National Center for Public Policy Research

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 โ€œcommunications and research foundation supportive of a strong national defense and dedicated to providing free market solutions to today’s public policy problems.โ€1โ€œAbout Us,โ€ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S

In the 1980s NCPPR โ€œhelped 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 โ€œgrassroots coalition of dozens of groups to educate the public and Members of Congress.โ€2โ€œAbout 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 โ€œFirm 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 โ€œadvocates private, free market solutions to today’s environmental challenges.โ€3โ€œAbout 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.4โ€œThe 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 โ€œTop Ten Reasons Washington Should Not Impose New Global Warming Laws or Regulations.โ€ The following are included among the โ€œtop ten reasonsโ€ listed include:5(Press Release). โ€œTop 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

  • โ€œThe 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 โ€œEarth 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. โ€œJokers Add Fake Names To Warming Petition,โ€ Seattle Times, May 1, 1998. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/j4psN):

โ€œClaims 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.’7โ€œEarth 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

โ€œโ€ฆ There are many indications that carbon dioxide does not play a significant role in global warming.โ€8โ€œEarth 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.9โ€œNational 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).

DonorTotal
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, 2015:11โ€œThe 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 Americaโ€™s 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

Name201212โ€œAbout Us,โ€ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived February 5, 2012 Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/jXG8g201513โ€œAbout Us,โ€ The National Center for Public Policy Research. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hSm6S201614โ€œAbout Us,โ€ National Center for Policy Analysis. Archived August 2, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/doZZKDescription
Amy RidenourYYYChairman
Bonner CohenYYYPh.D. Senior Fellow
Bradley Krieger YYList Manager
Cherylyn Harley LeBon YYCo-Chair of Project 21
Dana GattusoYYYSenior Fellow
David RidenourYYYPresident
David W. AlmasiYYYSenior Fellow
Deneen BorelliY Fellow, Project 21
Deroy MurdockYYYDistinguished Fellow
Devon CarlinY Research Associate
Eric PetersY Senior Fellow
Horace Cooper YYAdjunct Fellow & Co-Chair of Project 21
Jeff StierYYYSenior Fellow & Risk Analysis Division Director
Jennifer BiddisonYYYDigital Media Specialist
Jennifer Lee YYProgram Assistant
Joe RocheYYYAdjunct Fellow
Judy KentYYYMedia Director
Julianna UsticaYYYProgram Assistant
Justin DanhofYYYGeneral Counsel & Director of the Free Enterprise Project
Katherine NielsenY Development Manager
Mychal MassieY Chairman, Advisory Board, Project 21
Nickie KelleyYYYProgram Assistant
R.J. SmithYYYSenior 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

Name201215โ€œCERA Experts,โ€ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived August 5, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/PQZBM201516โ€œCERA Experts,โ€ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Vm1JB201617โ€œCERA Experts,โ€ Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs. Archived August 2, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/C2ko6
Amy Ridenour YY
Bonner CohenYYY
Dana GattusoYYY
David RidenourYYY
Eric PetersY
Justin DanhofYYY
R.J. SmithYYY

Actions

June 12, 2018

In a letter to then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao sent by NCPPRโ€™s 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:

โ€œThe 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.โ€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.

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 โ€œto withdraw fully from the Paris Climate Treaty and to stop all taxpayer funding of UN global warming programs.โ€21โ€œDear 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. โ€œConservative 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. โ€œConservative 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 โ€œWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ€œ24Jeff Steir. โ€œWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ€œ 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. โ€œStudy: 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. โ€œUniversity 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 โ€œpolitics before scienceโ€ by โ€œnot spending a sufficient amount of time publicizing the studyโ€™s results.โ€27Jeff Steir. โ€œWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ€œ NewsWeek, April 23, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FDZFD

โ€œConcerns about groundwater contamination are baseless,โ€ Steir writes. โ€œthe study demonstrates that fracking is a safe source of jobs, prosperity and low-cost energy.โ€28Jeff Steir. โ€œWhy Are They Hiding the Good News About Fracking?โ€œ 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. 29โ€œTo 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 โ€œdeal with climate change,โ€ as described by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.30Ben Jervey. โ€œState 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. โ€œExxon’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€œ‘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 โ€œcome 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). โ€œFree-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.34โ€œExelon 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 โ€œdestroy 500,000 manufacturing jobs and 45 percent of all coal-mining jobs.โ€35(Press Release). โ€œCynical 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, โ€œthe 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.โ€36(Press Release). โ€œTim 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, โ€œThe Deliberate Corruption of Climate Scienceโ€ in the Summer, 2014 newsletter. NCPPR describes Tim Ball as a โ€œthorn-in-the-side of dishonest scientists everywhere and supporter of your National Center for Public Policy Research.โ€

According to the NCPPR description, โ€œThe 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’.โ€37โ€œIn the Newsโ€ (PDF), The National Center for Public Policy Research, Summer 2014 issue. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.

They quote Ball saying that โ€œThe entire exercise of global warming and climate change is a deception.โ€38โ€œIn 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 โ€œTop Ten Reasons Washington Should Not Impose New Global Warming Laws or Regulationsโ€ by NCPPR Chairman Amy Ridenour.39Amy Ridenour. โ€œTop 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, โ€œPresident Obama’s new climate rules for existing power plants, expected to be announced by the Environmental Protection Agency Monday morning, are unnecessary.โ€40(Press Release). โ€œTop 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 โ€œAfter 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.โ€41(Press Release). โ€œLeading 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 โ€œfor 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 โ€œrequest[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.โ€42(Press Release). โ€œLeading 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

โ€œFor 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). โ€œLeading 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, โ€œClimate of Confusion: Global Warming ‘Science’ a Blizzard of Contradictions.โ€44โ€œClimate 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:

โ€œIn 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 โ€ฆ So what’s going on here? Global warming, of course. At least, that’s what ‘experts’ are telling us.โ€45โ€œClimate 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€œ$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.โ€46โ€œHearing 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.

โ€œIt 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 [โ€ฆ] 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 Centerโ€™s conflict of interest policy, which Jack had signed,โ€ she said.47โ€œStatement 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, โ€œsuggesting possible coordination between the lobbyist and the group in violation of federal law.โ€48John Byrne and Ron Brynaert. โ€œWashington 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 โ€œThe Fear Merchants, โ€ an article criticizing the organization’s direct mail fundraising in the San Francisco Examiner.49Diana Walsh. โ€œThe 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 โ€œso-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 โ€œher 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]

Envirotruth (Now Defunct) โ€” 2002

In 2002, NCPPR launched a โ€œEnvirotruthโ€ 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.51โ€œEnvirotruth,โ€ SourceWatch. Accessed November 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/LGly0

According to EnviroTruth, the climate change consensus is a โ€œMyth,โ€ quoting climate change denier Fred Singer:

โ€œ’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.’โ€52โ€œMYTH #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 โ€œenvironmental 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.โ€53โ€œAbout Envirotruth,โ€ EnviroTruth.org. Archived October 13, 2013.

The following are some of examples of what Envirotruth lists as โ€œMythsโ€:54โ€œMyths and Envirotruth Regarding Climate Change,โ€ EnviroTruth.org. Archived at WebArchive January 18, 2006. *Archive no longer available online.

  • โ€œHumanity is the primary cause of global climate change.โ€
  • โ€œClimate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate.โ€
  • โ€œSea 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€
  • โ€œRecent global temperature rise has been dramatic.โ€
  • โ€œHumanity is causing earth’s polar regions to warm quickly resulting in unusual rates of ice melting.โ€

Envirotruth published the following list of โ€œExperts Who Contest Kyoto’s Scientific Foundation and Alternative Energy,โ€ as well as an accompanying guide on โ€œThe Myths of Climate Change and Renewable Energyโ€:55โ€œSome of the Experts Who Contest Kyoto’s Scientific Foundation and Alternative Energy,โ€ EnviroTruth.org. Archived January 12, 2014.

ExpertE-mailPhoneExpertise – Myth#
Dr. Tim Patterson[email protected]613-520-2600 ext. 44251, 1c, 3, 4, 6
Dr. Tim Ball[email protected]250-380-77841, 1a, 1b, 3,4, 5, 6
Dr. Fred Singer[email protected]703-920-27441, 1b, 2, 3,4, 6
Dr. Pat Michaels[email protected]434-924-05491, 1a, 1b, 2,3
Dr. Madhav Khandekar[email protected]905-940-01051, 1a, 3, 4,5
Dr. Fred Michel[email protected](613) 520 2600 ext. 44281c, 6, 7
Dr. Howard C. Hayden[email protected] 1, 1b, 4, 8, 9
Dr. J. Terry Rogers[email protected]613-729-83308, 9
Dr. Roger Pocklington[email protected]902-542-19031, 1a, 1b, 2,6
Dr. Sallie Baliunas[email protected]617-495-74151, 3
Dr. Willie Soon[email protected]617-495-74881, 3
Dr. John Christy[email protected]256-961-77631a, 2
Dr. Chris Essex[email protected]011-45-331561231, 1a, 1b, 2
Dr. Roger Peilke[email protected]970-491-82931, 1a, 1b, 2
Dr. William M. Gray[email protected]970-491-86811, 1b, 1c, 2,3
Dr. Fred Seitz[email protected]212-327-84231, 1b, 1c, 2,3
Dr. George Taylor[email protected]541-737-57051b, 1c, 2, 4,5
Dr. Sherwood Idso[email protected]480-966-37191b, 3, 4
Dr. David Wojick, P.E.[email protected]540-858-35031, 1a, 1b, 4
Art Robinson of OISM[email protected]541-592-41421b, 2, 3, 4
Dr. Herb I. H. Saravanamuttoo[email protected]613-241-69119
Dr. Robert Balling[email protected]480-965-62651, 1a, 1b, 2,3, 5
Dr. Chris de Freitas[email protected] 1, 1a, 1b, 2
Dr. Petr Chylek[email protected]902-494-23371, 1a, 3
Dr. Ross McKitrick[email protected]519-824-4120 ext 25321, 1b
Dr. Philip Stott[email protected] 1, 1b, 4
Dr. Richard P. Lindzen[email protected]617-253-24321, 1a, 1b, 2,3
Dr. Jan Veizer[email protected]613-562-5800 ext.64611, 1c, 3
Dr. Paal Brekke[email protected] 1, 3
The Myths of Climate Change and Renewable Energy
Myth #Myth Description
1Humanity is the primary cause of global climate change.
1aComputer models show catastrophic warming in the future.
1bThe consensus of world scientists, as revealed by the UN’s IPCC, agree – humanity is causing significant climate change.
1cClimate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate.
2Recent global temperature rise has been dramatic.
3The buildup of human induced greenhouse gases, and carbon dioxide (co2) in particular, will cause a catastrophic planetary warming.
4If the earth warms, it will be disastrous for the environment and human society.
5Extreme 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.
6Sea-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.
7Humanity is causing earth’s polar regions to warm quickly resulting in unusual rates of ice melting.
8Kyoto will save thousands of lives by cutting air pollution.
9Solar and wind power can soon be significant contributors to the base load energy needs of Canada.

NCPPR Departments

NCPPR maintains numerous โ€œDepartmentsโ€ including:

NCPPR also runs a โ€œPolar Bear Information Center,โ€ a project of their Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs which includes a video produced by NCPPR described as โ€œA 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 โ€œwebsitesโ€ 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 โ€œEnvironment & Enterprise Institute,โ€56โ€œBONNER 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 โ€œExpertโ€ at the Heartland Institute and is a regular contributor to a variety of Heartland Institute publications.57โ€œNewspaper Articles โ€“ Bonner R. Cohen,โ€ Heartland Institute. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/YheyL

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