House reached out to The Heartland Institute a few weeks ago and asked if we had other suggestions for President Trump’s State of the Union Address. We urged President Trump to address something outside the partisan box: giving millions of patients the โ€˜Right to Tryโ€™ life-saving, life-enhancing drugs they are denied by the antiquated drug approval process at the Food & Drug Administration. [โ€ฆ]โ€

October 9, 2017

Following EPA administrator Scott Pruitt‘s announcement that the Trump administration would be scrapping the Clean Power Plan, Huelskamp issued the following statement via the Heartland Institute:31 โ€œPRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE EXPERTS REACT TO EPA SCRAPPING THE CLEAN POWER PLAN,โ€ The Heartland Institute, October 9, 2017. Archived October 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/B9m3e

โ€œThe war on fossil fuels is nearing an end. This is a wise, science-based decision by Administrator Scott Pruitt and President Donald Trump. The real winners here are not only coal miners and coal states, but all those Americans who simply canโ€™t afford massive increases in their energy bills as a result of the Clean Power Plan.โ€32 โ€œPRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE EXPERTS REACT TO EPA SCRAPPING THE CLEAN POWER PLAN,โ€ The Heartland Institute, October 9, 2017. Archived October 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/B9m3e

June 1, 2017

Writing on Twitter, Tim Huelskamp attributes the hashtag โ€œ#FakeNewsโ€ to the statement that โ€œclimate scientists nearly unanimously blame human activity for climate changeโ€ฆโ€33 โ€œYou will see this #FakeNews line all day. #ParisClimateDeal #ParisAgreement,โ€ Twitter post by user @CongHuelskamp, June 1, 2017. Archived image on file at DeSmog.

June 17, 2015

Speaking with NewsMax after portions of Pope Francis’s Encyclical on the Environment were leaked, Huelskamp said:34 John Gizzi. โ€œHouse Conservatives: Pope’s Message on Climate Change Tough One to Defend,โ€ NewsMax, June 17, 2015. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/n8v2I

โ€œ[I]f the encyclical identifies man as the major cause of climate change, I doubt it will identify the proper solution.โ€

September 2, 2011

In a statement, Congressman Tim Huelskamp criticized the EPA:35 โ€œItโ€™s More Than the Rumor Mill Thatโ€™s Grinding Americaโ€™s Nerves,โ€ Congressman Tim Huelskamp, September 2, 2011. Archived February 18, 2013. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Q8WoQ

โ€œBe it dust regulation, treating milk spills like oil spills, or greenhouse gas emissions, the White House and its EPA are on the prowl, in search of another way to insert itself in the affairs of Americaโ€™s rural communities and in the way of American prosperity.โ€

Key Actions

May 9, 2019

Tim Huelskamp, representing The Heartland Institute, signed on to an open letter organized by the American Energy Alliance designed to fight against an electric vehicle tax credit.36 โ€œDear Senator Grassley, Senator Wyden, Representative Neal and Representative Brady:โ€ May 9, 2019. Retrieved from The Daily Caller.

โ€œThe 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€ Thomas Pyle wrote in a statement, quoted at The Daily Caller. โ€œThere is no question that the electric vehicle tax credit distorts the auto market to no gain.โ€37 Christ White. โ€œCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโ€™S TAX CREDITS โ€˜OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ€™,โ€The 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 โ€œoverwhelmingly 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.38 Christ White. โ€œCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโ€™S TAX CREDITS โ€˜OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ€™,โ€The 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 โ€œdark moneyโ€ groups DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.39 Christ White. โ€œCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโ€™S TAX CREDITS โ€˜OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ€™,โ€The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3

August 7, 2018

Huelskamp spoke at the Heartland Institute‘s โ€œAmerica First Energy Conferenceโ€ (AFEC 2018) in New Orleans, Louisiana.40 โ€œSpeakers,โ€ America First Energy Conference 2018. Archived August 1, 2018. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/mwtga

โ€œThe purpose of this event is to promote and expand energy freedom in the United States, as outlined in President Donald Trumpโ€™s bold America First Energy Plan, a proposal first released during the 2016 presidential campaign. The presidentโ€™s plan marks a decisive change in direction from the Obama administrationโ€™s ‘war on fossil fuels’ and focus on the theory of catastrophic man-caused climate change,โ€ the conference description reads.41 โ€œAbout,โ€ America First Energy Conference 2018. Archived July 23, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/E4Gnt

Huelskamp is spoke on several sessions including breakfast, lunch, and dinner keynotes as well as panels titled โ€œClimate Lawsuits Against Energy Companies and the Environmentโ€ and โ€œReforming EPA: Lots of Progress, More to do.โ€42 โ€œTim Huelskamp, Ph.D.,โ€ America First Energy Conference 2018. Archived August 1, 2018. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/MTn30

July 18, 2018

Huelskamp, representing the Heartland Institute, 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.43 โ€œ41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,โ€ Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog

โ€œWe 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. โ€œWe support the House Concurrent Resolution in opposition to a job-killing carbon tax and urge members to co-sponsor and support this effort.โ€44 โ€œ41 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 โ€œdetrimental to the United States economy.โ€E&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.45 Nick Sobczyk. โ€œHouse 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

โ€œProtecting our environment and economic growth are not mutually exclusive,โ€ he said in a statement. โ€œThe resolution presents a false choice.โ€

The Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the measure when it was first introduced.46 โ€œTeaching opportunities from House Concurrent Resolution 119 (H.Con.Res.119)โ€ (PDF), Citizens’ Climate Lobby, April 30, 2018.

June 7, 2018

Heartland Institute president Tim Huelkamp addressed a letter to Scott Pruitt supporting his prior statement that human emissions of carbon dioxide are not โ€œa primary contributor to the global warming that we see.โ€ The letter offered materials to counter a Freedom of Information Act request by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) demanding the release of โ€œEPA documents that support the conclusion that human activity is not the largest factor driving global climate change.โ€47 Tim Huselkamp. โ€œLetter From the Heartland Institute to EPA Administrator Scott Pruittโ€œ The Heartland Institute. June 7, 2018. .pdf Archived on DeSmog. 48 Scott Waldman. โ€œJudge Orders EPA to Produce Science behind Pruittโ€™s Warming Claims,โ€ Scientific American, June 5, 2018. Archived June 12, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/XpVrx

โ€œWe have no doubt that PEER, with the assistance of the judge, is trying to box you in and embarrass you,โ€ Huelskamp wrote. โ€œFortunately, you do not have to look far to find ‘documents that support the conclusion that human activity is not the largest factor driving global climate change.’โ€49 Tim Huselkamp. โ€œLetter From the Heartland Institute to EPA Administrator Scott Pruittโ€œ The Heartland Institute. June 7, 2018. .pdf Archived on DeSmog.

For these documents, Huelskamp pointed to โ€œClimate Change Reconsidered,โ€ a report compiled by Heartland’s Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) in partnership with the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change. โ€œHeartland has submitted these volumes in digital form during EPA comment periods in the past, and we are certain physical copies were also sent to the agency,โ€ he said.50 Tim Huselkamp. โ€œLetter From the Heartland Institute to EPA Administrator Scott Pruittโ€œ The Heartland Institute. June 7, 2018. .pdf Archived on DeSmog.

Among numerous other claims, Huselkamp stated that the NPCC reportโ€”which he included a copy of in the letter to Pruittโ€”contained scientific evidence that:51 Tim Huselkamp. โ€œLetter From the Heartland Institute to EPA Administrator Scott Pruittโ€œ The Heartland Institute. June 7, 2018. .pdf Archived on DeSmog.

  • โ€œSummarizes the research of a growing number of scientists who say variations in solar activity, not greenhouse gases, are the true driver of climate changeโ€ โ€” See SkepticalScience myth #2.
  • โ€œChallenges the IPCCโ€™s claim that CO2-induced global warming is harmful to human healthโ€ โ€” SkepticalScience Myth #42.
  • โ€œExplains how the sun may have contributed as much as 66% of the observed twentieth century warming, and perhaps moreโ€ โ€” SkepticalScience myth #2.

Huselkamp described Climate Change Reconsidered as the work of a โ€œ’Red Team‘ that has been working to critique and correct the work of ideological alarmists on the ‘Blue Team’โ€ for more than a decade. โ€œFeel free to cite this material, which contains more than 10,000 footnotes, in your response to the judge or in any other public setting,โ€ Huelskamp concluded.52 Brendan DeMelle. โ€œHeartland Institute ‘Red Team’ Climate Lists Revealed, And Science Deniers Are Upset With Pruitt,โ€ DeSmog. October 25, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/qfvb5

April 23, 2018

The Heartland Institute, represented by Tim Huelskamp, was among 22 groups signed on to an open letter asking President Trump to ignore recent criticism of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.53 โ€œDear Mr Presidentโ€ (PDF) Heartland Institute, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at 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 โ€œWeb of Deceit.โ€ The senators outlined how, in addition to funding from the Koch network, many of the groups use untraceable โ€œdark 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 โ€œa 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: โ€œThis web of deceit has infiltrated and populated the Trump administration, and it is swamping the interests of everyday Americans.54 โ€œSenator Whitehouse. โ€œTime 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:

February 1, 2018

Huelskamp discussed the controversial โ€œEnergy Freedom Scorecardโ€ in a short Heartland Institute video:55 โ€œTwo Minutes with Tim – Energy Freedom Scorecard (Ep. 8),โ€ YouTube video uploaded by The Heartland Institute, February 1, 2018. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

โ€œThe media went a little nuts about it, because the presume President Trump had this list in his hands all through his first year in the White House,โ€ Huelskamp said, adding โ€œMaybe he did, maybe he didn’t.โ€56 โ€œTwo Minutes with Tim – Energy Freedom Scorecard (Ep. 8),โ€ YouTube video uploaded by The Heartland Institute, February 1, 2018. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Huelskamp went on to describe a few of the items on the scorecard, including Trump’s approval of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. Other items Huelskamp mentions include the cancelling of the Clean Energy Plan, which he claims, โ€œthe latest climate science shows is not remotely justified,โ€ rolling back restrictions on fracking, opening up land to oil and gas drilling.57 โ€œTwo Minutes with Tim – Energy Freedom Scorecard (Ep. 8),โ€ YouTube video uploaded by The Heartland Institute, February 1, 2018. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

He describes the Paris Climate Agreement as โ€œNothing more than a scheme to redistribute the wealth of the west to third-world kleptocrats at the UNโ€ and the Social Cost of Carbon as โ€œanother trick of the left to destroy the fossil fuel industry and hamstring the United States.โ€58 โ€œTwo Minutes with Tim – Energy Freedom Scorecard (Ep. 8),โ€ YouTube video uploaded by The Heartland Institute, February 1, 2018. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Huelskamp adds Trump’s decision to open the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling is โ€œsensible policy.โ€59 โ€œTwo Minutes with Tim – Energy Freedom Scorecard (Ep. 8),โ€ YouTube video uploaded by The Heartland Institute, February 1, 2018. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

January 29, 2018

Writing at The Hill, Huelskamp praised President Donald Trump for sentencing โ€œthe Obama administrationโ€™s war on fossil fuels to the ash heap of history by withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, repealing the Clean Power Plan, and retracting ‘social costs of carbon’ estimatesโ€ as well as approving the Keystone KL pipeline and rolling back fracking regulationsโ€”All elements of the Heartland Institute’s โ€œEnergy Freedom Score Card.โ€60 Tim Huelskamp. โ€œWith winning energy policies, Trump is exporting freedom around the globe,โ€ The Hill, January 29, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/YKFXn 61 โ€œThis group thinks Trump hasnโ€™t done enough to unravel environmental rules. Hereโ€™s its wish listโ€ The Washington Post, November 15, 2017. Archived November 18, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/9JPgH

Huelskamp suggests exporting more of America’s energy resources:62 Tim Huelskamp. โ€œWith winning energy policies, Trump is exporting freedom around the globe,โ€ The Hill, January 29, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/YKFXn

โ€œThe exporting of our energy resources is no less beneficent, and no less momentous. By exporting these resources, we are exporting freedom,โ€ Huelskamp wrote.

โ€[โ€ฆ] American energy dominance ensures world energy freedom, and world energy freedom ensures peace and prosperity. This what the Trump administration is accomplishing. This is what energy freedom looks like.โ€63 Tim Huelskamp. โ€œWith winning energy policies, Trump is exporting freedom around the globe,โ€ The Hill, January 29, 2018. Archived February 5, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/YKFXn

November 9, 2017

Huelskamp introduced the breakfast, lunch, and dinner keynotes at the Heartland Institute’s โ€œAmerica First Energy Conferenceโ€ at the Marriott Hotel in Houston, Texas.64 โ€œTIM HUELSKAMP,โ€ America First Energy Conference. Archived November 21, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/h4dpN

In his opening address, Huelskamp applauded the recent actions of the Trump Administration:

โ€œIn just a few short months, President Trump and his team have rolled back years โ€” years โ€” of Obama-era regulations attacking fossil fuels,โ€ Huelskamp, said.โ€Trump and his team have pushed back on decades of anti-energy propaganda masquerading as sound science.โ€65 Tom DiChristopher. โ€œClimate skeptics and coal boosters gather to cheer Trump’s energy agenda โ€” and hold his feet to the fire,โ€ CNBC, November 16, 2017. Archived November 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/rBGhf

The conference event description read as follows:66 โ€œAbout,โ€ America First Energy. Archived October 11, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8bTTJ

โ€œAt the America First Energy Conference, we plan to examineโ€”one year and one day after Trumpโ€™s shocking Election Day victoryโ€”the following:

โ€œWhere does Trumpโ€™s America First Energy Plan stand?

โ€œHow much progress has been made in implementing it, and what remains to be done?

โ€œWhat scientific and economic evidence is there that the plan is putting the nation on the right path for economic growth, environmental protection, or both?โ€

In a fundraising letter obtained by DeSmog, Fred Palmer had promoted the event as having the goal to โ€œreview the scientific and economic evidence that exposes the fraud inherent in the Obama-era regulation regimeโ€ while discussing โ€œthe overwhelming benefits of fossil fuels to us all.โ€67 October 2017 Fundraising letter by Fred Palmer. On file at Desmog.

Many of the other speakers have regularly spoken at the Heartland Institute’s past ICCCs. Notable speakers listed so far include Joe Bast, Fred Palmer, Roger Bezdek, H. Sterling Burnett, Hal Doiron, Paul Driessen, John Dale Dunn, Myron Ebell, Heartland’s new President Tim Huelskamp, Craig Idso, David Legates, Jay Lehr, Anthony Lupo, Ross McKitrick, Steve Milloy, Todd Myers, John Nothdurt, David Schnare, and numerous others.68 โ€œSPEAKERS,โ€ America First Energy. Archived October 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/OJWeX

As reported at the Houston Chronicle, speakers notably included two Trump Administration officials: Richard W. Westerdale II of the State Department and Vincent DeVito of the Department of Interior. David Bernhardt, deputy secretary of the Interior Department, was also formerly listed as a Heartland conference speaker, but apparently withdrew.69 James Osborne. โ€œTrump officials to appear at Houston event hosted by climate skeptics,โ€ Houston Chronicle, November 2, 2017. Archived November 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/XPtYc

Scott Pruitt also addressed the conference in a recorded video, personally thanking Heartland for โ€œwhat you’re doing to advance energyโ€ and โ€œfor what you’re doing to advance natural resources.70 โ€œScott Pruitt,โ€ America First Energy Conference. Archived November 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/X4F6m

The Climate Investigations Center put up a parody of the America First Energy conference website, complete with profiles on the individual speakers and highlighting their corporate funding and ties to groups such as the Cooler Heads Coalition (CHC).71 โ€œAmerica First Energy Conference Stacked with Climate Change Deniers,โ€ Climate Investigations Center, November 6, 2017. Archived November 20, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mISrd

October 12, 2017

Tim Huelskamp commented on President Donald Trump’s appointment of Kathleen Hartnett-White as chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), pending approval. Huelksamp was quoted in a October 13 Heartland Institute newsletter:72 Steve Horn. โ€œTrump Names Climate Denier Kathleen Hartnett-White to Head White House Environmental Council,โ€ DeSmog, October 13, 2017.

โ€œThis is an enormous step forward for restoring scientific integrity to the Council on Environmental Quality. Under Kathleen Hartnett Whiteโ€™s leadership, CEQ will no longer be abused by environmental extremists. Instead, it will provide sound advice to the president so he can help shape sensible policy,โ€ Huelskamp said.73 โ€œHeartland Institute Experts React to Trumpโ€™s Appointment of Kathleen Hartnett White for CEQ,โ€ The Heartland Institute. Archived newsletter .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Hartnett-White has a history of representing fossil fuel interests. During her tenure as chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), appointed by then-governor Rick Perry, the TCEQ was found to โ€œnot consistently ensure violators are held accountable.โ€ According to a 2003 Texas State Audit, polluters โ€œoften have economic benefits that exceed their penalties, which could reduce their incentive to comply.โ€74 โ€œAn Audit Report on The Commission on Environmental Qualityโ€™s Enforcement and Permitting Functions for Selected Programsโ€ (PDF), State Auditor’s Office, December 2003.

As head of the CEQ, Hartnett-White would be in charge of coordinating interagency science, climate, and environmental policy and oversee things such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process and agency compliance with that law.75 Steve Horn. โ€œTrump Names Climate Denier Kathleen Hartnett-White to Head White House Environmental Council,โ€ DeSmog, October 13, 2017.

โ€œThough CEQ oversees the NEPA process, it remains unclear how seriously Hartnett-White will take the NEPA review process, for decades seen as a bedrock of U.S. environmental regulation since NEPA became law in 1970,โ€ DeSmog’s Steve Horn reported.76 Steve Horn. โ€œTrump Names Climate Denier Kathleen Hartnett-White to Head White House Environmental Council,โ€ DeSmog, October 13, 2017.

June 29, 2017

The Heartland Institute announced that Joe Bast would be stepping down as president, to be replaced by Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp starting July, 2017. Bast said he would remain with Heartland as CEO until some time in 2018.77 โ€œPRESS RELEASE: HEARTLAND INSTITUTE NAMES FORMER CONGRESSMAN TIM HUELSKAMP INCOMING PRESIDENT,โ€ The Heartland Institute, June 29, 2017. Archived June 30, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mzEuW

According to reporting by The Hill, as the new president of Heartland, Huelskamp would continue โ€œpushing for eliminating Environmental Protection Agency regulations and challenging ‘climate change alarmists’ like former President Obama and former Vice President Al Gore; advocate for school choice and voucher programs; and offer assistance to states navigating ObamaCare and the current healthcare fight.โ€78 Scott Wong. โ€œTea Party favorite to lead conservative think tank,โ€ The Hill, June 29, 2017. Archived June 30, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/oEYwk

โ€œI have big shoes to fill given the tremendous leadership of Joe Bast and the Heartland team,โ€ Huelskamp said in a phone interview with The Hill.79 Scott Wong. โ€œTea Party favorite to lead conservative think tank,โ€ The Hill, June 29, 2017. Archived June 30, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/oEYwk

May 18, 2016

Huelskamp co-sponsored the โ€œOzone Standards Implementation Act of 2016,โ€ or H.R. 4775, a bill that would delay implementation of the Clean Air Act’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) program.80 โ€œCosponsors: H.R.4775 โ€” 114th Congress (2015-2016),โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4NCgk 81 โ€œH.R.4775 – Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2016,โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/UvtW1

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) wrote a letter of opposition, calling the bill โ€œone of the most irresponsible compilations of attacks on Clean Air Act health standards ever to be introduced in Congress.โ€82 โ€œCommunity Letter in Opposition of the Ozone Standards Implementation Act (H.R. 4775),โ€ NRDC, April 14, 2017. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4uTbY

On the other side, the industry-friendly U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote a letter of support for the bill, describing it as โ€œa common-sense plan that maintains continued air quality improvement without unnecessarily straining state and local economic resources.โ€83 โ€œCoalition Letter Supporting H.R. 4775, the Ozone Standards Implementation Act,โ€ U.S. Chamber of Congress, April 18, 2016. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ZIM0u

November 3, 2015

Huelskamp was a cosponsor of bill H.R.3880 – Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2015. The bill would amend the Clean Air Act to exclude regulation of carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride pollution.84 โ€œH.R.3880 – Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2015,โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/nhq0w

โ€œThe bill declares that current law does not authorize or require the regulation of climate change or global warming and nullifies certain proposed rules relating to greenhouse gas and carbon pollution emissions,โ€ the description reads.85 โ€œH.R.3880 – Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2015,โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/nhq0w

June 9, 2015

Huelskamp co-sponsored bill H.R.4813 – Protection and Accountability Regulatory Act of 2014, which would nullify proposed rules by the EPA designed to regulate emissions from electric utilities.86 โ€œCosponsors: H.R.4813 โ€” 113th Congress (2013-2014),โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/N0BOU 87 โ€œH.R.4813 – Protection and Accountability Regulatory Act of 2014,โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/vYDyL

April 16, 2015

Huelskamp is a cosponsor of the โ€œRegulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015,โ€ or H.R. 1732. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reported that โ€œit is more appropriately dubbed the ‘R.I.P. Act,’ as it would kill a nearly-complete public rulemaking process to restore Clean Water Act safeguards against pollution and destruction for a majority of the nation’s waterways.โ€88 โ€œCosponsors: H.R.1732 โ€” 114th Congress (2015-2016),โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/myCVd 89 โ€œAct Now to Stop Congressional Attack on Clean Water Safeguards,โ€ NRDC, April 27, 2015. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ZKytA

According to the NRDC, the primary purpose of the rule would be to direct the EPA and Army Corps the discuss the rule with stakeholders who they have already worked with extensively on the rule, further delaing improvement to pollution protections.90 โ€œAct Now to Stop Congressional Attack on Clean Water Safeguards,โ€ NRDC, April 27, 2015. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ZKytA

February 2, 2015

Co-sponsored the โ€œLesser Prairie Chicken Voluntary Recovery Act of 2015,โ€ or H.R. 659, which would remove Endangered Species Act protections for the lesser prairie chicken as threatened until at least 2020. The Center for Biological Diversity lists this bill among a number of attacks on the endangered species act.91 โ€œCosponsors: H.R.659 โ€” 114th Congress (2015-2016),โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/gmy4V 92 โ€œATTACKS ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT,โ€ Center for Biological Diversity. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/k2D1A

According to additional research by Defenders of Wildlife, Huelskamp sponsored several other bills in 2015 designed to delist the lesser prairie chicken as endangered. For example:93 โ€œSummary of Legislative Attacks on the Endangered Species Act from the 114th Congress,โ€ Defenders of Wildlife, February 1, 2016.

As DeSmog reported, the lesser prairie chicken makes its home in the Permian Basin, a hotbed for the fast-growing hydrualic fracturing (fracking) industry.96 Sharon Kelly. โ€œProtections for Rare and Endangered Animals Under Threat from Permian Basin Drilling Industry,โ€ DeSmog, November 21, 2016.

โ€œDrillers fear that federal protections for more threatened and endangered animals could drive up their costs at a time when the industry is already battered by low oil prices, growing competition from renewable energy, and increasing attention from investors and regulators over the climate-altering impacts of fossil fuels,โ€ DeSmog’s Sharon Kelly wrote.97 Sharon Kelly. โ€œProtections for Rare and Endangered Animals Under Threat from Permian Basin Drilling Industry,โ€ DeSmog, November 21, 2016.

โ€œFor years, the oil industry here has spent millions of dollars battling to prevent the listing of just two rare animals, the lesser prairie chicken and the dunes sagebrush lizard, both by fighting in court and by funding voluntary preservation programs.โ€98 Sharon Kelly. โ€œProtections for Rare and Endangered Animals Under Threat from Permian Basin Drilling Industry,โ€ DeSmog, November 21, 2016.

December 2012

Tim Huelskamp was among conservatives โ€œpurgedโ€ from House committees, arguing that he had been unfairly targeted for his conservative voting record. In an December interview with POLITICO, one member of the Steering Committee called them โ€œthe most egregious aโ€”holesโ€ in the House Republican Conference.99 Jonathan Allen. โ€œ’The aโ€“hole factor,โ€ Politico, December 13, 2012. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/a5DRN

A spokesperson for Rep. Lynn Westmoreland told POLITICO that their voting record was not at issue in the Steering Committee’s decision:100 Jonathan Allen. โ€œ’The aโ€“hole factor,โ€ Politico, December 13, 2012. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/a5DRN

โ€œHe said that it had nothing to do with their voting record, a scorecard, or their actions across the street [meaning fundraising]. It had to do with their inability to work with other members, which some people might refer to as the aโ€”hole factor.โ€101 Jonathan Allen. โ€œ’The aโ€“hole factor,โ€ Politico, December 13, 2012. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/a5DRN

The spokesperson later clarified that Westmoreland didnโ€™t intend to call anyone a name and acknowledged later to her that โ€œperhaps he should have said obstinate factor instead and wanted me to reiterate that he did not and would not call another member of Congress an aโ€”hole.โ€102 Jonathan Allen. โ€œ’The aโ€“hole factor,โ€ Politico, December 13, 2012. Archived July 3, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/a5DRN

October 5, 2011

Huelskamp spoke at a Leadership Institute conference.103 โ€œConservative Speakers: Tim Huelskamp,โ€ Leadership Institute, October 5, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Px5Rf

April 7, 2011

After co-sponsoring a bill which would prohibit the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases, Huelskamp issued the following statement:104 โ€œCongressman Huelskamp Lauds Passage of Energy Tax Prevention Act,โ€ Congressman Tim Huelskamp, April 7, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8TW3J

โ€œIn keeping with our commitment to reducing the overreach of the Environmental Protection Agency, the House passed legislation to curtail the agencyโ€™s efforts to regulate greenhouse gases,โ€ Congressman Huelskamp said. โ€œThe EPA must be stopped from killing jobs, emptying Americansโ€™ pocketbooks, and straining our economy.โ€

February 15, 2011

Listed as a co-sponsor of H.R. 509, a bill that would amend the Endangered Species Act of 193 to delist the gray wolf (canis lupus). This is one of several bills listed among attacks on the endangered species act, as reported by the Center for Biological Diversity.105 โ€œCosponsors: H.R.509 โ€” 112th Congress (2011-2012),โ€ Congress.gov. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fn758 106 โ€œATTACKS ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT,โ€ Center for Biological Diversity. Archived July 4, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/k2D1A

Affiliations

Social Media

Publications

Huelskamp is โ€œoften invited to appear in national news outlets to promote conservative, constitutional principles and ideas,โ€ according to one biography.111 โ€œFull Biography,โ€ Congressman Tim Huelskamp. Archived December 28, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/N9MIf

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