Another Day, Another Case of Polluter-Paid “Outrage”

Paper-cutouts

The New York Times reports on a yet another case of phony protests against the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act. This time, Big Oil bussed in its employees for a “rally” in Houston:

Hard on the heels of the health care protests, another citizen movement seems to have sprung up, this one to oppose Washington’s attempts to tackle climate change. But behind the scenes, an industry with much at stake — Big Oil — is pulling the strings. […]

The event on Tuesday was organized by a group called Energy Citizens, which is backed by the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry’s main trade group. Many of the people attending the demonstration were employees of oil companies who work in Houston and were bused from their workplaces.[…]

While polls show that a majority of Americans support efforts to tackle climate change, opposition to the climate bill from energy-intensive industries has become more vigorous in recent weeks. The Senate is expected to consider its own version of the bill at the end of September.

Also in the New York Times today, Congressional investigators have turned up five more fake letters to House members from a lobbying firm fighting ACES.

It seems like every day this summer, we’ve learned about another phony effort from polluters, spending big money to protect its record profits. With 71 percent of Americans behind ACES, Big Oil knows it can’t win a fair fight. So we get forged letters and rallies that are about as genuinely grassroots as the Monday morning staff meeting at your office.

Published: August 19, 2009