24 Environmental Groups Named As “Energy Killers” For Refusing to Support Affordable Energy

Most Extreme Organizations Named By CORE's Leadership In Campaign To Expose Energy Killers To Public Scrutiny

It is difficult for the average citizen to believe that large, well-funded non-profit groups classified by the IRS as "public charities" could oppose affordable energy and work to make prices so high you have to stop using the power you need to heat and light your home, travel where you wish, and enjoy a decent standard of living.

But the Congress of Racial Equality has identified 24 tax exempt "public charity" environmental groups that have just such "energy killer" programs.

All 24 groups: 

• Oppose constructing coal-fired power plants for affordable electricity
• Oppose clean coal-to-liquids plants for low cost fuel
• Oppose construction of nuclear power plants for affordable electricty
• Protest production of clean natural gas in the Western States
• Prevent exploration and production of oil on American soil
• Support crushing new taxes on already struggling farms, factories, and offices for emitting CO2, the same thing you exhale every time you breathe
• Spend huge amounts lobbying Congress and swaying public opinion against using the vital energy backbone of America - oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hydroelectric power 

These groups are funded by wealthy individuals such as George Soros and large foundations that have grown out of touch with the realities of ordinary people living ordinary lives and needing ordinary energy from a broad mix of sources. Their generosity to energy killer groups is misdirected and needs to be reformed to serve the real public, which includes the disadvantaged, the poor and minorities.

Environmental Defense, Inc. aka Environmental Defense Fund Budget $69,501,360	EDF recently killed eight new coal-fired power plants in Texas by brokering a costly buyout of the state’s huge electrical utility, TXU Corporation, by David Bonderman’s Texas Pacific Group, that requires the buyers to use high-priced “alternative” energy that doesn’t yet exist and to impose a “carbon emissions cap” that will cost rate payers millions in higher power prices. Bonderman is a donor to notorious anti-energy group, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Natural Resources Defense Council aka NRDC Budget $70,139,209	In 2008 NRDC placed an ad in the Washington Post opposing offshore oil drilling filled with gross falsehoods about environmental risks, high costs, and industry misdeeds. Washington Post editors condemned NRDC in print for the ad’s falsehoods and set the record straight with an extraordinary editorial slap at a paying advertiser.
Sierra Club Budget $81,186,542	In January 2008, SC filed a lawsuit challenging all 748 oil leases in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.
National Wildlife Federation  Budget, $97,581,161	NWF president Larry J Schweiger is a board of directors member of Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection, flagship of the "no more fossil fuels" campaign. NWF operates an aggressive anti-oil and gas campaign.
League of Conservation Voters  Budget, $6,609,746	LCV's Board of Directors includes not only green group leaders, but also an elite including Rampa Hormel, heiress of the SPAM meat-packing fortune, Larry Rockefeller, heir of the Standard Oil fortune, Wade Green of Rockefeller Financial Services, Bill Roberts of the Beldon Fund (Steelcase Corporation money), investment banker Ted Roosevelt of the former Lehman Brothers, Inc., hedge fund operator Scott Nathan of the Baupost Group, and Donald K. Ross, principal of lobbying firm M+R Strategic Services and current chair of Greenpeace USA.
Pew Charitable Trusts Budget   $292,104,189	Pew donates more money to energy killer projects than any other single foundation, $51.8 million, more than the Ford Foundation or MacArthur Foundation.
Center for Biological Diversity, Inc. Budget $3,932,380	In January 2008, CBD filed a lawsuit challenging all 748 oil leases in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. Filed with Sierra Club.
National Environmental Trust  Budget $13,151,762	NET hid its original name, “Environmental Strategies,” changed to “Environmental Information Center” and now uses the misleadingly official-sounding “National Environmental Trust.” NET holds briefings, news conferences, events, and meetings with numerous anti-energy groups and uses their extensive media contacts to plant stories in major outlets.
Earthworks  Budget $2,466,889	Earthworks, primarily through its project, the Oil and Gas Accountability Project (OGAP), works to delay and block numerous energy projects in conjunction with the Western Environmental Law Center and an array of small local groups with longstanding links to OGAP. In 2007, OGAP successfully lobbied anti-energy bills through the legislatures of New Mexico and Colorado.
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership  Budget $1,761,126	In 2008 TRCP, with the National Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited, co-created the deceptive Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development (formerly Sportsmen for Responsible Oil and Gas Development), which in fact works against, not for, energy development of any kind.In 2007, approximately 50% of the oil and gas leases in the Rocky Mountain States were administratively challenged. In Utah alone, oil and gas development on millions of acres is being held up by TRCP
Greenpeace, Inc (c4): $15,829,168 / Greenpeace Fund (c3): $10,747,083	Six British Greenpeace campaigners were prosecuted for causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to the coal-fired Kingsnorth power station in Kent, Great Britain, but were acquitted by a jury using the defense of "lawful excuse" under Britain's Criminal Damage Act 1971, which allows damage to be caused to property to prevent even greater damage, in this case, global warming. Greenpeace is now encouraged to destroy fossil fuel facilities of any type in countries that might be convinced to accept the principle of "lawful excuse" for global warming.
Friends of the Earth  Budget $3,412,830	FOE published distorted anti-corporate report "Big Oil - Bigger Giveaway" in July 2008, recommending severe taxes on oil and gas companies, with serious price increases for consumers.
Colorado Environmental Coalition, Inc.   Budget $1,259,905	CEC campaigns aggressively to eliminate oil and gas exploration, development, and production from the state of Colorado. Campaigns to retain the Clinton administration's last-minute 2001 Roadless Area Rule that removed 4.4 million acres of Colorado federal property from any type of development instead of allowing reasonable and responsible development to recover energy resources for American consumers
Defenders of Wildlife  Budget $29,364,729	DoW Specializes in using endangered species as a surrogate to stop development of energy resources, lobbying and litigating to trump economic activity with the Endangered Species Act.
Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development  Budget Unknown Sponsors: National Wildlife Federation,  Trout Unlimited, and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership	SFRED is a synthetic coalition created in 2007 by large foundation grants to Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and organized with Trout Unlimited and the National Wildlife Federation, originally named "Sportsmen for Responsible Oil and Gas Development," and changed in 2008 to "Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development." The organizing groups do not believe there is any such thing as responsible development, and develop attack programs to smear the reputations of energy companies. Produced and ran radio ads in New Mexico falsely claiming water pollution from oil wells.
EarthJustice  $26,096,613	EJ has a long record of filing lawsuits to block coal, oil and gas, nuclear and hydropower development.
Center for Science on Public Participation  Budget $334,262	CSPP was originally an anti-mining group formed in 1997 to lend credibility to attack groups intent on stopping American mineral industry. Now produces agenda-driven reports by credentialed but ideologically motivated experts against coal, oil and gas development on government property.
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance  Budget $2,491,787	SUWA organized the campaign to convince the Clinton administration to block development of a trillion-dollar deposit of clean low-sulfur coal by declaring a huge Utah area as the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument. Files lawsuits and smear campaigns to stop uranium development in order to eliminate nuclear power plants.
U.S. Public Interest Reserch Group (c4): $985,230 / Fund (c3) $5,676,252	USPIRG has a long record of lobbying against energy development. Lobbied against Energy Act of 2003 and since has supported all energy-blocking legislation in Congress. Received foundation funding in 2001 to block oil and gas development in ANWR, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, carried out aggressive anti-energy campaign.
Environmental Working Group  Budget $4,272,954	EWG works to eliminate oil and gas industry from American soil with "reports" smearing energy companies: "Coming Up Dry" (July 2008); "Colorado's Chemical Injection" (June 2008); "Colorado’s Pristine Roan Plateau Threatened by Drilling Surge" (December 2007). Supports phony hunting coalition with "report" titled, "Rigged Game: How Reckless Oil & Gas Drilling on Public Lands Threatens Wildlife Habitat--and Hunting." Falsely asserts that "Drill rigs are invading Western wildlife habitat and hunters are being squeezed out." No Such thing is happening.
Wilderness Society  Budget $37,471,378	WS is a leading attack group to prevent and remove energy development from government lands. Publishes anti-energy "reports" such as "Energy and Western Wildlands: A GIS Analysis of Economically Recoverable Oil and Gas," (2002) claiming not much oil and gas exist, so we should not try to use it. Fights drilling in ANWR by selectively "cherry-picked" reports such as "Arctic Refuge Drilling or Clean Energy? A summary and review of current literature  finds that job creation claims by the petroleum industry are flawed." (2002)
Rainforest Action Network  Budget $3,629,171	RAN operates program called "Coal is over, fund the future - Wind and solar power, energy efficiency, a green energy grid—these are our energy future." Claims that "It’s time to end dirty coal development and invest in sustainable solutions," when no such replacement energy is availabe or even close to being available. Uses coercion and civil disobedience to destroy American industrial strength. Opposes renewable fuels such as ethanol, offering members to "Get the truth about biofuels - Biofuels began with a great dream: making fuel from oil or plant waste. But when agribusinesses got involved, the dream went bad." Mere anti-corporate hatred motivates their actions.
Union of Concerned Scientists  Budget $17,970,237	UCS is a group with more ideology than science cherry-picks data to destroy the coal, oil and gas industries and make a massive and disastrous change to non-existent and problematic energy sources. Opposes nuclear power plants, seeks to shut them down by "monitoring dangers" and advocating that the industry is too dangerous to continue, while nations such as France obtain most of their electricity from nuclear power plants with very minimal risk.
Tides Center: $56,446,971 Tides Foundation: $77,823,787  Both 501(c)(3)	TC / TF are twin incubators for far-left anti-corporate, anti-American, and anti-development organizations. They operate more than 200 new and maturing activist groups with targets across the spectrum of American economic strength to attack and destroy corporate America.