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The Environmental Spectator

Governors (Two) Bark Back

Western govs Otter know better than let themselves be controlled by global warmist fanatics.

Well, they didn't take that very well.

The chairman (Democrat Gov. of Montana Brian Schweitzer) and vice chairman (Republican Gov. of Idaho Butch Otter) of the Western Governors Association responded sharply (PDF) to a National Taxpayers Union inquiry about WGA's management and funding of the Western Climate Initiative, which the rest of the WGA board members -- the governors of the other 17 Western states -- either unknowingly or are too embarrassed to acknowledge they support.

WCI is a serious hush-hush deal among these state executives. While they proudly and in detail (as shown in annual reports and on WGA's website) explain activities such as the Western Regional Air Partnership, the Western Interstate Energy Board, and the Western States Water Council, WCI comparatively is a big secret. There is barely a mention of WCI by name.

How can WGA have an entire page about climate change on its site and not even mention WCI? Why is the pride exhibited by the WestGovs for WRAP, WIEB, and WSWC -- all in the spirit of its mission statement ("to collectively express their positions on matters of shared interest, and together advocate a Western agenda") -- missing with WCI? Are the governors not all on board, or do they just not want the public to know about it?

That's one of the many important questions NTU asked, because it's not clear all the governors voted to support WCI -- at least openly. Meanwhile some members -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for one -- have allowed WGA to advance a policy (cap-and-tax emissions reduction) they seem to loathe while criticizing it in other forums. Regardless of whether WGA member states funded WCI with taxpayer dollars, as NTU has asked in requesting full disclosure of the project's accounting, for the governors to allow WGA staff to run WCI contradicts their mission to act in unanimity on issues of common agreement and importance.

But instead of a response that addressed the concerns of a respected taxpayer advocate, WGA slapped together a whitewash retort. The letter, almost certainly composed by WCI project manager Patrick Cummins (a WGA staffer whose name pops up as the author in the Microsoft Word version of the letter), ignores the majority of NTU's challenges and instead adamantly declares that outside funding covered WCI expenditures, not state dues.

Whether or not taxpayer funds ended up covering WCI-related costs is one issue. Only a full, transparent audit will disclose not only incoming and outgoing dollars, but also whether or not WGA staffers like Cummins and executive director Pam Inmann saw their work time totally consumed with WCI; what their contract (WCI is alleged to have "contracted" with WGA for its employees' services) stipulations were; and whether or not any WGA employees personally benefited from the arrangement.

It's not surprising that Cummins would be so testy about NTU's inquiry. He's a global warming alarmist pushing hard for a cap-and-tax agreement among the Western states, as reported by online publication Facilitiesnet:

"What the states are really doing is taking leadership and trying to find out what works in different regions….

"I think people realize that some of the cap-and-trade approaches that are out there work not only for the electricity market but for other sectors," says Cummins. "With the kind of cuts we need to make, everybody needs to be in the program. We're not going to get the reductions we need by focusing on a single sector."

So it follows that Cummins would show up as a contributor to the last two global warming fear-mongering presidential candidates in 2004 and 2008, with $200 to Democrat John Kerry, and $208 to President Obama (Cummins's wife also gave three donations totaling $130 to Obama). Cummins also supported ($300) a Democrat candidate for the La Plata County (Colo.) Commission, Joelle Riddle, who until her election was education director for the local Planned Parenthood chapter. Her calling now, in addition to those serving constituents, is to speak on the global warming alarmist circuit. Anyone who has studied climate change hysteria knows that greenhouse gas reduction and population control go together.

But Cummins' presence and influence is only symptomatic of a larger problem: that the once moderate, measured WGA has been overtaken by a leftist staff carrying out the work of environmental extremist nonprofits and foundations. WCI, for example, is the product of the five Western governors (California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Arizona former Gov. Janet Napolitano, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire) who initiated it. It was since joined by Montana's Schweitzer and Utah's Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., a climate alarmist like the GOP's Schwarzenegger.

WCI, as with nearly half the states, has been developed with the help of the Center for Climate Strategies, a group that advances the anti-fossil fuel agenda by "helping" states create greenhouse gas reduction policy. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a multi-million dollar alarmism advocate, finances much of CCS's work. Other activist groups like the Energy Foundation, World Resources Institute, and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change were also involved.

Beyond WCI, it's clear environmental extremists possess a large measure of control over WGA. A glimpse at its annual reports and Web site reveal significant backing from eco-left leaners such as the Doris Duke Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, the Energy Foundation, the (Ted) Turner Foundation, the Southwest Partnership for Carbon Sequestration, and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation. A few oil companies like British Petroleum, ConocoPhillips and Chevron have chipped in also.

But WGA's report page almost exclusively lists studies that could have been found on any anti-capitalist, environoiac organization's website, with titles such as "Developing Alternative Transportation Fuels," "Wildlife Corridors," "Deploying Near-zero Technologies for Coal: A Path Forward," "Clean Energy, a Strong Economy and a Healthy Environment -- A Progress Report 2005-2007," and "Conserving the Greater Sage Grouse." It's clear the environmentalists have disproportionate control of WGA.

Page: 1 2  

topics:
Global Warming, Environmentalism, Democratic Party

About the Author

Paul Chesser is executive director for the American Tradition Institute and a senior fellow for the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. The views he expresses do not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (90) | Leave a comment

Jason Gillman| 7.20.09 @ 10:04AM

"The letter, almost certainly composed by WCI project manager Patrick Cummins (a WGA staffer whose name pops up as the author in the Microsoft Word version of the letter)"

Pesky give-aways those little artifacts..

Author: Here guv, sign this
Guv: "why is your hand on the text?"
Author: "To hold the ink down.."

Marc Jeric| 7.20.09 @ 2:24PM

Intimidation by our ec0-nazis proceeds apace. Real independent US scientists, all 31,478 of them with 9,029 PhD's among them have declared that man-caused global warming is a huge hoax (see Internet for "Global Warming Petition Project"). See also "Manhattan Declaration" for more such scientists. Not government and UN-paid drones, almost all rejects of private enterprise - real scientists.

Richard Baker| 7.20.09 @ 2:47PM

What has always made me laugh are these petitions stating that x-number of Ph.D.s signed the document demanding that something be done about "global warming". Then you find that foreign language, English, and other liberal arts professors are the ones signing these things. Strange that the title of Ph.D. is muisused so. No one could possibly trying to deceive, could they? This whole effort is to fool people with any tool possible. "Political science" at it's worst. And there is no "consensus". I'd bet that a lot of these "climate" experts are grant whores trolling for Federal money.

Pingback| 7.20.09 @ 5:38PM

A Democrat Governor Against Cap-and-Trade | GlobalWarming.org links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Categorized | Blog A Democrat Governor Against Cap-and-Trade by Paul Chesser, Heartland Institute Correspondent July 20, 2009 @ 5:38 pm      PrintThis      EmailThis In a  piece today about the Western Governors Association’s management of the Western Climate Initiative, I explain how there is a lack of enthusiasm from many of WGA’s members for WCI. I cited the criticism…

Pingback| 7.20.09 @ 5:44PM

VIDEO: Miami to Protest Against Taxes & Gov. Spending – 7/21/2009 (Miami Protesta Con links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…care? Rasmussen: Obama 45, Romney 45; Obama 48, Palin 42 Germans: Of course Iran kept working on nuclear weapons American Spectator Many Moons Ago Behind Closed Doors Liberal Lion in Winter Governors (Two) Bark Back Sloppy Senates A Nation of One-Eyed Sycophants? And That's the Way It Is The Stoning of Soraya M. Unwise Non-Latinas Bill Clinton ACTS UP American Thinker One-Way Free Speech My turncoat GOP…

Pingback| 7.20.09 @ 6:48PM

Celebrity Paycut - Encouraging celebrities all over the world to save us from global links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

Home Category: Warming Skeptics Written by: admin on Jul 20, 2009 16:38 Comments: None Tags: carbon emissions, climate, climate change, emissions, green A Democrat Governor Against Cap-and-Trade In a  piece today about the Western Governors Association’s management of the Western Climate Initiative, I explain how there is a lack of enthusiasm from many of WGA’s members for WCI. I cited the criticism…

Russell Seitz| 7.21.09 @ 2:06AM

Gosh, Marc , all those Real independent US scientists, all 31,478 of them with 9,029 PhD's among them, must have belted out a carload of atmospheric science papers by now.

To shame the consensus coddling warmistas into submission , why don't you post the top ten in terms of scientific impact , as tabulated by the guileless folks over at Science Citation Index- no rejects of private enterprise there.

You might also call up your own bibliography to share with us- this is your fifth or sixth repetition of the same empty statistics and it is beginning to cloy.

Pingback| 7.21.09 @ 2:38PM

Another Dem Governor Thinks Waxman-Markey is a Turkey | GlobalWarming.org links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…detailed how W-M would harm farmers in eastern Colorado. Curiously also, “green” Governor Ritter has failed to take the step of joining his enviro-left colleagues as members of the Western Climate Initiative, the regional cap-and-trade initiative, despite going to great lengths during his term to hone his global warming credentials. After noting Wyoming Democrat Gov. Dave Freudenthal’s position…

Pingback| 7.21.09 @ 4:37PM

They’re Dropping Like Flies Around Manny Ramirez | GlobalWarming.org links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…— whose goal is a cap-and-trade agreement among member states (AZ, NM, CA, OR, WA, UT, and MT)!! Now he says out of one side of his mouth that it’s wrongheaded, while out of the other side he defends WCI (and WGA’s management of it) to the hilt. What kind of craziness is going on at WGA? Do you have to be a Wild West Looney Tunes to be a member? Apparently pandering to all the environmental…

Richard Baker| 7.21.09 @ 7:06PM

Correction: misused, not muisused

Pingback| 7.22.09 @ 10:37AM

July 22, 2009 Show Prep - Jim Pfaff Show links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

July 22, 2009 Show Prep - Jim Pfaff Show Skip to content About Sponsors Search « Bill Ritter won’t support Cap and Tax. July 22, 2009 Show Prep Today, I’ll be talking to Paul Chesser of the Heartland Institute

Pingback| 7.23.09 @ 2:20PM

Nature of Consensus – Snowmen II « the Air Vent links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…by state governments to make unwise decisions like supporting the flawed and costly and totally unnecessary WCI (Western Climate Initiative), which Paul Chesser writes about in this American Spectator story here. Climate frauds like Mann, Mote and Steig have a lot to answer for, if the governments measures inflict major pain on the citizens and the globe continues to cool in its natural rythym. I fully agree that…

Pingback| 7.23.09 @ 4:24PM

Cherry Picking and Executive Ordering | GlobalWarming.org links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…ntThis      EmailThis Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, one of the founding members of the Western Climate Initiative which has co-opted the staff of the Western Governors Association to do WCI work, has engaged in a pattern of deceit and has circumvented the state legislature to advance her global warming agenda. The most recent example was in her June 22 letter (critiqued brilliantly by the…

Pingback| 7.23.09 @ 5:40PM

Celebrity Paycut - Encouraging celebrities all over the world to save us from global links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Picking and Executive Ordering Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, one of the founding members of the Western Climate Initiative which has co-opted the staff of the Western Governors Association to do WCI work, has engaged in a pattern of deceit and has circumvented the state legislature to advance her global warming agenda. The most recent example was… Read the rest of the story Add your Comment Name…

Pingback| 7.25.09 @ 12:45AM

Cooler Heads Digest 24 July 2009 | GlobalWarming.org links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Supporters Wall Street Journal, 21 July 2009 Obama’s Wacky Climate Czar Joseph Abrahams, Fox News, 21 July 2009 Global Warming’s Missing Link Chris Horner, Energy Tribune, 20 July 2009 Governors Bite Back Paul Chesser, American Spectator, 20 July 2009 News You Can Use Department of Inefficient Energy The Wall Street Journal this week reported on a government audit of the Department of Energy that…

Pingback| 8.11.09 @ 4:00PM

WGA Continues Lockdown on WCI | GlobalWarming.org links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…which he accused NTU of “false accusations and innuendo” which “recklessly defame the reputation of WGA…our names and that of our citizens.” Cummins, a Kerry- and Obama-supporting global warming alarmist whose reputation and salary are apparently dependent on the success of WCI, persuaded the new WGA chairman (Democratic Governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer ) and vice-chairman…

Pingback| 1.14.10 @ 2:26PM

Western Tradition Partnership Blog » Gov. Schweitzer Flips, Otter Flops Amid Cap & Tr links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…Western states — either unknowingly or are too embarrassed to acknowledge they support. WCI is a serious hush-hush deal among these state executives. Read the rest here: http://spectator.org/archives/2009/07/20/governors-two-bark-back - Paul Chesser Share this article! Leave a Comment Click here to cancel reply. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Join WTP and Stop Gang Green!…

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