Mike Catanzaro

Mike Catanzaro

Credentials

  • M.A., Government, The Johns Hopkins University (1998 – 2000).1โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • B.A., Political Science, Philosophy, Fordham University (1991 – 1995).2โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Background 

Michael (Mike) J. Catanzaro was named a top energy policy aid to President Donald Trump in February 2017.3Steve Horn. โ€œTrump Names Industry Lobbyist and Climate Science Denier Mike Catanzaro as Top White House Energy Aide,โ€ DeSmog, February 8,ย 2017. He stepped down from his position in April 2018 and returning to work at a lobbyist at CGCN Group.4Josh Siegel. โ€œTrump’s top domestic energy adviser leaving White House,โ€ Washington Examiner, April 17, 2018. Archived April 18, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/LmjRJ Prior to joining the White House,ย Catanzaro’s most recent position was alsoย forย CGCN.5โ€œMike Catanzaro,โ€ CGCN Group. Archived January 7, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/V8mVd Prior to that, Catanzaroย spentย two years working as a managing director forย FTIย Consulting.ย FTIย runsย Energy in Depth, a front group funded by the oil and gas industry.6Lisa Graves. โ€œ’Energy In Depth’ โ€“ A Reporters’ Guide to Its Founding, Funding, and Flacks,โ€ PR Watch, December 28, 2012. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/LYIpx Born during the rise ofย hydraulic fracturing (โ€œfrackingโ€)ย in the U.S., Energy in Depth was created to fend offย criticismย from the media, grassroots activists, environmental groups, scientists, andย others.7Brendan DeMelle. โ€œ‘Energy In Depth’ Was Created By Major Oil and Gas Companies According to Industry Memo,โ€ DeSmog, February 17,ย 2011.

Before embarking on his career, Mike Catanzaro studied at the National Journalism Institute and then briefly worked as a reporter and editor for the Evans and Novak Political report. He then served as the communications director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which was then chaired by Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), a prominent climate change denier. During this time, Catanzaro also worked as Deputy Policy Director for the 2004 Bush-Cheney presidential campaign.8Jamison Foser. โ€œHow many conservative columnists did Jack Abramoff rent for his clients?โ€ Media Matters, December 21, 2005. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/J5o7Y

Catanzaro transitioned into positions for the George W. Bush White House first as Associate Director for Policy for the Council on Environmental Quality and then Associate Deputy Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Following this, Catanzaro became a lobbyist andย director of Federal Legislative Relationsย for the coal utility companyย Pennsylvania Powerย &ย Light (PPL).9โ€œMike Catanzaro,โ€ CGCN Group. Archived January 7, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/V8mVdย He later moved back into government, and working asย Deputy Staffย Director again under Senator Inhofe on theย Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.10โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.

After serving two and a half years under Inhofe, Catanzaro began working as the top policy aid for then-Speaker of the House, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH). Ever since, Catanzaro has worked as a lobbyist, with a client list featuring the likes of Koch Industries, America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA), and Halliburton, in addition to his current clients. Catanzaro is also a senior fellow for the industry-funded American Council on Capital Formation (ACCF), according to his LinkedIn profile.11โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Lobbying Activities

Catanzaro is a lobbyist forย oil and gas companiesย Noble Energy,12โ€œLOBBYINGย REPORT:ย CGCNย GROUP,ย LLCย (formerly known as Clark Geduldig Cranfordย &ย Nielsen,ย LLC),โ€ Clerk of the House of Representatives,ย Q4ย 2016. Houseย ID# โ€‹361180101. Archived .pdf on fileย atย DeSmog.ย Devon Energy,13โ€œLOBBYINGย REPORT:ย CGCNย GROUP,ย LLCย (formerly known as Clark Geduldig Cranfordย &ย Nielsen,ย LLC),โ€ Clerk of the House of Representatives,ย Q4ย 2016. Houseย ID# 361180088. Archived .pdf on fileย atย DeSmog.ย Encana Oil and Gas,14โ€œLOBBYINGย REPORT:ย CGCNย GROUP,ย LLCย (formerly known as Clark Geduldig Cranfordย &ย Nielsen,ย LLC),โ€ Clerk of the House of Representatives,ย Q4ย 2016. Houseย ID# 300851398. Archived .pdf on fileย atย DeSmog.ย American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM),15โ€œLOBBYINGย REPORT:ย CGCNย GROUP,ย LLCย (formerly known as Clark Geduldig Cranfordย &ย Nielsen,ย LLC),โ€ Clerk of the House of Representatives,ย Q4ย 2016. Houseย ID# 300851249. Archived .pdf on fileย atย DeSmog.ย andย Hess Corporation.16โ€œLOBBYINGย REPORT:ย CGCNย GROUP,ย LLCย (formerly known as Clark Geduldig Cranfordย &ย Nielsen,ย LLC),โ€ Clerk of the House of Representatives,ย Q4ย 2016. Houseย ID# 300848782. Archived .pdf on fileย atย DeSmog.

During the fourth quarter of 2016, Catanzaro lobbied against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) methane regulations, against U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement offshore drilling regulations, and for oil and gas development on U.S. public lands. In the Trump administration, Catanzaro’s activities would include โ€œimplementing the president’s domestic energy and environment agenda and kind of managing the inter-agency process that deals with those issues,โ€ a source close to the Trump administration told GreenWire. โ€œThis is likely to be the most influential domestic energy policy position within the White House [and] will comfort industry and conservatives who view him as a champion for free-market energy and environment policy.โ€17Robin Bravender. โ€œEnergy lobbyist expected to land key White House slot,โ€ E&E News, February 7, 2017. Archived February 22, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/YymAY

Beyond oil and gas issues, Catanzaro also lobbied against President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which calls for regulating carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants.18โ€œLOBBYING REPORT: CGCN GROUP, LLC (formerly known as Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen, LLC),โ€ Clerk of the House of Representatives, Q4 2016. House ID# โ€‹361180096. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Below is a full list of Mike Catanzaro’s lobbying clients, according to data from OpenSecrets.org:19โ€œCatanzaro, Michael J,โ€ OpenSecrets.org. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .xlsx on file at DeSmog.

Lobbying Firm & Client2008201420152016
CGCN Group    
21st Century Fox  YY
Addrex Inc  Y 
Aetna Inc  YY
Ally Financial  YY
Amaya Gaming  YY
America’s Natural Gas Alliance  Y 
American Chemistry Council  YY
American Fuel & Petrochem Manufacturers   Y
American Institute of CPAs  YY
Americas Trading Group  YY
Bloomberg LP  YY
Boeing Co  YY
Bradford White Corp  YY
Broadcasting Media Partners  Y 
BSA The Software Alliance  YY
Caesars Entertainment  Y 
Coalition for Patient Vision Care Safety   Y
Consumer Credit Industry Assn  Y 
Devon Energy  YY
Electronic Payments Coalition  YY
EnCana Corp  YY
Federal Home Loan Bank   YY
Financial Services Forum  YY
Financial Services Roundtable  YY
FMR Corp  YY
General Electric  Y 
General Motors  Y 
Genworth Financial  YY
Halliburton Co  YY
Hay Island Holding  YY
Heartland Consulting Group   Y
Herbalife International  Y 
Hess Corp  YY
Intersections Inc  YY
Investment Co Institute  YY
Koch Industries  YY
Lennox International  YY
Loews Corp  YY
Lundbeck Inc   Y
MasterCard Inc  YY
MBI Inc   Y
Microsoft Corp  YY
Mortgage Bankers Assn  YY
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools  YY
National Assn of Children’s Hospitals  YY
National Women’s History Museum  YY
Natl Conference of Insurance Legisators   Y
NextEra Energy   Y
Noble Energy  YY
Northern Trust  YY
Organization for Intl Investment  Y 
Promontory Interfinancial Network   Y
Property Casualty Insurers Assn/America  YY
Prudential Financial  YY
Resolution Copper Co  YY
SAP SE   Y
Smiths Group  Y 
Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board  YY
Suntory Holdings  YY
Talen Energy Supply  YY
Teradata Corp  Y 
TVG Network  YY
US Chamber of Commerce  YY
US Travel Assn  YY
Walt Disney Co  YY
Warburg Pincus  YY
Whirlpool Corp  YY
FTI Government Affairs    
Devon Energy Y  
General Electric Y  
PLC Corp    
PLC CorpY   

Stance on Climate Change

While working for Inhofe from 2003-2005, he wrote several articles for the conservative website Human Events which conveyed a climate science denial posture.20โ€œHuman Events: Michael Catanzaro,โ€ Human Events. Accessed February 23, 2017.

Catanzaro, formerly anย assistant editorย with Human Events before beginning his political career,21โ€œNewspaper Roundtable,โ€ C-SPAN, April 4, 1998. Archived video on file atย DeSmog. hasย written thatย โ€œthere is no connection between global warming and extreme weather,โ€22Michael Catanzaro. โ€œGreen Alarmist Fantasy,โ€ Human Events, October 21, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/sbARqย as well asย โ€œwhen it comes to the science of global warming, the alarmists, of course, think all the complexities and uncertainties have beenย settled.โ€23Michael Catanzaro. โ€œNo Global Warming Consensus,โ€ Human Events, October 31, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2ygr4

October 31, 2003

Writing in Human Events, in an article titled โ€œNo Global Warming Consensus,โ€ Michael Catanzaro declared:24Michael Catanzaro. โ€œNo Global Warming Consensus,โ€ Human Events, October 31, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2ygr4

โ€œIt is a truism in climate science that climate is always changing. Further, the qualifiers ‘likely’ and ‘mostly’ belie claims that mankind is unequivocally the only cause of global warming.โ€25Michael Catanzaro. โ€œNo Global Warming Consensus,โ€ Human Events, October 31, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2ygr4

October 23, 2003

Quoting climate change denier Paul Reiter, Mike Catanzaro declared as โ€œFactโ€ in Human Events:26Michael Catanzaro. โ€œBe Afraid!!! Global Warming and Malaria,โ€ Human Events, October 23, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fmVEK

โ€œThere is no connection between global warming and outbreaks or increases in disease, tropical or otherwise.โ€27Michael Catanzaro. โ€œBe Afraid!!! Global Warming and Malaria,โ€ Human Events, October 23, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fmVEK

October 21, 2003

Quoting now-deceased climate change denier William Gray, Michael Catanzaro wrote in Human Events:28Michael Catanzaro. โ€œGreen Alarmist Fantasy,โ€ Human Events, October 21, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/sbARq

[T]here is no connection between global warming and extreme weather. Case in point: Dr. William Gray, professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, and the worldโ€™s foremost expert on hurricanes, found that hurricane activity follows a natural 20 to 30 year cycle in ocean currents.โ€29Michael Catanzaro. โ€œGreen Alarmist Fantasy,โ€ Human Events, October 21, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/sbARq

Key Quotes

November 17, 2003

Michael Catanzaro declared, writing in Human Events30Michael Catanzaro. โ€œEnvironmentalist Charlatans,โ€ Human Events, November 17, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/p6gP2

โ€œIt takes a Herculean effort to believe that national environmental groups are interested more in the environment than charlatanism.โ€ 31Michael Catanzaro. โ€œEnvironmentalist Charlatans,โ€ Human Events, November 17, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/p6gP2

November 11, 2003

Writing in Human Events, Catanzaro accused the EU of using the Kyoto Protocol to โ€œcommit political blackmailโ€: 32Michael Catanzaro. โ€œKyoto, Iraq, Global Warming, and Political Blackmail,โ€ Human Events, November 11, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ekgD3

โ€œAs it turns out, the EU cynically employed Kyoto as a political bargaining chip in deciding whether to support deposing Saddam Hussein.

โ€œTo put it more bluntly, EU officials used Kyoto to commit political blackmail: do something on Kyoto and we might just support a war to oust a brutal, tyrannical dictator from powerโ€“otherwise, no deal.โ€ 33Michael Catanzaro. โ€œKyoto, Iraq, Global Warming, and Political Blackmail,โ€ Human Events, November 11, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ekgD3

November 6, 2003

Writing in Human Events, Mike Catanzaro declared his views on renewable energy:34Michael Catanzaro. โ€œGreen Power,โ€ Human Events, November 16, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/PJBfo

โ€œAdvocates of so-called ‘green power’ are comically utopian in their belief that Americaโ€™s economy can be fueled almost entirely by wind, solar, and biomass.โ€ 35Michael Catanzaro. โ€œGreen Power,โ€ Human Events, November 16, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/PJBfo

Keyย Actions

December 12, 2022

After James Inhofeโ€™s early retirement from the U.S. Senate in February 2022, a report by E&E News examined the large network of his former staffers, many of whom occupy influential positions in the energy industry and climate denial industry. Catanzaro was among those named.36Timothy Cama. “Inhofeโ€™s legacy: A vast alumni network on climate, energy,” E&E News, December 22, 2022. Archived May 26, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mcT37

Aprilย 2018

Catanzaro stepped down from his position as a special assistant to the president for domestic energy and environmental policy, The Washington Examiner reported.37Josh Siegel. โ€œTrump’s top domestic energy adviser leaving White House,โ€ Washington Examiner, April 17, 2018. Archived April 18, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/LmjRJ

โ€œIn just a short time on the job, I realized Mike was an integral member of the [National Economic Council] team and played an important role in crafting domestic energy and environmental policy,โ€ said Larry Kudlow, the National Economic Council director. โ€œHis expertise and dedication to the Trump administrationโ€™s energy independence priorities was greatly valued and he will be missed. We thank him for his leadership and we wish him well on his future endeavors.โ€38Josh Siegel. โ€œTrump’s top domestic energy adviser leaving White House,โ€ Washington Examiner, April 17, 2018. Archived April 18, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/LmjRJ

Francis Brooke will be replaced by Francis Broooke, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence. The Examiner noted that Catanzaro had been instrumental in starting the process to appeal the Obama administrations Clean Power Plan and Waters of the United States rules during his time working for the Trump administration.39Josh Siegel. โ€œTrump’s top domestic energy adviser leaving White House,โ€ Washington Examiner, April 17, 2018. Archived April 18, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/LmjRJ

E&E News reported that Catanzaro had been among those who opposed Scott Pruitt’s โ€œred team, blue teamโ€ climate change debate, making his departure increase the likelihood of such a debate occurring in the future.40Robin Bravender and Zack Coleman. โ€œPruitt’s climate debate just got more likely,โ€ E&E News, April 18, 2018. Archived April 18, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/PjbHA

It’s now up in the air again,โ€ said Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute.41Robin Bravender and Zack Coleman. โ€œPruitt’s climate debate just got more likely,โ€ E&E News, April 18, 2018. Archived April 18, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/PjbHA

April 2017

Just weeks before becoming Donald Trump’s White House energy adviser, Catanzaro was paid by TransCanada to lobby for the Keystone XL pipelineDeSmog reported.42โ€œWeeks Before Becoming Trump Top Energy Adviser, Mike Catanzaro Lobbied for Keystone XL,โ€ DeSmog, April 25, 2017.

Lobbying for CGCN Group, disclosure forms reviewed by DeSmog revealed that a team of lobbyists including Catanzaro advocated for โ€œPolicy issues and executive branch approval of the Keystone pipeline.โ€ TransCanada paid Catanzaro and the CGCN team $90,000 for their work during the first quarter of 2017.43โ€œLOBBYING REPORT: CGCN GROUP, LLC (formerly known as Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen, LLC),โ€ Clerk of the House of RepresentativesQ1 2017. House ID# 361180064. Archived July 14, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/B1YIJ

During the first quarter of 2017 before taking the Trump administration job, Catanzaro also lobbied on behalf of oil and gas industry companies such as EncanaDevon Energy, and Noble Energy, and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers according to lobbying disclosures.44โ€œWeeks Before Becoming Trump Top Energy Adviser, Mike Catanzaro Lobbied for Keystone XL,โ€ DeSmog, April 25, 2017.

Trump Keystone XL Lobbying

Credit: U.S. House Office of the Clerk

The lobbyist update section of the disclosures forms note that Catanzaro  is no longer expected to act as a lobbyist for the client,โ€ signifying his move into the Trump Administration position.45โ€œWeeks Before Becoming Trump Top Energy Adviser, Mike Catanzaro Lobbied for Keystone XL,โ€ DeSmog, April 25, 2017.

Catanzaro, as the New York Times reported, is now working on many of the same issues for the federal government which were the subject of his lobbying efforts at CGCN Group. With research in collaboration with ProPublica, The New York Times found Catanzaro was one of two cases with potential conflicts of interest in the executive branch of the White House.46โ€œWith Trump Appointees, a Raft of Potential Conflicts and โ€˜No Transparencyโ€™,โ€ The New York Times, April 15, 2017. Archived July 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yLvS1

โ€œIn at least two cases, the appointments may have already led to violations of the administrationโ€™s own ethics rules,โ€ the Times articles reads. โ€œOne such case involves Michael Catanzaro, who serves as the top White House energy adviser. Until late last year, he was working as a lobbyist for major industry clients such as Devon Energy of Oklahoma, an oil and gas company, and Talen Energy of Pennsylvania, a coal-burning electric utility, as they fought Obama-era environmental regulations, including the landmark Clean Power Plan. Now, he is handling some of the same matters on behalf of the federal government.โ€47โ€œWith Trump Appointees, a Raft of Potential Conflicts and โ€˜No Transparencyโ€™,โ€ The New York Times, April 15, 2017. Archived July 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yLvS1

The other case listed is Chad Wolf, who formerly lobbied for the Transportation Security Administration, and is now chief of staff at the same agency.48โ€œWith Trump Appointees, a Raft of Potential Conflicts and โ€˜No Transparencyโ€™,โ€ The New York Times, April 15, 2017. Archived July 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yLvS1

February 21, 2017

GreenWire reportedย that Donald Trump chose Mike Catanzaro, as a top energy policy aide,49Robin Bravender. โ€œEnergy lobbyist expected to land key White House slot,โ€ย E&Eย News, February 7, 2017.ย Archived February 22, 2017. Archive.isย URL:ย https://archive.is/YymAY and also formerly led Trump’s energy transition team.50Steve Horn. โ€œTrump Names Industry Lobbyist and Climate Science Denier Mike Catanzaro as Top White House Energy Aide,โ€ DeSmog, February 8,ย 2017. Catanzaro started workย on February 21, 2017, E&E Newsย reported.51Steve Horn. โ€œKoch Industries and Fracking Lobbyist Mike Catanzaro To Lead Trump Energy Team,โ€ DeSmog, October 4,ย 2016. 52โ€œTop energy aides get to workโ€ (PDF), E&E News, February 21, 2017. PDF archived atย DeSmog.

Asย DeSmogย reported, Catanzaro served as a top energy aide during Trump’s presidential campaign. According toย GreenWire, he is expected to serve as special assistant to Trump for energy and environmental issues under the umbrella of the White House National Economicย Council.53Robin Bravender. โ€œEnergy lobbyist expected to land key White House slot,โ€ย E&Eย News, February 7, 2017.ย Archived February 22, 2017. Archive.isย URL:ย https://archive.is/YymAY 54Steve Horn. โ€œKoch Industries and Fracking Lobbyist Mike Catanzaro To Lead Trump Energy Team,โ€ DeSmog, October 4,ย 2016.

โ€œTrumpโ€™s anointment of Catanzaro to head his energy transition team, if elected, doesnโ€™t pass the laugh test. As someone who has spent his entire career shilling for the dirty energy industry, itโ€™s hard to imagine anyone more compromised,โ€ Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food and Water Action Fund, told DeSmog. โ€œWhen future generations study how self-serving climate deniers gained public prominence, he will be one of the people named.โ€55Steve Horn. โ€œTrump Names Industry Lobbyist and Climate Science Denier Mike Catanzaro as Top White House Energy Aide,โ€ DeSmog, February 8, 2017. 56Steve Horn. โ€œKoch Industries and Fracking Lobbyist Mike Catanzaro To Lead Trump Energy Team,โ€ DeSmog, October 4, 2016.

May 2015

In 2015,ย Catanzaro gave a presentation noting that if a Republican wins the White House, one of the first things he will do in office isย overturn incorporating climate changeย into National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews of proposed federal energy infrastructure projects,57Hannah Northey. โ€œOpponents of NEPA climate guidance hoping for Republican White House,โ€ E&E News, May 12, 2015. Archived February 24, 2017. Archive.is URL:ย https://archive.is/qY3RG somethingย called for in 2016 by the Obama Administration.58Steve Horn. โ€œWeeks Before Dakota Access Pipeline Protests Intensified, Big Oil Pushed for Expedited Permitting,โ€ DeSmog, September 8,ย 2016.

August 21, 2014

While employed by FTI, Catanzaro testified (PDF) in Congress against the Clean Power Plan. He argued before Congress that the EPA‘s proposed rule would endanger coal-fired power plants:59โ€œStatement of Michael Catanzaro Managing Director, FTI Consulting, Inc. Hearing of the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee ‘Energy and Environmental Effects of EPAโ€™s Clean Power Plan’โ€ (PDF), FTI Consulting, August 21, 2014. Retrieved from Environmental Resources & Energy Committee website. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

โ€œNot only does EPAโ€™s proposed rule threaten the financial viability of plants like Homer City, it also presents grave difficulty for communities dependent on these facilities for good-paying jobs, affordable, reliable electricity and economic development,โ€ he said.60โ€œStatement of Michael Catanzaro Managing Director, FTI Consulting, Inc. Hearing of the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee ‘Energy and Environmental Effects of EPAโ€™s Clean Power Plan’โ€ (PDF), FTI Consulting, August 21, 2014. Retrieved from Environmental Resources & Energy Committee website. Archived .pdf on file atย DeSmog.

โ€œA significant number of coal-fired power plants serving communities across the country, including Homer City, face the dire prospect of bankruptcy and retirement, threatening to disrupt the communities that rely on those plants,โ€ Catanzaro concluded.61โ€œStatement of Michael Catanzaro Managing Director, FTI Consulting, Inc. Hearing of the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee ‘Energy and Environmental Effects of EPAโ€™s Clean Power Plan’โ€ (PDF), FTI Consulting, August 21, 2014. Retrieved from Environmental Resources & Energy Committee website. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

June 27, 2013

Catanzaro co-authored a paper titled โ€œAge of Abundanceโ€ (PDF), published by FTI Consulting and Sidley Austin LLP, supporting the export of U.S. crude oil. Authors included Mike Catanzaro, Casey O’She and Jamie McInerney of FTI Consulting and Roger Martella of Sidley Austin.62โ€œAge of Abundance: The Legal and Political Implications of Crude Oil Exportsโ€ (PDF), FTI Consulting and Sidley Austin LLP. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

February 2013

Mike Catanzaro advocated for weakening the Endangered Species Act. He attended an Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) meeting in Florida on the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which he described as providing a forum โ€œto discuss effective ways to minimize, even eliminate, the threat ESA poses for American energy development.โ€63โ€œEngage Congress on the ESA,โ€ ESA Watch, February 22, 2013. Archived February 24, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/20b9A

January 15, 2004

According to Mike Catanzaro, in a Human Events article preemptively critiquing a speech by Al Gore, a โ€œfactโ€ is that:64Michael Catanzaro. โ€œThe Facts Al Goreโ€™s Typical Enviro Rhetoric is Missing,โ€ Human Events, January 15, 2004. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yKhZW

โ€œThe IPCCโ€™s work has been systematically dismantled over the past year. Pursuant to a new study undermining the IPCCโ€™s temperature assumptions, the Economist accused the UN body of ‘dangerous incompetence.’โ€65Michael Catanzaro. โ€œThe Facts Al Goreโ€™s Typical Enviro Rhetoric is Missing,โ€ Human Events, January 15, 2004. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yKhZW

Responding to an expected quote by Gore that โ€œA recent study in Nature shows that global warming, clearly a man-made phenomenon, will cause thousands of species to go extinct by 2050,โ€ Catanzaro quotes climate change denier Ian Murray as โ€œfact.โ€ โ€œIain Murray of the Competitive Enterprise Institute penned a devastating critique of this study,โ€ Catanzaro said.66Michael Catanzaro. โ€œThe Facts Al Goreโ€™s Typical Enviro Rhetoric is Missing,โ€ Human Events, January 15, 2004. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yKhZW

January 8, 2004

Writing in Human Events, Catanzaro argues that because an announcement from the AGU suggesting  โ€œno single threshold level of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere exists at which the beginning of dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system can be defined,โ€ this means โ€œthat targets under Kyoto and McCain-Lieberman are totally arbitrary (not to mention economically destructive and environmentally useless).โ€67Michael Catanzaro. โ€œโ€˜Stabilizationโ€™ Undefined,โ€ Human Events, January 8, 2004. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mYhNX

August 4, 2003

Citingย Altero Matteoli, Italyโ€™s minister for the environment and territory, Catanzaro declaredย in Human Events:68Mike Catanzaro. โ€œEven Italy Realizes Economic Dangers of Kyoto,โ€ Human Events, August 4, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/nIdKi

โ€œKyoto will do nothing for the environment or have any impact on global temperatures.โ€69Mike Catanzaro. โ€œEven Italy Realizes Economic Dangers of Kyoto,โ€ Human Events, August 4, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/nIdKi

โ€œNow, even if one concedes that man-made greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming or damaging climate (theyโ€™re not), according to Matteoli, the world would have to reduce emissions by 50 percent to have any effect,โ€ Catanzaro adds. โ€œPut another way, the world would need 25 Kyotos to stop global warming. That translates into big costs for Europe, which canโ€™t even meet its initial Kyoto targets.โ€70Mike Catanzaro. โ€œEven Italy Realizes Economic Dangers of Kyoto,โ€ Human Events, August 4, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/nIdKi

Catanzaro has consistently criticized the Kyoto Protocol. Writing earlier in July, 2003, also in Human Events, Catanzaro said:71Mike Catanzaro. โ€œEurope and Kyoto,โ€ Human Events, July 17, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CCcYm

โ€œAs President Bush rightly understood, Kyoto is unrealistic, provides no environmental benefits, and is economically destructive.โ€72Mike Catanzaro. โ€œEurope and Kyoto,โ€ Human Events, July 17, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CCcYm

July 29, 2003

Catanzaro was the press contact for a hearing of The Committee on Environment and Public Works discussing โ€œthe science of climate change and mercury.โ€ The hearing featured climate change deniers Willie Soon and David Legates.73โ€œEPW Hearing Highlights: The Science of Climate Change, Mercury,โ€ U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, July 29, 2003. Archived February 24, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4rW1j 

July 28, 2003

Catanzaro’s name appeared as the press contact for a 12,000-word floor speech given by Senator James Inhofe in 2003, in which the senator said, โ€œMuch of the debate over global warming is predicated on fear, rather than science,โ€ and โ€œI have offered compelling evidence that catastrophic global warming is a hoax.โ€74(Press Release). โ€œSen. Inhofe Delivers Major Speech on the Science of Climate Change ‘Catastrophic global warming alarmism not based on objective science’ Part 1,โ€ U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, July 28, 2003. Archived December 27, 2007. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/GkfXJ

July 18, 2003

Writing in Human Events, Catanzaro blames environmental groups for a national natural gas crisis:75Michael Catanzaro. โ€œNo Natural Gas Crisis?โ€ Human Events, July 18, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/d1xzH

โ€œFollowing Californiaโ€™s lead is not exactly sound advice,โ€ Catanzaro writes. โ€œThere is a serious natural gas crisis, and it can be traced in large part to lawsuits filed by NRDC and its extremist allies, who have blocked natural gas production on federal lands for years.โ€76Michael Catanzaro. โ€œNo Natural Gas Crisis?โ€ Human Events, July 18, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/d1xzH

July 9, 2003

Michael Catanzaro quoted prominent climate change denier Richard Lindzen in an article titled โ€œThe Science of Climate Change,โ€ which Catanzaro wrote in Human Events.77Michael Catanzaro. โ€œThe Science of Climate Change,โ€ Human Events, July 9, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/d1xzH

โ€œDr. Richard Lindzen, an MIT scientist and member of the National Academy of Sciences, who has specialized in climate issues for over 30 years, told the Environment and Public Works Committee on May 2, 2001 that there is a ‘definitive disconnect between Kyoto and science. Should a catastrophic scenario prove correct, Kyoto will not prevent it. If we view Kyoto as an insurance policy, it is a policy where the premium appears to exceed the potential damages, and where the coverage extends to only a small fraction of the potential damages.’,โ€ Catanzaro wrote.78Michael Catanzaro. โ€œThe Science of Climate Change,โ€ Human Events, July 9, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/d1xzH

July 3, 2003

Mike Catanzaro wrote about the so-called โ€œClimate-Gateโ€ controversy in Human Events. In the article, he cites a wide range of previously-debunked petitions including the infamous Oregon Petition, a document organized by climate change denier Frederick Seitz and the Oregon Institute for Science and Medicine (OISM). He also cites a study by the industry-funded Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) claiming that a majority disagree that there is evidence that human activities are disrupting the global climate.79Michael Catanzaro. โ€œClimate-Gate,โ€ Human Events, July 3, 2003. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/sVwNL

March 2001

Catanzaro wrote an article titled โ€œO’Neill Wants Bus to Focus on ‘Global Warming’โ€ about then-President George W. Bush’s U.S. Treasury Secretary, Paul O’Neill.80โ€œO’Neill Wants Bus to Focus on ‘Global Warming’,โ€ Human Events, March 26, 2001.

The article critiqued O’Neill’s views on climate change, which Catanzaro referred to as โ€œglobal warmingโ€ (in scare quotes), and said that โ€œO’Neill’s alarmism on the subject is not new.โ€ Catanzaro wrote that there is a โ€œlack of consensus on whether global warming is occurring or what its impact on climate and weather might be.โ€81โ€œO’Neill Wants Bus to Focus on ‘Global Warming’,โ€ Human Events, March 26, 2001.

January 1998

In January 1998, Catanzaro wrote an article about naturally occurring greenhouse gas emissions emanating from Yellowstone National Park’s geysers. His piece was titled, โ€œIf the World is Warming, Blame Old Faithfulโ€ and referred to a study published in December 1997.82Michael Catanzaro. โ€œIf the World is Warming, Blame Old Faithful,โ€ Human Events, January 16, 1998. 83Associated Press. โ€œYellowstone Park Emits Tons of Carbon Dioxide, Study Finds,โ€ The New York Times, December 26, 1997. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/i0atN

The study Catanzaro cited said that Yellowstone’s geothermal features emit 4.4 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of about 10 medium-sized coal-fired power plants. Even with coal-fired power plants in decline in the U.S. today, there are still 363 plants open for business and located in the U.S., according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. That would be the greenhouse gas equivalent of 36 Yellowstones, according to the study cited by Catanzaro.84โ€œTable 4.1. Count of Electric Power Industry Power Plants, by Sector, by Predominant Energy Sources within Plant, 2005 through 2015,โ€ EIA.gov. Archived February 24, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dbphC

Catanzaro further states that โ€œonly about 2%-3% of greenhouse gases actually come from anthropogenic, or man-made, sources, such as smokestacks or power plants.โ€  A 2011 study refutes this, finding at least 74 percent of global warming can be linked directly to human activity.85Quern Schirmeier. โ€œThree-Quarters of Climate Change Is Man-Made,โ€ Scientific American, December 5, 2011. Archived February 24, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/zn1Ax

Catanzaro’s Human Events article also quotes Bonner Cohen, a long-time climate change denier who ran the publication EPAWatch, as an expert on the issue of naturally occurring climate change.86Michael Catanzaro. โ€œIf the World is Warming, Blame Old Faithful,โ€ Human Events, January 16, 1998. 87Associated Press. โ€œYellowstone Park Emits Tons of Carbon Dioxide, Study Finds,โ€ The New York Times, December 26, 1997. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/i0atN

December 12, 1997

In a 1997 profile (PDF) of the Heartland Institute, an organization that has long focused on climate change denial, Catanzaro described the free-market think tank as a place where โ€œgood things usually happen.โ€88โ€œThe Heartland Instituteโ€ (PDF), Human Events, December 12, 1997. PDF archived at DeSmog.

โ€œThe most important subject the institute is dealing with right now is environmentalism,โ€ he wrote. โ€œOf particular interest [โ€ฆ] is global warming and Heartland has been ahead of the curve in unraveling some of the confusions and obfuscations spewed by left-wing environmentalists on that very issue.โ€89โ€œThe Heartland Instituteโ€ (PDF), Human Events, December 12, 1997. PDF archived at DeSmog.

Catanzaro wrote that โ€œHeartland remains a testament to the power and influence of the grassroots.โ€ 90โ€œThe Heartland Instituteโ€ (PDF), Human Events, December 12, 1997. PDF archived at DeSmog.

November 28, 1997

Catanzaro wrote a profile piece (PDF) on climate change denier Fred Singer, in which he juxtaposed Singer with other scientists whom he said were guilty of โ€œusing pseudo-scientific postulates to scare the public into accepting the disastrous international global-climate treaty that will be debated in Kyoto, Japan, next month.โ€91โ€œDr. S. Fred Singerโ€ (PDF), Human Events, November 28, 1997. PDF archived at DeSmog.

โ€œContrary to what [global-warming proponents] say, there is no global warming,โ€ Singer told Catanzaro for the article. โ€œAnd contrary to what [those proponents] say, there is no scientific consensus either.โ€ 92โ€œDr. S. Fred Singerโ€ (PDF), Human Events, November 28, 1997. PDF archived at DeSmog.

October 17, 1997

Catanzaro wrote a 1997 article in Human Events titled โ€Clinton Launches Propaganda Campaign for Global-Warming Treaty.โ€93Michael Catanzaro. โ€œClinton Launches Propaganda Campaign for Global-Warming Treaty,โ€ Human Events, October 17, 1997. PDF archived at DeSmog.

โ€œThe Clinton Administration has launched an all-out propaganda campaign to facilitate passage of a United Nations-sponsored global-warming treaty that, if ratified, could wreck havoc on middle-class American families while allowing major polluters such as Communist China and India to escape the treaty’s restrictions on so-called ‘greenhouse’ gas emissions,โ€ He wrote. โ€œWorse, there is no scientific consensus that global warming is indeed taking place โ€” the reason Clinton has mounted a massive propaganda campaign,โ€ he added.94Michael Catanzaro. โ€œClinton Launches Propaganda Campaign for Global-Warming Treaty,โ€ Human Events, October 17, 1997. PDF archived at DeSmog.

In that same article, Catanzaro also referred to climate change as a โ€œreligious belief,โ€ while quoting prominent climate deniers such as Fred Singer to make his case.95Michael Catanzaro. โ€œClinton Launches Propaganda Campaign for Global-Warming Treaty,โ€ Human Events, October 17, 1997. PDF archived at DeSmog.

Affiliations

  • American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) โ€”  Senior Fellow.96โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • CGCN Group โ€” Partner, (January 2015 โ€“ Present).97โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • FTI Consulting โ€” Managing Director (December 2012 โ€“ December 2014).98โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • Office of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives โ€” Senior Policy Advisor (March 2011 โ€“ December 2012).99โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • Romney Transition Team โ€” Lead, Environmental Protection Agency, Policy Implementation Team (August 2012 โ€“ November 2012).100โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • U.S. Senate โ€” Deputy Republican Staff Director, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (March 2009 โ€“ March 2011).101โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • PPL Corporation โ€” Director, Federal Government Relations (April 2007 โ€“ March 2009).102โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency โ€” Associate Deputy Administrator (2005 โ€“ 2007).103โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • The White House, Council on Environmental Quality โ€” Associate Director for Policy (January 2005 โ€“ August 2005).104โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • Bush 2004 โ€” Deputy Policy Director (January 2004 โ€“ December 2004).105โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works โ€” Communications Director (January 2003 โ€“ January 2004).106โ€œMichael Catanzaro,โ€ LinkedIn. Accessed February 23, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • Human Events  โ€” Former Assistant Editor.
  • National Journalism Institute โ€”  Alumnus.107Jamison Foser. โ€œHow many conservative columnists did Jack Abramoff rent for his clients?โ€ Media Matters, December 21, 2005. Archived February 23, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/J5o7Y 108โ€œAlumni (C),โ€ National Journalism Center. Archived June 11, 2003. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/WxOj6

Social Media

Publications

Below are some of Mike Catanzaro’s most recently available publications. DeSmog also reviewed articles found in the Human Events archives, no longer found on the publication’s website.109Steve Horn. โ€œBefore Becoming Trump’s Top Energy Aide, Mike Catanzaro Peddled Climate Change Denial as a Writer,โ€ DeSmog, February 23, 2017.

Catanzaro’s archived articles, obtained through the University of Wisconsin Libraries System, purport that mainstream U.S. environmental groups are driven by Marxist ideology and that global warming is a โ€œliberal conceptโ€ (as opposed to a scientific reality). They also reveal that Catanzaro has written pieces on organizations denying climate change such as the Heartland Institute and on prominent individual climate change deniers like Fred Singer.110โ€œConservative Spotlightโ€ (PDF), Human Events, August 8, 1997. PNG archived at DeSmog. 111โ€œSenate Is Ratifying Liberal Concept of Global Warming,โ€ Human Events, September 10, 2001. PNG archived at DeSmog.

Sample Archived Publications

Currently Available Human Events Publications

Other Resources

Resources

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