Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)

Background

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) was founded in 1984 and describes itself as “a non-profit public policy organization dedicated to advancing the principles of limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty.”¹“About,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/IpJWA

CEI pursues what it calls a “full-service approach to advancing public policy.” That includes media advocacy campaigns intended to “reach policy makers, influential opinion leaders, and grassroots activists.” Part of their approach is to “build coalitions, joining with allies to advance specific issues at the state, national, and international levels.”

Oil giant ExxonMobil has been one of CEI‘s top funders, contributing at least $2.1 million since 1997²ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Competitive Enterprise Institute, CEI. Data retrieved August, 2016. Most recent data on file at DeSmog. before reportedly³“ExxonMobil cuts off funding to (some) climate deniers,” The Christian Science Monitor, May 29, 2008. Archived July 8, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/yVKMW cutting off funding in 2006. Donors Trust (DT) has donated over $4 million to CEI as of 2013. DT has been described as the “dark money ATM of the conservative movement”⁴Andy Kroll. “Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement,” Mother Jones, February 5, 2003. Archived July 24, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/dP34U for its ability to take in funds from anonymous donors and distribute them to recipient organizations.⁵Richard Littlemore. “Exxon Acknowledges Climate Change, cuts CEI’s funding,” DeSmog, January 11, 2007.

CEI Center for Energy and Environment

Myron Ebell, chairman of the Cooler Heads Coalition and an outspoken man-made climate change denier, serves as Director of the CEI‘s Center for Energy and Environment.⁶“Myron Ebell: Director, Center for Energy and Environment,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived December 29, 2011. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mxjzo In March 2010, the Financial Times called Ebell “one of America’s most prominent climate-change skeptics.”⁷“Myron Ebell: Director, Center for Energy and Environment,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived September 29, 2012. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wpXxG

According to the CEI‘s website, “CEI‘s largest program takes on all the hard energy and climate issues. CEI questions global warming alarmism, makes the case for access to affordable energy, and opposes energy-rationing policies, including the Kyoto Protocol, cap-and-trade legislation, and EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. CEI also opposes all government mandates and subsidies for conventional and alternative energy technologies.”⁸“Energy and Environment,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived June 23, 2016. https://archive.ph/f5Dm8

GlobalWarming.org (Cooler Heads Coalition)

The Cooler Heads Coalition, also known as GlobalWarming.org, is formerly a sub-group of the National Consumer Coalition, but now run as an “informal and ad-hoc group focused on dispelling the myths of global warming by exposing flawed economic, scientific, and risk analysis.”

GlobalWarming.org states, “This website is paid for and maintained by the Competitive Enterprise Institute.”⁹“About,” GlobalWarming.org. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/nLWnM

SafeChemicalPolicy.org

SafeChemicalPolicy.org is a website that lobbies against regulations of the chemical industry, and promotes “the life-enhancing value of chemicals.”

According to their website, “we don’t need to fear modern chemical technologies. In fact, we should fear the campaigns to ban, regulate, or otherwise deprive customers of the benefits associated with [chemical technologies].”¹⁰“About,” SAFEChemicalPolicy.org. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Lsqzn

Stance on Climate Change

2016

“CEI questions global warming alarmism, makes the case for access to affordable energy, and opposes energy-rationing policies, including the Kyoto Protocol, cap-and-trade legislation, and EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. CEI also opposes all government mandates and subsidies for conventional and alternative energy technologies.”¹¹“Energy and Environment,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived June 23, 2016. https://archive.ph/f5Dm8

2008

“Although global warming has been described as the greatest threat facing mankind, the policies designed to address global warming actually pose a greater threat. The Kyoto Protocol and similar domestic schemes to ration carbon-based energy use would do little to slow carbon dioxide emissions, but would have enormous costs.”¹²“Global Warming,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived February 11, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/F1GQQ

2006

“The fuels that produce CO2 have freed us from a world of backbreaking labor, lighting up our lives, allowing us to create and move the things we need; the people we love. [Ominous Music] Now, some politicians want to label carbon dioxide a pollutant.  Imagine if they succeed. What would our lives be like then? Carbon dioxide: they call it pollution. We call it life.”¹³“Global Warming – ‘Energy’,” (YouTube video), Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 18, 2006. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

Funding

Fossil Fuel Funding & CEI

Murray Energy Funding

Murray Energy bankruptcy filings in 2019 revealed the Competitive Enterprise Institute received $200,000 from the energy company owned by climate change denier Robert Murray. The filings revealed a wide range of creditors with deep ties to climate change denial including the Heartland Institute, International Climate Science Coalition, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Government Accountability & Oversight. Robert Murray was known for being a major Trump donor, and giving officials a wish list of proposed actions to help the coal industry. See related reporting from The Intercept,¹⁴Lee Fang. “COAL GIANT PROVIDED SECRET FINANCING TO GROUP CHALLENGING CLIMATE LAWSUITS,”The Intercept, December 17, 2019. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/hUjRt E&E News,¹⁵Scott Waldman. “Murray Energy a major funder of climate denial groups,” E&E News, December 17, 2019. Archived December 20, 2019. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/WrDuT and The New York Times.¹⁶Lisa Friedman. “A Coal Baron Funded Climate Denial as His Company Spiraled Into Bankruptcy,” The New York Times, December 17, 2019. Archived December 20, 2019. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/ujTS6

Other groups funded by Murray Energy include FreedomWorks, the Cato Institute, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, and Judicial Watch. As The New York Times noted, Murray continued to fund climate change denial even as his company was going bankrupt.

2019 Gala

The New York Times obtained¹⁷Tik Root, Lisa Friedman, and Hiroko Tabuchi. “Following the Money That Undermines Climate Science,” The New York Times, July 10, 2019. Archived July 10, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/8G1po a program for a recent gala organized by the Competitive Enterprise Institute that included a list of corporate donors and sponsors and offered “offered a rare glimpse into the money that makes the work of these think tanks [questioning established climate science] possible.”¹⁸“CEI 35th Anniversary Dinner and Receiption” (PDF), CEI, July 8, 2019 (document creation date). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“Among the sponsors for the Game of Thrones-themed gala were groups that have long been aligned with fossil fuel interests, including the Charles Koch Institute and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers. The fuel and petrochemical group, which lobbies for gasoline producers, pushed to weaken car fuel economy standards, one of the Obama administration’s landmark climate policies,” The New York Times reported.¹⁹Tik Root, Lisa Friedman, and Hiroko Tabuchi. “Following the Money That Undermines Climate Science,” The New York Times, July 10, 2019. Archived July 10, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/8G1po

The program included support from major corporations like Google and Amazon that, despite having made commitments to address climate change in their official public relations strategies, still support CEI. A Google representative said their support of the gala did not necessarily mean it supports climate denial. “We’ve been extremely clear that Google’s sponsorship doesn’t mean that we endorse that organization’s entire agenda,” said a spokesman. A spokeswoman for Amazon, said the company “may not agree with all of the positions of each organization,” but believed that its $15,000 contribution to the event “will help advance policy objectives aligned with our interests.” Sponsors listed below:²⁰“CEI 35th Anniversary Dinner and Receiption” (PDF), CEI, July 8, 2019 (document creation date). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Reception Sponsors

• Anonymous
• Honorable C. Boyden Gray
• J.P. Humphreys Foundation
• Marathon Petroleum
• Stephen Modzelewski

Platinum Sponsors

• American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers
• Credit Union National Association
• DCI Group
• The Heritage Foundation
• PHRMA
• Ike Calvin Sugg
• T-Mobile

Gold Sponsors

• Amazon
• American Beverage Association
• Atlas Strategy Group
• Consumer Technology Association
• Distilled Spirits Council
• Jean-Claude Gruffat
• Juul
• NCTA – The Internet & Television Association
• The Policy Circle
• Syngenta
• Verizon
• Dick and Mary Beth Weiss

Silver Sponsors

• Altria
• Baker Hostetler
• Beach Foundation
• Bracewell LLP
• Charles Koch Institute
• Motion Picture Association of America
• Philip Morris International
• Uber
• White House Writers Group

Bronze Sponsors

• Airports Council International
• FISGA
• David and Karen Parker
• Porterfield, Fettig & Sears
• Wiley Rein LLP

Copper Sponsors

• Americans for Prosperity Foundation
• Association of American Railroads
• Atlas Society
• AT&T
• BNSF Railway
• CSX Corporation
• DonorsTrust
• FICO
• National Automobile Dealers Association
• Norfolk Southern
• O’Melveny & Myers (Spelled O’Melveney in program)
• Union Pacific Corporation

“Special Thank You”

• Chris Crandall
• Dana Crandall
• Vinnie Manocha of S&R Liquors
• David Ozgo and Distilled Spirits Council

2013 Annual Dinner

While the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) doesn’t reveal the sources behind its $7 million annual budget, the Washington Post was able to glimpse a snapshot of CEI‘s funding in a list of donors to CEI‘s annual dinner, which included energy companies Marathon Petroleum, Koch Industries, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM).²¹Juliet Eilperin. “Anatomy of a Washington dinner: Who funds the Competitive Enterprise Institute?” The Washington Post, June 20, 2013. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CZoH2

The following is from an interchange between Myron Ebell and the Environmental Defense Fund’s Jeremy Symons, discussing CEI‘s funding from the coal company Murray Energy (see video below):²²“Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Myron Ebell: ‘I’d Like To See A Lot More Funding’ From Big Coal,” Media Matters, August 5, 2015. Archived November 10, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/NrMh4

SYMONS: Isn’t Murray Energy your biggest funder of your dinner? They’re the biggest coal company in the United States for underground mining.

EBELL: I’d like to see a lot more funding from all of those companies, but unfortunately many of the coal companies are now going bankrupt.

SYMONS: Wait, You said you don’t represent the companies but you want more money from the companies?

EBELL: I would like to have more funding so that I can combat the nonsense put out by the environmental movement.

Funding Breakdown

The following is sources from data from the Conservative Transparency project and publicly available 990 tax forms.²³“Competitive Enterprise Institute,” Conservative Transparency. Data retrieved June 2, 2017.

View attached spreadsheet for additional information on the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s funding by year (.xlsx). Note that not all individual funding values have been verified by DeSmog.

Donor	Total
DonorsTrust	$8,523,650
Dunn’s Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking	$6,067,000
Sarah Scaife Foundation	$5,440,000
Searle Freedom Trust	$3,310,000
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation	$2,005,040
Exxon Mobil	$1,775,000
Donors Capital Fund	$1,332,279
Claws Foundation	$565,000
Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation	$364,820
The Randolph Foundation	$359,885
Schwab Charitable Fund	$353,500
Scaife Family Foundation	$350,000
Castle Rock Foundation	$345,000
Barbara and Barre Seid Foundation	$343,190
Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation	$326,419
David H. Koch Charitable Foundation	$315,000
Earhart Foundation	$300,000
Chase Foundation of Virginia	$255,960
John M. Olin Foundation	$230,300
Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust	$210,000
David H. Koch (Direct)	$200,000
Armstrong Foundation	$182,500
National Philanthropic Trust	$180,000
Diana Davis Spencer Foundation	$168,000
Robert P. Rotella Foundation	$157,800
Bradley Impact Fund	$154,000
William H. Donner Foundation	$153,708
American Future Fund	$150,000
The Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation	$100,000
The Rodney Fund	$100,000
PhRMA	$85,000
Kulakala Point Foundation	$83,500
JM Foundation	$80,000
Adolph Coors Foundation	$70,000
The Roe Foundation	$70,000
Holman Foundation	$65,062
John William Pope Foundation	$65,000
The Carthage Foundation	$60,000
Philip M. McKenna Foundation	$50,000
Jaquelin Hume Foundation	$50,000
The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation	$49,500
Aequus Institute	$47,624
Ravenel and Elizabeth Curry Foundation	$45,000
E L Craig Foundation	$40,000
The Challenge Foundation	$40,000
Charles Koch Institute	$37,020
Woodhouse Family Foundation	$36,000
Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation	$35,000
The Whitcomb Charitable Foundation	$30,500
Pierre F. and Enid Goodrich Foundation	$30,000
Crossroads GPS	$25,000
American Petroleum Institute	$25,000
Same Line Foundation	$22,000
National Christian Charitable Foundation	$20,400
Lowndes Foundation	$15,000
Koch Companies Public Sector	$15,000
The Robertson-Finley Foundation	$15,000
Smith Richardson Foundation	$15,000
Wodecroft Foundation	$11,000
John P & Kathryn G Evans Foundation	$10,000
Deramus Foundation	$10,000
Herrick Foundation	$10,000
The Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation	$5,000
True Foundation	$2,800
The TWS Foundation	$2,500
Eric Javits Family Foundation	$2,000
Abstraction Fund	$2,000
Lynn & Foster Friess Family Foundation	$1,250
Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation	$1,000
Ed Uihlein Family Foundation	$1,000
Leadership Institute	$500
Grand Total	$35,598,707

* In 2007 ExxonMobil reported that they would no longer be funding CEI.²⁴Richard Littlemore. “Exxon Acknowledges Climate Change, cuts CEI’s funding,” DeSmog, January 11, 2007. ²⁵“Sceptics forced to contain hot air on gases,” The Australian, April 10, 2007. Archived September 2, 2013.

CEI Annual Dinner Sponsors

While CEI doesn’t disclose its donors, it has revealed the companies that sponsor its annual dinner in the past. In 2006, a Washington Post article noted that sponsors of CEI‘s most recent annual dinner included:²⁶Joel Achenbach. “The Tempest,” The Washington Post, May 28, 2006. Archived February 20, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/9bwde

• The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
• Exxon Mobil
• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PHRMA)
• Pfizer
• General Motors
• American Petroleum Institute
• The American Plastics Council
• The Chlorine Chemistry Council
• Arch Coal

In 2013, The Washington Post reported the list included $110,000 from donors in the energy industry, as well as significant donations by groups related to Charles and David Koch. Donors listed for that year included the following:²⁷Juliet Eilperin. “Anatomy of a Washington dinner: Who funds the Competitive Enterprise Institute?” The Washington Post, June 20, 2013. Archived February 20, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/O2ssB

• Murray Energy Corporation — $45,000
• Marathon Petroleum — $25,000
• Devon Energy — $15,000
• Phillips 66 — $10,000
• American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity — $5,000
• American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers — $5,000
• Emerson Electric — $5,000
• Association of American Railroads — $5,000
• BNSF Railway — $5,000
• Canadian National Railway — $5,000
• CSX Corporation — $5,000
• Norfolk Southern — $5,000
• Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. — $15,000
• Ford Motor Company — $5,000
• Volkswagen Group of America — $5,000
• Altria Corporate Services — $10,000
• American Beverage Association — $5,000
• Distilled Spirits Council of the United States — $5,000
• Pepsico, Inc. — $5,000
• JP Humphreys Foundation — $40,000
• Claws Foundation — $25,000
• Koch Companies Public Sector — $15,000
• Charles Koch Foundation — $10,000
• Dunn’s Foundation — $10,000
• Americans for Prosperity — $5,000
• The Beach Foundation — $5,000
• Comcast-NBC Universal — $10,000
• National Cable & Telecommunications Association — $10,000
• News Corporation — $10,000
• Verizon Communications — $7,500
• The American Conservative — $5,000
• Motion Picture Association of America — $5,000
• White House Writers Group — $5,000
• Google — $50,000
• Facebook — $25,000
• Consumer Electronics Association — $10,000
• GTECH — $5,000
• Microsoft Corporation — $5,000
• PhRMA — $25,000
• Glaxo-SmithKline — $15,000
• American Optometric Association — $10,000
• Generic Pharmaceutical Association — $10,000
• Biotechnology Industry Organization — $10,000
• Monsanto — $10,000
• Syngenta — $10,000
• FMC Corporation — $5,000
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce — $5,000
• Miller & Long D.C., Inc. — $5,000
• Old Boston Restorations — $5,000
• MasterCard — $25,000
• Cash America — $10,000
• Credit Union National Association — $25,000
• National Association of Credit Service Organizations — $7,500
• American Bankers Association — $5,000
• Bracewell & Giuliani — $7,500
• Baker & Hostetler LLP — $7,500
• DCI Group — $5,000
• Dezenhall Resources — $5,000
• Wiley Rein LLP — $5,000

Individual donations included:

• Ambassador C. Boyden Gray — $25,000
• Stanford Rothschild — $25,000
• Stephen Modzelewski — $25,000
• Fred Young — $15,000
• Jean Claude Gruffat — $10,000
• Robert Luddy — $10,000
• Jack France — $7,500
• Lester Weindling — $5,000
• Arcadio Casillas — $5,000
• James Curley — $5,000
• Forrest G. Hoglund — $5,000
• Angelo Puglisi — $5,000

Exxon Funding

According to the most recent available from Greenpeace’s ExxonSecrets project, the Competitive Enterprise Institute has received at least $2,100,000 from ExxonMobil since 1997.²⁸ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Competitive Enterprise Institute, CEI. Data retrieved August, 2016. Most recent data on file at DeSmog.

Koch Funding

According to data from Greenpeace, the Competitive Enterprise Institute has received a grand total of at least $644,743 from Koch-related foundations between 1997 and 2015.²⁹“Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI): Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/3STLm

*Original tax forms prior to 1997 are no longer available for verification. If you include these values, the grand total jumps to $839,743 in Koch funding from 1986 to 2015.³⁰“Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI): Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/3STLm

Year	Charles Koch Foundation	Charles Koch Institute	Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation	David H. Koch Charitable Foundation	Grand Total
*1986				$10,000	$10,000
*1987				$10,000	$10,000
*1988	$5,000			$10,000	$15,000
*1989				$10,000	$10,000
*1991	$10,000				$10,000
*1992			$10,000		$10,000
*1993			$35,000		$35,000
*1995				$25,000	$25,000
*1996			$20,000	$50,000	$70,000
1997			$40,000	$50,000	$90,000
1998			$95,000		$95,000
1999				$50,000	$50,000
2000			$25,000	$100,000	$125,000
2002			$29,460		$29,460
2003			$27,320		$27,320
2004			$54,640		$54,640
2009	$24,079		$10,000		$34,079
2010			$9,200		$9,200
2011			$9,200		$9,200
2012	$16,700				$16,700
2013	$10,000				$10,000
2014	$53,924	$5,200			$59,124
2015	$29,200	$5,820			$35,020
Grand Total	$148,903	$11,020	$364,820	$315,000	$839,743

Tobacco Industry Funding

In a October, 2000 memo, Fred L. Smith thanked Ms. Maura Payne of RJ Reynolds Tobacco for “RJR‘s continued support” and adds “your personal involvement has meant a lot to our battles over the last 16 years.” The letter concludes, “I know you have contributed between $20,000 to $50,000 over the years.”³¹“Dear Maura,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, October 16, 2000. Retrieved from Tobacco Industry Documents. Bates Number : 525291068-525291069.

In an October, 1994 memo, Smith thanked Philip Morris for a contribution of $150,000. “Philip Morris’s contribution will enable CEI to expand our efforts in well-established areas as our Human Cost of Regulation program and other regulatory reform projects,” the memo read.³²“Dear Tom,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, October 11, 1994. Retrieved from Truth Tobacco Industry Documents. Bates No. 2046558061.

Other Funders

According to the Capital Research Center, other corporations who have funded CEI include Cigna, Chevron, Texaco, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Corporation, and numerous others.³³“Competitive Enterprise Institute,” Capital Research Center. Archived July 2, 2003. https://archive.ph/KDxLB

A CEI report sent to Philip Morris also lists a number of other companies and foundations who had given CEI $10,000 or more:³⁴COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INST,SMITH,FL JR. COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE. 1994 March. Philip Morris. Retrieved from UCSF Industry Documents Library. Bates No. 2046558088-2046558099.

• Aequus Institute
• Amoco Foundation, Inc.
• Coca-Cola Company
• E.L. Craig Foundation
• CSX Corporation
• Fieldstead and Co.
• FMC Foundation
• Ford Motor Company Fund
• Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation
• Philip Morris Companies, Inc.
• Pfizer Inc.
• Precision Valve Corporation
• Prince Foundation
• Sheldon Rose
• Texaco, Inc.
• Texaco Foundation
• Alex C. Walker Foundation

990 Forms

Key People

View key people by year below, or view the attached spreadsheet for a full list of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s key People (.xlsx) including sources.

Actions

February 24, 2023

CEI was listed as a member of a group introduced by the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), described as a “new coalition of energy, national security and public policy groups” called the Net Zero Reality Coalition.³⁵(Press Release). “New coalition urges Congress to investigate risks of net-zero energy actions,” CFACT, February 24, 2023. Archived October 2, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YJQEg

CFACT’s Paul Driessen was listed as the group’s coordinator while members included CFACT, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Heartland Institute, E&E Legal, and the International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) and “and other public policy organizations that have long sought responsible, science-focused, reality-based laws and policies.”³⁶(Press Release). “New coalition urges Congress to investigate risks of net-zero energy actions,” CFACT, February 24, 2023. Archived October 2, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YJQEg

“America cannot afford to abandon its reliable, affordable, multifaceted energy system, and try to replace it with a wind, solar and battery system that exists only in government proclamations and legislative mandates,” Driessen said in CFACT’s press release.³⁷(Press Release). “New coalition urges Congress to investigate risks of net-zero energy actions,” CFACT, February 24, 2023. Archived October 2, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YJQEg

December 17, 2021

CEI filed an Amicus Curiae brief in West Virginia v. EPA, a U.S. Supreme Court case that reduced the EPA’s ability to regulate power plants under the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. In June 2022, the court ruled 6-3 against the EPA.³⁸“BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE THE COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS in STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, ET AL., Petitioners, v. U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND MICHAEL REGAN, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, Respondents,” Supreme Court of the United States docket nos. 20-1530, 20-1531, 20-1778, 20-1780

October 31–November 12, 2021

CEI attended the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, according to the official provisional list of registered participants (PLOP).³⁹“Provisional list of registered participants” (PDF), UNFCCC, November 1, 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Listed CEI representatives included:

• Elena Morano — Representative, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• James Taylor — President, Heartland Institute
• Jessica Morano — Representative, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• Kent Lassman — President
• Kevin Williamson
• Myron Ebell — Director, Center for Energy and Environment

July 23, 2021

In an article at CEI’s blog, CEI research associate Jack Elbaum argued the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps (CCC) would be unable to address a climate emergency. Elbaum pointed to a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer supporting a CCC program, and wrote his CEI blog post “will focus on the first: the increasingly dire effects of climate change.”⁴⁰Jack Elbaum. “A Civilian Climate Corps Cannot Address a Climate Emergency,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, July 23, 2021. Archived August 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iDBzC

“As a result, they argue, it should be of paramount importance to combat these devastating effects of climate change through a new CCC. But—even though climate change is real and has mostly negative effects—this justification is weak on further examination,” Elbaum wrote.⁴¹Jack Elbaum. “A Civilian Climate Corps Cannot Address a Climate Emergency,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, July 23, 2021. Archived August 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iDBzC

Citing Bjorn Lomborg, Elbaum wrote “the truth is that economic damage [due to climate change] would have gotten worse whether or not more severe natural disasters were taking place because of a phenomenon known as the ‘expanding bull’s-eye effect.'”⁴²Jack Elbaum. “A Civilian Climate Corps Cannot Address a Climate Emergency,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, July 23, 2021. Archived August 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iDBzC

Elbaum went on to cite Roger Pielke, Jr. to claim hurricanes have not gotten worse and that “since 1990, economic damage from natural disasters has actually declined” if measured is a percentage of GDP.⁴³Jack Elbaum. “A Civilian Climate Corps Cannot Address a Climate Emergency,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, July 23, 2021. Archived August 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iDBzC

In another Lomborg citation, he suggests forest fires haven’t been getting worse. “[T]he levels of burning we are seeing today are not unprecedented or even close to the worst we have experienced since 1900.”⁴⁴Jack Elbaum. “A Civilian Climate Corps Cannot Address a Climate Emergency,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, July 23, 2021. Archived August 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iDBzC

May 2021

The Competitive Enterprise Institute hired Kevin Williamson, a columnist and correspondent at the National Review,  to lead a project to examine “the modern environmental movement, its culture, and advocacy,” E&E News reported. ⁴⁵Timothy Cama. “Group hires conservative writer to examine green movement,” E&E News, May 12, 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

April 6, 2020

CEI, represented by Myron Ebell, was signatory to an American Energy Alliance letter to President Donald Trump supporting the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule which would scrap federal fuel economy mandates under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.⁴⁶CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF), American Energy Alliance.

Describing CAFE, the letter contends: “Those families and individuals who prefer or need trucks, SUVs, and crossovers pay more to subsidize those who buy smaller vehicles or electric vehicles under the existing mandate. This significant, needless, and unjust cost is a very real regressive tax on American families that has made our country worse off.”⁴⁷CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF), American Energy Alliance.

March 23, 2020

As reported at DeSmog,⁴⁸Dana Drugmand. “Under Cover of Pandemic, Fossil Fuel Interests Unleash Lobbying Frenzy,” DeSmog, April 2, 2020. 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.”⁴⁹Coronavirus Stimulus Letter, Life:Powered, March 23, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The letter, to which CEI is a signatory, concludes:⁵⁰Coronavirus Stimulus Letter, Life:Powered, March 23, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“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.”

The full list of signatories is below:

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

July 9, 2019

CEI sent a formal request to NASA demanding a correction to the administration’s statement that 97% of scientists endorse the reality of anthropogenic climate change.⁵¹(Press Release). “CEI Files Formal Complaint Regarding NASA’s Claim of 97% Climate Scientist Agreement on Global Warming,” CEI.org, July 10, 2019. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/1N4GT. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In the letter sent to NASA’s Chief Information Officer, CEI attorneys claimed the administration’s position has been “widely criticized” and cited critiques of the statement and its underlying research by Richard Tol, David Legates, Willie Soon, and Christopher Monckton. Also cited were publications by Roy Spencer, David Henderson, Alex Epstein, and Michael Bastasch disputing the consensus viewpoint on climate change.⁵²(Press Release). “CEI Files Formal Complaint Regarding NASA’s Claim of 97% Climate Scientist Agreement on Global Warming,” CEI.org, July 10, 2019. Archived July 24, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/1N4GT. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The letter concluded by suggesting that NASA’s statement could be in violation of federal guidelines:

“Presenting such an inaccurate, unreliable, and biased statement is a violation of the Information Quality Act. NASA should stop distributing that statement by removing it from the NASA website. A correction, informing the public that this prior statement did not have a proper basis in fact and should not be relied upon, would also help relieve the problems caused by its prior distribution.”

July 30, 2019

CEI released a report authored by Kent Lassman and Power the Future’s Daniel Turner that presented a speculative economic assessment of the proposed Green New Deal, posing the question:⁵³Kent Lassman, Daniel Turner. “What the Green New Deal Could Cost a Typical Household,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, July 30, 2019. Archived July 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/Sg62w. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“What would it actually mean to implement significant portions of proposal?” (sic)

According to Lassman and Turner, their report “requires a considerable number of assumptions” and relied in part on data compiled by the American Enterprise Institute. The report’s introduction predicted a “steep economic depression” based on calculations of average household cost increases from the implementation of the GND.

In concluding, Lassman and Turner admitted that their analysis contained a wide variance in data but suggested that it was a “mark of humility.” Their final word on the matter was that:

“the Green New Deal is an unserious proposal that is at best negligent in its anticipation of transition costs and at worst is a politically motivated policy whose creativity is outweighed by its enormous potential for economic destruction.”

The authors did not comment on the science of climate change or the consensus perspective of its present and future impacts.

June 2019

The New York Times, reporting on newly released government emails resulting from a freedom of information request by the Sierra Club, described how Myron Ebell and the Competitive Enterprise Institute “weighed in at a critical juncture in the policymaking process” to push President Trump to roll back emissions standards and freeze fuel economy standards for vehicles.⁵⁴Hiroko Tabuchi. “Climate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the ‘Opposition’ in Fight Over Trump’s Emissions Rollback,” The New York Times, July 2, 2019. Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Dr5mP

“The automakers are not going to help and may be part of the opposition,” wrote Ebell in a May 2018 email to supporters and an official at the Environmental Protection Agency.⁵⁵Hiroko Tabuchi. “Climate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the ‘Opposition’ in Fight Over Trump’s Emissions Rollback,” The New York Times, July 2, 2019. Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Dr5mP

In a May 10, 2018 letter to Trump, Ebell along with two other people that had assisted with the transition wrote:⁵⁶Hiroko Tabuchi. “Climate Change Denialists Dubbed Auto Makers the ‘Opposition’ in Fight Over Trump’s Emissions Rollback,” The New York Times, July 2, 2019. Archived July 3, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Dr5mP

“We understand that some in the automaker community have expressed concerns about your current plans to reform the program. Their main concern is the expected legal battle with California,” they wrote. “In fact, what many liberal California politicians really want to do is ban gasoline-powered cars altogether.”

“You should dismiss this concern. We agree that in an ideal world, California would negotiate with you in good faith, but we all know that is not a reality in this current political climate.”

May 9, 2019

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, represented by Myron Ebell, signed on to an open letter organized by the American Energy Alliance designed to fight against an electric vehicle tax credit.⁵⁷“Dear Senator Grassley, Senator Wyden, Representative Neal and Representative Brady:” May 9, 2019. Retrieved from The Daily Caller. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/NXbZE

“The American Energy Alliance has organized a coalition to proclaim in one unified voice that there should be no expansion of the misguided electric vehicle tax credit,” Thomas Pyle wrote in a statement, quoted at The Daily Caller. “There is no question that the electric vehicle tax credit distorts the auto market to no gain.”⁵⁸Christ White. “CONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLA’S TAX CREDITS ‘OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICH’,”The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3

According to Pyle and others who signed the letter, electric vehicle tax credits “overwhelmingly benefit the rich.” DeSmog’s Koch vs. Clean project has systematically debunked this, among other well-rehearsed talking points and misinformation put forward by industry about electric vehicles.⁵⁹Christ White. “CONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLA’S TAX CREDITS ‘OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICH’,”The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3

The letter cites research by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a group that has received over $600,000 from ExxonMobil and millions from “dark money” groups DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.

March 20, 2019

The Inletkeeper reported CEI, among other front groups funded by the Koch brothers, was working to exert influence in the state of Alaska. For example, CEI wrote a letter to criticize the Bristol Bay Assessment conducted by the EPA.

The EPA‘s assessment had found that proposals for a Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska posed significant risks to people, water, and fish in the region.⁶⁰Bob Shavelson. “THE PEBBLE MINE & THE KOCHTOPUS,” Inletkeeper, March 28, 2019. Archived April 1, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/MKHGP

CEI wrote a letter to the EPA requesting correction or withdrawal of the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment.⁶¹“Re: Request for Correction Number 19001 Pertaining to the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, March 20, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“We believe the best course of action for the agency would be to withdraw this highly flawed assessment and rescind the use of it to veto the Pebble project,” CEI’s letter reads.

A follow-up letter by Steptoe & Johnson LLP, representing Pebble Limited Partnership (“PLP”), was supportive of the CEI’s stance.⁶²“Re: Pebble Limited Partnership Submission in Support of Information Quality Act Request for Correction by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (RFC 19001)” (PDF), Steptoe & Johnson LLP. Retrieved from EPA.gov.

January 2019

The Competitive Enterprise Institute ran an ad campaign⁶³“Meet the Press used to be the gold-standard for political debate. NOT ANYMORE.,” NBCClimatedebate.cei.org. Archived January 25, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/Ahd9d attacking the NBC for excluding climate change deniers from a “Meet the Press” episode dedicated to climate change.⁶⁴Amy Russo. “Chuck Todd Refuses To Give Air Time To Climate Deniers: ‘The Science Is Settled’,” HuffPost, December 31, 2018.

“We’re not going to give time to climate deniers,” Chuck Todd said on the NBC program. “The science is settled even if political opinion is not.” 

“We’re not going to debate climate change, the existence of it. The Earth is getting hotter and human activity is a major cause. Period.”

CEI purchased ads in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal criticizing Chuck Todd and the NBC, and also launched a YouTube video claiming the program was “silencing dissent.”⁶⁵“CEI Ad: Chuck Todd & NBC’s Meet the Press: Stop Denying the Real Climate Debate,” YouTube video uploaded by user “Competitive Enterprise Institute,” January 18, 2019. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

December 11, 2018

The Competitive Enterprise Institute sued the Department of Energy for being unresponsive to its requests for information relating to carbon capture and sequestration tax credits. The tax credits, designated as 45Q, entered into effect in 2008 and provide rebates per ton of carbon reused or sequestered permanently.⁶⁶Tim Pearce. “Energy Department Hit with FOIA Lawsuit Over Green Tax Credit Lobbying Campaign,” The Daily Caller, December 11, 2018. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/6HueE

CEI claimed that large banks and investment firms have lobbied DOE to increase the rebate amount and make them permanent to boost profit margins.⁶⁷Tim Pearce. “Energy Department Hit with FOIA Lawsuit Over Green Tax Credit Lobbying Campaign,” The Daily Caller, December 11, 2018. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/6HueE

FOIA requests filed by CEI in May 2017 sought to reveal lobbying efforts aimed at preserving and expanding the 45Q rebates.Tim Pearce. “Energy Department Hit with FOIA Lawsuit Over Green Tax Credit Lobbying Campaign,” The Daily Caller, December 11, 2018. Ar⁶⁸chived December 12, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/6HueE

CEI’s lawsuit stated:

“As the lobbying campaign intensified to expand 45Q into a limitless and permanent source of revenue for certain parties, DOE’s posture in responding to this request changed dramatically.”⁶⁹Tim Pearce. “Energy Department Hit with FOIA Lawsuit Over Green Tax Credit Lobbying Campaign,” The Daily Caller, December 11, 2018. Archived December 12, 2018. Archive.is URL: http://archive.is/6HueE

July 18, 2018

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, represented by Kent Lassman, 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.)⁷⁰“41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,” Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“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.”⁷¹“41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,” Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

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.⁷²Nick 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

“Protecting our environment and economic growth are not mutually exclusive,” he said in a statement. “The resolution presents a false choice.”⁷³Nick 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

The Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the measure when it was first introduced.⁷⁴“Teaching opportunities from House Concurrent Resolution 119 (H.Con.Res.119)” (PDF), Citizens’ Climate Lobby, April 30, 2018.

May 10, 2018

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, represented by Myron Ebell, was one of three signatories of an open letter to Donald Trump requesting that he follow through on a major rollback of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for the auto industry.⁷⁵“Dear Mr. President” (PDF), Institute for Energy Research, May 10, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The open letter was sent amid concerns from the the auto industry that the rollback could result in a “regulatory nightmare,” with potentially years of litigation from California and a lack of regulatory certainty. Bill Ford, chairman of Ford Motor Co., said at the company’s annual meeting, “We are not asking the administration for a rollback.” 

He said, “We want California at the table, and we want one national standard.”⁷⁶Ben Jervey. “On Rollbacks, Automakers Tell Trump ‘Not So Fast,’ Kochs Say ‘Burn More Gas’,”DeSmog, May 14, 2018.

Despite this, presidential transition team members Pyle, Myron Ebell, and Shirley Ybarra pleaded with Trump, saying “You should dismiss this concern.” The letter continues: “We agree that in an ideal world, California would negotiate with you in good faith, but we all know that is not a reality in this current political climate.” Signatories also the existing mandate would mean “those consumers who prefer trucks, SUVs, or crossovers pay more to subsidize those who buy smaller vehicles.”

“These significant increases in the average price of a car or truck are a very real regressive tax on American families that make consumers poorer and the economy weaker,” Pyle, Ebell, and Ybarra wrote.

December 12, 2017

CEI President Kent Lassman wrote at CEI that he had had several meetings at the White House, including invitations from Scott Pruitt.⁷⁷Kent Lassma. “President’s Fall Policy Update,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, December 12, 2017. Archived December 28, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/eohIy

“Administrator Scott Pruitt invited me along with three colleagues for a signing ceremony where he officially put in place new conflict of interest requirements for the 22 scientific advisory boards at the EPA,” Lassman wrote, concluding:

“As a representative of the dozens of analysts, fellows, and lawyers who toil away at CEI, in the last two months I’ve found myself in multiple meetings at Office of Mangement [sic] and Budget, the EPA, and the White House. I can make an unqualified assertion: It is nice when the government wants our advice on how to shape a policy proposal.”

2017

Following up from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed in September 2017, CEI filed suit agains the State Department to obtain records “about outside influence in developing the controversial Paris climate treaty during the Obama administration.”⁷⁸“CEI Sues State Department for Paris Climate Treaty Docs,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, October 3, 2017. Archived October 6, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8QAwz

The request targets Todd Stern, former Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Sue Biniaz, a former legal adviser, and includes emails from both government and private email accounts.

“In the absence of the Trump administration taking the initiative to review the internal record of the disgraceful process of circumventing the Senate and the U.S. Constitution to enter the Paris climate treaty, we will continue seeking to make public all of that record we are able,” said CEI Fellow Chris Horner.

View the full CEI complaint, filed October 3, 2017.

May 18, 2017

CEI published a video pushing President Donald Trump to keep his promise, and withdraw from the Paris Climate treaty. The ad’s call to action read as follows:⁷⁹“Paris Climate Treaty TV Ad: Mr. President, Keep your Promise,” YouTube video uploaded by user Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 18, 2017. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

“Mr. President: Don’t Listen to the Swamp. Keep Your Promise. Withdraw from the Paris Climate Treaty.”

Trump announced his official decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord on June 1, 2017.⁸⁰Sharon Kelly. “Trump Abandons Paris Climate Deal At Bidding of Fossil Fuel Interests,” DeSmog, June 1, 2017. CNN reported that Myron Ebell “likely had as much influence shaping Trump’s decision as any single individual,” with CEI potentially playing a key role in the decision.⁸¹“The man behind the decision to pull out of the Paris agreement,” CNN, June 3, 2017. Archived June 5, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/G82Jt

May 8, 2017

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, represented by Myron Ebell, was 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.”⁸²“Dear Mr. President” (PDF), retrieved from Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

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.⁸³Graham Readfearn. “Conservative Groups Pushing Trump To Exit Paris Climate Deal Have Taken Millions From Koch Brothers, Exxon,” DeSmog, May 10, 2017.

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.⁸⁴Susanne 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

February 2017

CEI’s general counsel Sam Kazman filed a petition on behalf of CEI with the Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) requesting that the EPA review the endangerment finding on CO2 Emissions. Individual petitioners included members of SEPP’s Board of Directors: Donna Bethell, Kenneth A. Haapala, Thomas Sheahen, and S. Fred Singer.⁸⁵“Petition of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Science and Environmental Policy Project for Rulemaking on the Subject of Greenhouse Gases and Their Impact on Public Health and Welfare, in Connection with EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, 74 FR 66,496 (Dec. 15, 2009)” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, February 17, 2017.

The petition makes a number of statements contrary to the mainstream consensus regarding climate change. First, it claims that “There Has Been No Statistically Significant Atmospheric Warming Despite a Continued Increase in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels” — Citing a post on the personal website of climate change denier Roy Spencer as evidence for the lack of warming.⁸⁶“Petition of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Science and Environmental Policy Project for Rulemaking on the Subject of Greenhouse Gases and Their Impact on Public Health and Welfare, in Connection with EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, 74 FR 66,496 (Dec. 15, 2009)” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, February 17, 2017.

The petition’s second claim is that “Changes in Global Temperatures in Recent Decades Are Far From Unusual.” For this, the citation points to a dead link to the Heartland Institute‘s “Independent Summary for Policymakers,” a document created by the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change and Science and Environmental Policy Project.⁸⁷“Petition of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Science and Environmental Policy Project for Rulemaking on the Subject of Greenhouse Gases and Their Impact on Public Health and Welfare, in Connection with EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, 74 FR 66,496 (Dec. 15, 2009)” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute, February 17, 2017.

Kazman spoke with Michael Bastasch of The Daily Caller regarding the petition, suggesting President Donald Trump may be too distracted to deal with the endangerment finding:⁸⁸Michael Bastasch. “EXCLUSIVE: EPA Asked To Invalidate A Pillar Of Obama’s Climate Agenda,” The Daily Caller, April 10, 2010. Archived November 13, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mDuqB

““I think they’re going to have a lot of trouble on the other things they want to get done without addressing the endangerment finding,” Kazman said.⁸⁹Michael Bastasch. “EXCLUSIVE: EPA Asked To Invalidate A Pillar Of Obama’s Climate Agenda,” The Daily Caller, April 10, 2010. Archived November 13, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mDuqB

A similar petition was sent by the Concerned Household Electricity Consumers Council (CHECC). Breitbart News also gave coverage to the CHECC and CEI petitions.⁹⁰“Environmental Groups Ask EPA to Rescind Obama’s ‘Endangerment Finding’,” Breitbart, April 11, 2017. Archived November 13, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/JSLKd

July 12, 2016

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, represented by Kent Lassman, was among 22 groups represented in a “Coalition” open letter pushing back against what the Heartland Institute describes as an “affront to free speech.” The groups are responding to the recent Web of Denial Resolution brought up in the Senate, calling out fossil fuel industry-funded groups denying climate change.⁹¹Jim Lakely. “#WebOfDenial Push by Senate Dems Exposes Their Hatred of Free Speech,” Somewhat Reasonable (Heartland Institute Blog), July 12, 2016. Archived July 14, 2016.

According to the Climate Investigations Center, all but one of the open letter’s signatory organizations have taken money (totalling at least $92 million since 1997) from the “climate denial web” including Koch Brothers’ various foundations, ExxonMobil, and two “Dark Money” organizations, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund.⁹²Cindy Baxter. “Front Groups Attacking #WebofDenial Senate Action Took Over $92M in Dark, Dirty Money,” DeSmog, July 14, 2016. Originally posted at Climate Investigations Center.

Championed by Senators Whitehouse, Markey, Schatz, Boxer, Merkley, Warren, Sanders, and Franken, the resolution condemns what they are calling the #WebOfDenial — “interconnected groups – funded by the Koch brothers, major fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal, identity-scrubbing groups like Donors Trust and Donors Capital, and their allies – developed and executed a massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change to halt climate action and protect their bottom lines.”⁹³Brendan Demelle. “Senators Launch Resolution, Speech Blitz Calling Out #WebOfDenial Blocking Climate Action,” DeSmog, July 11, 2016.

The open letter addresses the senators, calling them “tyrants”: 

“We hear you. Your threat is clear: There is a heavy and inconvenient cost to disagreeing with you. Calls for debate will be met with political retribution. That’s called tyranny. And, we reject it.”⁹⁴“Coalition Letter to Senate Web of Denial Resolution” (PDF). Retrieved from the Heartland Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

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

• Grover Norquist — Americans for Tax Reform
• Lisa B. Nelson — American Legislative Exchange Council
• John A. Charles, Jr. — Cascade Policy Institute
• David Rothbard — Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• Kent Lassman — Competitive Enterprise Institute
• Nicole Neily — Franklin Center for Government and Policy Integrity
• Benita Dodd — Georgia Public Policy Foundation
• Bridgett Wagner — The Heritage Foundation
• Fred Birnbaum — Idaho Freedom Foundation
• Joseph Bast — The Heartland Institute
• J. Robert McClure III — James Madison Institute
• Brett Healy — The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy
• Kory Swanson — John Locke Foundation
• Dave Trabert — Kansas Policy Institute
• Jason Hayes — Mackinac Center for Public Policy
• Brent Mead — Montana Policy Institute
• Sharon J. Rossie — Nevada Policy Research Institute
• Sally Pipes — Pacific Research Institute
• Kevin Kane — Pelican Institute for Public Policy
• Paul J. Gessing — Rio Grande Foundation
• Lynn Taylor — Virginia Institute for Public Policy
• Carol Platt Liebau — Yankee Institute for Public Policy

June 6, 2016

Following CEI’s subpoena from Claude Walker, Attorney General for the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Competitive Enterprise Institute received a letter of support signed by thirty-one organizations described as a “broad coalition of free market groups.”⁹⁵Brett Healy. “MacIver Stands With Competitive Enterprise Institute In Battle Over Free Speech,” MacIver Institute, June 6, 2016. Archived June 23, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Lqjyq

“This subpoena was an all-out assault on free speech. Forcing the CEI to hand over private information to government officials is an affront to the First Amendment rights of all Americans,” the letter states.

The full letter (see PDF) asserts that the subpoena, while it was eventually withdrawn, was a “dangerous precedent.”⁹⁶“Dear Kent” (PDF), June, 2016. Retrieved from http://www.maciverinstitute.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“Free market and taxpayer groups  have been under assault by government officials including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This is just another example of how the government is engaging in selective targeting based on a political agenda that is meant to intimidate others from participating and engaging in any debate that may run contrast to the position of the current administration.  ”

Signatories listed included the following:“Dear Kent” (PDF), June, 2016. Retrieved from http://www.maciverinstitute.com. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

• David Williams — President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance
• Dan Greenberg — President, Advance Arkansas Institute
• Dan Schneider — Executive Director, American Conservative Union
• Lisa B. Nelson — CEO, American Legislative Exchange Council
• Brent Wm. Gardner — Vice President of Government Affairs, Americans for Prosperity
• Grover Norquist — President, Americans for Tax Reform
• Justin Owen — President & CEO, Beacon Center of Tennessee
• Mark Bucher — CEO, California Policy Center
• John Hinderaker — President, Center of the American Experiment
• Norm Singleton — President, Campaign for Liberty
• Andrew F. Quinlan — President, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
• Jeffrey Mazzella — President, Center for Individual Freedom
• Tom Schatz — President, Citizens Against Government Waste
• Col Francis X. De Luca USMCR (Ret) — President, Civitas Institute
• Robert Roper — President, Ethan Allen Institute
• Tarren Bragdon — CEO, Foundation for Government Accountability
• Tom McCabe — CEO, Freedom Foundation
• George Landrith — President, Frontiers of Freedom
• Kelly McCutchen — President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation
• Andresen Blom — Executive Director, Grassroot Hawaii Action, Inc.
• Joseph Bast — President, Heartland Institute 
• Sabrina Schaeffer — Executive Director, Independent Women’s Forum 
• Heather Higgins — President & CEO, Independent Women’s Voice
• Andrew Langer — President, Institute for Liberty
• Bob McClure — President and CEO, The James Madison Institute
• Brett Healy — President, The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy
• Seton Motley — President, Less Government
• Brandon Arnold — Vice President, National Taxpayers Union
• Kevin P. Kane — President, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
• Mike Stenhouse — CEO, Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity
• Paul J. Gessing — President, Rio Grande Foundation

May 18, 2016

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) placed a full page color advertisement in The New York Times⁹⁷“CEI Runs “Abuse of Power” Ad In New York Times,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 18, 2016. Archived May 31, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DF7gW titled “Abuse of Power” (PDF).  The ad served as an open letter from 43 signatories including organizations and individuals in response to  New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Walker, and the coalition of Attorneys General investigating groups denying man-made climate change.⁹⁸ “Abuse of Power: All Americans have the right to support causes they believe in” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“Attempts to intimidate CEI and our allies and silence our policy research are unconstitutional,” said CEI president Kent Lassman. “The First Amendment protects us and everyone has a duty to respect it – even state attorneys general.  CEI will continue to fight for all Americans to support the causes in which they believe.”⁹⁹“CEI Runs “Abuse of Power” Ad In New York Times,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 18, 2016. Archived May 31, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DF7gW

The Competitive Enterprise Institute received a subpoena from AG Walker on April 7, 2016. On April 20, CEI filed an objection to the subpoena calling it “offensive,” “un-American,” and “unlawful,” and are contending that AG Walker is “violating CEI’s First Amendment rights.”¹⁰⁰“CEI Runs “Abuse of Power” Ad In New York Times,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 18, 2016. Archived May 31, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DF7gW

The “freedom of speech” argument was echoed by ExxonMobil’s legal team, as well as numerous other conservative groups including the Pacific Legal Foundation, and Heritage Foundation and the recently-formed Free Speech in Science Project, a group created by the same lawyers who defended the Competitive Enterprise Institute in the past.¹⁰¹Steve Horn. “Exxon’s Lawyer in Climate Science Probe Has History Helping Big Tobacco and NFL Defend Against Health Claims,” DeSmog, May 10, 2016.

The CEI letter lists the following signatories:

• Kent Lassman — President & CEO, Competitive Enterprise Institute
• C. Boyden Gray — Former White House Counsel
• Andrew C. McCarthy — Former Chief Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of New York
• Michael B. Mukasey — U.S. Attorney General, 2007-2009; U.S. District Judge, 1988-2006
• Ross McKitrick — Professor of Economics, University of Guelph
• Ronald D. Rotunda — Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence, Chapman University
• Richard S. Lindzen — Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences, MIT
• William Happer — Emeritus Professor of Physics, Princeton University
• Jim DeMint — President, The Heritage Foundation
• James H. Amos, Jr. — President & CEO, National Center for Policy Analysis
• John A. Baden — Chairman, Foundation for Research on Economics & the Environment
• Lisa B. Nelson — CEO, American Legislative Exchange Council
• Paul Driessen — Author & Energy Policy Analyst
• Thomas J. Pyle — President, Institute for Energy Research
• Steven J. Allen — Vice President & Chief Investigative Officer, Capital Research Center
• David Ridenour — President, National Center for Public Policy Research
• Steven J. Milloy — Publisher, JunkScience.com
• Brooke Rollins — President & CEO, Texas Public Policy Foundation
• Paul Gessing — President, Rio Grande Foundation
• Ron Arnold — Researcher & Author
• William Perry Pendley — President, Mountain States Legal Foundation
• Adam Brandon — President & CEO, FreedomWorks
• Hank Campbell — President, American Council on Science and Health
• Craig Rucker — Executive Director, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• Tom McCabe — CEO, Freedom Foundation
• Richard B. Belzer — Economist
• Heather R. Higgins — President & CEO, Independent Women’s Voice
• Joseph G. Lehman — President, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
• Sabrina Schaeffer — Executive Director, Independent Women’s Forum
• Joseph Bast — President, The Heartland Institute
• John C. Eastman — Founding Director, The Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence
• Robert Alt — President & CEO, The Buckeye Institute
• Michael Pack — President & CEO, The Claremont Institute
• Josh Blackman — Assistant Professor, South Texas College of Law
• Lynn Taylor — President, Tertium Quids
• David Rothbard — President, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• Tracie Sharp — President & CEO, State Policy Network
• Kenneth Haapala — President, Science and Environmental Policy Project
• Tim Phillips — President, Americans for Prosperity
• Myron Ebell — Director of the Center for Energy & Environment, Competitive Enterprise Institute
• George Landrith — President, Frontiers of Freedom
• John Tillman — CEO, Illinois Policy Institute
• Craig D. Idso — Chairman, Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change

February, 2016

Richard Lindzen, a prominent denier of man-made climate change, appeared on the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Real Clear Radio Hour where he spoke to host Bill Frezza.

Lindzen’s comments were transcribed at Marc Morano’s Climate Depot (reproduced below):¹⁰²Marc Morano. “MIT Climate Scientist Dr. Richard Lindzen Mocks 97% Consensus: ‘It is propaganda’,” Climate Depot, February 15, 2016. Archived March 15,2 016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tRFbd

Question: How much warming do you expect for a doubling of carbon dioxide?

Lindzen: “Doubling is chosen for a very good reason. The dependence of the greenhouse gas effects what is called logarithmic. Which means if you double CO2 from 280 to 560ppm, you would get the same thing you as you would get from doubling from 560 to 10120. It’s a diminishing return thing.”“There is no obvious trend for at least 18 years in temperature.”

Lindzen on 97% consensus:

Lindzen: “It was the narrative from the beginning. In 1998, [NASA’s James] Hansen made some vague remarks. Newsweek ran a cover that says all scientists agree. Now they never really tell you what they agree on. It is propaganda.”

“So all scientists agree it’s probably warmer now than it was at the end of the Little Ice Age. Almost all Scientists agree that if you add CO2 you will have some warming. Maybe very little warming. But it is propaganda to translate that into it is dangerous and we must reduce CO2 etc.
 If you can make an ambiguous remark and you have people who will amplify it ‘they said it not me’ and he response of the political system is to increase your funding, what’s not to like?

 If I look through my department, at least half of them keep mum. Just keep on doing your work, trying to figure out how it works.MIT ‘has just announced that they see this bringing in $300 million bucks. It will support all sorts of things.’”

Inverse magazine offers a brief fact check of Lindzen’s most recent claims. They also quote climate scientist Ray Perrehumbert’s 2012 lecture to the American Geophysical Union:¹⁰³Sarah Sloat. “Climate Change-Denying MIT Prof. Richard Lindzen Is Suddenly Popular, Still Wrong,” Inverse, February 17, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Qwpq3

“It’s OK to be wrong, and [Richard Lindzen] is a smart person, but most people don’t really understand that one way of using your intelligence is to spin ever more clever ways of deceiving yourself. … He has made a career of being wrong in interesting ways about climate science.”

August 5, 2015

The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Myron Ebell was interviewed alongside of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Jeremy Symons on the August 5 edition of CSPAN’s Washington Journal. During the interview, EDF’s Symons “confronted” Ebell about his sources of funding, asking, “Isn’t Murray Energy your biggest funder of your dinner? They’re the biggest coal company in the United States for underground mining.”¹⁰⁴“Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Myron Ebell: ‘I’d Like To See A Lot More Funding’ From Big Coal,” Media Matters, August 5, 2015. Archived August 11, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/skjit

Ebell responded:“I’d like to see a lot more funding from all of those companies, but unfortunately many of the coal companies are now going bankrupt … I would like to have more funding so that I can combat the nonsense put out by the environmental movement.”

Watch Myron Ebell’s interview on CSPAN here.

July 7–8, 2015

The Competitive Enterprise Institute was a co-sponsor to the Heartland Institute’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC10) in Washington, DC.¹⁰⁵“Sponsors,” ICCC10. Archived July 15, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Uyj2K

July 2015

Lawson Bader, representing the Competitive Enterprise Institute, was a speaker at FreedomFest 2015 where he offered a July 10 presentation titled ”Gavel Out! Legal Opportunities to Push Back Regulatory Overreach.”¹⁰⁶“Lawson Bader ‘Gavel Out! Legal Opportunities to Push Back Regulatory Overreach’,” Freedom Fest, July 10, 2015. Archived June 22, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/p8d0q

Bader also appeared on a July 11 panel discussion titled “Think Tanks Make a Difference.” Speakers included representatives from a number of prominent Conservative think tanks:¹⁰⁷“PANEL Think Tanks Make a Difference!” FreedomFest, July 11, 2015. Archived June 22, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/raS07

• Elizabeth Ames — Founder, Free Market Central.com and Think Tank Central.com
• Lawson Bader — President, Competitive Enterprise Institute
• Peter Goettler — President & CEO, Cato Institute
• Chris Long — President & CEO, Intercollegiate Studies Institute
• David Nott — President, Reason Foundation

February, 2015

Mother Jones magazine reported the Competitive Enterprise Institute was the driving force behind two lawsuits opposing Obamacare including King v. Burwell.¹⁰⁸“Why Is Big Pharma Financing a Conservative Group Trying to Destroy Obamacare?”Mother Jones, February 18, 2015. Archived June 21, 2016. WebCiteURL: http://www.webcitation.org/6iSjGF31Q

According to Mother Jones, “If the CEI-backed case prevails, more than 8 million people could lose their health coverage, premiums could skyrocket 35 percent or more, and the fledgling health care reform effort could collapse. CEI also helped launch Halbig v. Burwell, a similar case that is on hold pending the Supreme Court’s decision in King.”

The magazine noted that while “Even after CEI filed its anti-Obamacare lawsuits, Big Pharma continued to fund the think tank” even while the health care law was projected to boost the industry’s profits by up by $25 billion over the following decade. While PHRMA declined whether to say if they would continue to fund CEI, while a GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman said that ”GSK supports efforts to increase access, improve quality and reduce cost growth in the US health system and we remain committed to working with the administration and other stakeholders as the ACA is fully implemented.

“If that’s the case, though, it begs the question of why Glaxo and other pharmaceutical industry outfits that pledged their support to Obamacare have simultaneously backed a group that for years has been plotting the law’s destruction,” writes Mother Jones.

October 29, 2014

The Competitive Enterprise Institute filed a lawsuit suing the White House “over a video that claimed global warming might be tied to last year’s extreme cold spell, commonly referred to as the ‘polar vortex,’” according to a report from ThinkProgress. The White House stated that the video did not “represent the official agency position,” and instead represented the “personal opinions” of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology director, John Holdren, and OSTP Senior Communications Advisor, Becky Fried.¹⁰⁹“Libertarians Sue White House Over Climate Change Video,” ThinkProgress, October 30, 2014. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Uiss6

CEI then filed a Freedom of Information Act request “for all White House documents and e-mails discussing whether the validity of the science really does constitute Holdren and Fried’s personal opinions, and all documents related to the cost of producing Holdren’s video.” The White House came forth with some material following the FOIA request, but withheld 47 additional pieces of information that it claimed contained “privileged material.”

September 26, 2014

CEI’s Marlo Lewis attended the “At the Crossroads; Energy & Climate Policy Summit” in Houston, Texas, hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and The Heritage Foundation. Lewis presents in “Panel II: Taking Stock of Current Climate Regulation.”¹¹⁰Marlo Lewis. “Speakers,” At the Crossroads; Energy & Climate Policy Summit, Texas Public Policy Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, September 25, 2014. Archived October 3, 2014. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/GUScV

July 7–9, 2014

The Competitive Enterprise Institute was a co-sponsor to the Heartland Institute’s Ninth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC9) in Las Vegas, Nevada.¹¹¹“ICCC9 CoSponsors,” International Conferences on Climate Change (The Heartland Institute). Archived July 27, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/gclHF

June 2014

The Competitive Enterprise Institute filed a lawsuit against the NSA. CEI President Lawson Bader wrote their reasoning is to gain access to information they have failed to retrieve from the EPA including “cell phone and text message records that we believe will show the degree to which left-leaning environmental pressure groups have had unfettered, back-channel access to EPA leadership.”¹¹²Lawson Bader. “CEI Sues the NSA,” Human Events, June 16, 2014. Archived June 22, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ri1gT

Bader writes that “the NSA might have the information that the EPA claims is non-existent. So we are asking the federal government to snitch on itself. And that is actually kind of funny.”

May 21–23, 2012

The Competitive Enterprise Institute was listed as a “Gold Sponsor” of the Heartland Institute’s Seventh International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7).¹¹³“Cosponsors,” 7th International Conference on Climate Change. Archived May 10, 2012. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VAY3r

June 30–July 1, 2011

The Competitive Enterprise Institute was a co-sponsor (PDF) to the Heartland Institute’s Sixth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC6).¹¹⁴“Sixth International Conference on Climate Change Conference Program” (PDF), The Heartland Institute. Archived July 25, 2015.

May 2010

The Competitive Enterprise Institute was a co-sponsor (PDF) to the Heartland Institute’s Fourth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC4).¹¹⁵“4th International Conference on Climate Change Conference Program” (PDF), The Heartland Institute. 

June 2, 2009

The Competitive Enterprise Institute cosponsored the Heartland Institute’s Third International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC3).¹¹⁶“Co-Sponsors,” Third International Conference on Climate Change. Archived July 14, 2010. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7M3LQ

The conference’s theme was “Climate Change: Scientific Debate and Economic Analysis,” to reflect Heartland’s belief that that “scientific debate is not over.”

March 8–10, 2009

The Competitive Enterprise Institute cosponsored the Heartland Institute’s Second International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC2).¹¹⁷“Co-Sponsors,” The 2009 International Conference on Climate Change. Archived April 28, 2011. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8pEf7

March 2008

CEI released a national ad campaign “on the Impact of Al Gore’s Global Warming Policies.” The campaign focused on “the threat to affordable energy posed by Al Gore’s global warming agenda.”¹¹⁸Kevin Grandia. “CEI Struggles to Remain Relevant, Bashes Gore,” DeSmog, March 12, 2008.

Video transcript:

“Here’s the electricity we use at home. Al Gore uses twenty times as much. Mister gore’s friends use lots of energy too. But Al Gore wants to cut our energy use, putting our jobs and our future in jeopardy. Mr Gore’s future, on the other hand, couldn’t be brighter. We depend on reliable, affordable energy for our food, our transportation, our homes. It’s the best protection we have against the hazards of life and it’s even more important to people elsewhere who are struggling to survive; to break out of the prison of poverty. For them, affordable energy is something to hope for and something to celebrate. But what will happen to that hope if we restrict energy use? Some people may have a bright future. But don’t kid yourself: Without affordable energy, hundreds of millions of people won’t have any future at all.”

CEI’s Sam Kazman, the ad co-creator, said that “Global warming activists warn us about the alleged threats from global warming, but are usually silent about the much more immediate threats from global warming policies.”¹¹⁹“CEI Launches National Ad Campaign on the Impact of Al Gore’s Global Warming Policies,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, March 11, 2008. Archived July 30, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hGdAl

March 2–4, 2008

The Competitive Enterprise Institute was a cosponsor of the Heartland Institute’s First International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC1). The conference was titled “Global Warming: Truth or Swindle.”¹²⁰“Sponsorships,” The 2008 International Conference on climate Change. Archived June 10, 2011. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/bxDic

January 2007

CEI offered up their in-house staff as global warming “experts” available to comment on the upcoming release by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

CEI described the IPCC’s Summary for Policymakers as a “propaganda document that will promote global warming alarmism.”¹²¹“Good News for the Planet = Bad News for Climate Alarmists,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, January 30, 2007. Archived July 30, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/dcQtd

October 24, 2006

CEI contributed an Amicus (PDF) in a Supreme Court Co2 case. The argument states that “Contrary to the Climate Scientists’ Amicus Brief, There Is Insufficient Evidence That Carbon Dioxide Emissions Will Endanger Public Health or Welfare.”

The amicus curiae provided by CEI include skeptical scientists Sallie Baliunas, John Christy, Christopher de Freitas, David Legates, Anthony R. Lupo, Patrick Michaels, Joel Schwartz, and Roy Spencer.¹²²“AMICI CURIAE BRIEF OF CLIMATOLOGISTS AND SCIENTISTS SALLIE BALIUNAS, JOHN R.CHRISTY, CHRIS DE FREITAS, DAVID LEGATES, ANTHONY LUPO, PATRICK MICHAELS, JOEL SCHWARTZ, AND ROY W. SPENCER IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS” (PDF), Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived July 30, 2015.

May 2006

CEI launched a national global warming ad campaign featuring two 60-second television ads with the tagline “CO2: They Call It Pollution; We Call It Life.”

Transcript:¹²³“Global Warming – ‘Energy’,” (YouTube video), Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 18, 2006. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

“There’s something in these pictures you can’t see. It’s essential to life. We breathe it out; plants breathe it in. It comes from animal life, the oceans, the earth, and the fuels we find in it. It’s called carbon dioxide, CO2. The fuels that produce CO2 have freed us from a world of backbreaking labor, lighting up our lives, allowing us to create and move the things we need; the people we love. [Ominous Music] Now, some politicians want to label carbon dioxide a pollutant.  Imagine if they succeed. What would our lives be like then? Carbon dioxide: they call it pollution. We call it life.”

One of the ads “focuses on the extent to which the public has received only one side of the glacial melting issue.”¹²⁴“CEI To Launch National Global Warming Ad Campaign,” Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 15, 2006. Archived July 30, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/H3tV2

July 20, 2005

CEI published a “definitive article on climate change.”¹²⁵Jim Hoggan. “Last Word from the Competitive Enterprise Institute,” DeSmog, December 8, 2005.

The article (PDF) begins with the admission that “Global warming is happening and man is responsible for at least some of it” but CEI proceeds to argue that “There is no ‘scientific consensus’ that global warming will cause damaging climate change.”¹²⁶Ian Murray. “What Every European Should Know About Global Warming” (PDF), CEI On Point, July 20, 2005. Archived July 30, 2015.

February 10, 2005

CEI held an event titled “The Kyoto Protocol and Beyond: A Roundtable Discussion on the Future of International and U. S. Climate Policy” that examined what Kyoto would mean for future climate policy in the U.S.

Panelists included:¹²⁷“The Kyoto Protocol and Beyond: A Roundtable Discussion on the Future of International and U. S. Climate Policy,” CEI Events and Appearances. Archived April 26, 2006. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wfPMu

• Senator James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) — Chairman, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
• Harlan L. Watson — Senior Climate Negotiator and Special Representative at the U.S. Department of State.
• William O’Keefe — CEO of the George C. Marshall Institute.
• Myron Ebell — Director, Global Warming Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
• Christopher C. Horner — Counsel to the Cooler Heads Coalition.
• Jeff Kueter (Moderator) — President of the George C. Marshall Institute.

August 2003

CEI filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, citing the Data Quality Act. The institute demanded that the National Assessment, a report on climate change, not be disseminated by the government.

The Bush administration settled the lawsuit by adding a disclaimer to the web site where the report is available, stating that it has not been reviewed under the Data Quality Act.¹²⁸“Earth Last,” The American Prospect, May 4, 2004. Archived June 7, 2004. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/uV5E0

August 2, 2002

CEI was one of a group of of think-tanks that sent a letter discouraged President Bush from attending the August 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.¹²⁹(Press Release) “Corporate-funded Lobbyists Aimed to Sabotage Johannesburg Summit,” Africa News, August 19, 2002. Archived July 30, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/1R29d

October 3, 2000

CEI filed a lawsuit over the National Assessment with Senator James Inhofe as a co-plaintiff.

The suit alleged various procedural deficiencies in the report’s preparation and demanded the court block the report’s production or utilization.
Co-plaintiff Jo Ann Emerson, a Republican representative from Missouri, charged, “The administration is rushing to release a junk science report in violation of current law to try to lend support to its flawed Kyoto Protocol negotiations.”¹³⁰“Earth Last,” The American Prospect, May 4, 2004. Archived June 7, 2004. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/uV5E0

July 1998

Marlo Lewis testified on behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute on the issue of “Why Kyoto Is Not an Insurance Policy.”

Lewis concludes that there are “several reasons why we shouldn’t worry about global warming,” including how man-kind would supposedly benefit from warming because “plant life grow faster, stronger, and more profusely” with increased carbon dioxide.

Lewis does not cite any scientific studies to support these claims.¹³¹“Why Kyoto Is Not an Insurance Policy,” Junk Science, July 29, 1998. Archived March 3, 2000. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hOHnY

CEI Contact & Address

As of May, 2016 the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s (CEI) contact address and phone number was listed as follows:¹³²“About,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/IpJWA

1899 L St NW, 12th Floor
Washington, DC 20036

Phone: 202-331-1010
Fax: 202-331-0640

[email protected]

Related Organizations

• Cooler Heads Coalition — Paid for and maintained by CEI.¹³³“About,” GlobalWarming.org. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/nLWnM
• SafeChemicalPolicy.org —  Project of CEI and its Coalition Members.¹³⁴“About,” SAFEChemicalPolicy.org. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Lsqzn

Other Resources

• “Competitive Enterprise Institute,” SourceWatch Profile.
• “Competitive Enterprise Institute,” Wikipedia page.
• “Competitive Enterprise Institute and Global Warming,” SourceWatch page.
• Greenpeace Investigations research documents on CEI.

Resources

• 1
  “About,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/IpJWA
• 2
  ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Competitive Enterprise Institute, CEI. Data retrieved August, 2016. Most recent data on file at DeSmog.
• 3
  “ExxonMobil cuts off funding to (some) climate deniers,” The Christian Science Monitor, May 29, 2008. Archived July 8, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/yVKMW
• 4
  Andy Kroll. “Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement,” Mother Jones, February 5, 2003. Archived July 24, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/dP34U
• 5
  Richard Littlemore. “Exxon Acknowledges Climate Change, cuts CEI’s funding,” DeSmog, January 11, 2007.
• 6
  “Myron Ebell: Director, Center for Energy and Environment,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived December 29, 2011. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mxjzo 
• 7
  “Myron Ebell: Director, Center for Energy and Environment,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived September 29, 2012. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wpXxG
• 8
  “Energy and Environment,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived June 23, 2016. https://archive.ph/f5Dm8
• 9
  “About,” GlobalWarming.org. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/nLWnM
• 10
  “About,” SAFEChemicalPolicy.org. Archived March 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Lsqzn
• 11
  “Energy and Environment,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived June 23, 2016. https://archive.ph/f5Dm8
• 12
  “Global Warming,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived February 11, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/F1GQQ
• 13
  “Global Warming – ‘Energy’,” (YouTube video), Competitive Enterprise Institute, May 18, 2006. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.
• 14
  Lee Fang. “COAL GIANT PROVIDED SECRET FINANCING TO GROUP CHALLENGING CLIMATE LAWSUITS,”The Intercept, December 17, 2019. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/hUjRt
• 15
  Scott Waldman. “Murray Energy a major funder of climate denial groups,” E&E News, December 17, 2019. Archived December 20, 2019. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/wip/WrDuT
• 16
  Lisa Friedman. “A Coal Baron Funded Climate Denial as His Company Spiraled Into Bankruptcy,” The New York Times, December 17, 2019. Archived December 20, 2019. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/ujTS6
• 17
  Tik Root, Lisa Friedman, and Hiroko Tabuchi. “Following the Money That Undermines Climate Science,” The New York Times, July 10, 2019. Archived July 10, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/8G1po
• 18
  “CEI 35th Anniversary Dinner and Receiption” (PDF), CEI, July 8, 2019 (document creation date). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
• 19
  Tik Root, Lisa Friedman, and Hiroko Tabuchi. “Following the Money That Undermines Climate Science,” The New York Times, July 10, 2019. Archived July 10, 2019. Archive.fo URL:https://archive.fo/8G1po
• 20
  “CEI 35th Anniversary Dinner and Receiption” (PDF), CEI, July 8, 2019 (document creation date). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
• 21
  Juliet Eilperin. “Anatomy of a Washington dinner: Who funds the Competitive Enterprise Institute?” The Washington Post, June 20, 2013. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CZoH2
• 22
  “Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Myron Ebell: ‘I’d Like To See A Lot More Funding’ From Big Coal,” Media Matters, August 5, 2015. Archived November 10, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/NrMh4
• 23
  “Competitive Enterprise Institute,” Conservative Transparency. Data retrieved June 2, 2017.
• 24
  Richard Littlemore. “Exxon Acknowledges Climate Change, cuts CEI’s funding,” DeSmog, January 11, 2007.
• 25
  “Sceptics forced to contain hot air on gases,” The Australian, April 10, 2007. Archived September 2, 2013.
• 26
  Joel Achenbach. “The Tempest,” The Washington Post, May 28, 2006. Archived February 20, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/9bwde
• 27
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