James Madison Institute (JMI)
Background
The James Madison Institute (JMI) is a Florida-based 501(c)(3) libertarian think tank founded in 1987 with the mission of keeping “the citizens of Florida informed about their government and to shape our state’s future through the advancement of practical free-market ideas on public policy issues.” [1]
Notable JMI people include two Gulf Power CEOs: current board member Stan Connally, President & CEO of Gulf Power, and former JMI director Mark Crosswhite, now CEO and President of Alabama Power and former President of Gulf Power. [2], [3], [4]
James Madison Institute’s research advisory council includes James Taylor, the Heartland Institute’s senior fellow for environmental policy. JMI has also supported the Heartland Institute as a sponsor of it’s International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC). [5]
State Policy Network Member
JMI is a member of the State Policy Network (SPN), a group of free market think tanks designed to “educate the general public and policy makers in every state to embrace market-friendly policies that maximize liberty and opportunity.” [6]
The SPN has received over $15 million from DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, two secretive funding groups described as the “Dark Money ATM” of the conservative movement in the US. [7]
The State Policy Network donated at least $364,000 to the James Madison Institute between 2002 and 2013. [8]
Stance on Climate Change
2010
“Today, the scientists and the research associated with global warming have lost the credibility and authority with which they have argued their point. By arguing forcefully and loudly for more than 20 years that the data are “certain” and that the world’s scientific community is ‘unified’ in its belief that global warming is a man-made phenomena and will lead to a global environmental apocalypse, they have destroyed their position as an honest, dispassionate broker of knowledge. They have done a disservice to themselves and to science at large.” [9]
2008
“[S]tudies suggest that less than half of all published scientists endorse ‘Global Warming’ theory… . we do not yet understand what ‘Global Warming’ is, whether it is a natural occurrence or that human activity is having a direct impact. […] [T]he evidence also shows that the temperature was rising hundreds of years before carbon dioxide levels were rising. This contradicts the theory that rising CO2 levels cause an increase in the earth’s temperature.” [10]
Renewables
November 1, 2009
“Should Florida’s government force the premature abandonment of cost-efficient energy sources, such as oil and natural gas, in favor of less-efficient energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels, the resultant spike in energy prices would be likely to cost far more jobs than the so-called ‘green economy’ would create.”
“Therefore, in any calculations of the economic costs and benefits, the economic benefits from, say, allowing more drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf far outweigh the fanciful estimates of the benefits from ‘green’ jobs such as installing solar panels or removing the dead birds and bats killed by wind turbines.” — Past JMI President Bob McClure. [11]
2007
“Interest in a renewable energy policy is based partly on a myth. We will never run out of non-renewable energy sources, and not just because we keep discovering more.” [12]
Funding
The following is based on data the Conservative Transparency project collected from publicly available 990 tax forms. Note that not all individual funding values have been verified by DeSmogBlog for accuracy. [13]
To see additional details, view the attached spreadsheet on the James Madison Institute’s funding by year (.xlsx).
ExxonMobil Funding
ExxonSecrets reports that the James Madison Institute received it’s $5,000 contribution from ExxonMobil in 2001. [14]
Koch Funding
The below is based on publicly available 990 forms. See also data collected by Greenpeace USA. [25]
| Year | Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation | Charles Koch Institute | Grand Total |
| 2007 | $6,850 | $6,850 | |
| 2008 | $39,462 | $39,462 | |
| 2009 | $9,667 | $9,667 | |
| 2010 | $7,500 | $7,500 | |
| 2011 | $20,000 | $20,000 | |
| 2012 | $25,000 | $25,000 | |
| 2013 | $40,000 | $40,000 | |
| 2014 | $40,000 | $15,000 | $55,000 |
| 2015 | $65,000 | $20,000 | $85,000 |
| 2016 | $226,000 | $10,000 | $236,000 |
| 2017 | $166,000 | $166,000 | |
| 2018 | $197,000 | $197,000 | |
| Grand Total | $842,479 | $45,000 | $887,479 |
James Madison Institute 990 Tax Forms
Key People
View key people by year below, or view the attached spreadsheet for a full list of the James Madison Institute’s key People (.xlsx) including sources.
Actions
July 18, 2018
The James Madison Institute, represented by Sal J. Nuzzo, 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. [26]
“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.” [26]
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. [27]
“Protecting our environment and economic growth are not mutually exclusive,” he said in a statement. “The resolution presents a false choice.”[27]
The Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the measure when it was first introduced. [28]
April 2, 2016
The James Madison Institute was a presenter at a “free market environmentalism” conference at Florida Gulf Coast University. The event was sponsored by Students for Liberty at FGCU, a student organization created with the help of a donor agreement between FGCU, BB&T, and the Charles Koch Foundation, Liberation News reports. Between 2009 and 2014, FGCU received at least $200,000 from Koch and $600,000 from BB&T. [18]
Activists interrupted the Koch-funded conference during a keynote presentation title “Friends Don’t Let Friends Ban Fracking.” Other organizations presenting at the conference included the Heartland Institute, and Reason Foundation—two organizations which have also received Koch industry funding. [18]
August 2015
The James Madison Institute (JMI) released a “backgrounder” (PDF) on US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule to revise the definition of “waters of the United States.” Authors listed are M. Reed Hopper and Mark Miller of the Koch-funded Pacific Legal Foundation. [19], [20]
According to JMI, the application of the Clean Water Act ”threatens to unleash a flood of federal regulations over people’s land and their lives, from one end of the continent to the other” and “this power grab will come at a monumental cost to Florida’s economy.” [19]
According to the EPA, the rule will ensure “waters protected under the Clean Water Act are more precisely defined and predictably determined, making permitting less costly, easier, and faster for businesses and industry.” The rule is grounded in law and the latest science, and is shaped by public input. “ [21]
“For the water in the rivers and lakes in our communities that flow to our drinking water to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them need to be clean too,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Protecting our water sources is a critical component of adapting to climate change impacts like drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures – which is why EPA and the Army have finalized the Clean Water Rule to protect these important waters, so we can strengthen our economy and provide certainty to American businesses.” [21]
2010
In their seasonal journal, JMI issued a plea to Florida state legislators not to bring forward policies on global warming following “Climategate.” [9]
According to the summer 2010 issue of the James Madison Journal (PDF):
“Today, the scientists and the research associated with global warming have lost the credibility and authority with which they have argued their point. By arguing forcefully and loudly for more than 20 years that the data are ‘certain’ and that the world’s scientific community is “unified” in its belief that global warming is a man-made phenomena and will lead to a global environmental apocalypse, they have destroyed their position as an honest, dispassionate broker of knowledge.” [9]
December 2009
The James Madison Institute and the Beacon Hill Institute released a backgrounder opposing Cap and Trade legislation in Florida in the American Clean Energy and Security Act, better known as the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill. According to the publication, any cap and trade proposal would “[I]nflict large negative impacts on the economy of Florida.” [22]
September 2008
The James Madison Institute co-produced a report with the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) on Florida’s climate change action plan. The Beacon Hill/Madison Institute report criticizes a prior report by the Governor’s Action Team on Energy and Climate (GATECC) that studies the issue in November, 2007. [23]
“Florida cannot afford to ignore the potential adverse impact of those errors because accurate assumptions and credible data are central to a fair evaluation of the costs and benefits of implementing recommendations for reducing greenhouse gases,” the BHI/JMI report reads. [23]
The report offers the following conclusion, suggesting that “the laws of economics” should be the factor to decide GHG reduction policies:
“Addressing Florida’s response to GHG emissions and energy consumption should be based on a thorough cost-benefit analysis that avoids the methodological issues and errors that permeate previous attempts in other states. Only then can Floridians make an informed decision about what policies, if any, should be enacted to mitigate GHG emissions in a manner that respects the laws of economics.” [23]
James Madison Institute Contact & Location
As of June 2016, the James Madison Institute listed the following contact information in its website: [24]
The James Madison Institute
The Columns
100 North Duval Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301Toll Free: 1-866-340-3131
Local: 1-850-386-3131
Fax: 1-850-386-1807
Related Organizations
Social Media
- @JmsMadisonInst on Twitter.
- “James Madison Institute” on Facebook.
- “The James Madison Institute” on LinkedIn.
Resources
- “About JMI,” The James Madison Institute. Archived April 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/hQ8iy
- “Board of Directors,” The James Madison Institute. April 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/TgsTT
- “Board of Directors,” The James Madison Institute. Archived May 25, 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Ui7UA
- “Mark A. Crosswhite,” Bloomberg executive profile. Accessed April 7, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- “Research Advisory Council,” The James Madison Institute. Archived April 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/5476z
- “Directory,” State Policy Network. Accessed September 18, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/5aWTv
- “Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement,” Mother Jones, February 5, 2013. Archived July 23, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Iw7IB
- “State Policy Network,” Conservative Transparency Project Search. Accessed September 15, 2015. Archive.is URL:
- Robert J. Bebber. “‘Climategate’ Provides Lessons for Policy Makers” (PDF), The Journal of the James Madison Institute, Summer 2010.
- Robert Bebber. “The Cult of Global Warming” (PDF), James Madison Journal, Winter/Spring 2008.
- “Florida Commission Rejects Claim Higher Energy Costs Save Money,” Heartland Institute, November 1, 2009. Archived April 8, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/kY7kD
- Randall G. Holcombe . “Renewable Energy Policy: Not as Good as It Sounds” (PDF), Point of View (James Madison Institute Journal), October 2007. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- “James Madison Institute,” Conservative Transparency. Data retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ExxonSecrets Factsheet: James Madison Institute, JMI. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Xq6WF
- “Staff,” The James Madison Institute. Archived April 7, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/yQrx0
- “Staff,” The James Madison Institute. Archived May 25, 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/m4rl1
- “Research Advisory Council,” The James Madison Institute. Archived May 27, 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/zS6yH
- Bryan Ellis. “Florida activists disrupt pro-fracking Koch-funded conference,” Liberation News, April 3, 2016. Archived April 10, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/MHLLn
- M. Reed Hopper and Mark Miller. “’Waters of the United States:’A Case Study in Government Abuse” (PDF), The James Madison Institute, August 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- “Pacific Legal Foundation,” SourceWatch. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ck6aJ
- (Press Release). “Clean Water Rule Protects Streams and Wetlands Critical to Public Health, Communities, and Economy,” The United States Environmental Protection Agency, May 27, 2015. Archived April 8, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/NKqL4
- Paul Bachman. “The Economic Effects of Proposed Cap-and-Trade Legislation on the State of Florida” (PDF) The James Madison Institute, December, 2009. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- “Phase II of Florida’s Plan for Energy and Climate Change:Avoiding the Mistakes Made by Others” (PDF), James Madison Institute, September, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmogBlog.
- “JMI Headquarters,” The James Madison Institute. Archived June 8, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/OM5ML
- “James Madison Institute (JMI): Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/cDYNE
- “41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,” Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog
- 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
- “Teaching opportunities from House Concurrent Resolution 119 (H.Con.Res.119)” (PDF), Citizens’ Climate Lobby, April 30, 2018.
Other Resources
- “James Madison Institute,” SourceWatch.
- “Deniers:Organisations:James Madison Institute,” ExxonSecrets Wiki.
- “James Madison Institute (JMI): Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group,” Greenpeace USA.
