American Energy Alliance Leads Front Group Attack on Wind PTC | Gabe Elsner

 

The fossil fuel-funded American Energy Alliance wrote a coalition letter signed by 20 organizations to Congress claiming widespread support for "The PTC Elimination Act", which would cut subsidies for wind energy production. The letter uses misinformation to claim that wind energy is bad for the economy and is more expensive than traditional fossil fuel energy production. Wind energy power purchase agreements continue to break records as the cost of clean energy has plummeted over the past few years. The price of wind is down more than 50 percent since 2009 and contracted ind prices hit an all-time low in 2014 of ~2.35 cents per kWh.

The Energy and Policy Institute examined the list of signatories and found the following: 

• 18 of the signatories signed a similar letter written by the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity in June 2014 (counting Independent Women’s Forum & Voice as one affiliated organization). 
• 14 have ties to fossil fuel funders and 18 have ties to the Koch Brothers’ political network with some organizations receiving funding directly from the Kochs and others receiving funding from the "dark money ATM" Donors Trust/Donors Capital Fund or other front groups like the "Center to Protect Patients Rights”.

Elected officials and the public should make note that while these groups claim to be “free market” think tanks and non-profits, in reality, they are operating as front groups for the Koch Brothers and other fossil fuel interests with a financial interest in stoping the wind production tax credit (PTC).

See our breakdown below: 

Organization
State
Fossil Fuel Funding?
Koch Network?
Description

60 Plus Association
DC
Yes
Yes
Funding from Center to Protect Patient Rights, a Koch funding passthrough; also funded by Freedom Partners, the Koch Brothers' secret bank; also received funding from Koch-network's TC4 Trust

American Commitment
DC
Yes
Yes
Koch-funded group, almost entirely funded by Koch passthroughs Freedom Partners, Center to Protect Patient Rights

American Energy Alliance
DC
Yes
Yes
Funded by ExxonMobil, Koch Brothers and Freedom Partners; President is former Koch lobbyist

Americans for Prosperity
DC
Yes
Yes
Founded and funded by Koch Brothers

Americans for Tax Reform
DC
Yes
Yes
Funded by American Petroleum Institute and Koch Brothers; member of State Policy Network

Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes
DC
Yes
Americans for Prosperity funded allied group Building a Better Ohio on Ohio Issue 2; signed previous AFP anti-wind letter

Competitive Enterprise Institute
DC
Yes 
Yes
Funding from ExxonMobil and Koch Brothers; Member of State Policy Network

Energy Makes America Great, Inc.
DC
Yes
Yes 
Funded by New Mexico Oil and Gas Association; part of Citizens' Alliance for Responsible Energy

Freedom Works
DC
Yes
Yes
Funded by DonorsTrust; Break up of Citizens for Sound Economy (funded by the Koch Brothers) created FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity (funded by the Koch Brothers)

Heritage Action for America
DC
Yes
Yes
Funded by Koch Brothers; member of State Policy Network

Independent Women's Forum/Voice
DC
Yes
Yes
Funded by Koch Brothers; affiliated with Americans for Prosperity for 5 years

Less Government
DC
Front group managed by consultant Seyton Motley; no website exists at lessgovernment.org, the organization's listed web URL

Let Freedom Ring
DC
Yes
Yes
Funded through Koch Brothers' political network

R Street Institute
DC
Yes
Connected to Koch political network, was part of Heartland Institute

Taxpayers Protection Alliance
DC
Yes
Connections to Koch-funded Americans for Job Security and Alliance for America's Future

Tea Party Nation
Yes
For profit company founded by Judson Phillips, organized first Tea Party convention

The Campaign to Free America
Founded by Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation

Frontiers of FreedomVA
Yes
Yes
Funding from Koch Brothers and ExxonMobil; funded by tobacco industry

Americans for Limited Government
VA
Yes
Yes
Funded by Center to Protect Patients Rights, a Koch funding passthrough.

Project 21
DC
Yes
Yes
Initiative of State Policy Network group "National Center for Public Policy Research", which received funding from ExxonMobil

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More:

Wind Production Tax Credit Fossil Fuels Front Groups American Energy Alliance Heritage Action Americans for Prosperity Americans for Tax Reform Freedom Works Competitive Enterprise Institute American Commitment 60 Plus Association Frontiers of Freedom Taxpayers Protection Alliance Independent Women's Forum Tea Party Nation Let Freedom Ring R Street Institute Energy Makes America Great Less Government Coast Americans for Limited Government Project 21 The Campaign to Free America

American Energy Alliance Leads Front Group Attack on Wind PTC | Gabe Elsner