Keystone XL Influence Peddling Web Extends into PA Governor's Race Via Katie McGinty

Pennsylvania Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate and former head of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Kathleen “Katie” McGinty, has hired powerful PR firm SKDKnickerbocker for her campaign’s communications efforts. SKDKnickerbocker – once known as Squier Knapp Dunn – is co-owned by President Barack Obama’s former Communications Director Anita Dunn and a member of Obama’s national media team […]

Coal Industry Waging War Against EPA

After playing the victims of an allegedly unfair, and completely fabricated, “war on coal,” the coal industry has gone on the offensive by launching their own war on federal regulators.  Specifically, the group has their sights set on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Coal lobbyists, led by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), […]

Law Firm Behind Removal of YouTube Tar Sands Satire Fundraiser Tied to Big Oil

DeSmog Canada recently revealed Andy Cobb and Mike Damanskis – two political satirists in the spotlight for their ongoing spoofery of the Alberta tar sands project – had an Indiegogo fundraising promotional video for their upcoming “vacation” to the Alberta tar sands ordered removed from YouTube due to an alleged copyright violation. Alleged because under U.S. legal […]

Alberta Forces Tar Sands Comedy Pitch Video for Indiegogo Off YouTube

Travel Alberta is not pleased with Andy Cobb and Mike Damanskis, two L.A.-based comedians raising funds to travel to the province’s tar sands, the world’s largest industrial project. Today, Travel Alberta filed an official complaint with YouTube, claiming the comedy duo’s crowdfunding pitch video “Welcome to Fort McMoney” was in violation of copyright law for […]

Powerful Video Contrasts Obama Climate Speech with Expanded Coal Leases on Public Lands

Greenpeace US released this powerful video today, contrasting the laudable statements that President Obama made during his climate change address in June with his administration’s efforts to greatly increase the amount of public lands leased for coal mining. Watch: Next week, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to auction off a parcel called Maysdorf […]

Tar Sands Have to Be Made Funny Before They Can Be Made to Go Away

Seasoned comedians Andy Cobb and Mike Damanskis have decided the Alberta government’s invitation to ‘come and see’ the tar sands is just too tempting. After all, the province’s tagline, they say, is “remember to breathe.” Sounds just like the holiday two hardworking jokesters from L.A. are in need of. But before Andy and Mike pack up […]

Greenwashing Concerns Mount as Evidence of Fracking's Climate Impact Grows

Several years ago, Utah public health officials realized they had a big problem on their hands – one with national implications as other states were racing to increase oil and gas drilling. Smog levels in the state’s rural Uintah basin were rivaling those found in Los Angeles or Houston on their worst days. The culprit, an […]

Could Lead Paint Lawsuit Pave Way For Class Action Against Coal Industry?

Coal industry executives ought to pay attention to the lead paint lawsuit currently happening in the California court system. Recently, a lawsuit was filed against the makers of lead paint, alleging that the industry knew about the toxicity of their product and yet still promoted it as “safe” to the public.  The industry has faced many […]

Kentucky Lawmakers Still Fighting Nonexistent War On Coal

Even the coal industry itself has conceded that there is no “war on coal”, but lawmakers in the coal-dependent state of Kentucky are still fighting this imaginary battle. In the wake of President Obama’s speech earlier this summer where he discussed the need to reduce our dependence on coal and work on ways to control coal […]

Corruption in the Pipeline: A Timeline of Keystone XL Misinformation

Though plagued by corruption, the Keystone XL (KXL) “zombie pipeline” refuses to die. While firsthand accounts from front line communities in Alberta, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas have galvanized activists, the interconnected web of corporate lobbyists, oil executives, and Obama administration officials continue to push the project forward. Thankfully, the State Department has launched an inquiry […]