[jeffkrol]

Environment -- Future At Risk

POLLUTER TAKEOVER: The Republican surge into the halls of Congress during the 2010 elections was bankrolled by millions from right-wing coal and oil polluters like Koch Industries and Tesoro Oil that now expect a return on the investment. Conservatives have announced an ambitious agenda of deregulating the pollution that is killing Americans and threatening the planet. The incoming Republican chairs of crucial committees in the House of Representatives opposed the climate legislation supported by President Barack Obama, and now oppose limits on global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act. Their attack on public health is being led by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), once considered a “moderate on environmental issues,” but who has since worked hard to refashion himself as a hard-right defender of pollution as the incoming chairman of the House energy committee. To run his committee, Upton hired a slew of lobbyists, whose client rolls include fossil fuel interests and environmental criminals. These ex-lobbyists "met in a closed-door session Tuesday with energy industry interests to work on strategy to handcuff the Obama administration’s climate change agenda,” Politico reports. In the Senate, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) "will introduce sweeping legislation later this month to block the Obama administration and states from imposing climate rules." Also, "[a]t least 56 senators -- just four short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster -- will most likely support measures to hamstring climate rules, and an additional eight votes may be in play this Congress." Texas oil company Tesoro has launched a new campaign to vilify the Environmental Protection Agency's pollution rules as a "regulatory blizzard" and an "avalanche of regulations that will wipe out jobs." This attack on the EPA is being joined by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Farm Bureau, the American Petroleum Institute, Koch's Americans for Prosperity, and dozens of other right-wing front groups.

http://pr.thinkprogress.org/

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What a bunch of Koch-suckers.

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JjQxPJOAfg&feature=player_embedded[/YT]

[jeffkrol]

– In 2009, while the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the Citizens United case, Justice Thomas was featured at the annual fundraiser for the Heritage Foundation — and sat at a table for donors with investment banker Thomas Saunders and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC). After the Citizens United decision, Heritage created a new nonprofit called “Heritage Action” to run attack ads against Democrats.

– In 2009, while the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the Citizens United case, Justice Alito headlined a fundraiser for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) — the same corporate front that funded the rise of Republican dirty trickster James O’Keefe and anti-masturbation activist Christine O’Donnell. According to the sponsorship levels for the event, Alito helped ISI raise $70,000 or more from law firms like Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP. ISI is run partially by lobbyist James Burnley, who also is on the board of FreedomWorks.

– Last year, Justice Thomas helped headline a fundraiser for the National Association of Broadcasters, a lobby group representing News Corp, Cox Media Group, and other media companies. The event raised hundreds of thousands for NAB’s charity from a host of corporate sponsors, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, PhRMA, and CBS Corp.

Notably, litigants in the Citizens United decision were also attendees of the Koch meeting. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which attended the Koch meeting, filed a Citizens United brief in support of unlimited corporate spending in elections. The Institute for Justice, founded by Charles Koch, and the Cato Institute, also founded by Charles Koch, filed briefs in support for overturning campaign finance laws. A number of the other groups filing briefs in the Citizens United decision, including the Center for Competitive Politics, are run by Koch meeting participants like Eric O’Keefe.

Earlier this month, we tried to speak to David Koch about the impact of Citizens United and his influence. After hearing the question, he ended the interview.

ThinkProgress Group Requests DOJ To Investigate Scalia and Thomas Involvement With Koch Corporate Fundraisers
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