60 Plus Association

Background

The 60 Plus Association was founded in 1992 as a “non-partisan seniors advocacy group with a free enterprise, less government, less taxes approach to seniors issues.”  The 60 Plus Association describes itself as “the conservative alternative to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).” [1]

60 Plus has sought to privatize social security, end the federal estate tax, and strengthen gun rights. They oppose aspects of health care reform, federal energy standards, and tax increases.

The president of 60 Plus, Jim Martin, did advocacy work for the Public Service Research Council also known as Americans Against Union Control of Government, and was also involved with the National Conservative Political Action Committee. [2]

60 Plus has actively opposed government health care; in 2009 they spent $2 million into ads airing in eight states that declared seniors would lose access to doctors, treatments, and life-saving drugs if the Democratic health care plan is adopted. [3]

PRWatch reports that the 60 Plus Association regularly advocates positions on issues that benefit big corporations and stakes out positions that explicitly favor the pharmaceutical industry. [4]

According to the Conservative Transparency Project, “Despite its claims of nonpartisanship, the Koch-funded group – founded in 1992 by long-time conservative operative Jim Martin – is almost exclusively engaged in partisan politics, spending tens of millions of dollars on electioneering, particularly in crucial swing states. It has even backed decidedly anti-senior legislation that benefits its corporate backers or advances the Republican agenda.” [5]

Between 2010 and 2012, the 60 Plus Association received more than $42 million from organizations, many of which are affiliated with the Koch brothers.

60 Plus Association and Lobbying

SourceWatch reports that as of July 7, 2014, the political action committee associated with 60 Plus had donated $8,500 to congressional campaigns for the 2014 midterms, entirely to Republican candidates or organizations. [12]

It had also spent $247,723 on independent expenditures, most of it against Republican candidates.

During the 2012 election cycle, it made $26,000 in campaign contributions, all to Republicans and spent $4,615,892 on outside spending, with about 70% going toward Republicans and the remainder attacking Democrats.

They spent $4.4 million in the 2012 election cycle. More than half of that, $2.7 million, went to support Mitt Romney.

According to OpenSecrets.org’s Center for Responsive Politics, the 60 Plus Association spent a total of over $21 million on lobbying between 1998 and 2017, with the majority of spending between 1999 and 2002: [13]

Year	Lobbying Expenditures
2017	$0
2016	$92,000
2015	$113,118
2014	$293,681
2013	$126,800
2012	$142,500
2011	$88,637
2010	$108,000
2009	$254,000
2008	$400,000
2007	$200,000
2006	$200,000
2005	$175,381
2004	$130,338
2003	$320,000
2002	$11,440,000
2001	$1,107,000
2000	$1,297,500
1999	$2,300,000
1998	$3,000,000
Grand Total	$21,788,955

Their in-house lobbyists have included Amy Noone Frederick, James L. Martin, President, Hugh C. Newton, and Roger H. Zion. They also retain two lobbying firms: Beau Boulter LLC and Greener and Hook, LLC.  [13]

Comments Surrounding 2021 Capitol Insurrection

The 60 Plus Association was among dozens of the individuals and organizations profiled in DeSmog’s Disinformation Database who posted online or gave interviews about the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. Some posted claims of election fraud, similar to those that drove the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6. Some circulated dubious information about the insurrection itself. DeSmog has preserved a selection of notable posts related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, including some that were later deleted or removed.

On Jan. 7, 2021, one day after the Capitol insurrection, the 60-Plus Association posted reports that Facebook and Instagram had “permabanned” President Trump.

Later that same day, the 60 Plus Association tweeted a message with the hashtags #thoughtpolice and #Orwell1984. 
 

Stance on Climate Change

2014

“The bottom line is this: Global warming, by its very nature, requires global action. Action in one country, focused squarely on one energy source, is not the answer. Sound policy shouldn’t rest on the hope that other nations might follow our climate lead. Unless major emitting countries agree to sacrifice economic growth or energy security to reduce emissions, why should Americans?” [6]

2006

“The global warming threat is the latest science fiction adventure. Senior citizens especially need to be diligent and concerned with the current efforts of politicians and bureaucrats seeking greater regulatory power by scare tactics over so-called global warming. The alarmists are using faulty science to reach untenable conclusions. If we allow the government to enact restrictive measures, whether by law or by a treaty agreed to by the U.S., we will face an energy crisis which will make the energy/oil crisis of the 1970s look like a minor league event.” [7]

2004

“Although global warming alarmists believe carbon dioxide and other man-made greenhouse gases contribute to global warming, they’ve never documented that case with hard science. In fact, CO2 is a vital component in the air we breathe and a life-necessity for every plant and animal on Planet Earth.” [8]

Funding

As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, the 60 Plus Association is not required to disclose its donors, however based on available information compiled by the Conservative Transparency Project, they received over $44 million from organizations as of 2014 data. [5]

Summary below, based on data archived at the Conservative Transparency’s (CT) combined with DeSmog’s original research of publicly-available 990 tax returns. [5]

View attached spreadsheet for additional information on 60 plus association funding by year (xlsx).

	Recipient
Donor	60 Plus Association	60 Plus Foundation	Grand Total
American Encore (Center to Protect Patient Rights)	$19,033,723		$19,033,723
Freedom Partners	$16,070,000		$16,070,000
American Future Fund	$4,550,000		$4,550,000
TC4 Trust	$4,061,000		$4,061,000
Free Enterprise America	$840,000		$840,000
American Petroleum Institute	$253,000		$253,000
William H. Donner Foundation		$70,000	$70,000
Crossroads GPS	$50,000		$50,000
Alliance for America’s Future	$50,000		$50,000
American Energy Alliance	$37,500		$37,500
Founding Fund	$25,000		$25,000
Mywireless.org	$10,000		$10,000
National Christian Charitable Foundation		$3,500	$3,500
The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation	$2,000		$2,000
Grand Total	$44,982,223	$73,500	$45,055,723

PhRMA Funding

According to the Washington Post, in 2002, 60 Plus received an unrestricted educational grant from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, also known as PhRMA. [9]

Republican strategist and consultant Carl Forti said “I don’t believe PhRMA has ever given 60 Plus money,” and that the organization “is funded by individual private donors/members; they are not funded by corporations or interest groups.” [10]

Other Funders

According to StealthPACs, known funders of the 60 Plus Association included: [11]

• Citizens for Better Medicare — $275,000 in 2001.
• Merck — $275,000 in 2001.
• Pfizer — $275,000 in 2001.
• Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) — $275,000 in 2001.
• Wyeth-Ayerst — $275,000 to 60 Plus in 2001.

990 Forms

60 Plus Association

60 Plus Foundation

Key People

The following are based on publicly available 990 tax forms for the 60 Plus Association and the 60 Plus Foundation:

60 Plus Association

Name

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Title

Amy Noone-Frederick

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

President

Bill Card

Y

Y

Y

Y

Director

Bob Coakley

Y

Y

Y

Director

Gary Hoitsma

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Director

Greg Casey

Y

Y

Y

Director

James L Martin

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Chairman

Jim Minarik

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Director

Jon Minarik (Deceased 2007)

Y

Y

Director

L Prather McKinnon

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Treasurer

Matthew Kandrach

Y

Y

Y

Vice-President

Randy Randol

Y

Y

Y

Director

Robert Martin

Y

Y

Y

Y

Director

Saul Anuzis

Y

President

William Shaker

Y

Y

Y

Director

60 Plus Foundation

Name	2016	2017	2018	2019	Title
Del Wilson	Y	Y			Director
James L Martin	Y	Y	Y	Y	Chairman
John Dunagan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Director
Ken Lynch	Y	Y	Y	Y	Director
Manny Rosales	Y	Y	Y	Y	Treasurer
Matt Schlapp		Y			Director
Regina Siler Truslow		Y	Y		Executive Director
Robert Coakley	Y	Y	Y	Y	Secretary
Ron Warren	Y	Y	Y	Y	Director
Tim Hyde	Y	Y	Y	Y	Director
William Fay	Y	Y	Y	Y	Director

Other

Also listed on 60 Plus Association’s website (as of October 2015):  [1]

• Pat Boone — National Spokesman

Actions

March 23, 2020

As reported at DeSmog, Life:Powered sent a letter to Congress critical of the COVID-19 stimulus package for including “tax incentives and spending for unreliable ‘green’ energy
programs.” [50], [51]

The letter, to which the 60 Plus Association is a signatory, concludes: [51]

“This is no time for political games. Climate change is not an immediate threat to humanity. Climate-related deaths have declined 98.9% in the last century, and humanity is growing more and more resilient thanks to the availability of affordable, reliable energy. On behalf of all Americans, we urge you to oppose any stimulus proposals that carve out special treatment for or bail out any energy companies and focus instead on stopping COVID-19.” [51]

The full list of signatories is below: [51]

Name	Title	Organization
Jason Isaac	Senior Manager & Distinguished Fellow	Life:Powered/Texas Public Policy Foundation
Myron Ebell	Director, Center for Energy and Environment	Competitive Enterprise Institute
Bette Grande	CEO	Roughrider Policy Center
Ellen Weaver	President & CEO	Palmetto Promise Institute
Isaac Orr	Policy Fellow	Center of the American Experiment
Bethany Marcum	Executive Director	Alaska Policy Forum
David T. Stevenson	Director, Center for Energy and Environment	Caesar Rodney Institute
Donald van der Vaart	Senior Fellow	John Locke Foundation
Jason Hayes	Director of Environmental Policy	Mackinac Center for Public Policy
John Droz, Jr.	Founder	Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions
George K. Rasley, Jr.	Managing Editor	ConservativeHQ.com
Becky Norton Dunlop	Former Secretary of Natural Resources	Commonwealth of Virginia
James L. Martin	Founder/Chairman	60 Plus Association
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis	President	60 Plus Association
Ken Blackwell	Senior Fellow	Family Research Council
Eunie Smith	President	Eagle Forum
Jenny Beth Martin	Honorary Chairman	Tea Party Patriots Action
Jon Caldara	President	Independence Institute
L. Brent Bozell, III	Founder and President	Media Research Center
Jason Pye	Vice President of Legislative Affairs	FreedomWorks
Jameson Taylor	Vice President for Policy	Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Carol Platt Liebau	President	Yankee Institute
Mike Stenhouse	CEO	Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity
Daniel Erspamer	CEO	Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Christian N. Braunlich	President	Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Todd Myers	Environmental Director	Washington Policy Center

November 2019

Bloomberg reported the 60 Plus Association was involved in organizing letters to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that pushed for limited the power of dissenting shareholders in the corporate voting process. Recently, environmental and social issues including climate change have been key issues for smaller shareholders and silencing such dissenting voices can be valuable for companies, especially those involved in the fossil fuel industry. [49]

“[A] close look at the seven letters Clayton highlighted, and about two dozen others submitted to the SEC by supposedly regular people, shows they are the product of a misleading – and laughably clumsy – public relations campaign by corporate interests,” Bloomberg reported. [49]

One of the errors that gave away the campaign had been organized by corporate interests was the insertion of an out-of-context error in the SEC‘s mailing address. That error occurred in at least 20 letters purported to be submitted by ordinary Americans. [49]

Some of those contacted by Bloomberg said they had been contacted by a public affairs firm and had not written the letters themselves. [49]

“They wrote it, and I allowed them to use my name after I read it,” public servant Marie Reed said. “I didn’t go digging into all of this,” referring to her letter’s criticism of proxy advisers, a term she said she wasn’t familiar with when contacted. [49]

Some of the letters cited by SEC Chairman Jay Clayton included “ long-term Main Street investors, including an Army veteran and a Marine veteran, a police officer, a retired teacher, a public servant, a single mom, a couple of retirees who saved for retirement,” he said at a commission meeting in Washington. [49]

Bloomberg summarized: “That retired teacher? Pauline Yee said she never wrote a letter, although the signature was hers. Those military vets? It turns out they’re the brother and cousin of the chairman of 60 Plus Association, a Virginia-based advocacy group paid by corporate supporters of the SEC initiative. That single mom? Data embedded in the electronically submitted letter says someone at 60 Plus wrote it. That retired couple? Their son-in-law runs 60 Plus.” [49]

Others with their names on the letters included a woman who previously worked at 60 Plus’s accounting firm, a former secretary of 60 Plus, and a number of friends and relatives of 60 Plus president Saul Anuzis. None mentioned their affiliation with 60 plus. [49]

Anuzis acknowledged that 60 Plus had recruited submitters, provided drafts, and in two examples sent letters on members’ behalf. He also said he had received money from coalition members. [49]

“We don’t get paid for specific projects,” he said in an interview. “We get contributions from members who are part of the coalition. We’re not getting paid for a specific letter.” [49]

The letters reveled potential ties to other groups working with the 60 Plus Association. Marie Reed, one of the names who had been cited by Clayton, said that the man who provided her letter said he worked at FSB Core Strategies, a California-based public relations firm. He said he was working on behalf of a group called Protect Our Pensions. [49]

July 18, 2018

The 60 Plus Association, represented by both James L. Martin and Saulius Anuzis, was among signatories of a letter supporting an anti-carbon tax resolution from House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va. [46]

“We oppose any carbon tax. We oppose a carbon tax because it would lead to less income and fewer jobs for American families,” the letter read. “We support the House Concurrent Resolution in opposition to a job-killing carbon tax and urge members to co-sponsor and support this effort.” [46]

The resolution would call a carbon tax “detrimental to the United States economy.”E&E News reported it was similar to a measure that passed the House in 2016. Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, co-chairman of the Climate Solutions Caucus, said he would not vote for the resolution. [47]

“Protecting our environment and economic growth are not mutually exclusive,” he said in a statement. “The resolution presents a false choice.”[47]

The Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the measure when it was first introduced. [48]

April 23, 2018

The 60 Plus Association, represented by Saulius “Saul” Anuzis was among 22 groups signed on to an open letter asking President Trump to ignore recent criticism of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. [44]

In a speech to the U.S. Senate, a group of Democratic senators identified the organizations as front groups for the Koch Brothers and other wealthy donors, nicknamed the “Web of Deceit.” The senators outlined how, in addition to funding from the Koch network, many of the groups use untraceable “dark money” funneled through groups like Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust to influence legislation, particularly with regards to climate and pollution.

Senator Whitehouse outlined it as “a web of deceit conceived and bankrolled by the Koch brothers and other self-interested billionaires to advocate for very selfish and unpatriotic policies.” Whitehouse added: “This web of deceit has infiltrated and populated the Trump administration, and it is swamping the interests of everyday Americans. [45]

The full list of pro-Pruitt signatories and their respective organizations is as follows:

• Saulius “Saul” Anuzius – 60 Plus Association
• Fred Birnbaum – Idaho Freedom Foundation
• L. Brent Bozell  III – Media Research Center
• Amy Oliver Cooke – Independence Institute
• Wesley Denton – Conservative Partnership Institute
• Viv Forbes – The Carbon Sense Coalition
• Frank J Gaffney – Center for Security Policy
• Steve Goreham – Climate Science Coalition of America
• Phil Kerpen – American Commitment
• Andrew Langer – Institute for Liberty
• Lisa B. Nelson – American Legislative Exchange Council 
• Rick Manning – Americans for Limited Government
• Jenny Beth Martin – Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund
• William Perry Pendley – Mountain States Legal Foundation
• Thomas Pyle – American Energy Alliance
• George Rasley – ConservativeHQ.com
• Sandy Rios – American Family Association
• Craig Richardson – Energy & Environment Legal Institute
• Craig Rucker – Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) 
• Dr Jameson Taylor – Missisippi Center for Public Policy
• Kyle Wingfield – Georgia Public Policy Foundation

May 8, 2017

The 60 Plus Association, represented by James L. Martin, is listed on an open letter to President Donald J. Trump urging him “to withdraw fully from the Paris Climate Treaty and to stop all taxpayer funding of UN global warming programs.” [41]

DeSmog reported that the 40 groups represented in the letter, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), The Heartland Institute, and the Heritage Foundation, have received a combined total of millions of dollars from the Koch Brothers, ExxonMobil, and other industry groups. [42]

Analysis also showed that the groups accepted about $80 million through Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust, two groups that have been confirmed is a key financial source for key U.S-based climate change denial groups. [43]

January 12, 2017

The 60 Plus Association’s President, Jim Martin, was a signatory to a January 12, 2017 official letter of support (PDF) for Scott Pruitt, in which numerous groups, including The Heartland Institute, American Energy Alliance (AEA), and others, declared that the Senate should “swiftly approve his nomination” for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 Other signatories of the letter included: [40]

• Thomas Pyle, American Energy Alliance
• Michael Needham, Heritage Action for America
• Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
• Kent Lassman, Competitive Enterprise Institute
• Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks
• David McIntosh, Club for Growth
• Phil Kerpen, American Commitment
• Craig Richardson, Energy and Environment Action Team
• David Williams, Taxpayers Protection Alliance
• Harry Alford, National Black Chamber of Commerce
• Andrew Langer, Institute for Liberty
• Heather Higgins, Independent Women’s Voice
• Independence Institute
• Richard Martin, Americans for Limited Government
• Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST)
• Brett Healy, MacIver Institute
• Joseph Bast, Heartland Institute
• George Landrith, Frontiers of Freedom
• Randy Eminger, Energy Policy Network
• Paul Gessing, Rio Grande Foundation
• Mike Nasi, Balanced Energy for Texas
• Brent Mead, Montana Policy Institute
• Forest Thigpen, Mississippi Center for Public Policy

June 13, 2016

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD/PRWatch) reports the 60 Plus Association was named as a creditor in Peabody Energy’s recent bankruptcy filings. [35]

While the available bankruptcy documents do not list the scale or dates of funding, they outline Peabody Energy’s financial ties to a large network of groups promoting climate change denial. [36]

Prominent individuals appearing in the documents include climate deniers Willie Soon, Richard Lindzen, Roy Spencer and Richard Berman. The long list of organizations also includes groups such as Americans for Prosperity, American Legislative Exchange Council, CFACT, Institute for Energy Research, State Policy Network, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and dozens more. [37]

The Guardian also analysed and reported on the Peabody bankruptcy findings: [38]

“These groups collectively are the heart and soul of climate denial,” said Kert Davies, founder of the Climate Investigation Center, who has spent 20 years tracking funding for climate denial. “It’s the broadest list I have seen of one company funding so many nodes in the denial machine.”

The company’s filings reveal funding for a range of organisations which have fought Barack Obama’s plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and denied the very existence of climate change. […]

Among Peabody’s beneficiaries, the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change has insisted – wrongly – that carbon emissions are not a threat but “the elixir of life” while the American Legislative Exchange Council is trying to overturn Environmental Protection Agency rules cutting emissions from power plants. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity campaigns against carbon pricing. The Oklahoma chapter was on the list. […]

“The breadth of the groups with financial ties to Peabody is extraordinary. Thinktanks, litigation groups, climate scientists, political organisations, dozens of organisations blocking action on climate all receiving funding from the coal industry,” said Nick Surgey, director of research for the Center for Media and Democracy.

“We expected to see some denial money, but it looks like Peabody is the treasury for a very substantial part of the climate denial movement.”

Notable organizations listed in the initial documents include:

• 60 Plus Association
• The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
• American Energy Alliance
• Alliance For Energy And Economic Growth
• American Energy Alliance
• American Legislative Exchange Council
• Americans For Prosperity Oklahoma
• Atlas Economic Research Foundation
• Berman And Company, Inc
• Consumer Energy Alliance
• Center For Clean Air Policy
• Center for Energy and Economic Development
• Center For The Study Of Carbon Dioxide And Global Change
• Coalition for Responsible Regulation
• Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow
• Council on State Taxation
• DCI Group AZ, LLC
• Ducks Unlimited
• Energy & Environment Legal Institute
• Edison Electric Institute
• Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
• Free Market Environmental Law Clinic
• Frontiers Of Freedom Institute
• George C. Marshall Institute
• Hill Knowlton Strategies
• Hill Knowlton, Inc
• Hudson Institute
• Hunton & Williams
• Independence Institute
• Institute For Energy Research
• Institute for Liberty
• National Association of Manufacturers
• National Black Chamber of Commerce
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Mining Association
• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
• NextGen Energy Council
• PACE (May refer to Partnership for Affordable Clean Energy)
• Science & Public Policy Institute
• Sidley Austin LLP
• State Policy Network
• Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute
• Texas Public Policy Foundation
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Western Business Roundtable

Notable individuals named in the initial documents include the following:

• Kelly Forbes Mader
• Heather A. Wilson
• Roy W. Spencer
• Willie Soon
• Richard Lindzen

June 9, 2016

Matthew Kandrach, executive vice president of the 60 Plus Association, promoted a report by the coal industry front group American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity suggesting that the EPA‘s Clean Power Plan could cause a 16 percent increase in electricity prices. [33], [34]

Kandrach concluded that cleaner energy would have an “undue burden on seniors” while “Radical environmental ideology simply cannot be allowed to shape our energy policy.” [33]

“Instead of cutting U.S. energy production and driving up the cost of the domestic energy sources we rely on, we need to put affordable energy first,” Kandrach says. [33]

The affordable energy Kandrach referred to includes coal power. He says that the Stream Protection Rule (SPR) which would protect streams from coal mining is “a wolf in sheep’s clothes” while the Department of the Interior’s proposed moratorium on coal leasing on federal lands is “equally as dangerous.” [33]

September 14, 2015

The 60 Plus Association was one of a group of organizations who undersigned an open letter to the Governor Rick Snyder, “deeply concerned” about his decision to implement President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. [14]

According to the letter (PDF),”[W]e believe the best approach is for states to reject state plans until the courts decide whether Obama even has the authority to impose his national energy takeover.” [15]

Organizations who signed the letter included:

• American Energy Alliance
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy
• Competitive Enterprise Institute
• Americans for Prosperity
• FreedomWorks
• Texas Public Policy Foundation
• Americans for Tax Reform
• Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce
• MacIver Institute
• Montana Policy Institute
• Pelican Institute
• Buckeye Institute
• Mississippi Center for Public Policy
• James Madison Institute
• Palmetto Promise Institute
• Commonwealth Foundation
• Hispanic Leadership Fund
• Taxpayers Protection Alliance
• American Commitment
• National Black Chamber of Commerce
• 60 Plus Association
• Energy and Environmental Legal Institute
• Platte Institute for Economic Research
• Tea Party Patriots
• Federalism in Action
• State Budget Solutions
• Energy Makes America Great
• Campaign to Free America
• Americans for Limited Government
• Institute for Liberty
• Frontiers of Freedom
• National Center for Public Policy Research

September 1, 2015

The 60 Plus Association, along with the Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the National Black Chamber of Commerce put forward a ballot championed by Consumers for Smart Solar, a group supported by Florida’s electric utilities, to oppose another ballot that would open up Florida’s solar m market to more consumer choices. [16]

July 27, 2015

Matthew Kendrick, representing the 60 Plus Association, was a signatory to a letter to Congress to Support the PTC Elimination Act (PDF) which would reduce subsidies to wind energy production.  [17]

The Huffington Post reports that the letter uses misinformation to claim that wind energy is bad for the economy and is more expensive than traditional fossil fuel energy production, and that 14 of the signatories have ties to fossil fuel funders, and 18 have ties to the Koch Brothers. [18]

April 9, 2015

The 60 Plus Association issued a press release titled “Obama Climate Change Report Causes Seniors, Poorer Americans to Sweat Over Their Health” that describes Coal as “the answer to greater life-expectancy, not a threat to it. [19]

“The evidence is overwhelming and conclusive that coal is the last best hope for the poor and destitute in the world and in our nation. Seniors, the working poor, and average Americans  struggling every day to get by are the targeted victims of Obama’s plan, they will suffer the most.  He can distort the facts all he wants, but the inconvenient truth remains: coal saves lives!” The 60 Plus Association’s President, Jim Martin, says in the release.

This isn’t the first time that the 60 Plus Association has criticized the Clean Power Plan, and the EPA in general. In 2014, they claimed that the Clean Power Plan would harm seniors, often calling it the “Cruel Power Plan.” [20], [21], [22]

May 21–23, 2012

60 Plus was a Co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s Seventh International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7). [23]

November 4, 2011

Chairman James L. Martin came out ahead of demonstrators at the White House protesting the Keystone XL pipeline.

“60 Plus urges the Obama administration not to appease the environmental activists scheduled to descend on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this Sunday and avoid delaying further the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline. We simply cannot afford to leave our future energy and economic prosperity in the balance any longer,” said Martin. [24]

November 2009

The 60 Plus Association spent over $2 million on an advertisement that described proposed cuts to Medicare being “to pay for a plan that could lead to a government takeover of health care.” [3]

The television ad asserted that seniors would lose access to doctors, drugs, and treatment if the Democratic health care plan was adopted. The Ad aired in eight states including Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. [3]

March 8–10, 2009

The 60 Plus Association was a sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s Second International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC2) in New York. [25]

DeSmogBlog investigated sponsors of the conference and found they had collectively received over $47 million in funding from energy companies and right-wing foundations, with 78% of that total coming from Scaife Family foundations. [26]

May 19, 2005

The 60 Plus Association submitted testimony to the House Energy and Mineral Subcommittee to discuss “Energy Supply, Energy Costs and the American Consumer.” [27]

According to 60 Plus, “those who would impede the important work of this Committee and this Nation […] go under the names of groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Friends of The Earth with the help of organizations like MoveOn.org. These feel-good activists, both nationally and internationally, have done a simply marvelous job at swaying public opinion and building walls and roadblocks that stymie the vitality of the energy industry. And by and large, they’ve done it all with smoke and mirrors! Under the guise of something called ‘global warming’ […] 

This sort of anti-supply bias has to stop for the good of seniors and consumers of all ages. This wonderful country of ours has abundant energy wherewithal, much of it renewable, some of it biodegradable.”

February 26, 2003

Roger Zion, Honorary Chairman of the 60 Plus Association testified to the U.S. Senate Energy And Natural Resources Committee.

According to Zion, “The US must increase its domestic production of natural gas” and “Congress should also enact legislation to streamline natural gas pipeline construction to enable gas to enter the mid-continent and Northeastern markets, enhance gas supply and distribution capabilities, and relieve system constraints.” [28]

2003

According to an article in the AARP Bulletin, Members of Bonner & Associates, a Washington-based lobbying firm, paid callers who identified themselves as representatives of 60 Plus to urge residents to ask their governors to veto legislation that would defeat prescription drug legislation at the state level.

Bonner & Associates admitted that they had been paid by Pfizer Inc. to make the calls. [29]

60 Plus Association Contact & Location

As of June 2016, the 60 Plus Association listed the following contact information on its website: [39]

60 Plus Association
515 King Street | Suite 315 | Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703.807.2070 | 703.807.2073 (fax)
[email protected]

Related Organizations

• Main Street Investors Coalition — Member. [49]
• Cooler Heads Coalition (CHC) — Member. [30]
• Consumers Alliance for Affordable Natural Gas — Said to be “increasingly involved in the coalition.” [31]
• Senior Power Campaign Committee (also called “Gray PAC”) — Last reported activity in 2004.  [32]
• Richard Viguerie — R. Viguerie’s direct mail firm helped 60 Plus raise $1.3 Million in 1994, and also helped initially launch 60 Plus in the mid 1990s. [12]

Social Media

• “60 Plus Association” on Facebook.
• “60 Plus Association” on LinkedIn.

Resources

1. “About 60 Plus,” 60 Plus Association. Archived October 13, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHLOfqlA
2. “’The Rachel Maddow Show’ for Monday, August 10, 2009,” (Transcript), MSNBC TV. Archived October 13, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHLhT17P
3. “Big Pharma Front Group 60 Plus Scaring Seniors with $2M Ad Buy,” ShadowProof, November 1, 2009. Archived October 13, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHM3BcbF
4. Anne Landman. “The 60 Plus Association: A Corporate Assault in ‘Good-for-Seniors’ Clothing,” PRWatch, September 15, 2010. Archived November 6, 2011.
5. “60 Plus,” Conservative Transparency. Search performed May 22, 2017.
6. Jim Martin. “Affordable energy is key,” Daily Press, September 24, 2015. Republished by the 60 Plus Association. Archived October 14, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHSQ7n34
7. “Statement on Global Warming” (PDF), The 60 Plus Association. Retrieved from Greenpeace Research Documents. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
8. Roger Zion. “Ultra Liberal Scientists on the Environment,” 60 Plus Association, September 9, 2004. Archived February 5, 2010.
9. “High Drug Prices Return as Issue That Stirs Voters,” Washington Post, October 15, 2002. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHUh2mA6
10. Jonathan Tilove. “National health care debate complicates Louisiana politics,” The Times-Picayune, November 16, 2009. Accessed at nola.com. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHUoM6G2
11. “Known Funders of: 60 Plus Association,” Public Citizen. Accessed October 14, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHUuaVWK
12. “60 Plus Association,” SourceWatch. Accessed October 14, 2015.
13. “60 Plus Assn,” OpenSecrets.org Centre for Responsive Politics. Accessed October 14, 2015.
14. John Siciliano. “Republican governor faces pressure not to submit to Obama’s climate plan,” Washington Examiner, September 15,2015. Archived October 15, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHhXyH4I
15. “Dear Governor Snyder” (PDF), American Energy Alliance, September 14, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
16. Julia Pyper. “Florida Courts Now Set to Weigh Two Competing Solar Ballots,” Green Tech Media, September 15, 2015. Archived October 15, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cI1vL5t2
17. “Coalition to Congress: Support PTC Elimination Act” (PDF), American Energy Alliance, July 27, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. 
18. Gabe Elsner. “American Energy Alliance Leads Front Group Attack on Wind PTC,” Huffington Post, September 3, 2015. Archived October 15, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cI3MCkFy
19. “Obama Climate Change Report Causes Seniors, Poorer Americans to Sweat Over Their Health,” 60 Plus Association, April 9, 2015. Archived October WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHOIIuZu
20. Justin Ward. “Study: EPA regulations are harmful to seniors,” WDBJ7, October 2, 2014. Archived October 14, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cI2Knh3H
21. “60 Plus Tells EPA to Abandon CPP, AKA ‘Cruel Power Plan’ for America’s Elderly,” 60 Plus Association, December 3, 2014. Archived October 15, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cI2YCefe
22. “Obama, EPA Still Wrong on Energy, Still Hurting America’s Elderly,” 60 Plus Association, January 21, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cI2a8LUy
23. “Seventh International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Institute” (PDF), the Heartland Institute. Archived August 15, 2015.
24. “Seniors Group Protests Activists Demonstrating Against Keystone XL Pipeline,” 60 Plus, November 4, 2011. Archived October 14, 2015. WebCite URL:  http://www.webcitation.org/6cHgHGiUZ
25. “Co-Sponsors,” The 2009 International Conference on Climate Change. Archived April 28, 2011.
26. “Heartland Institute’s 2009 Climate Conference in New York: funding history of the sponsors,” DeSmogBlog.
27. “Statement By 60 Plus Association President Jim Martin Submitted To The House Energy and Mineral Subcommittee,” 60 Plus Association, May 19, 2005. Archived October 14, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHgYCnUU
28. “Statement Of Roger Zion, Honorary Chairman, 60 Plus Association, To Senate Energy And Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senate,” 60 Plus Association, February 26, 2003. Archived October 14, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHgnB68v
29. “Pulling Strings from Afar: Drug Industry Finances Nonprofit Groups That Claim to Speak for Older Americans,” AARP Bulletin, February, 2003. Archived June 5, 2003.
30. “About,” Cooler Heads Coalition” Archived October 14, 2015. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6cHgsrI70
31. Jonathan E. Kaplan. “Industry shifts strategy on natural gas,” The Hill, November 16, 2004. Archived January 3, 2006.
32. “Senior Power Campaign Cmte,” OpenSecrets.org Centre for Responsive Politics. Accessed October 14, 2015.
33. “EPA‘s Clean Power Plan could cost Alabama seniors,” AL.com, June 9, 2016. Archived June 14, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iGSESC93
34. “American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity,” SourceWatch. Accessed June 14, 2016.
35. Nick Surgey. “Peabody Coal Bankruptcy Reveals Climate Denial Network Funding,” PRWatch, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iPmXjc4W
36. “In re: Peabody Energy Corporation, et al. Debtors,” United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Missouri Eastern Division,  Case 16-42529, May 27, 2016. Retrieved from DocumentCloud.
37. Farron Cousins. “Court Documents Show Coal Giant Peabody Energy Funded Dozens Of Climate Denial Groups,” DeSmogBlog, June 13, 2016.
38. Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Biggest US coal company funded dozens of groups questioning climate change,” The Guardian, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. WebCite URL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iPnEUG1o
39. Homepage, 60 Plus Association. Archived with WebCite, June 26, 2016. Archived .png on file at DeSmogBlog.
40. “Dear Senators,” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, January 12, 2017. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
41. “Dear Mr. President” (PDF), retrieved from Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
42. Graham Readfearn. “Conservative Groups Pushing Trump To Exit Paris Climate Deal Have Taken Millions From Koch Brothers, Exxon,” DeSmog, May 10, 2017.
43. Susanne Goldberg. “Conservative groups spend up to $1bn a year to fight action on climate change,” The Guardian, December 20, 2013. Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/TB2yy
44. “Dear Mr. President” (PDF) retrieved from the Heartland Institute. Archived .pdf file at DeSmog. 
45. Senator Whitehouse. “Time to wake up: Web of Deceit” April 23, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.li/HzIsa
46. “41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,” Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
47. Nick Sobczyk. “House voting on anti-carbon-tax measure: ‘Pass the popcorn’,” E&E News, July 16, 2018. Archived Aug 2, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/aTP8h
48. “Teaching opportunities from House Concurrent Resolution 119 (H.Con.Res.119)” (PDF), Citizens’ Climate Lobby, April 30, 2018.
49. Zachary Mider and Ben Elgin. “SEC Chairman Cites Fishy Letters in Support of Policy Change,” Bloomberg, November 19, 2019.
50. Dana Drugmand. “Under Cover of Pandemic, Fossil Fuel Interests Unleash Lobbying Frenzy,” DeSmog, April 2, 2020.
51. Coronavirus Stimulus Letter, Life:Powered, March 23, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Other Resources

• “60 Plus Association,” Wikipedia.
• ExxonSecrets Factsheet: 60/Sixty Plus Association.
• “Deniers:Organisations:60/Sixty Plus Association,” ExxonSecrets Wiki.
• “60 Plus Association,” FactCheck.org, October 12, 2010.