National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR)
Background
The National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) was founded in 1982 as a free market think tank and โcommunications and research foundation supportive of a strong national defense and dedicated to providing free market solutions to today’s public policy problems.โ1โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S
In the 1980s NCPPR โhelped change public opinion through vocal national campaigns aimed at supporting Reagan administration initiatives,โ but they have since shifted their focus to topics such as environmental policy. For example, in 2005 the Center fought against the 1973 Endangered Species Act in order to reduce the government’s power to regulate private land use. As part of their effort, they formed a โgrassroots coalition of dozens of groups to educate the public and Members of Congress.โ2โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S
In their own words, the Center says they are โFirm in the belief that private owners are the best stewards of the environment.โ NCPPR’s National Center’s Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs โadvocates private, free market solutions to today’s environmental challenges.โ3โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S
Amy Ridenour, NCPPR’s president, has claimed that global warming is a religion.4โThe Church of Global Warming,โ Amy Ridenour’s National Center Blog, December 16, 2009. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/56mUT
Stance on Climate Change
June 2014
The National Center for Public Policy Research released a paper by Amy Ridenour titled โTop Ten Reasons Washington Should Not Impose New Global Warming Laws or Regulations.โ The following are included among the โtop ten reasonsโ listed include:5(Press Release). โTop Ten Reasons to Oppose President Obama’s New Climate Regulations,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, June 2, 2014. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ThHId
- โThe Earth hasn’t warmed since the Clinton Administration;
- New global warming laws and regulations harm people, and harm lower-income and minorities disproportionately;
- U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions already fell 12.6 percent between 2005 and 2012, while worldwide emissions went up 17.7 percent during the same period;
- The climate models upon which President Obama’s belief in human-caused catastrophic global warming is based do not work – since 1979, over 96 percent of climate models predicted more warming by now than has taken place;
- Claims that 97 percent of scientists endorse the global warming theory are propaganda.โ
2002
The National Center for Public Policy Research released a โEarth Day 2002 Fact Sheetโ that contained the following statement on global warming (*Note that the petition NCPPR refers to is the Oregon Petition, which has had its credibility questioned by numerous sources, including whether it includes fake signatures6H. Josef Hebert. โJokers Add Fake Names To Warming Petition,โ Seattle Times, May 1, 1998. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/j4psN):
โClaims that scientific opinion is nearly unanimous on the subject of global warming are wrong. The Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine received signatures* from over 17,100 basic and applied American scientists, two-thirds with advanced degrees, to a document saying, ‘There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate.’7โEarth Day 2002 Fact Sheet: Myths and Facts About the Environment,โ Earth Day Information Center (nationalcenter.org), National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/iU17z
โโฆ There are many indications that carbon dioxide does not play a significant role in global warming.โ8โEarth Day 2002 Fact Sheet: Myths and Facts About the Environment,โ Earth Day Information Center (nationalcenter.org), National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/iU17z
Comments Surrounding 2021 Capitol Insurrection
NCPPR’s Project 21 was among dozens of the individuals and organizations profiled in DeSmog’s Disinformation Database who posted online or gave interviews about the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. Some posted claims of election fraud, similar to those that drove the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6. Some circulated dubious information about the insurrection itself. DeSmog has preserved a selection of notable posts related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, including some that were later deleted or removed.
Funding
The following is based on data the Conservative Transparency project compiled from publicly-available tax records. Note that not all individual funding values have been verified by DeSmog.9โNational Center for Public Policy Research,โ Conservative Transparency. Accessed May 12, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/UkmIU
View the attached spreadsheet for additional information on The National Center for Public Policy Research’s funding by year (.xlsx).
Donor | Total |
The Carthage Foundation | $880,000 |
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation | $629,100 |
Sarah Scaife Foundation | $505,000 |
*Exxon Mobil | $415,000 |
Dunn’s Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking | $409,000 |
The Randolph Foundation | $397,050 |
DonorsTrust | $325,950 |
Donors Capital Fund | $261,000 |
Castle Rock Foundation | $170,000 |
William H. Donner Foundation | $164,000 |
John M. Olin Foundation | $100,000 |
Adolph Coors Foundation | $60,000 |
National Christian Charitable Foundation | $35,150 |
The Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation | $35,000 |
Earhart Foundation | $25,000 |
Marcus Foundation | $21,000 |
Charles & Ann Johnson Foundation | $15,000 |
Armstrong Foundation | $15,000 |
Tepper Family Foundation | $10,000 |
American Chemistry Council | $10,000 |
Same Line Foundation | $7,500 |
Eric Javits Family Foundation | $6,500 |
The Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation | $5,000 |
The Roe Foundation | $3,000 |
Einhorn Family Foundation | $3,000 |
Chase Foundation of Virginia | $2,000 |
John P and Kathryn G Evans Foundation | $1,200 |
Schwab Charitable Fund | $500 |
Grand Total | $4,510,950 |
* According to Greenpeace’s ExxonSecrets, the National Center for Public Policy Research has received at least $445,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.10ExxonSecrets Factsheet: National Center for Public Policy Research, NCPPR. Accessed November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/jLGor
990 Forms
Key People
Board of Directors
According to a NCPPR list last updated May 13, 2015:11โThe National Center For Public Policy Research Current Board Of Directorsโ (PDF), National Center for Public Policy Research, May 13, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
Horace Cooper
Attorney, Legal Commentator
Former Assistant Law Professor, George Mason University
General Counsel, Office of the U.S. House Majority Leader, 1995-2002
Elected October 19, 2010
Edmund F. Haislmaier
Senior Research Fellow, Health Policy Studies
The Heritage Foundation
Washington, D.C.
Elected October 27, 1997
Victor Porlier
North Country Advisors
Delmar, NY
Elected October 27, 1997
Amy Moritz Ridenour
Chairman, The National Center for Public Policy Research
Washington, D.C.
Elected chairman January 3, 1996; to the board 1985
David Ridenour
President, The National Center for Public Policy Research
Washington, D.C.
Elected president October 18, 2011; to the board October 27, 1997
Ron Robinson
President, Young Americaโs Foundation
Attorney
Reston, VA
Elected May 12, 2009
Peter Schweizer
President, Government Accountability Institute
Elected June 27, 2006
Mackenzie Canter III
Serves as Legal Counsel to the Board
Copilevitz & Canter, LLC
Washington, D.C.
Personnel
Name | 201212โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived February 5, 2012 Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/jXG8g | 201513โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S | 201614โAbout Us,โ National Center for Policy Analysis. Archived August 2, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/doZZK | Description |
Amy Ridenour | Y | Y | Y | Chairman |
Bonner Cohen | Y | Y | Y | Ph.D. Senior Fellow |
Bradley Krieger | Y | Y | List Manager | |
Cherylyn Harley LeBon | Y | Y | Co-Chair of Project 21 | |
Dana Gattuso | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
David Ridenour | Y | Y | Y | President |
David W. Almasi | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
Deneen Borelli | Y | Fellow, Project 21 | ||
Deroy Murdock | Y | Y | Y | Distinguished Fellow |
Devon Carlin | Y | Research Associate | ||
Eric Peters | Y | Senior Fellow | ||
Horace Cooper | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow & Co-Chair of Project 21 | |
Jeff Stier | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow & Risk Analysis Division Director |
Jennifer Biddison | Y | Y | Y | Digital Media Specialist |
Jennifer Lee | Y | Y | Program Assistant | |
Joe Roche | Y | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
Judy Kent | Y | Y | Y | Media Director |
Julianna Ustica | Y | Y | Y | Program Assistant |
Justin Danhof | Y | Y | Y | General Counsel & Director of the Free Enterprise Project |
Katherine Nielsen | Y | Development Manager | ||
Mychal Massie | Y | Chairman, Advisory Board, Project 21 | ||
Nickie Kelley | Y | Y | Y | Program Assistant |
R.J. Smith | Y | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
Thomas J. Borelli* | Y | Ph.D. Senior Fellow and Free Enterprise Project Director |
*Thomas J. Borelli was the manager of Philip Morris Corporate Scientific Affairs Department circa 1990.
Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs (CERA) Experts
Name | 201215โCERA Experts,โ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived August 5, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/PQZBM | 201516โCERA Experts,โ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Vm1JB | 201617โCERA Experts,โ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived August 2, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/C2ko6 |
Amy Ridenour | Y | Y | |
Bonner Cohen | Y | Y | Y |
Dana Gattuso | Y | Y | Y |
David Ridenour | Y | Y | Y |
Eric Peters | Y | ||
Justin Danhof | Y | Y | Y |
R.J. Smith | Y | Y | Y |
Actions
June 12, 2018
In a letter to then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao sent by NCPPRโs Project 21 Black Leadership Network, Horace Cooper praised the decision to reduce CAFE fuel economy and emissions standards.18Letter to Elaine Chao & Scott Pruitt. Submitted by Horace Cooper, Stacy Washington, and Council Nedd II on behalf of Project 21 Black Leadership Network. June 12, 2018. Archived April 25, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/EvjL8. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Cooper and his co-chairmen suggested Obama-era regulations would have a negative impact on minority communities:
โThe Black community has been prevented from reaching its full potential not only by racial factors, but by non-racial ones as well. Excessive regulatory costs that make products unaffordable are one of the most significant non-racial obstacles to black economic progress.โ19Letter to Elaine Chao & Scott Pruitt. Submitted by Horace Cooper, Stacy Washington, and Council Nedd II on behalf of Project 21 Black Leadership Network. June 12, 2018. Archived April 25, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/EvjL8. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
The letter also requested future regulatory proposals take into consideration potential economic effects on minorities prior to approval.20Letter to Elaine Chao & Scott Pruitt. Submitted by Horace Cooper, Stacy Washington, and Council Nedd II on behalf of Project 21 Black Leadership Network. June 12, 2018. Archived April 25, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/EvjL8. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
May 8, 2017
The National Center for Public Policy Research, represented by David Ridenour, 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.โ21โDear 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.22Graham 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.23Susanne 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
April 23, 2016
Jeff Steir, director of the Risk Analysis division at the National Center for Public Policy Research, authored an article in Newsweek titled โWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ24Jeff Steir. โWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ NewsWeek, April 23, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FDZFD The Heartland Institute also promoted the study, quoting Steir.25Michael McGrady. โStudy: Water Quality Unaffected by Fracking,โ The Heartland Institute, May 11, 2016. Archived May 12, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/MI0zH Noble Energy, a Colorado oil and gas company, also picked up and republished Steir’s story.26Jeff Steir. โUniversity Researchers Put Fracking Politics Before Science,โ Newsweek. Republished at NobleColorado.com, April 25, 2016. Archived May 12, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ZxFMn
Steir claims that researchers whose study reportedly found no evidence for fracking’s contamination of drinking water had put โpolitics before scienceโ by โnot spending a sufficient amount of time publicizing the studyโs results.โ27Jeff Steir. โWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ NewsWeek, April 23, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FDZFD
โConcerns about groundwater contamination are baseless,โ Steir writes. โthe study demonstrates that fracking is a safe source of jobs, prosperity and low-cost energy.โ28Jeff Steir. โWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ NewsWeek, April 23, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FDZFD
March 15, 2016
The National Center for Public Policy Research was among roughly 100 groups listed on an ExxonMobil Subpoena sent by Virgin Island Attorney General Claude E. Walker requesting correspondence between the oil company and think tanks responsible for questioning the science behind climate change. 29โTo Whom It May Concern,โ Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General, March 15, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
Walker’s subpoena is part of a concerted effort of 17 attorneys general, who joined together in a coalition โdeal with climate change,โ as described by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.30Ben Jervey. โState Investigations Into What Exxon Knew Double, and Exxon Gets Defensive,โ DeSmogBlog, April 1, 2016. The investigations started in light of a 2015 article by InsideClimateNews that suggested Exxon’s own researchers had confirmed fossil fuels’ role in global warming in the late 1970s to early 1980s.31Neela Banerjee, Lisa Song, and David Hasemyer. โExxon’s Own Research Confirmed Fossil Fuels’ Role in Global Warming Decades Ago,โ InsideClimateNews, September 16, 2015. Archived May 11, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/82IbI 32Brendan DeMelle and Kevin Grandia. โ‘There is no doubt’: Exxon Knew CO2 Pollution Was A Global Threat By Late 1970s,โ DeSmogBlog, April 26, 2016.
June 3, 2015
At a Google shareholder meeting, the National Center for Public Policy Research presented a shareholder resolution suggesting Google โcome clean with investors about the risks associated with its alternative energy projects – many of which receive lavish taxpayer subsidies that may not continue indefinitely,โ reads the NCPPR press release.33(Press Release). โFree-Market Organization Asks Google to Be Transparent with Investors Regarding Cost of ‘Greenโ Initiatives’,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, June 3, 2015. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8bGWh
A video excerpt of the meeting, featuring the National Center’s Free Enterprise Project Director Justin Danhof, is available below:
April 28, 2015
When the president of the American energy company Exelon supported proposed emissions regulations under the Obama Administration, the National Center for Public Policy’s Research Executive Director David W. Almasi tried to change his mind in an Exelon Shareholder Meeting.34โExelon Shareholder Meeting Question David Almasi, Executive Director The National Center for Public Policy Researchโ (PDF) National Center for Public Policy Research, April 28, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
Almasi cited a study by the Heritage Foundation (an organization which itself received over $680,000 from energy giant ExxonMobil) that suggested emissions controls would raise the price of electricity and โdestroy 500,000 manufacturing jobs and 45 percent of all coal-mining jobs.โ35(Press Release). โCynical Power Company Supports Regulations that Will Increase Its Profits, But Harm the American People,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, April 28, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/JA1xC
March 10, 2015
National Center Free Enterprise Project Director Justin Danhof attended the Apple shareholder meeting in Cupertino, California on behalf of the NCPPR where he contributed a resolution opposing alternative energy investment.
According to the NCPPR’s press release, โthe National Center for Public Policy Research introduced a shareholder resolution asking the tech giant for more transparency about the risks associated with its alternative energy investments.โ36(Press Release). โTim Cook has Another ‘Tim Cook Moment’; Denigrates Capitalism at Apple Shareholder Meeting,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research March 10, 2015. Archived August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/XHxS9
July 28, 2014
The National Center for Public Policy Research offered a positive review of climate change skeptic Tim Ball‘s book, โThe Deliberate Corruption of Climate Scienceโ in the Summer, 2014 newsletter. NCPPR describes Tim Ball as a โthorn-in-the-side of dishonest scientists everywhere and supporter of your National Center for Public Policy Research.โ
According to the NCPPR description, โThe Deliberate Corruption of Climate Science explains how a small group of committed leftwingers led by Canadian anti-capitalism activist Maurice Strong seized upon ‘climate change’ as their issue and the United Nations as their vehicle to trick governments and populations into believing ‘the only hope for the planet [is] that industrialized civilizations collapse’.โ37โIn the Newsโ (PDF), The National Center for Public Policy Research, Summer 2014 issue. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
They quote Ball saying that โThe entire exercise of global warming and climate change is a deception.โ38โIn the Newsโ (PDF), The National Center for Public Policy Research, Summer 2014 issue. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
June 2, 2014
The National Center for Public Policy Research released a new paper titled โTop Ten Reasons Washington Should Not Impose New Global Warming Laws or Regulationsโ by NCPPR Chairman Amy Ridenour.39Amy Ridenour. โTop Ten Reasons Washington Should Not Impose New Global Warming Laws or Regulations,โ National Policy Analysis, June, 2014. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/k0l8X
According to the NCPPR’s press release, โPresident Obama’s new climate rules for existing power plants, expected to be announced by the Environmental Protection Agency Monday morning, are unnecessary.โ40(Press Release). โTop Ten Reasons to Oppose President Obama’s New Climate Regulations,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, June 2, 2014. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ThHId
Jebruary 21, 2014
The National Center for Public Policy Research announced that โAfter years of meetings, shareholder proposals, media campaigns, protests and activism, the National Center for Public Policy Research received a commitment from General Electric that the international conglomerate will no longer engage in any environmental project solely to address so-called climate change concerns.โ41(Press Release). โLeading Free-Market Activists Score Major Concession on Global Warming-Related Spending from General Electric,โ National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/L31uN
The NCPPR had previously submitted a shareholder proposal โfor inclusion in GE’s 2014 proxy statement and annual meeting materials that sought certain commitments regarding the company’s sustainability operations and carbon dioxide reduction efforts.โ The proposal โrequest[ed] that the Board of Directors adopt a policy that General Electric not undertake any energy savings or sustainability project for the sole goal of seeking carbon dioxide emissions reductions due to climate change concerns, except as required by law.โ42(Press Release). โLeading Free-Market Activists Score Major Concession on Global Warming-Related Spending from General Electric,โ National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/L31uN
โFor years, GE has been the poster boy for crony capitalism and corporate America’s green energy cheerleader. Now, GE shareholders have confirmation that the company’s strategies will henceforth be led by true market forces and not by blind adherence to global warming zealotry,โ said Justin Danhof, Esq., NCPPR’s director of the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project.43(Press Release). โLeading Free-Market Activists Score Major Concession on Global Warming-Related Spending from General Electric,โ National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/L31uN
February 2010
The National Center for Public Policy Research published a blog post titled, โClimate of Confusion: Global Warming ‘Science’ a Blizzard of Contradictions.โ44โClimate of Confusion: Global Warming ‘Science’ a Blizzard of Contradictions,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, February, 2010. Archived November 1, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KDGyj
The post states:
โIn less than a week, two back-to-back blizzards have pummeled and paralyzed much of the East coast, bringing snow accumulations of 50-plus inches to the D.C. area and breaking records for snow accumulation in D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City โฆ So what’s going on here? Global warming, of course. At least, that’s what ‘experts’ are telling us.โ45โClimate of Confusion: Global Warming ‘Science’ a Blizzard of Contradictions,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, February, 2010. Archived November 1, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KDGyj
October 2002
Lobbyist Jack Abramoff, now a convicted and sentenced felon, was a member of NCPPR’s Board of Directors until his resignation in October 2004 after NCPPR concluded he had violated the organization’s conflict of interest policy.
In October 2002, Abramoff told President Amy Ridenour to send the Mississippi Band of Choctaws an invoice for $1 million. He then told Amy to distribute the funds as follows: โ$450,000 to the Capital Athletic Foundation, $500,000 to Capital Campaign Strategies and $50,000 to a company called Nurnberger and Associates, run by a Mr. Ralph Nurnberger.โ46โHearing Before The Committee On Indian Affairs United States Senate One Hundred Ninth Congress First Session On Oversight Hearing Regarding Tribal Lobbying Matters, Et Al,โ Senate Hearing 109-135, From the U.S. Government Printing Office, June 22, 2005. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ag0XF
Greenberg Traurig, the firm employing Abramoff, sent $1.5 million to NCPPR in June, 2003. Following directions, Ridenour distributed $250,000 to Capital Athletic Foundation and the remainder ($1,250,000) to Kay Gold LLC. According to her testimony, Amy Ridenour believed that Kay Gold was owned by Abramoff’s associate, Michael Scanlon.
โIt was not until 2004 that I learned that this money did not come from the Choctaw, but rather from an Internet gambling company apparently unrelated to the Choctaw Tribe [โฆ] I would have never issued any money to Kaygold if I had known that Jack was the owner because this was a clear violation of the National Centerโs conflict of interest policy, which Jack had signed,โ she said.47โStatement of Amy Moritz Ridenour At the Hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Lobbying practices Involving Indian Tribesโ (PDF), Committee on Indian Affairs United States Senate, June 22, 2005. Archived June 24, 2005.
Some reporters have written that NCPPR repeatedly wrote articles that aligned with the positions held by Abramoff, โsuggesting possible coordination between the lobbyist and the group in violation of federal law.โ48John Byrne and Ron Brynaert. โWashington nonprofit where Abramoff was director wrote articles favoring Abramoff clients,โ The Raw Story, March 8, 2006. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/XslKZ
February 8, 1998
NCPPR was profiled in โThe Fear Merchants, โ an article criticizing the organization’s direct mail fundraising in the San Francisco Examiner.49Diana Walsh. โThe fear merchants,โ San Francisco Examiner, February 8, 1998. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/m5Gal
According to the article, the letters targeted senior citizens, with โso-called ‘fright mail,’ computer-generated by self-proclaimed public policy organizations in mostly legal but controversial campaigns to raise cash.โ
Amy Moritz Ridenour of NCPPR admitted that โher organization sent donors up to a dozen major pitches a month. The appeals are sent on four different letterheads. She said anyone receiving more than a dozen solicitations in a month probably was on mailing lists the National Center has ‘rented’ from other organizations, which she said were outside her control.โ
The article also revealed that in 1995, NCPPR spent more than 77 percent of the $2.3 million it had raised that year on fundraising. The Council of Better Business Bureaus standards say fund-raising costs should not exceed 35 percent of contributions raised.
NCPPR Contact & Location
As of June 2016, the National Center for Public Policy Research listed the following contact information on their website:50NationalCenter.org Homepage. Archived June 8, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/oXdYO
National Center for Public Policy Research
20 F Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington DC 20001
(202) 507-6398
[email protected]
Related Organizations
Envirotruth (Now Defunct) โ 2002
In 2002, NCPPR launched a โEnvirotruthโ project, which received at least $30,000 in funding from ExxonMobil according to SourceWatch. The website no longer appears to be in operation, and hit has removed itself from the Internet Archive.51โEnvirotruth,โ SourceWatch. Accessed November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/LGly0
According to EnviroTruth, the climate change consensus is a โMyth,โ quoting climate change denier Fred Singer:
โ’There is of course no consensus at all,’ according to Dr. Fred Singer, President of The Science & Environmental Policy Project and Distinguished Research Professor at George Mason University and Professor Emeritus of environmental science at the University of Virginia. ‘There isn’t even a consensus on whether the atmosphere is currently warming โ never mind on whether humanity should be held responsible.’โ52โMYTH #1b: ‘The Consensus of World Scientists, as Revealed by the UN’s IPCC, Agree – Humanity is Causing Significant Climate Change’,โ EnviroTruth.org. Archived September 4, 2013.
EnviroTruth claims that โenvironmental groups have seized the world stage and the public’s attention by distorting facts, bending the truth and even committing acts of terrorism against innocent citizens.โ53โAbout Envirotruth,โ EnviroTruth.org. Archived October 13, 2013.
The following are some of examples of what Envirotruth lists as โMythsโ:54โMyths and Envirotruth Regarding Climate Change,โ EnviroTruth.org. Archived at WebArchive January 18, 2006. *Archive no longer available online.
- โHumanity is the primary cause of global climate change.โ
- โClimate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate.โ
- โSea level is rising quickly and it will get worse if the polar ice caps melt due to global warming. Coastal settlements and low-lying islands will be submerged.โ
- โRecent global temperature rise has been dramatic.โ
- โHumanity is causing earth’s polar regions to warm quickly resulting in unusual rates of ice melting.โ
Envirotruth published the following list of โExperts Who Contest Kyoto’s Scientific Foundation and Alternative Energy,โ as well as an accompanying guide on โThe Myths of Climate Change and Renewable Energyโ:55โSome of the Experts Who Contest Kyoto’s Scientific Foundation and Alternative Energy,โ EnviroTruth.org. Archived January 12, 2014.
The Myths of Climate Change and Renewable Energy | |
Myth # | Myth Description |
1 | Humanity is the primary cause of global climate change. |
1a | Computer models show catastrophic warming in the future. |
1b | The consensus of world scientists, as revealed by the UN’s IPCC, agree – humanity is causing significant climate change. |
1c | Climate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate. |
2 | Recent global temperature rise has been dramatic. |
3 | The buildup of human induced greenhouse gases, and carbon dioxide (co2) in particular, will cause a catastrophic planetary warming. |
4 | If the earth warms, it will be disastrous for the environment and human society. |
5 | Extreme weather events are expected to be more common if the world warms. This has already started – drought, floods, forest fires, etc. are on the rise as a result of our greenhouse gas emissions. |
6 | Sea-level is rising quickly and it will get worse if the polar ice caps melt due to global warming. Coastal settlements and low-lying islands will be submerged. |
7 | Humanity is causing earth’s polar regions to warm quickly resulting in unusual rates of ice melting. |
8 | Kyoto will save thousands of lives by cutting air pollution. |
9 | Solar and wind power can soon be significant contributors to the base load energy needs of Canada. |
NCPPR Departments
NCPPR maintains numerous โDepartmentsโ including:
- Amy Ridenour’s National Center Blog
- Project 21
- Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs (CERA)
- The Free Enterprise Project
- NationalCenter.org (Steven Crowder Video Series)
- Legal Briefs Newsletter
- Health Care & Retirement
- National Security & United Nations Programs
NCPPR also runs a โPolar Bear Information Center,โ a project of their Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs which includes a video produced by NCPPR described as โA lighthearted parody political ad points out that the global polar bear population has doubled over the last four decades.โ Note that this argument, among many others by climate change skeptics, is debunked at SkepticalScience.
NCPA lists two of it’s โwebsitesโ as EnviroTruth (now-defunct) and GroupSnoop. While it was running, the EnviroTruth website was strongly critical of the environmental movement.
Heartland Institute
Bonner R. Cohen, Senior fellow at the NCPPR โEnvironment & Enterprise Institute,โ56โBONNER COHEN, PH.D. SENIOR FELLOW,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived May 13, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/NLFAo is listed as an โExpertโ at the Heartland Institute and is a regular contributor to a variety of Heartland Institute publications.57โNewspaper Articles โ Bonner R. Cohen,โ Heartland Institute. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/YheyL
Social Media
- @NationalCenter on Twitter.
- โNational Center for Public Policy Researchโ on Facebook.
- โNational Center for Public Policy Researchโ on LinkedIn.
Other Resources
- โNational Center for Public Policy Research,โ SourceWatch.
- โNational Center for Public Policy Research,โ Wikipedia.
- Greenpeace Investigations research on the National Center for Public Policy Research.
- Richard Littlemore. โChasing Amy: Ridenour Continues Fall From Grace,โ DeSmogBlog, August 9, 2006.
Resources
- 1โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S
- 2โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S
- 3โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S
- 4โThe Church of Global Warming,โ Amy Ridenour’s National Center Blog, December 16, 2009. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/56mUT
- 5(Press Release). โTop Ten Reasons to Oppose President Obama’s New Climate Regulations,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, June 2, 2014. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ThHId
- 6H. Josef Hebert. โJokers Add Fake Names To Warming Petition,โ Seattle Times, May 1, 1998. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/j4psN
- 7โEarth Day 2002 Fact Sheet: Myths and Facts About the Environment,โ Earth Day Information Center (nationalcenter.org), National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/iU17z
- 8โEarth Day 2002 Fact Sheet: Myths and Facts About the Environment,โ Earth Day Information Center (nationalcenter.org), National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/iU17z
- 9โNational Center for Public Policy Research,โ Conservative Transparency. Accessed May 12, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/UkmIU
- 10ExxonSecrets Factsheet: National Center for Public Policy Research, NCPPR. Accessed November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/jLGor
- 11โThe National Center For Public Policy Research Current Board Of Directorsโ (PDF), National Center for Public Policy Research, May 13, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- 12โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived February 5, 2012 Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/jXG8g
- 13โAbout Us,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S
- 14โAbout Us,โ National Center for Policy Analysis. Archived August 2, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/doZZK
- 15โCERA Experts,โ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived August 5, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/PQZBM
- 16โCERA Experts,โ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Vm1JB
- 17โCERA Experts,โ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived August 2, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/C2ko6
- 18Letter to Elaine Chao & Scott Pruitt. Submitted by Horace Cooper, Stacy Washington, and Council Nedd II on behalf of Project 21 Black Leadership Network. June 12, 2018. Archived April 25, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/EvjL8. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 19Letter to Elaine Chao & Scott Pruitt. Submitted by Horace Cooper, Stacy Washington, and Council Nedd II on behalf of Project 21 Black Leadership Network. June 12, 2018. Archived April 25, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/EvjL8. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 20Letter to Elaine Chao & Scott Pruitt. Submitted by Horace Cooper, Stacy Washington, and Council Nedd II on behalf of Project 21 Black Leadership Network. June 12, 2018. Archived April 25, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/EvjL8. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 21โDear Mr. Presidentโ (PDF), retrieved from Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 22Graham Readfearn. โConservative Groups Pushing Trump To Exit Paris Climate Deal Have Taken Millions From Koch Brothers, Exxon,โ DeSmog, May 10, 2017.
- 23Susanne 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
- 24Jeff Steir. โWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ NewsWeek, April 23, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FDZFD
- 25Michael McGrady. โStudy: Water Quality Unaffected by Fracking,โ The Heartland Institute, May 11, 2016. Archived May 12, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/MI0zH
- 26Jeff Steir. โUniversity Researchers Put Fracking Politics Before Science,โ Newsweek. Republished at NobleColorado.com, April 25, 2016. Archived May 12, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ZxFMn
- 27Jeff Steir. โWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ NewsWeek, April 23, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FDZFD
- 28Jeff Steir. โWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ NewsWeek, April 23, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FDZFD
- 29โTo Whom It May Concern,โ Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General, March 15, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- 30Ben Jervey. โState Investigations Into What Exxon Knew Double, and Exxon Gets Defensive,โ DeSmogBlog, April 1, 2016.
- 31Neela Banerjee, Lisa Song, and David Hasemyer. โExxon’s Own Research Confirmed Fossil Fuels’ Role in Global Warming Decades Ago,โ InsideClimateNews, September 16, 2015. Archived May 11, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/82IbI
- 32Brendan DeMelle and Kevin Grandia. โ‘There is no doubt’: Exxon Knew CO2 Pollution Was A Global Threat By Late 1970s,โ DeSmogBlog, April 26, 2016.
- 33(Press Release). โFree-Market Organization Asks Google to Be Transparent with Investors Regarding Cost of ‘Greenโ Initiatives’,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, June 3, 2015. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8bGWh
- 34โExelon Shareholder Meeting Question David Almasi, Executive Director The National Center for Public Policy Researchโ (PDF) National Center for Public Policy Research, April 28, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- 35(Press Release). โCynical Power Company Supports Regulations that Will Increase Its Profits, But Harm the American People,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, April 28, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/JA1xC
- 36(Press Release). โTim Cook has Another ‘Tim Cook Moment’; Denigrates Capitalism at Apple Shareholder Meeting,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research March 10, 2015. Archived August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/XHxS9
- 37โIn the Newsโ (PDF), The National Center for Public Policy Research, Summer 2014 issue. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- 38โIn the Newsโ (PDF), The National Center for Public Policy Research, Summer 2014 issue. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- 39Amy Ridenour. โTop Ten Reasons Washington Should Not Impose New Global Warming Laws or Regulations,โ National Policy Analysis, June, 2014. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/k0l8X
- 40(Press Release). โTop Ten Reasons to Oppose President Obama’s New Climate Regulations,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, June 2, 2014. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ThHId
- 41(Press Release). โLeading Free-Market Activists Score Major Concession on Global Warming-Related Spending from General Electric,โ National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/L31uN
- 42(Press Release). โLeading Free-Market Activists Score Major Concession on Global Warming-Related Spending from General Electric,โ National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/L31uN
- 43(Press Release). โLeading Free-Market Activists Score Major Concession on Global Warming-Related Spending from General Electric,โ National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived August 3, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/L31uN
- 44โClimate of Confusion: Global Warming ‘Science’ a Blizzard of Contradictions,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, February, 2010. Archived November 1, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KDGyj
- 45โClimate of Confusion: Global Warming ‘Science’ a Blizzard of Contradictions,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research, February, 2010. Archived November 1, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KDGyj
- 46โHearing Before The Committee On Indian Affairs United States Senate One Hundred Ninth Congress First Session On Oversight Hearing Regarding Tribal Lobbying Matters, Et Al,โ Senate Hearing 109-135, From the U.S. Government Printing Office, June 22, 2005. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ag0XF
- 47โStatement of Amy Moritz Ridenour At the Hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Lobbying practices Involving Indian Tribesโ (PDF), Committee on Indian Affairs United States Senate, June 22, 2005. Archived June 24, 2005.
- 48John Byrne and Ron Brynaert. โWashington nonprofit where Abramoff was director wrote articles favoring Abramoff clients,โ The Raw Story, March 8, 2006. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/XslKZ
- 49Diana Walsh. โThe fear merchants,โ San Francisco Examiner, February 8, 1998. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/m5Gal
- 50
- 51โEnvirotruth,โ SourceWatch. Accessed November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/LGly0
- 52โMYTH #1b: ‘The Consensus of World Scientists, as Revealed by the UN’s IPCC, Agree – Humanity is Causing Significant Climate Change’,โ EnviroTruth.org. Archived September 4, 2013.
- 53โAbout Envirotruth,โ EnviroTruth.org. Archived October 13, 2013.
- 54โMyths and Envirotruth Regarding Climate Change,โ EnviroTruth.org. Archived at WebArchive January 18, 2006. *Archive no longer available online.
- 55โSome of the Experts Who Contest Kyoto’s Scientific Foundation and Alternative Energy,โ EnviroTruth.org. Archived January 12, 2014.
- 56โBONNER COHEN, PH.D. SENIOR FELLOW,โ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived May 13, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/NLFAo
- 57โNewspaper Articles โ Bonner R. Cohen,โ Heartland Institute. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/YheyL