The Steamboat Institute

Background

The Steamboat Institute is a conservative 501(c)(3)¹ nonprofit organization founded on March 4, 2008.²

According to its website, the group was founded “out of genuine concern for the future of our country. We take seriously the concept that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”³

The Institute lists its principles as “limited taxation and fiscal responsibility,” “limited government,” “free market capitalism,” “individual rights and responsibilities,” and “strong national defense.”⁴

The Steamboat Institute’s key events include an annual “Freedom Conference,” as well as a “Campus Liberty Tour” throughout the year which features speakers like Alex Epstein of the Center for Industrial Progress.⁵

The Steamboat Institute is an associate member⁶ of the State Policy Network (SPN), a network of free market think tanks “fighting to limit government and advance market-friendly public policy at the state and local levels.”⁷

Stance on Climate Change

The Steamboat Institute has regularly provided a platform for climate change deniers and fossil fuel proponents to spread their messages.

In 2010, the Steamboat Institute listed a number of honorary directors including prominent climate change deniers such as William M. Gray, Patrick J. Michaels, and Marc Morano.

In a January 2022 op-ed published in The Denver Gazette and The Colorado Springs Gazette, Steamboat Institute CEO and Chairman Jennifer Schubert-Akin wrote,⁸ ⁹

“[C]arbon dioxide levels are already plummeting under the current energy mix without the need for further mandates. Per-capita carbon dioxide emissions in the United States have fallen by nearly one-third since 2005. In Colorado, they’ve dropped by nearly 25 percent.

“This CO2 reduction, which results from the free-market shale energy revolution that has displaced high-emission coal with low-emission natural gas, too often goes unmentioned in energy policy debates. It suggests that incessant, alarmist claims about ‘a climate crisis’ — at least in this country — are overwrought.”

[…]

“The Heritage Foundation used the same climate sensitivity model as the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and concluded that even if the U.S. eliminated all its emissions, the world would only be 0.137 of a degree Celsius cooler by 2100.”

“This tiny benefit is starkly contrasted by the major consequences green energy mandates have in hamstringing American businesses and industries by artificially raising their energy costs.”

[…]

“Unfortunately, such perspectives are often silenced by the muzzle of climate change doctrine, which is used as a cudgel to shut down debate around green energy mandates. Consider how activists routinely label good-faith opponents of even the most stringent environmental regulations as ‘climate deniers’ in an attempt to discredit them without engaging with their arguments.‘To provide space for this much-needed debate over energy and environment policy, Steamboat Institute is hosting a summit in Steamboat Springs on March 11 and 12 called ‘The Nexus of U.S. Energy Policy, Climate Science, Freedom and Prosperity.’ It features leading bipartisan policy experts in addition to [Bjorn] Lomborg, including Steven E. Koonin, undersecretary for science in the Obama administration; Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto, former Fish and Wildlife Service director; and Patrick Moore, co-founder and past president of Greenpeace.”

Funding

The following information is based on data collected from publicly available IRS Form 990 tax forms reviewed by DeSmog.

Annual Reports

The Steamboat Institute has listed some of its donors in its annual reports. Its 2017–2018 and 2019–2020 annual reports are available online.

Type & Name	2017-2018 AR	2019-2020 AR

CORPORATIONS
Latham Marine, Inc.	Y
Mountain Valley Bank	Y
MTI Logistics, LLC	Y
Sierra Valley Almonds	Y
The Akin Firm, LLC	Y
Wood Ag Management, Inc.	Y

Foundation/Nonprofit
Adolph Coors Foundation	Y	Y
Bipartisan Policy Center	Y
Community First Foundation		Y
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation	Y
DonorsTrust		Y
Economic Literacy Colorado	Y
El Pomar Foundation	Y	Y
Hatton Sumners Foundation		Y
Jack Roth Charitable Foundation		Y
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation	Y	Y
Mike Leprino Family Foundation	Y
Roe Foundation	Y	Y
Snider Foundation	Y
Strake Foundation		Y
The Anschutz Foundation	Y	Y
The Mill Series	Y
The Snider Foundation		Y
Woodford Foundation for Limited Government	Y	Y

INDIVIDUALS
Albert “Rick” Dowden	Y
Alice and Bill Bahrenburg	Y
Andrea and Eric Wilson	Y
Ann and Robert Ball	Y
Anne and John Draper	Y
Anne and Rich Lowe	Y
Barbara and Dale Morrison	Y
Bridgett Wagner	Y
Bruce Carlock	Y
Caleb Chappell	Y
Carrie and John Hayden	Y
Casaca Vineyards	Y
Chenza and Ron Lazof	Y
Cheri Carsten	Y
Christy Belton	Y
Curt Thompson	Y
Debbie and David Dacus	Y
Debra Burlingame and Robert Fraina	Y
Donna and Thomas Spackman	Y
Donna and Tom Cox	Y
Ellen and Jay Bruner	Y
George Solich	Y
Glenna and James Floyd	Y
Grace-Marie Turner	Y
Gregory Brown and Brandy Minick	Y
Gwen and Scott Sanwick	Y
Hank Schaffer	Y
Heidi and Jason Ganahl	Y
Irene Johnson	Y
Jack Graham	Y
Janet and Tim Borden	Y
Jean P. Sagouspe	Y
Judy and Charlie McNeil	Y
Judy and Reed Slingerland	Y
June and Ed MacArthur	Y
Karen and Lee Korins	Y
Karen and Robert Wolters	Y
Kate and Randy Thornton	Y
Kelly and David Wilson	Y
Kristine and William Bensler	Y
Leslie and Bruce Allbright	Y
Linda and John Darr	Y
Lorraine and James Mann	Y
Marcy and Bruce Benson	Y
Margo and Cole McCombs	Y
Marlene and John Childs	Y
Martin Sokoll	Y
Mary and Curt Weiss	Y
Mary and Joseph Harker	Y
Matthew Spalding	Y
Meg and Chris Cummings	Y
Michael Williams/ALTIUS Financial	Y
Nancy and Gary Scholten	Y
Nancy Bretz	Y
Pam Vanatta	Y
Patricia and Roger Burton	Y
Patsy Levang	Y
Paula and Tim O’Laughlin	Y
Penny and Punch Martyn	Y
Rick Akin and Jennifer Schubert-Akin	Y
Robbin and Nicholas Schoewe	Y
Sandy and Gary Neale	Y
Sandy and Roger Dorf	Y
Sherri and Walter “Buz” Koelbel	Y
Stella and John Lillicrop	Y
Stephen Tebo	Y
Susan and William Friesell	Y
Terry and Rodger Glaspey	Y
Thomas Birmingham	Y
Tom Nelson	Y
Toni and William Thomson	Y
Toni George	Y
Virginia and Richard Srednicki	Y
William Banks and Michelle Avery	Y

990 Forms

Key People

*Scroll right to view affiliations.

Key Events

Annual “Freedom Conference”

“Freedom Conference”

The Steamboat Institute has described its annual Freedom Conference and Speaker Series as “a unique opportunity for citizen activists, and potential citizen activists, to have direct and personal contact with nationally recognized leaders in the conservative community.”¹⁰

Speakers at the Inaugural Freedom Conference, August 28 to August 29, 2009:

Name	Affiliations
Daniel J. Mitchell	Cato Institute
Grover Norquist	Americans for Tax Reform
J. French Hill	Delta Trust & Banking Corp.
James Humes
Jennifer Schubert-Akin	Steamboat Institute
Kirsten Fedewa	Kirsten Fedewa & Associates
Marc Morano	Sen. James Inhofe
Marcelo Gaete	Entravision
Mario Carrerra	Entravision
Michael Reagan	Reagan Legacy Foundation
Michele Bachmann
Mike Pence
Patrick J. Michaels	Cato Institute
Tony Blankley	Edelman Worldwide
William M. Gray	Colorado State University

Speakers at the 2nd Annual Freedom Conference, August 27 to August 28, 2010:

Name	Affiliations
Amy Oliver Cooke	The Independence Institute
Brian Ivers
Christopher Horner	Competitive Enterprise Institute
Claudia Rosett	Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Clifford May	Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Daniel J. Mitchell	Cato Institute
Grover Norquist	Americans for Tax Reform
J. French Hill	Delta Trust and Banking Corp.
Jason Mattera	Human Events
Jennifer Schubert-Akin	Steamboat Institute
Karl Rove
Kelly Victory	Live Whole Health
Kellyanne Conway	WomanTrend
Michael D. Tanner	Cato Institute
Peter Brookes	Heritage Foundation
Robert M. Goldberg	Center for Medicine in the Public Interest
Sharron Angle
Tony Blankley	Edelman Worldwide
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas	Liberty Central, Inc.
Yaron Brook	Ayn Rand Institute

Speakers at the Third Annual Freedom Conference, August 19 to August 20, 2011:

Name	Affiliations
Alan Wilson
Amy Oliver Cooke	Mothers Against Debt
Anthony Kearns
Bob Beauprez
Grace-Marie Turner	The Galen Institute
Greg Zoeller
Hal Scherz	Docs4PatientCare
James K. Glassman	George W. Bush Institute
Jason Mattera	Human Events
Jim Geringer	Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
Joe Walsh
John Harpole	Mercator Energy
John Suthers
Jonah Goldberg	National Review Online
Kate Obenshain	Young America’s Foundation
Kevin Jackson
Marco Rubio
Peter Brookes	Heritage Foundation
Robert M. Goldberg	Center for Medicine in the Public Interest
Stephen Moore	The Wall Street Journal
Steve Russell
Todd Rokita
Tony Blankley

Speakers at the Fourth Annual Freedom Conference, August 24 to August 25, 2012:

Name	Affiliations
Alan Wilson
Ann McElhinney
Dana Rohrabacher
Daniel J. Mitchell	Cato Institute
Ernest Istook	Heritage Foundation
Hannah Giles	American Phoenix Foundation
John Bolton
Kevin Jackson	The Black Sphere
Mary Katharine Ham	Fox News
Michelle Malkin
Peter Brookes	Heritage Foundation
Tom McDevitt	Washington Times

Speakers at the Fifth Annual Freedom Conference, August 23 to August 24, 2013:

Name	Affiliations
Amy Oliver Cooke	Independence Institute
Andrew Malcolm	Investor’s Business Daily
Bob Schaffer
Cory Gardner
Dave Kopel	Independence Institute
Debra Burlingame	Keep America Safe, 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America
Garrett Wiggins
Greg Zoeller
Jamie Weinstein	The Daily Caller
Jennifer Schubert-Akin	Steamboat Institute
Jim Stergios	Pioneer Institute
John Cooke
Jon Caldara	Independence Institute
Justin Smith
Khristine Brookes	Cato Institute
Laura Boggs	Jeffco Public Schools
Liz Cheney
Lou Vallario
M. Zuhdi Jasser	American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Michael Williams	Leadership Program of the Rockies
Peter Brookes	Heritage Foundation
Reverend C.L. Bryant
Richard B. Cheney
Rod Johnson
Scott Fischer
Thomas Krannawitter
William Perry Pendley	Mountain States Legal Foundation
Yaron Brook	Ayn Rand Institute
Yaron Brook	Ayn Rand Institute

Speakers at the 8th Annual Freedom Conference & Festival, August 26, 2016 to August 27, 2016:

Name	Affiliations
Carly Fiorina
Jillian Kay Melchior
Mary Kissel	Wall Street Journal
Matthew Spalding	Hillsdale College, Steamboat Institute
Michael Ledeen	Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Michael T. Flynn
Tom Rogan	Steamboat Institute
Yaron Brook	Ayn Rand Institute

Speakers at the 9th Annual Freedom Conference & Festival, August 25 to August 26, 2017:

Name	Affiliations
Beverly Gossage	HSA Benefits Consulting
Bob Beltz	Walden Media
Charles J. Cooper	Cooper & Kirk, PLLC
Connor Boyack	The Tuttle Twins book series
Dan Njegomir	Colorado Politics
David Alan Johnson	Salt Entertainment
Dean A. Reuter	The Federalist Society
Grace-Marie Turner	Galen Institute
Hadley Heath Manning	Independent Women’s Forum
Ilan Berman	American Foreign Policy Council
James Taranto	Wall Street Journal
Jillian Kay Melchior	The Wall Street Journal
John Yoo	UC Berkeley
Mary Kissel	Wall Street Journal
Mollie Hemingway	The Federalist
Peter Brookes	Heritage Foundation
Rebekah Gregory
Sam Sorbo	Let There Be Light
Steve Forbes	Forbes Media
Steve Forbes	Forbes
Tom Rogan	Washington Examiner
Wayne Laugesen	Colorado Springs Gazette

Speakers at the 10th Annual Freedom Conference & Festival, August 10 to August 11, 2018:

Name	Affiliations
Brandon Van Dyck	Lafayette College
Brent Chrite	University of Denver
Candace Owens	Turning Point USA
Charlie Kirk	Turning Point USA
Hadley Heath Manning	Independent Women’s Forum
Jason Riley	Manhattan Institute, Wall Street Journal
Jillian Kay Melchior	Wall Street Journal
Kay Coles James	Heritage Foundation
Kelsey Harkness	The Daily Signal
Kevin Sorbo
Melanie Sturm	Engage to Win
Rajshree Agarwal	Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets, University of Maryland
Robert Pasnau	Center for Western Civilization, Thought & Policy, CU-Boulder
Ryan Zinke	Department of Interior
Sam Sorbo
Sebastian Gorka	Fox News
Shannon Bream	Fox News
Thomas J. Baker
Tom Rogan	Washington Examiner
Yaron Brook	Ayn Rand Institute

Listed sponsors

Ginny & Rich Srednicki
“The Lone Star Group” (David & Debbie Dacus, Donna & Tom Cox, Jimmy & Betsy Montgomery)
Kris & Bill Bensler
Ron & Chenza Lazof
Bill & Toni Thomson
Irene Johnson
El Pomar Foundation
Sierra Valley Almonds
Bill and Susan Friesell

Speakers at the 11th Annual Freedom Conference & Festival, August 22 to August 24, 2019:

Name	Affiliations
Alan Dershowitz
Ann McElhinney
Asra Nomani	Muslim Reform Movement
Bhaskar Sunkara
Braeden Sorbo
David L. Bernhardt	U.S. Department of the Interior
Ferkat Jawdat
Hadley Heath Manning	Independent Women’s Forum, Steamboat Institute
Helen Raleigh
Ilya Shapiro	Cato Institute
Jillian Kay Melchior
Jim Bridenstine	NASA
Jim DeMint	Conservative Partnership Institute
Kevin Sorbo
Kira Muratova	Walden Media
Marshall Walker Lee	Emergent Order
Matthew Spalding	Hillsdale College
Matthew Taylor
Michelle Taylor
Peter Wallison	American Enterprise Institute
Phelim McAleer
Philip Wegmann	RealClearPolitics, Steamboat Institute
Sam Sorbo
Stephen Moore	Heritage Foundation
Stephon Ferguson
Ted Trimpa	Trimpa Group
Trent England	Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Listed sponsors

Virginia and Richard Srednicki
Irene Johnson
James and Lorraine Mann
Ron and Chenza Lazof
Kristine and William Bensler
William and Toni Thomson
Mary and Curt Weiss
El Pomar Foundation
Lee and Karen Korins
Andy and Toni George
Concerned Citizens
Cole and Margo McCombs
Bruce and Leslie Allbright
Ed & June MacArthur
Sierra Valley Almonds
Charles & Judy McNeil

Speakers at the 12th Annual Freedom Conference, August 28 to August 29, 2020:

Name	Affiliations
Amber Athey	Spectator USA, Steamboat Institute
Anastasia Lin	MacDonald-Laurier Institute
Arthur B. Laffer	Laffer Associates
Aurelia Skipworth
Charlie Kirk	Turning Point USA
Dave Bray
Elizabeth Eastman	Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, University of Colorado Boulder
Hadley Heath Manning	Independent Women’s Forum, Steamboat Institute
Heather Mac Donald	Manhattan Institute
Jillian Kay Melchior	Wall Street Journal, Steamboat Institute
John Eastman	Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, University of Colorado Boulder
Jorge Galicia
Kelsey Bolar	Independent Women’s Forum, Steamboat Institute
Kim Strassel	Wall Street Journal
Mark Hemingway	The Federalist, RealClearInvestigations
Mollie Hemingway	The Federalist
Philip Wegmann	RealClearPolitics, Steamboat Institute
Richard Grenell
Rob Smith
Saagar Enjeti
Scott W. Atlas	Hoover Institution
Tom Rogan	The McLaughlin Group, Washington Examiner, Steamboat Institute
Victor Davis Hanson	Hoover Institution

Speakers at the 13th Annual Freedom Conference and Festival, August 27 to August 28, 2021:

Name	Affiliations
Arthur B. Laffer	Laffer Associates
Carol Swain
Hadley Heath Manning	Independent Women’s Forum
Hugo Gurdon	Washington Examiner
Isabel Brown	Turning Point USA
James Carafano	Heritage Foundation
Jared Polis
Jillian Kay Melchior	Wall Street Journal
John Yoo	UC Berkeley
Kristina Arriaga	Facebook’s Oversight Advisory Trust
Kyle Mann	The Babylon Bee
Lauren Boebert
Marc Marano	Climate Depot
Mary Kissel	Stephens Inc.
Matthew Spalding	Hillsdale College
Michael R. Pompeo
Morgan Zegers	Young Americans Against Socialism
Patrice Onwuka	Independent Women’s Forum
Philip Wegmann	RealClearPolitics
Robert L. Woodson Sr.	Woodson Center, 1776 Unites
Scott Atlas	Hoover Institution
Tim Brown
Tom Rogan	Washington Examiner

The 14th Annual Freedom Conference and Festival is scheduled for 14h August 26 to August 27, 2022. As of March 14, 2022, speakers have not been announced.

*Note that details for the 2013, 2014, and 2015 conferences were not available on the Internet Archive.

“Campus Liberty Tour”

The Steamboat Institute describes its Campus Liberty Tour as follows:¹¹

“Since 2018, Steamboat Institute has fearlessly entered the lion’s den of college campuses with compelling debates on the hot topics of the day, engaging conservatives, liberals and centrists. Our focus is on teaching students – and all who attend – how to think, not what to think.”

2018

Title: “Nationalism vs. Globalism: A Debate Between Nigel Farage and Vicente Fox”

Dates:

Debaters:

Name	Provided Description
Nigel Farage	Architect of Brexit
Vicente Fox	President of Mexico (2000–06)

Moderators:

Date(s)	Name	Affiliation
April 2, 2018	Robert Kaufman	CU-Boulder
April 5 and 6, 2017	Mary Kissel	Wall Street Journal

Sponsors:

Mike Leprino Family Foundation
American Council of Trustees and Alumni
Bipartisan Policy Center
Center for Western Civilization, Thought & Policy at the University of Colorado Boulder
Coyote Gold
ColoradoPolitics
The Daily Signal
Economic Literacy Colorado
Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets at the University of Maryland
Free to Be Coalition
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Lafayette Symposium
Mountain Valley Bank
Network of enlightened Women (NeW)
Speech First
The Fund for American Studies
Peak View Park
The Center for the Study of Government and the Individual at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Woodford Foundation for Limited Government
Bruce D. Benson
Tim Borden
Ed and June Macarthur
Kristine and William Bensler
Irene Johnson
Tina Snider
Buz and Sherri Koelbel

Title: “The Constitution and the Campaign to Impeach President Trump”

Date: October 30, 2018

Speaker: William B. Allen, 2018–19 Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy at the University of Colorado Boulder, was the sole speaker at the event.”¹²

Title: “Is President Trump a Danger to the Republic?”

Date: November 1, 2018

Professor Stephen Presser, 2018-19 Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy at University of Colorado Boulder, was the event’s sole speaker.¹³

2019

Title: “Campus Liberty Tour – University of California, Berkeley – Alan Dershowitz & Richard Epstein“

Date: January 30, 2019

Debaters:

Name	Description
Alan Dershowitz	Professor of Law Emeritus, Harvard Law School
Richard A. Epstein	Lawrence A. Tisch Professor of Law, NYU School of Law

Moderator:

Janice Rogers Brown, Former U.S. Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia

Title: ”Campus Liberty Tour – Pepperdine University – Amy Wax & Alan Dershowitz”

Date: January 31, 2019

Debaters:

Name	Description
Alan Dershowitz	Professor of Law Emeritus, Harvard Law School
Amy Wax	Robert Mudheim Professor of Law University of Pennsylvania Law School

Moderator

Robert Kaufman, Pepperdine School of Public Policy

Title: “Conservatives and Traditional Conservatives: A Call for Unity”

Date: February 26, 2019

Benjamin R. Teitelbaum, Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology, University of Colorado, Boulder, was the sole speaker, moderated by Mattias Karlsson, billed as a “Swedish Member of Parliament.”

Title: “Capitalism vs. Socialism – Yaron Brook vs. Bhaskar Sunkara”

September 17, 2019—University of Maryland, College Park
September 18, 2019—University of Texas, Austin
September 19, 2019—University of Colorado, Denver

Debaters:

Name	Description
Yaron Brook	Chairman of the Board, Ayn Rand Institute; Author of “Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can End Big Government”
Bhaskar Sunkara	Founding editor and publisher of Jacobin; Guardian US Columnist; Author of “The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality”

Moderators

Day	Name	Description
September 17, 2019	Jillian Kay Melchior	Editorial Page Writer, The Wall Street Journal; Steamboat Institute Tony Blankley Fellow (Aug 2015-June 2017)
September 18, 2019	Tom Rogan	Commentary Desk, Washington Examiner
September 19, 2019	Hadley Heath Manning	Policy Director, Independent Women’s Forum

Title: “How Should We Elect Our President? A Debate on National Popular Vote vs Electoral College”

Date: October 10, 2019

Debaters:

Name	Description
Ted Trimpa	Principal and CEO – Trimpa Group
Trent England	Executive Vice President – Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Moderator: Jay Seaton, Publisher of The Daily Sentinel

2020

Title: ”Campus Liberty Tour – Middle Tennessee State University – Laffer vs. Marshall: Will a Wealth Tax Increase Prosperity?”

Date: October 5, 2020

Debaters:

Name	Description
Arthur B. Laffer	Founder and Chairman, Laffer Associates
Leslie Marshall	Democratic Strategist, National Radio Host, Fox News Contributor

Moderator: Hadley Heath Manning, Policy Director, Independent Women’s Forum and Tony Blankley Senior Fellow with the Steamboat Institute

2021

Title: ”Looking Ahead & What Really Happened? A Two-Part Conversation with Professors John and Elizabeth Eastman”

Date: March 25, 2021

Name	Description
Elizabeth Eastman	Senior Scholar in Residence – Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, University of Colorado Boulder
John Eastman	2020-21 Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy – Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, University of Colorado Boulder, speaking in his personal capacity and as a Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute.

Title: ”Making Space for Diversity of Ideas: A Debate on Whether Universities Should Limit Political Expression or Academic Research and Writing of Faculty Members”

Date: March 31, 2021

Debaters:

Name	Description
Alan Dershowitz	Professor Emeritus, Harvard Law School
Jillian Kay Melchior	Editorial Page Writer, The Wall Street Journal; Tony Blankley Fellow, The Steamboat Institute (August 2015-June 2017)
Robert Post	Sterling Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Moderator: Jillian Kay Melchior, columnist, The Wall Street Journal and 2015-2017 Tony Blankley Fellow at The Steamboat Institute

Title: “Liberty and Justice for All: A Conversation on Social Justice and Identity Politics with Jason Riley and Donna Brazile:

Date: April 26, 2021

Speakers:

Name	Description
Donna Brazile	Veteran Democratic Party Political Strategist
Jason Riley	Wall Street Journal Columnist and Editorial Board Member

Moderator: Patrice Onuwuka, Director of the Center for Economic Opportunity at Independent Women’s Forum and Tony Blankley Fellow at the Steamboat Institute

Title: “Liberty and Justice for All – A Conversation on Social Justice and Identity Politics”

Dates: September 21 and 22, 2021

Speakers:

Name	Description
Jason Riley	Editorial Board Member and Columnist at The Wall Street Journal
Richard Fowler	Host of The Richard Fowler Show and Fox News Contributor

Moderators:

Date	Name	Description
Sept 21, 2022	Hadley Heath Manning	Policy Director at the Independent Women’s Forum and Steamboat Institute Tony Blankley Fellow
Sept 22, 2022	Philip Wegmann	White House Reporter at RealClearPolitics and Steamboat Institute Tony Blankley Fellow

Title: “Should America Eliminate Fossil Fuel Use to Prevent Climate Catastrophe?”

Dates:

March 1, 2022 at University of Miami
March 2, 2022 at University of Colorado Boulder

Speakers:

Name	Description
Alex Epstein	President and Founder of the Center for Industrial Progress; Author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels
Wesley Clark	Chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates; Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO; Coproducer of the documentary Hot Money

Moderators:

Name	Description
Amber Athey	Washington Editor; Spectator USA; SI Tony Blankley Fellow
Jillian Kay Melchior	Editorial Page Writer; Wall Street Journal; SI Tony Blankley Fellow (2015-17)

Title: “Pathways to Personal Prosperity and Achieving Your Dreams: Government Programs or Free Enterprise?”

Dates:

October 26, 2022 at University of Texas at Austin
October 27, 2022 at University of Maryland

Speakers/debaters:

Name	Description
Bakari Sellers	CNN Political Commentator
Charles Payne	Host of Making Money, Fox Business Network

Moderators:

Name	Description
Carrie Sheffield	Senior Policy Analyst, Independent Women’s Forum & Steamboat Institute Tony Blankley Fellow
Tom Rogan	Commentary Editor, Washington Examiner & Steamboat Institute Tony Blankley Fellow

Actions

March 2022

The Steamboat Institute hosted an event titled “The Nexus of U.S. Energy Policy, Climate Science, Freedom and Prosperity.”¹⁴

Featured speakers include Steve Koonin, Bjorn Lomborg, Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto, Jacki Pick Deason, Alex Epstein, Patrick Moore, James Carafano, Robert Bryce, and Andrew Dessler. Steamboat’s published videos below.

Steve Koonin’s opening address:

Alex Epstein versus Andrew Dressler debate on “Should America rapidly eliminate fossil fuel use to prevent climate catastrophe?”

Bjorn Lomborg‘s luncheon address:

Patrick Moore‘s keynote dinner address:

March 1–2, 2022

The Steamboat Institute hosted the “Campus Liberty Tour” with an appearance from Alex Epstein at an event titled “Should America Eliminate Fossil Fuel Use to Prevent Climate Catastrophe?” See video below.¹⁵

The EventBrite description listed the March 2 event as a collaboration with the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at University of Colorado Boulder.

January 2022

The Steamboat Institute posted an update regarding “extended front-page op-ed(s)” on “energy, climate, freedom and prosperity” authored by CEO and Chairman Jennifer Schubert-Akin.¹⁶

In the pieces, which were featured in the The Denver Gazette¹⁷ and The Colorado Springs Gazette, she criticized President Biden’s decision to raise fuel mileage standards on vehicles, and described the Green New Deal as “the most radical energy policy proposal.”

“While these initiatives may be well-intended, they raise electricity prices and reduce reliability for American families, small businesses, and industries, diminishing individual freedom and economic prosperity,” Schubert-Atkins claimed. “These consequences must be included in energy and environmental policy discussions to help determine whether the benefits of green regulations outweigh the drawbacks.”

Additional excerpts:

“Cities, states, and nations are locked in a green energy arms race, competing to implement the strongest environmental policies to try to fight climate change. Yet policy makers largely overlook the losers of this emissions competition: ordinary Americans who face unreliable and expensive electricity as a result.”

”In the most extreme cases, green energy policies can result in death and destruction. Hundreds of Texans died last winter after a storm caused the state’s windmills, which provide about one-quarter of the state’s electricity, to freeze and the power grid to collapse.”

“The most common consequence of green energy policies is rising electricity prices. As environmental economist Bjorn Lomborg, who’s appearing at a Steamboat Institute energy policy summit in Steamboat Springs in March, explains in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed: ‘Limiting the use of fossil fuels requires making them more expensive and pushing people toward green alternatives that remain pricier and less efficient.’”

According to Schubert-Akin, natural gas production is to thank for CO2 reductions and worries about climate change are “overwrought”:

October 27, 2021

October 27, 2021 Climate Hustle producer Marc Morano was a speaker on episode 19 of the Steamboat Institute program, “Liberty Chats.” Morano was described as “one of the highest profile voices of climate realism in the world today.”¹⁸

August 28, 2021

Climate Hustle producer Marc Morano was a speaker at the Steamboat Institute’s 2021 “Freedom Conference” in Beaver Creek, Colorado.¹⁹