Following up on her reporting into a new pro-fossil fuel organization, Fueling U.S Forward, DeSmog reporter Sharon Kelly appeared on The Thom Hartmann Program on Tuesday.

Fueling US Forward made its first major public appearance at the Red State Gathering 2016 on Saturday, with President and CEO Charles Drevna describing their initiative, which he said planned to call attention to the “positives” of fossil fuels.

On Saturday, Drevna told DeSmog that his organization was funded in part by Koch Industries, the petrochemical group of companies run by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.  

Through their vast network of think tanks, the Kochs are major promoters of free market fundamentalist views and ending government subsidies for corporations — even while Koch Industries benefits from billions of dollars worth of the same types of government subsidies that they decry and actively solicits subsidies for their own projects.

Kelly told Hartmann how a goal for Fueling U.S Forward was to “steer the conversation away from climate change”.

“This is astonishing,” said Hartmann.

For more on Fueling U.S Forward, check out the new DeSmog microsite, Koch vs. Clean, which takes a close look at Mr. Drevna’s endeavors and other Koch-backed campaigns aimed at undermining clean energy and the electric vehicle industry.