Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

ALEC Doubles Down on Anti-Environment Agenda

Written by Mary Bottari

Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 9:43 AM

Reply-To: editor@prwatch.org

o: peterbnyc@gmail.com

The Center for Media and Democracy - Reporting on spin and disinformation since 1993

December 9, 2014

Last week's ALEC meeting was a humdinger and CMD was there.

The Guardian newspaper (you know, the giant British daily that reported on the Edward Snowden revelations?) was blocked from the meetings (because they are 'activists' and not reporters, says ALEC) and a photographer was thrown over a bush by an ALEC attendee (the attacker was taken away in cuffs).

After those preliminaries, the American Legislative Exchange Council got down to business. With control of more statehouses, ALEC is loaded for bear, and the fossil fuel barons that bankroll the institution have an important agenda item for their minions: destroy the EPA.

Believe it or not, ALEC's Energy and Environment Task Force discussed a measure to dismantle the federal Environmental Protection Agency and replace it with do-nothing state commissions. When corporate lobbyists warned that this might make ALEC look, well – insane -- they reluctantly tabled the measure.

But never fear, on behalf of its corporate funders -- Koch Industries, Exxon Mobil, and Peabody Energy -- ALEC is doubling down on its efforts to eviscerate President Obama's proposed EPA rules to limit carbon pollution from coal fired power plants, emissions that are harming human health and warming the planet.

The task force passed two new bills designed to give states the tools to delay and degrade the EPA rules; this on top of ALEC's ongoing efforts to get state attorneys general to launch costly lawsuits to stonewall the rules. You heard it here first, the war on Obamacare will be nothing compared to the war on the EPA.

But we can fight back. Because we exposed this reckless agenda, Google, Facebook, AOL, and over 90 other firms have stopped funding ALEC. The corporate bill mill finished last year with a $1.2 million deficit. Ouch.

Will you help us keep the heat where it belongs on this corporate bill mill and its flunkies?

We are a small organization with a small staff and your year-end, tax-deductible donation goes a long way.

Yours,

The Team at the Center for Media and Democracy

Center for Media and Democracy PO Box 259010 Madison, WI 53725 608.260.9713 editor@prwatch.org

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